Goma -

Goma was a Spanish jazz-rock band that released the 1975 album 14 Abril on Movieplay.

Members: Manuel Rodríguez (guitar), José Lagares (bass), Antonio Rodríguez (drums), Pepe Sánchez (saxophone), Alberto Toribio (keyboards)

Background

Goma formed in April 1974 in Sevilla, Andalucía. Keyboardist Alberto Toribio came from Chilcle. Guitarist/singer Manuel Rodríguez and bassist/singer Pepe Lagares both played in Caramelos y Pipas. Saxophonist Pepe Sánchez had worked in the local band Gong (not the French-based group). Drummer/singer Antonio S. Rodríguez arrived from Smash, an early Spanish hard-rock band that released two albums in 1970/71 on Philips.

14 Abril

Goma released their singular album, 14 Abril, in May 1975 on Movieplay.

The album unfolds through expansive instrumental passages, shifting between electric and acoustic textures with layered keyboards, saxophone, and flamenco guitar.

Manuel Rodríguez composed the first side, collaborating on the two-part “Madre y Tierra” with outsiders Miguel Lobato and Manuel Molina, another Smash alumnus who guests on Spanish guitar. Catherine Miller provided lyrics for “Shootin’ Up (Subiendo)” features lyrics by one Catherine Miller.

14 de Abril unfolds across four long pieces built around sharp contrasts in density and pacing. “Aquí y Ahora” opens with a fast, brash exchange between guitar and sax before dropping into a quieter mid-section where piano lines settle into a contoured drift; the piece closes on a calmer stretch after its early bursts of pressure. “Madre Tierra” starts with a spare acoustic pattern that widens into a heavier passage where bass and sax push the rhythm at a faster clip, then resolves in a short acoustic coda.

“Un Nuevo Abril sin Sal” holds a steadier frame, driven by firmer guitar accents and a consistent rhythmic push that avoids the abrupt shifts found elsewhere. “Shooting Up” moves at a slower pace with long, open sections and intermittent fade-ins, saving its busiest interplay for the latter half.

A1. “Aquí y Ahora” [Here and Now] (11:55) — Manuel Rodríguez
A2. “Madre y Tierra / Pellizco” [Mother Earth / Pinch] (8:13) — M. Rodríguez, Molina, Lobato

B1. “Un Nuevo Abril Sin Sol” [A New April Without Sun] (8:15) — Antonio Rodríguez, Alberto Toribio; lyrics by José Lagares
B2. “Shootin’ Up (Subiendo)” [Shooting Up] (11:37) — M. Rodríguez, Toribio, Miller

Sessions occurred in March 1975 at Estudios Sonoland with producer Gonzalo Garciapelayo.

14 Abril appeared in a gatefold with circular cover art depicting a caricature of the Eye of Providence.