Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Ricardo Formoso — Electric Rebound
(Bandcamp aMarxe no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-08-10

Electric Rebound Cover art

Ricardo Formoso is a Spanish composer and trumpeter (I guess for this release he’s exclusively a flugelhornist) who capably leads his four-piece band through a labyrinth of jazz, funk and jazz-rock fusion. Electric Rebound follows two independent releases, 2017’s Origens and 2020’s Implosão, both of which featured very different five-piece lineups. For this album he has dispensed with the services of a bass player – other instruments are handling those bottom-end duties (primarily keyboards) now along with drummer Miguel Cabana, guitarist Virxilio da Silva, and electric pianist Lago Mourinho. Formoso, in addition to leading this band, is also a professor in the jazz department at ESMAE (Escola Superior de Musica e Artes do Espetáculo) in Porto, Portugal, in addition to his involvement in other musical collaborations such as the Orquestra Jazz Matosinhos. Opener “Orion” is a beautiful introduction to the band, featuring stunning solos from flugelhorn and guitar, regularly returning to a main theme that exudes power; here the electric piano does comp/fill and bass duties, and even takes a bass solo in the latter half of the number. There are no vocals to be found anywhere, so there’s plenty of opportunity for the instrumentalists to shine in the spotlight. The jazz idiom continues on “Pulse Circuit,” although a bit of funk and additional complexity is finding its way into their sound at this point along with another impressive solo by da Silva, carried further by the busy and eclectic “Voltage Dreams.” Everything changes from the gentle jazz feel to raw power with the hard-rocking fusion of “Overloaded,” with da Silva introducing a snarly level of distortion and some sublime guitar soloing throughout the piece, perhaps a bit reminiscent of the late Larry Coryell in his late ‘60s rock phase. The title track is introduced by a drum figure, quickly moving back into the funky zone with some brilliant piano work from Mourinho and punchy guitar soloing; we don’t hear much horn soloing until the last few minutes, but it’s a potent, rich and gritty mix of sounds that’ll blow the listener’s mind. All taken, Electric Rebound is an impressive effort that shows much promise for future endeavors.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Ricardo Formoso

More info
http://amarxe.bandcamp.com/album/electric-rebound

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.