Musicians:
David Martinez - drums and percussion
Luis Maldonado - vocals
Mario Mendoza - keyboards
Arturo Garcia - bass
Marco Corona - guitars and keyboards; bass on #2

Contributors:
Marisa Calderón - vocals (2, 9)
Marcela Alvear - oboe (2: 8.3)
Miguel Lawrence - flute on (8)
Javier Ferretyz - guitar on 5 and 7
Ricardo Martinez - ambience (2:4.2)



GEPR Review:

Códice is a Mexican band. To my knowledge, Alba y Ocaso (Dawn and Dusk) is their only release. But what a release! This is '70's styled prog with many references to the bands of that day. Alba y Ocaso is a 2-CD set with the first CD being a set of cuts featuring a mix of male and female vocalists and great '70's keyboards (actually, an E-mu Vintage Keys).

Códice reminds me in parts of various Italian bands (particularly Le Orme) plus Pink Floyd, Genesis, Red-era King Crimson and even Rubycon-era Tangerine Dream in one place. But they most frequently recall Emerson, Lake and Palmer, complete with a B3 riff positively stolen from Tarkus' Stones of Years and lead synthesizer patches ripped right from Emerson's personal library. But even so, one might rightly say that they've borrowed from so many '70's bands that they don't really sound like any of them any more. In addition to these prog rock influences, there are also numerous classical style compositions, including several classical (nylon-string) guitar solos and a nice Bach-like pipe organ fugue. This is great stuff!

If you like energetic, '70's-sounding keyboard-oriented prog with just enough neo flavor to sound like a modern recording, Alba y Ocaso is a gem. It even has a cover that looks as if it was taken from a Giger sketch book (very Brain Salad Surgery looking). This album was recorded on David Overstreet's Art Sublime label and is available from the usual prog sources, or from David himself if you attend any prog festivals. This one gets my highest recommendation.
-- Fred Trafton



Progressive World Review:
http://www.progressiveworld.net/codice.html

Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, August 2000
The 1999 debut by Mexican symphonic progressive band Códice is simply stunning. This is a beautiful 2-disc set that has many different kinds of moods - while it's not neo, fans of that style will find much to like here. There are moments where you'll think of Emerson Lake and Palmer, mainly in the keyboards of Marco Corona. A little bit of King Crimson, for good measure. And yet, there's also a strong classical feel that one finds in Italian progressive. I fell in love with this album after hearing only the first disk. The guitar work is also Corona, and he plays with a deft hand...two, actually.

It is his guitar on the title track "Alba Y Ocaso" that opens the album, backed by synth washes and the sounds of nature. It seems like the calm before the storm... well, the title translates to English as "Dawn and Dusk." Like the day, this song builds...leaving the guitar for keyboards...piano like notes mimic the world coming alive. You can almost picture the buds opening up to greet the sunshine...only, strangely, this seems to come at the end of the track.

The ELP influence is perhaps most pronounced overall in "Vorágine" (Vortex), combining both the percussive attack and extended notes of Emerson, while taking the thematic ideas in different directions, though the arrangement of the chorus becomes awfully familiar to Tarkus. Of course, this influence might be obvious after one look at the cover artwork, which is similar in theme and style to H R Giger's artwork for ELP's Brain Salad Surgery and some of the artwork he produced for the 1979 film Alien. "Espejismo" (Mirage) is one where I couldn't decide whether it reminded me of "Starless" (Red) or of "The Stone Of Years" (Tarkus) or both. What I decided (after playing both tracks for comparison) is that it is mostly "Stone..." with an added bit of jazz - tinkling piano phrases, acoustic guitar - and that bring in the "Starless" aspect. Of course, Codice truly take this in other directions, but for those first few moments. Mainly, the keyboard phrases will remind of "Stone" and the vocal stylings for the choruses will remind of "Starless" (and no, these really aren't the only ELP or Crimson discs I've heard, thought I do seem to use them for comparisons most often). Guest guitarist Javier Ferretya plays a beautiful solo here.

Anyway, half the tracks on disc one and almost all of those on disc two are instrumental. Of those with vocals, guest Marisa Calderón sings on "El Eco De Tu Voz" (The Echo Of Your Voice), which is the closest to both Italian prog and neo. On that latter, there is an energy and sonic focus that made me think of Pendragon. Just a little bit. Yet Calderon sounds a bit like Tracy Hitchings, though I find I like Calderon much, much better as she has a fuller, richer tone. I also thought of Minimum Vital with this track. Calderon also sings chorus on "Vorágine".

But, for the remaining vocal tracks it is band member Luis Maldonado, whose voice is a very rich tenor. He doesn't sound particularly like anyone I can name, but he does have a very nice, very warm voice. Very inviting.

Another note about disc one: "Requiem," as its name implies, is a rather somber track. Subtle keys provide an orchestral bed of sound. Too much movement to be strictly ambient, but very reverent, and very moving. It ends disk one, and for all its subtlety, you feel a great absence when the piece has ended.

Disc two contains just two tracks, per se, one being the 8-piece suite "Iconos" (Icons). Each of the 8 pieces is subdivided into sections as well. As with the rest of the album, this is a wonderfully composed suite of music - thematically influenced by ELP's Tarkus and yet like other albums released this year and last, dealing with the idea of machines taking over so much of our lives. And yet, I also get the sense that this is not what it's all about at all...well as much as I've listened to this disk, I've still much to explore. And I feel I'm giving the second disk short shrift when it is the highlight on this album of highlights.

Given that artists who release double albums for their debut are deemed pretentious or perhaps not very good at weeded out the chaff from the wheat, that isn't the case here. This album holds together well, and doesn't seem overlong or that it has any filler.

--Stephanie Sollow



Interview with Mario Mendoza (keyboards):
http://members.tripod.com/~Gandalf001/English/page3.html

Many thanks to Mario Mendoza, Codice's keyboard player for giving us the time for the interview.

1. ¿ When and how did the idea to form codice was born?
Codice emerges as a project more or less 10 years ago. The brain behind the concept was Marco corona who was composing progressive music and was searching for musicians. Marco Corona arrived to Monterrey in 1992 at that time he contacted fernando gamez (who became our first drummer) and so the plans to forma a band begun. Fernando got hold of yours truly (mario Mendoza-keboards) and then i talked to marco gil (our first bass player). With this configuration we took our first stepsand finally hector gil joins us with his vocals constituting the original band.

2. ¿Who are codice’s members?
MARCO CORONA-GUITARS and keyboards, ARTURO GARCIA-BAss, DAVID MARTINEZ-drums, MARIO MENDOZA-keyboards and LUIS MALDONADO-vocals.

3. ¿How did you came about with the name codice?
You can learn a lot from ancient cultures through their codex. In these codex remain the message of a specific place and time. through our music We want to express our reality.

4. ¿Where did the members got the interest for music?
first trhough the great musicians that you are exposed to (regardless of the genre). then you discover an instrument and from then onwards the direct contact with live musicgives you constant feedback.

5. ¿What do you think about the need of formal musical instruction vs autodidactic? Do you think these influences how successful a group is and the quality of the music they make?
its influence is really important, although it is not an absolute law. There are very amazing autodidactic musicians, they have the touch , it is in their nature. but for people like us that lack the talent, studying helps us to better understand what happens within music itself and allow us to grow as performers and composers.

6. ¿Who or whom has influenced in codice's music?
many, the list is long but i can probably mention KING CRIMSON, GENESIS, YES, EL&P, BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO, UNIVERSE ZERO, FOCUS, LE ORME, ETC

7. ¿Which are the main difficulties you have had to overcome? progressive music's minimal or nill promotion associated with the lack of knowledge of its existance by most people. THere are also the economical issues, such as high repair costs when the equipment fails (that has happened often lately).

8. ¿Which are your most satisfactory moments?
the moment we step on the stage to play... meaning, each and every one of our presentations.

9. ¿Why did you chose Progressive/Symphonic music?
we are influenced by it. although lately we are getting involved in different styles, such as ZEHUL (MAGMA's school) and ROCK in opossition which probably will show in our next album.

10. ¿How do you define codice’s style and personality?
we try to be a serious group, we try not to change because of the ffashion or pressures. We try to express our true and real taste. For us it is more important to offer an honest work and enjoy it. If money comes with it it is great, if not, our position is still the same.

11. ¿Do you think that part of your success may be due to having start the project in california and your contact with the music scene in californian?
NO, in fact most of the work was developed in monterrey (mexico), although we cannot deny the enormous help we received by DAVID OVERSTREET from aRT SUBLIME's label.

12. ¿Certainly having the support from Art Sublime has been crucial in your success. do you think this is the way other groups should follow to succeed?
that is a difficult (and compromising!!! ha,ha,ha) question. My personal opinion is that no, not necesarily, everybody has to find their own pathto follow. But as you mentioned, in our own case the support from ART SUBLIME HAs been very important.

13. ¿What is your opinion regarding the reasons for most of our progressive musicians and groups to have a short lived existence? ¿How do you see yoursleves with respect to the others?
There is a significant influence from the mexican economy. Progressive music is not a money maker machine. this forces musicians (that like progressive music )to engage in other works and comitments that have a better reimbursement,Eventualy they get saturatedwith all these ocontracts and duties that then they lack the time and \/or energy required for progressive music. I don't think there is one place where progressive is well paid, however in first world countries musicians do not have to saturate themselves with other engagements to sustain themselves, therefore they have more time...the conditions are different and this is true in other manifestations of art. In our case we have different jobs and activities but the love for this kind of music makes us find time for codice.

14. ¿With the latest technological advances, one would think that progressive/symphonic and experimental/electronic music should have had a great comeback. Why do you think this has not been the case?
We believe that in fact it has happened, but is differnet than what happened in the 70's. Perhaps it is not noticeable because it is not music for the masses, but currently there are many people with incredible ideas. Times have changed over the last two decades and all these changes are seen in the new prog, experimental, electronic and other musicians.

15. ¿How do you see the musical scene in Mexico and what do you think aabout televisa's monopoly and manipulations?
In mexico we have everything: superb, good, mediocre and bad musicians. Televisa's artits belong to the last two categories (with few exceptions). Promotion is given only to those that are biusiness only...just to make money regardless of the quality. TV AZTECA is just the same, just remeber what EMILIO AZCARRAGA JEAN said: "we produce lousy tv because mexicans are fucked"...no comments.

16. ¿How do you envision the future of progressive music and in particular of hispanic progressive rock?
We have high hopes that it will continue to grow and expand, We also hope that new bands wil appear and will share their views to the prog scene.

20. ¿Which are Codice’s future plans?
Continue to playand promote our CD alba y Ocaso and work in our new material to be included in codice's next CD.

Many thanks to Codice for opening up your doors and share your experiences with us.


Enjoy,

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