BANDHADA was founded in 1983 by five young people who wanted to combine jazz-fusion with progressive rock music. Juan Coderch, a student of Percussion and Alfonso Feeley on keyboards, was also a student of Sound Engineering. He, Juan Carlos Neumann, Francis Philip Clark, on flute, and Carlos Chung on bass began to create a unique language based mainly on the compositions of Carlos Chung. This new music quintet was eventually accepted by cultural circles. They performed in cafes, theaters, and university events. BANDHADA, one of the first popular pop bands of the ’80s, undergoes a musical change in 1985. Alfonso joined Cinema the following year. The group begins to experiment with Laura Levet, then Paty Valenzuela. They record their first single, “Let’s Dance.” Bandhada signed a contract to record their first album with EMI as a quartet like other chilean pop band. The self-titled album was published in 1987. It includes the ballad “Desire”, which quickly became their most famous and most representative song of the period. Bandhada was seen in Chile that year, as well as on television. Alfonso, who was already working as Alvaro Scaramelli’s keyboardist, assists the group in producing two new songs. These songs are presented to the record label as a preview, but because the record labels already had a negative attitude toward pop music, they did not permit the release of a new record. Francis Philip was the bass player in “La Banda del Pequeno Vicio” the following year. Bandhada was disbanded when Carlos Chung traveled to the U.S. in the late 1980’s. Alfonso creates two songs for Lorena Tirraferri (vocals) in 1991. This is the last Bandhada member to collaborate in Chile. Chung, Feeley, and Clark, who were originally members of Bandhada, published “BANDHADA 1984” on label “Mylodon Records”, in 2005. They are now based in Los Angeles, California. In order to restructure their band, Eduardo Correa was invited as the official drummer of BANDHADA. BANDHADA’s 2009 album, “OPEN CAUSE”, was recorded in the United States for label “Mylodon Records”. Bandhada’s new CD explores Bandhada’s original proposal, which was, according to its members, not fully developed during the band’s early years. However, it merits a review in light of current sound standards. Bandhada’s composition changed again after the release of “Open Cage”. Eduardo Correa was forced to leave the band after he moved to Chile. Chung, Clark, and Feeley began auditioning for a replacement shortly after. Dean McCall, an experienced drummer from L.A. was selected, and Carlos Dominguez (saxophonist) also joined the band. Bandhada saw more changes between 2013 and 2014. Alfonso Feeley, Carlos Dominguez, and Dean McCall all left Bandhada. Apart from the founding members Carlos Chung, Francis Philip Clark and Cesar Ventura, Miguel Ibarra plays drums, Anton Gonzales plays saxo and Anton Gonzales plays percussion. http://bandhada.com
