The Spanish Progressive Rock Encyclopedia

The opinions and feelings are from a number of afficionados to this genre, so the descriptions and opinions contained in the entries do not necessarely match mine. Any correction or addendum is welcome. Send them to me via e-mail to inesta[sorry]dlsi.ua.es and the entry will be updated. Thanks for your collaboration!

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Last time updated on
Sep-15-2016

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 Imán Califato Independiente 

 From:

    Cádiz  

 Musicians: (original line-up and changes between parenthesis)


Iñaki Egaña (bass and vocals) (by Urbano Morales), Kiko Guerrero (drums), Marcos mantero (keys), and Manuel Rodriguez (ex-Goma) (guitar).


 Discography:



Mián, Califato Independiente
(1978)


Camino del Águila
(1980)

Singles:

Tarantos / Canción de la Oruga
(1978)

Darshan pt. 1 / Darshan pt. 2
(1978)

Niños / Maluquinha
(1980)

 Web page:

    Link    

 Opinions and other informations:

    

Great Spanish Progressive act with two albums out. So far, the only one I've located is "El camino del Aguila" which has both Progressive and Fusion elements, erm, fused together, but their first is available on CD. Overall, I'm reminded of Iceberg (another excellent Spanish Prog band) or a slightly more Progressive version of Return to Forever. This isn't quite satisfactory though because the band ranges from fiery fusion rampages to spacious synthesizer sections. The rhythm section is solid and is an active part of the group rather than just laying down a groove for the rest of the band to solo over. The band rarely lingers on any particular style for more than a few minutes, moving adeptly across many key and time changes. The album consists of three longer songs, and a brief ending tune. The basic instrumentation is drums, bass, electric guitar and synth. However, the last song contains acoustic guitar, some flute and the only vocals heard on the album. If you like fusion-inflected progressive (or is that progressive-inflected fusion) then I'd highly recommend this band to you. (?)


Imán's second album falls somewhere between the Arabesque symphonic Prog of Mezquita and the Return to Forever-styled fusion of Iceberg, two other bands from Spain. The album opens with the 10 minute "La Marcha de los Enanitos," an excellent symphonic piece with many Arabian overtones. Velvet-smooth keyboards alternate with electric guitar in solo space. Beneath them is a solid rhythm section. Drummer Guerrero knows that the snare drum is for more than the 2nd and 4th beat. While he doesn't riff as much as, say, Furio Chirico (of Arti E Mestieri), Guerrero certainly likes to take an active role in the music. The star of the show, I think, is Morales. His bass work is essential to the melody, playing tasteful and memorable melodies while the guitar and keyboards duel overhead. He uses the entire fretboard throughout, and functions as a lead melody intrument, even while keeping rhythm. Like Mezquita, Imán draw from Arabian music and it is noticed here and in the 14 minute title track. The second song is "Maluquinha," a seven minute fusion piece akin to Al Di Meola circa Elegant Gypsy. Guitarist Rodriguez shows a strong Di Meola influence on his solo, alternating sustained notes with swift note runs. He's not as fast as Di Meola but he is more melodic. Comparisons could also be made to Carlos Santana. Congas are used to enhance the Latin feel. "Camino del Aquila" carries on similar to the opening track though there are more melodically diverse passages, including a brief, Steve Howe-like guitar passage in the middle. Also, this track is much jazzier than "La Marcha de los Enanitos," but with a dash of flamenco. The closer is the only vocal track, a ballad of Spanish guitar against a synth backdrop. The only real drawback to this release is it totals less than 35 minutes of playing time. I have no problems recommending it to everyone into Spanish, Italian and South and Central American symphonic prog. Mike Taylor


"Camino del Aguila" is rather lightweight fusiony prog. There are some inspired moments that remind of Mezquita, but those parts are far too short. The guitar playing reminds mostly of Al di Meola and Carlos Santana, while the keyboard playing is probably closest to Mezquita and Crack. Especially on the compositional side, I found this album rather thin and there are several parts where the arrangements are downright cheesy. (Sjef Oellers, as reviewed in Gnosis)


I can not understand why two bands like Imán and Mezquita can be compared. They are certainly different (in the context of the andalusian-flamenco rock) and, in addition, the Iman's carreer is prior to that of Mezquita. Moreover, in a radio interview to Mezquita that I heard at the early 80s, they talked about those andalusian bands in the crest of the wave and they pointed their differences in these terms: Triana were Pop-Flamenco mixed with "andalusian song", Guadalquivir were Jazz+Flamenco, Imán symphonic+Flamenco and they were Hard Rock (not "Heavy") + Flamenco. The differences are quite obvious, and even more evident in the Imán's first record. One more point: The audience at Imán's gigs had to be sat and usually "groovy", and those of Mezquita were to be jumping all the time. I was a witness for both. (Martín Pruna)


Review of "Califato Independiente"

Review of "Camino del Aguila"


Imán han publicado en 2006 un CD especial 30 aniversario para coleccionistas con algunos temas inéditos


30 Aniversario (2006)

Review of this record (in spanish)


After the band splitted Manuel Rodríguez formed a duo with Marcos Mantero under the name of Mantero y Rodríguez S.L. and they released a single:


Sobre Ondas (1981)


Manuel Rodríguez resleased soloist records from 1992 on, like "La Danza del espacio", "Flowers in the Desert", "Your Love is my Blessing" or "Legacy".

La Danza del Espacio

Flowers in the Desert

Your Love is my Blessing

Legacy