Imán Califato Independiente

Imán, the Califato Independiente of the andalusian rock reappear from his ashes. A fourth century after their separation, Manuel Rodríguez, Marcos Mantero, Iñaki Egaña and Kiko Guerrero decided to come back to the stages, in order to commemorate thirty years of life. They marked the path of andalusian rock and left their own sign.

The legendary band that borned in Madrid, but grew up in Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María, will meet this summer and will be going out on tour from September onwards. Few groups on our country’s music history have such a unanimous review when mentioned:

“I heard Imán a live many times. They were, without any doubt, the best rock played a live in that time. The guitar of Manolito Imán captured me. The group touched the perfection and excellence”. (Ricardo Pachón, “Producer of Paco de Lucia and Camarón”).

“Without any doubt, the best first record made in our country” (J. Manuel Costa, “El País”).

“They were the andalusian Pink Floyd; it was extraordinary, sounded with an amazing cleanliness and perfection.” (Kiko Veneno).

The return of Imán was possible thanks to the hard work an skill of just one person, Paco Barroso, resident in Jerez, a technical expert of the local television, “Imanoide” and the creator of Imán’s web page (http://www.califatoindependiente.tk). Paco Barroso achieved the heroic deed of gather together again the most famous four letters of the andalusian rock. Months of work bearded their fruits when Marcos Mantero, remote from professional music, dedicated to medicine and the most reticent, finally gave the definitive “yes”. Inclusively he is now working in order to recover old keyboards with the sound of Imán.

The meeting of Manolito Rodríguez, living in California since the 90’s, Iñaki Egaña and Guerrero, both working in testimonial groups of blues and eclectic music, turned out to be less complicated. And exists the possibility that the Uruguayan Urbano Moraes, who substituted Egaña after the first record, join to this initiative in the next months. Nobody wants to lose the big event, not even the stars of that time, which will be invited or will invite themselves to play with Imán. Gualberto, Guadalquivir, Smash, the big Kiko Veneno, Rubén Dantas, Luis Delgado and Abdu Salim. A lot of names appear to play on the stage with the emblematic group and to accompanying him on tour.

The group thirtieth anniversary will coincide with the reedition of Imán’s tow records, collector pieces around the world, with the publication of an anniversary-concert DVD and a new record containing rarities and unknown pieces played a live. Kiko Guerrero take several weeks earing old tapes, treasures of the califato independiente, which bewitched the fan’s in just four years of life, between 1976 and 1980 of the past century. Themes as “Chiquillo que ha pasao” never saw the light, but will do it now in digital format.

The reappearance of Imán, as their own existence has been covered with mythic stories, incalculable mysteries and unofficial rumors. The fan’s most of them reunited around the Aristillus have already made spread de news, even before their crystallization. Imán always functioned thus, covered with a mystery halo, marked for his charisma. Their concerts were parties of the senses; the music was bright, as modern as taked root. Imán created his legend without any publicity, in a not suitable time, placed between a grey past and the explosion of liberty. The andalusian rock, in general lines, flourished with a fleeting splendor, but did soon, victim of a infrastructures lack, of their own fears, of the professional anarchy or perhaps at the hands of the fashions, which were ruling that time, the new wave or the Punk. But Imán as other mythic names remains alive between his fans. They established school with a style plagued if influences and elegance, precision and beauty. Tarantos del Califato Independiente and Camino del Águila are Imán’s tow records, that keep in use as their sound.

Imán, four personalities blessed by the Gurú Majarahji, could sound to King Crimsom, to Pink Floyd, to Santana, to Allman Brothers and to celestial music in just one afternoon. They could mix boleros with bulerias and rhythms with silences. First they were six, in Madrid, and then remained three, in Jerez, until that came Marcos Mantero and the quartet settled in the portuense Camino del Águila, the corner where years later lived Javier Ruibal and Chano Domínguez, tow unquestionable figures of the music without labels. The first, precisely, enjoyed with Imán and the second led the group “Cai” and afterwards, in his jazziest aspect paid a tribute to Imán in a bright record

From El Puerto de Santa María to their beloved Jerez, they offered more than three glorious years. They were unique in tanking profit from a sound equipment and from a local, however much underground that local were. And they never disappointed a live, something that other groups of their generation could not boast. On the other hand, Imán (Califato Independiente) with their quality guarantee contributed to create legendary festivals in that time, till the culmination in the “Luna Llena de Jerez”, the festival of festivals, the one that personified the ascension and fall of the andalusian rock in the summer of 1980. Who don’t remember Imán sharing the same poster in the Pemán Theater of Cádiz with Gualberto, in a concert organized by Fernando Quiñones or getting crowed the portuense “Tierra, Mar y Vino” or setting and giving splendor to an unexplored musical language, more beautiful than the silence.