CAMINO DEL AGUILA

'Camino del Águila' is Imán Califato Indepenediente's second and final offering, also their most inspired one. Following in the same vein than its predecessor - Flamenco oriented symph prog, with lots of influences from Camel, 76-78 era Genesis and Return to Forever -, the instrumental ensemble works fluidly in a well-oiled manner, and the level of performance is superb and full of ravaging finesse. A new bass player entered the band, Urabno Moraes (from Uruguay), who delivers a prominent sound in his axe, not restricting it to a mere complement to Guerrero's drumming, but also letting it come to the fore sometimes in order to supply additional melodic lines as a counterpoint to the guitar and synth solos. The remaining original members keep loyal to their own stylings: Guerrero and Mantero display theri jazzy sensibilities, while guitarrist Rodriguez recycles his influences (mostly Hackett and Latimer, but also some Frippian textures too) with Flamenco colours. Tracks 1 and 3 are my personal favs, and are also the most representative of ICI's musical offer. 'La Marcha de los Enanitos' kicks off and ends with a beautiful Camelesque motif, initially led by the Mini-Moog and then paired with the lead guitar: what happens in the middle is an amazing texturial section in which Arabic ornaments on guitar and synth are properly enhanced by Moraes' tasteful bass flourishes. At times, the guitar gets somewhat Frippian, which helps to augment the mysterious aura of this portion. The eponymous track 3 lifts off from where track 1 had left, taking the progressive vibe to its most accomplished level... and it should, since its 14-minute duration makes it the longest number in the album. The Camel-meets-RtF stylings remain, and so do the Arabic-Flamenco motifs, bringing that special magic to the band's overall sound. At minute 7, a brief solo guitar interlude brings a sort of hint at Steve Howe's interlude for "Relayer"'s 'Sound Chaser' (only in this case the guitarist is someone actually born in the land of Flamenco). The final climax that arrives throughout minutes 19 to 12 is stunning, and so is the cosmic coda, heavily based on floating, mesmeric synth washes. Track 2 'Maluquinha' takes occasional trips to the realms of latin-jazz, a factor that allows Guerrero to get a bit Santana-esque, while the rhythm section makes an effective excursion into bossanova tempos: apparently, Flamenco and Afro-Brazilian are quite compatible. The album's closing is incarnated by the only sung track of the album, a delicate acoustic ballad entitled 'Niños', a brief meditation on the passage of time: the delicate synth solos shine like sparkles from the last star you see in the sky before the arrival of dawn, and the eerie ambience of this track may remind the listener of Yes at its most intimate - a beautiful song, indeed. I give this record the perfect rating (something I gladly give to Mezquita's "Recuerdos de mi Tierra" and Cai's "Noche Abierta", as well) - I certainly am convinced that this is a must in any good prog collection.

I will place this one something indeed. Between Mezquita and Iceberg!!! Symphonic flamenco with a touch of Fusion..Not my cup of tea!!. To me this album falls short in the long run, a good album anyway.

Personally, I fell that something is missing...the final punch, sore of speak, that Iceberg had; anytime I listen to this one, for one reason or another I do not feel uplifted.

Based on this one, I would not rush into getting their first one!!!. I was even thinking on 2 stars, but the Symphonic piece "La marcha de los enanitos" saves the day!!!!

The Spanish progrock quartet Imán Califato Independiente has its origins at a convention, given by the meditation guru Maja-raj-ji, in the mid Seventies. Like genuine hippies, the musicians lived together in one house in El Puerto De Sta. Maria and eventually they founded Iman and in '78 they made a debut album, entitled Iman Califato Independiente, two years later followed by this second album entitled Camino Del Aguila. Iman also appeared on the Spanish compilation albums Rock Andalus ('94) and Duende" ('97, a 2- CD).

1. La marcha de los enanitos (10:30) : This album opens with a mid-tempo rhythm delivering strong interplay with a Morish undertone between electric guitar and synthesizer and propulsive percussion. Then an exciting build-up from a sultry climate to a gradually more dynamic atmosphere with mindblowing work on a fat sounding synthesizer and fiery guitar with howling runs, supported by a lush string-ensemble sound, very compelling, what a dynamic blend of Prog Andaluz and jazzrock!

2. Maluquinha (6:29) : In a swinging rhythm again we can enjoy the Andalusian Carlos Santana, accompanied by exciting percussion and a fluent synthesizer solo.

3. Camino del aguila (14:00) : The titletrack sounds very alternating with an awesome rhythm-section, great interplay between guitar and synthesizer (like Iceberg) and lots of interesting musical ideas, from a howling, Morish inspired guitar solo and a catchy rhythm with strong interplay between all musicians to guitar work in the vein of Steve Howe on Relayer (Yes) and a flashy synthesizer solo.

4. Niños (3:05) : A wonderful dreamy, quite melancholical piece, first with spacey keyboards, twanging Spanish guitar and warm vocals, then sensitive classical guitar runs, slow synthesizer flights and a lush string-enesemble sound, this is the mellow side of Iman and I love it too!

Iman delivers a very exciting fusion of Prog Andaluz and jazzrock, highly recommended!