PROGRESSIVE SPANISH

"A TRIP FROM THE FORGETFULNESS"

 

In the memory of many of us remains absolutely unforgettable, the memory of the Iberian better moments of the progressive one, played for a I number of bands, of those which some included one in our days, they continue harvesting works discographics and arriving to the faithfulest of the I generate. On the other hand other, they have left us their faithful testimonies and they have made that their names are writings with letters of gold inside the Spanish history of the progressive one.
I conserve inside my memory a great curiosity, a memory among the biggest in the memories. A true one and onlooker fact played by Mr. Osamu Rai who when he invited its colleagues to take the tea to its house of Tokyo, it didn't take in showing them full with emotion its impressive collection of disks of progressive rock, of all the points of the planet, times and styles, among those that were disks of Spanish bands that today per today is you authenticate collector's pieces.
It happened practically the same thing to thousands of kilometers of there, concretely in the state of Utah (USA), where Paul Voron melomaniacs' surrounded exhibited more than 3000 LP's acquired in diverse points of the world, and among those that figured disks of Borne, Cai or Mesquita among other many Spanish groups.
Anyway the Spanish history of the progressive one goes back at the past and gray times of the Spain of the first and half-filled seventies, and I can also end up mentioning the final straight line of the 60, where a good series of big musicians of which some were the big main characters of the I generate progressive of the time even of our days, while others didn't have the same luck and they were sunken definitively in the depths of the forgetfulness.
But reads this with a lot of attention. Here in Spain, we end up having a denominated formation Genesis, yes, such which, and vampirics and disastrous majesties of the museum of the creative horror, of the atmosphere of the hypocrisy and lovers of dancing with bumpkins of the vanguard of the modernism like Luis Cobos (who always walked lost than a needle in a barn), Pablo, pablíto, pablete Abraira (of the one that God saves us), they have its own progressive past, and I don't continue more characters fearing that the computer can be blocked forever mentioning.
But let us make memory and let us remember the golden time of the I generate that it occupies us. Possibly for all us, the decade of the 70 was the most positive and where in their second half the progressive one Iberian and for political circumstances, it differed of the rest of the world in five years. But the certain thing is that during the second part of the 70, numerous Spanish bands recorded their works, they acted for the whole peninsula, and the most important thing, they had the support of the discographics and of the media. When the Punk and the New Wave came pressing strong from Europe, the progressive one began to dive in their darker time.
The Spanish symphonism has always been characterized by the massive influence of other goods and musical slopes that fortunately have given him its own stamp distinguishing characteristic, what differentiates it notably of the one harvested in the rest of the world.
We can mention the wealth and effervescence of the progressive catalan, marked of having guessed right sonic brushstrokes guided toward the Jazz-rock and Fussion, which was represented by muscular projects like Abedul, Borne, Secta Sonica, Gotic or even the brilliant Iceberg.

This much more than undoubtedly in our particular phonetics and like one of the big jewels of our own collection, figures the first album of the big band catalan Iceberg, their first he gives called discographic "Tutankhamon" and signed by "Max" Joaquín Sunyer (guitars), Angel Riva (sax and voices), Primitiu Sancho "Primi" (sax and voices), Jordi Colomer (drums and percussions) and the great genius, one of the most grateful keiboardist in all the times, the formidable Joseph But "Kitflus", completing the formation.

An album that defined to the perfection the presentations of the quintet, with a great power of instrumental execution and certain approach to the jazz, "Tutnakhamon" was recorded from the 5 to May of 1975, 15 in the studies Kirios of Madrid.

And perhaps less complex but more personalized it could be the andalusian slope of the progressive one, manifested in Alameda, Cai, Guadalquivir, Goma, Iman, Medina Azahara, or Mezquita among other phenomenons.

The first work of the gaditans Cai, today per today it authenticates collector's piece, it was published in 1979, and at the moment they are very few the privileged ones that count with "Más Allá de Nuestras Mentes Diminutas" ("Beyond Our Tiny Minds"), I title that he received this dreadful work, of clearly progressive pattern, where the almost flamenco rhythms also occupy space along the whole disk.

Alameda from their first work, where the flamenco, the Bossa Nova and fundamentally the personal style of the quintet configured one of the most attractive mosaics in the southern slope of our progressive one. The differences as for the sound of Triana concern, they were not many. Anyway, we will always recognize to Alameda, like one of the big prophets of their own earth.

Iman from Seville and formed by Iñaki Egaña (bass and voice, and with an excellent and reputed trajectory to their backs), Manuel Rodríguez (guitars), Marcos Montero (keyboards) and Kiko Guerrero (drums).

"Califato Independiente" ("Independent Caliphate") was the first letter of presentation of the sevillans, disk published in 1978 and where the blended southern cultures with a brilliant fan of adorned flamenco of Mellotron, reinforced of the rhythmic solidity that has always characterized the two publications discographics of the group. A work very recommended to the one that at the moment anyone can consent thanks to the reissue of the two albums of the project Iman. Also their second delivery call on the "Camino del Aguila" ("Way to the Eagle"), it has turned 20 years in last year 2000.

The most urban and near sound to the hard, it was played by the representatives from Madrid, I Asfalto and Ñu, they are two clear examples of that harvested during the years of the birth denominated as The one Moved From Madrid.

But until arriving here, there was a before played by a series of elements whose step for the armada of the progressive one from Madrid, it was not recognized completely. And it is that I am referring a seventies, 71 and later, where bands like Agamenon, Cerebrum, Alacrán or Conexión (with Luis Cobos) among other, they left their own references in works like "Todos Ríen de Mí" ("All Laugh at Me") of Agamenon, both glorious, acids and psico-progressive you sail registered by Cerebrum, or the better known Araxes II, with a much defined and structured concept of the progressive one. But you believe it or not, the only voucher that ended up being of its good one to make was so single three topics. And today in day so alone somebody that is to the current of the band in those days, will be able to continue enjoying of so past and onlooker document.

Let us also make memory for the vallecans Unión Pacific, formed anything less than in 1971.

And they go this way lapsing the years, until arriving at second o'clock it was of the 70 inside the panorama from Madrid, an evolution arises inside the musical environment, and new values arise on the way to one of the cultural movements of more recognition in Spain.

Absolutely big it was the first album of the from Madrid Ñu, directed by José Carlos Molina, and their provocative vision and rebelliousness before the system and their main characters. They were also many those that saw in the veteran city minstrel's band, Jethro Tull's white influence, fundamentally in the style and execution of the own Molina, when playing the flute traverse.

"Cuentos de Ayer y de Hoy" ("Stories of Yesterday and of Today") it was published in 1978, and with the presence of elite musicians like Enrique Ballesteros (one of the drummers more requested during the 70 and good part of the 80) among others.

The six courts of the disk don't have I waste some, fear like they "Preparan", "Cuentos de Ayer y de Hoy" or "Paraiso de Flautas" even shows a white it influences tempted by the baroque, very conjugated with the good one to make creative and instrumental from the formation to the complete one.

22 years have passed from the appearance of the first LP of Ñu and the history of the band has been lingering until our days, they have continued harvesting big disks but to tell the truth its sound has become hard in a remarkable way in the last decades approaching to the Heavy and assuring its permanency until arriving to what is the edition of its last disk, where they review not completely in a collection guessed right as for the topics, its long history.

On the other hand bands like Galadriel are among other, recent history of the progressive one from Madrid, although perhaps their influences have international invoices and embrace from the neo-progressive sound of phenomenons like the british Pendragon, Shadowland or of more classic pattern as Yes or Genesis, their sound is a heap of magic sensations and limitless horizons where hairsprings of freedom grow as well they demonstrate along its colossal work "Mindscapes", spirit in 1997. With more than 15 years of life, they are one of the most elegant groups in the french label Musea.

From the north, the progressive one has had a good number of representatives, even at the present time some formations with charts to their backs like they can be the galicians In Nomine (those which after many years in the anonimity have published their first CD some months ago), they continue in the breach.

The cantabrian Bloque, they went the example to continue and the white influences of other projects that took a bath its disks with a shameless influence of the purest sound in a formation loaded with true prophets of the art, the life focused from its own and raw point of view, the love and the most overwhelming scream directed toward the freedom. They are without a doubt some the essence and the firmest bet to the nonexistence of barriers and the limitless thing of the power caused by the imagination. Their last delivery recorded in direct bill with almost two years of life, and until the moment it continues being their more recent publication.

But their compatriots Ibio, perhaps not very grateful, they were the white it influences of the asturian Asturcon that left us in 1980 a formidable work sung in Asturian dialect the same as other bands of the principality like Cuelebre or Rebodixu (anything that to do this last one with the popular dance), of which is no longer any rest and their published material, it is probable that this in the only disposition of their members.

Following our journey for northern lands, we can make allusion to the progressive one basque, influenced by the popular music, the folk, instrumentation of acoustic tendency and prevalence of feminine voices in many of the cases, but in their more progressive, more symphonic aspect enjoyed bands with great impact as Sakre that in 1978 they gave their called fruit "Bizitako Gauzak", a conceptual work and of defined symphonic pattern, where the keyboards and the guitars played a definitive paper. Other big formations like Embor, Koska or Ganbara, obtained their fair and deserved recognition, as well as they have been able to give to know more widely thanks to the reissue of their works discographics.

For quantity of groups, it is very possible that the Basque Country you takes the palm. From Itoiz one of the most solid formations to the bilbain Iñaki Egaña or Iñaki, coming from Los Buenos, Alacrán, Iman and Zen bill with an excellent disk titled "Karma". An album of progressive content with blues touches and hard, and a piece at the same time, easy to acquire in our days.

From the first eighties the national evolution of the progressive one has been much more than notable, and until arriving to our days a big number of groups that today in day is the big representatives have arisen of the I generate. Others of the old formations that you have read in these you paginate, they continue publishing works discographics, although now, the repercussion of the same ones is very different to the one of more than 20 years ago.

At the present time of the progressive one Iberian, we can mention names like those of: Galadriel, Xiquis, Max Corbacho, Kotebel, In Nomine, Oz, among other many as Altair, the masterful project of the great percussionist Alfredo G. Arcusa, with two grandiose published works.

The band Altair, at the present time it has published their second work, after a long period of silence embraced between 1989 and the year 2000.

"Fantasías y Danzas" ("Fantasies and Dances"), they are again nine pieces of instrumental character that reveal us the logical and good progression, after what was the publication of their first disk engraving during 1989.

The elaboration of the sound of the project and their own music, they continue maintaining a direct connection with the parameters of the progressive one, keeping in mind an identification with own signature, without losing in any moment the identity of Altair.

They are without a doubt some, one of the most interesting formations in the national present time of the progressive one. As well as it is necessary to keep in mind other big names as Dificil Equilibrio, Salamandra, the brilliant idea of guitarists like Alain Piñeiro, Robert Fripp's more led student, or of the Galician José Luis Prieto, creator of big coalition mosaics adorned with a creative personality outside of the common thing, even going by the absorbent elegance created by the brilliant compositions of Barrock.

This way we close a chapter that we would like to have been able to enlarge much more, but the rest of contents of the Fanzine doesn't allow to be possible to dedicate more pages to the national section of the one that so alone I wait that has maintained you amusing and at least, during some minutes you remember the moving and past times of glory, of the history of our progressive one and of who made it possible.

Luis Arnaldo
LUISROCK@teleline.es