This 2008 release from Spanish fusion band Planeta Imaginario ('imaginary planet') is a great throwback to the late 60's/early 70's jazz scene, the days when bands like Soft Machine, Return Forever, The Brecker Brothers, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, National Health, Tony Williams Lifetime, Weather Report, Brand X, and The Eleventh House ruled the planet with their thrilling mix of jazz, rock, funk, prog, and r&b. This 8-piece band, who come from Barcelona, touch on many styles here on Biomasa, and the production gives the songs a great live, almost vintage sound throughout the CD. Check out the tasty Fender Rhodes electric piano from Marc Capel Nadal comping away while guitarist Eneko Alberdi Laskurian rips into a spectacular solo on the brilliant piece "Capture"-classic fusion! There's plenty of horns to be heard here, which gives things an early Chicago & Grand Wazoo era Zappa feel, as many of the pieces are layered with trumpet, flugelhorn, sax, and trombone. The two epics that are featured in the middle of the CD, the title track and "La Caja Negra" both are great groove laden jazz pieces, the latter featuring plenty of guitar explorations, swirling keys, and intricate horn arrangements. The more haunting & atmospheric "L'estiu" almost brings to mind Miles Davis' late 50's works, while the 9-minute closer "Trastornos Ópticos del Oso Bipolar" is a quirky number with plenty of tricky ensemble trade-offs (especially between guitar and piano), solos, and powerful arrangements, easily the highlight of the CD and a must hear for both fusion and prog fans alike.
Hard not to love something like this, especially if you appreciate classic jazz-fusion. Once again, kudos to the folks at Cuneiform for bringing this band to our attention. Word has it that Planeta Imaginario is a formidable live act...well, someone please bring them over here to the US so we can see firsthand!
Track Listing
1. Discurso Cósmico desde el Planeta Imaginario (1:40)
2. El Francotirador de Washington (5:25)
3. Capture (6:18)
4. Biomasa (11:23)
5. La Caja Negra (12:12)
6. El Teatro de los Faranduleros (3:16)
7. Discurso Cósmico 2 (2:32)
8. Hoy Es un Nuevo Día (4:24)
9. L'estiu (6:58)
10. Trastornos Ópticos del Oso Bipolar (9:01)
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