Planeta Imaginario 2004

Originally formed in 1999, PLANETA IMAGINARIO is a Spanish band from the region of Catalonia: their style is clearly oriented toward the jazz trend of prog rock, yet it is somewhat friendly to additional psychedelic touches and chamber adornments. The band’s line-up has undergone through some variations, but the structure of guitar-keyboard-bass-drums plus a brass section has remained consistent. The band’s debut album “¿Y Qué Me Dices?” (2004) was recorded as a septet, while the 2008 follow-up effort “Biomasa” finds the band as an octet – it all depends on the number of wind players. The band cites SOFT MACHINE, HATFIELD & THE NORTH, Pat METHENY and ZAPPA as major influences, as well as ICEBERG and KING CRIMSON (in the most powerful passages of their repertoire); the textural approach of DEBUSSY and playful subtleties of SATIE are also mentioned. The band’s compositional strategy combines order and improvisation. Chris CUTLER, a much respected prog legend and critic, praised this band regarding their “fine arrangements” and “intelligent compositions”.     

PLANETA IMAGINARIO is strongly (almost mandatorily) recommended to those who love Canterbury and fusion and aim for an extra dose of power infused in this musical area. Properly diffused and appreciated, this sort of jazz-prog will really help to revitalize the sub-genre.