Som Imaginario
were a nearly magical band with virtually limitless creative possibilities. From Minas Gerais, they were an integral part of the monumental Clube Da Esquina scene surrounding singers and songwriters
Milton Nascimento
and
Lo Borges
in the early 1970s. They were the former's studio and road band and performed and recorded on their own. Like
Hermeto Pascoal Grupo
, they could play virtually anything; they released an acclaimed trio of studio albums for
Odeon
between 1970 and 1973; two eponymous sets and
Matanca Do Porco
. Influenced equally by samba, bossa, MPB, and Tropicalia, they effortlessly combined prog rock, folk, psychedelia, funk, Latin jazz, and traditional Brazilian rhythms with captivating fluidity and resonance.
Banda Da Capital
was recorded live in 1976; its two bonus tracks were drawn from an October 1975 show at the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro. This version of
included founder/pianist/composer
Wagner Tiso
, guitarist
Fredera
, saxophonist/flutist
Nivaldo Ornelas
, drummer
Paulinho Braga
, bassist
Jamil Joanes
(later of
Banda Black Rio
), and some guests. It was professionally recorded and mixed, but ultimately shelved when
Tiso
couldn't find a label home for it. It sat in his vault for nearly 50 years before being restored and remastered by
Frank Merritt
for
Far Out Recordings
.
These ten selections showcase
's "rainbow" approach to music making. On opener "Radio Gurany,"
Braga
Ornelas
play a duet with martial drumming and a circular melody drawn from folk and expressed as modern jazz. "Xa-Mate," a brief interlude, is a segue, showcasing dirty electric guitars, a bleating tenor sax, rumbling bass, kaleidoscopic piano, and atmospheric drums in an improv that gives way to the modal piano jazz in "A Igreja Majestosa" with sparse basslines and tom-toms framing a wordless group vocal chant a la
Azymuth
. "Os Cafezais sem Fim" weds funky fusion and trippy Brazilian samba.
's electric piano solo is elliptical, full of evocative harmonies and fleet ostinatos. The title cut weds a funky disco bassline to squalling, filthy-sounding electric guitar paired in unison with tenor saxophone. It evolves fluidly and dynamically and becomes a kinetic, canny group improvisation based on a single rhythmic vamp. "Imaginados" is an intrepid duet, a kind of fantasia for acoustic guitars and voice. The jazz-rock jams "Armina" and "Manuel o Audaz" are the bonus tracks. They are impressively psychedelic, with swirling instrumentals from guest guitarist
Toninho Horta
. The interplay between the band and guests is seemingly instinctual. Composition and arrangement flow seamlessly alongside individual and group improvisations. While none of the music is "outside," it does travel harmonically, rhythmically, and texturally in electrifying performances.
is, ultimately, one of the great lost fusion dates of the '70s. ~ Thom Jurek