BIOGRAPHY
The GUADALQUIVIR band was born from the joint musical work of two Sevillian guitarists, Andres Olaegui and Luis Cobo “Manglis”,who both belonged to the vanguard of Andalusian rock music that was saw the light in the city of Seville in Southern Spain at the end of the sixties. Both musicians coincided during their military service and played in the same military band, the Bugles and Drums of Artillery Barracks No. 14 in Seville. In the same barracks, they shared their passion for music with Marcos Mantero, keyboard player of the band 'Imán Califato Independiente', Eduardo Castro, a journalist from Granada, and Rafael Alvarez aka “El Brujo ”, actor, to name just a few of many outstanding military mates.
A lifelong inseparable friendship was born and the guitar duo was a prelude to the revolutionary concept that gave birth to the GUADALQUIVIR band. Under the influence of Jazz Rock as seen by the Mahavisnu Orchestra of John Mclaughlin, Miles Davis and Weather Report, among others, they started developing their concepts and transforming their Rock / Blues into Jazz / Rock guitar styles. There and then they started composing their own brand of music and developing their own themes that led them to set up, in the midst of their military service, the MANANTIAL (THE SOURCE) band together with the brilliant American musicians, Willy and Tony Trujillo, one of the brothers a battery player and the other a bassist. Together with the Puerto Rican flute-player David Rodriguez, they recorded a few albums and appeared on the Spanish TV show "Popgrama" about Sevillian Music that was managed by the producer and presenter, Gonzalo García Pelayo. This was the roughcast for the band that Manglis and Olaegui had in mind.
In 1977, after recording the ‘Al-Andalus’ album with the famous Spanish rock singer, Miguel Ríos, in which Olaegui and Manglis took part both as composers and guitarists, Luis Cobo aka "Manglis" left together with Pedro Ontiveros and Jose Antonio Galicia o play in a trio on the trendy Ibiza island, whilst Andrés Olaegui remained in Madrid and set up the band that would play with Miguel Ríos during a summer tour. On the Mediterranean island, Manglis met the bassist of the German band Embryo, Uwe Mulrich, who invited him to Munich to play with the band as a host musician. At the end of the summer of 77, Manglis left for Munich to play with Embryo; this is where he met the Indian percussionist, Trilok Gurtu.
Back to Madrid in January 1978, whilst at the Raices Club, the cradle of Jazz Rock in the capital city, José Varela, manager of the Triana band, made a proposal to Manglis and Olaegui to set up a band for the purpose of playing in a festival of Andalusian bands that was going to take place in Móstoles near Madrid, including Triana as the leading band. Pedro Ontiveros, Larry Martin and Jaime Casado. joined the new band. This was the opportunity that they had been waiting for to make their musical dream come true. GUADALQUIVIR made its début before 7.000 spectators in the famed “Mostoles Festival ” in February 1978, along with the Gualberto, Imán, Storm and Triana bands.
Months later, in the summer of 1978, Miguel Ríos headed a roaringly successful summer tour “The Red Night ”, again with Triana as the leading band, together with the top bands of the times. GUADALQUIVIR was one of them and its musicians accompanied the rock singer Miguel Ríos as well as played as independent artists on the same tour.
At the end of 1978, the GUADALQUIVIR band began recording between Barcelona and Madrid their first emblematic album, "Guadalquivir" that became a landmark in the discography of Andalusian Rock. The Green Album, as it became known, because the vinyl LP was green, is currently a highly valued treasure for undying fans and collectors alike.
After a year of intense live shows totalling 90 gigs, including Móstoles Festival, Marbella Rock Festival, Jungle Rock Festival, Festival de Jazz de Vitoria, San Juan Evangelista, The Red Night Tour, Madrid Monumental Theatre , Seville Lope de Vega Theatre, GUADALQUIVIR was singled out as ‘ revelation band of the year 1978’, among many other awards.
In 1980 they recorded their second LP, “On the way to the Concert”, an album that included many great musician friends and invited artists. After the “On the Way to the Concert” tour, Manglis left GUADALQUIVIR and started a solo career, although he kept playing for the Triana band as invited guitarist in concerts.
Manglis was replaced by the keyboard player Javier Mora. One year later Pedro Ontiveros left the band and was replaced by Jaime Muela and on some occasions Jorge Pardo and Pedro Ojesto, among others, played for the band.
In 1983 GUADALQUIVIR recorded its third LP, “Following the Silence”, without Manglis and Ontiveros. Times were changing, the Madrid 'movida' was now the’ in thing’. After the summer shows in 1983 and a Poland tour, at the end of year Guadalquivir decided to split leaving behind a legacy of 3 legendary albums and the conviction of having made a major contribution to fusion music in Spain, and most certainly to Andalusian Rock.
A lifelong inseparable friendship was born and the guitar duo was a prelude to the revolutionary concept that gave birth to the GUADALQUIVIR band. Under the influence of Jazz Rock as seen by the Mahavisnu Orchestra of John Mclaughlin, Miles Davis and Weather Report, among others, they started developing their concepts and transforming their Rock / Blues into Jazz / Rock guitar styles. There and then they started composing their own brand of music and developing their own themes that led them to set up, in the midst of their military service, the MANANTIAL (THE SOURCE) band together with the brilliant American musicians, Willy and Tony Trujillo, one of the brothers a battery player and the other a bassist. Together with the Puerto Rican flute-player David Rodriguez, they recorded a few albums and appeared on the Spanish TV show "Popgrama" about Sevillian Music that was managed by the producer and presenter, Gonzalo García Pelayo. This was the roughcast for the band that Manglis and Olaegui had in mind.
In 1977, after recording the ‘Al-Andalus’ album with the famous Spanish rock singer, Miguel Ríos, in which Olaegui and Manglis took part both as composers and guitarists, Luis Cobo aka "Manglis" left together with Pedro Ontiveros and Jose Antonio Galicia o play in a trio on the trendy Ibiza island, whilst Andrés Olaegui remained in Madrid and set up the band that would play with Miguel Ríos during a summer tour. On the Mediterranean island, Manglis met the bassist of the German band Embryo, Uwe Mulrich, who invited him to Munich to play with the band as a host musician. At the end of the summer of 77, Manglis left for Munich to play with Embryo; this is where he met the Indian percussionist, Trilok Gurtu.
Back to Madrid in January 1978, whilst at the Raices Club, the cradle of Jazz Rock in the capital city, José Varela, manager of the Triana band, made a proposal to Manglis and Olaegui to set up a band for the purpose of playing in a festival of Andalusian bands that was going to take place in Móstoles near Madrid, including Triana as the leading band. Pedro Ontiveros, Larry Martin and Jaime Casado. joined the new band. This was the opportunity that they had been waiting for to make their musical dream come true. GUADALQUIVIR made its début before 7.000 spectators in the famed “Mostoles Festival ” in February 1978, along with the Gualberto, Imán, Storm and Triana bands.
Months later, in the summer of 1978, Miguel Ríos headed a roaringly successful summer tour “The Red Night ”, again with Triana as the leading band, together with the top bands of the times. GUADALQUIVIR was one of them and its musicians accompanied the rock singer Miguel Ríos as well as played as independent artists on the same tour.
At the end of 1978, the GUADALQUIVIR band began recording between Barcelona and Madrid their first emblematic album, "Guadalquivir" that became a landmark in the discography of Andalusian Rock. The Green Album, as it became known, because the vinyl LP was green, is currently a highly valued treasure for undying fans and collectors alike.
After a year of intense live shows totalling 90 gigs, including Móstoles Festival, Marbella Rock Festival, Jungle Rock Festival, Festival de Jazz de Vitoria, San Juan Evangelista, The Red Night Tour, Madrid Monumental Theatre , Seville Lope de Vega Theatre, GUADALQUIVIR was singled out as ‘ revelation band of the year 1978’, among many other awards.
In 1980 they recorded their second LP, “On the way to the Concert”, an album that included many great musician friends and invited artists. After the “On the Way to the Concert” tour, Manglis left GUADALQUIVIR and started a solo career, although he kept playing for the Triana band as invited guitarist in concerts.
Manglis was replaced by the keyboard player Javier Mora. One year later Pedro Ontiveros left the band and was replaced by Jaime Muela and on some occasions Jorge Pardo and Pedro Ojesto, among others, played for the band.
In 1983 GUADALQUIVIR recorded its third LP, “Following the Silence”, without Manglis and Ontiveros. Times were changing, the Madrid 'movida' was now the’ in thing’. After the summer shows in 1983 and a Poland tour, at the end of year Guadalquivir decided to split leaving behind a legacy of 3 legendary albums and the conviction of having made a major contribution to fusion music in Spain, and most certainly to Andalusian Rock.
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