THE TRIO YEARS (LIVE)

Until 2008 Kraan functioned as a quartet, the core guitar/bass/drums trio augmented with sax, keyboards or trumpet. Following the departure of keyboard player Ingo Bischof in 2008 they opted to continue as a trio, releasing a studio album, Diamonds, in 2010. Live albums have always been their forte, and this release captures the trio at various venues from 2008 ? 2017.

If you're familiar with any of Kraan's previous live offerings then you will have a good idea of what to expect ? a kind of space-jazz-rock melange with a dash of funk that is simultaneously very tight (the 3 musicians have played together, off and on, since 1970) but loose enough to give the players space to stretch out and jam. The sound is clear and uncluttered; effects are used judiciously, particularly on Peter Wolbrandt's guitar, but all three instruments are played with a clean tone. Vocals are low key and mainly just add extra texture, although there is some nice interplay when Helmut Hattler joins in on backing vocals. The track list contains a decent mixture of old favourites and more recent material, and it rattles along at a good pace for the first hour or so. The album closes with an 18 minute version of Nam Nam that feels a bit drawn out and self indulgent, although it was probably great if you were in the audience at the time.

3.5 stars for this. The trio format works well, and for the most part the absence of a fourth musician is neither here nor there. If you're already familiar with Kraan's live albums this is well worth getting. If you're not so familiar with them, start with the 1975 live album and proceed from there.