PASSPORT - LIVE

Speaking about German Passport one usually think about their albums from 70-s. My bad experience with their works from 80-s didn't support my interest to their later works.

And now I am listening to their last (to time) concert from 2000. OK, we all know that Passport in fact is Klaus Doldinger plus some support band (of different artists). No news there, but I was more worry about music.

Klaus is great sax player in his sixty-something, and what we hear on this live album just confirm it. Album's opener "Sahara Sketches" is really great jazz-fusion composition with Arabic influences. Sound is great, and I was very pleasantly surprised!

Then, thing slightly returned to more expected - still very vital (happily live),but in many moments too cheese and a bit lightweight fusion. Played by competent musicians, or more correctly - good supporting team to soloing sax player. Track list is coming mostly from later albums, so it's no strange music is more funk-fusion, then jazz-rock. But in live version all the sound is a bit more raw, not so polished and almost all album long balances between melodic jazz-funk and more polished lite fusion.

So - you wouldn't be bored, but wouldn't be happy as well. Nice music somewhere in between. But comparing with Klaus works from 80-s, this album is really more fresh and listenable. If you like sax-dominated lite jazz-funk fusion, possibly you will even like it!