PASSPORT - DOLDINGER

Refered often as Klaus Doldinger's PASSPORT,this German jazz rock group was actually named after Doldinger's eponymous album.Klaus Doldinger was an experienced saxophonist/keyboardist/arranger and in 1971 he released an album with the title ''Passport'' along with his group-mates.Soon this would be the name of his band and the album's title changed to ''Doldinger'',as PASSPORT would be officially confirmed as the name of the group.Helped by the crystalline production,the band presented a personal jazz/rock style,based mainly on hypnotic saxes,heavy use of synthesizers/sound effects and tasteful flutes.The more intense moments are not absent,based on improvisated saxes,DEEP PURPLE-like deep bass and dramatic organ work.It's hard to believe that this album was recorded so early due to the synthesizers sound and the sporadic effects that characterize the album.PASSPORT stepped forward as a very daring and unique band and ''Doldinger'' is a work for lovers of adventuruous music!3.5 stars!

This was much better than I thought it would be. I guess I was expecting an album full of fairly light jazz, but instead found a lot of variety including spacey soundscapes and some dark, heavy sections. Dual sax along with organ, flute, drums and prominant bass lead the way. The album is named in part after the band leader and great sax player, Klaus Doldinger.

"Uranus" brings a smile to my face I must say. Heavy drums to open that settle down when the sax comes blasting in. The sax reminds me of the PSYCHEDELIC FURS one of my guilty pleasures. The sax stops 2 minutes in as the song calms right down and flute comes in. Bass and drums continue. The tempo picks up with sax returning 5 minutes in. "Schirokko" opens with a minute of sax melodies before drums and bass join in. Organ after 2 minutes. Great sound ! The sax is incredible after 4 minutes in this catchy, uptempo tune. "Hexensabbat" is darker and heavier. Nice. Check out the sinister sounding organ before 1 1/2 minutes. Fantastic organ throughout.

"Nostalgia" features smooth sax with what sounds like mellotron before a minute. Drums after 1 1/2 minutes as we get a mid paced beat happening on this reflective tune. Lazy sax melodies lead the way. It ends with what sounds like mellotron again. "Lemuria's Dance" opens with spacey sounds. Drums come pounding in one minute in. Sax before 2 minutes as the sound lightens(a bit too much for my tastes). Prominant bass after 3 minutes. "Continuation" opens with a laid back sax melody. Keys after 2 minutes as it gets kind of spacey. We start to get a beat 4 1/2 minutes in. Some good guitar after 6 minutes that goes on and on. Great tune. "Madhouse Jam" opens with deep bass lines. Very impressive ! Flute before a minute. Catchy stuff and the organ is a nice touch. Very cool song.

Easily 4 stars.

PASSPORT has been unjustly overlooked when talking about jazz-rock style of early 1970s music. Their debut album is however one of the better works of the genre. Loaded with processed saxophones and flutes (sometimes similar in sound to VDGG's David Jaxon), stomping rhythm section and psyche/space passages of electric piano, organ and synthesizers, it is a very nice and enjoyable record. This line-up even features a Krautrock connection in Olaf Kuebler and Lothar Meid, once alumni of AMON DUUL II commune. Beautiful melodies intermingle with fiery sax-laden heavy arrangements in the Crimsonesque style. This is not a light, easy first listen crossover, but a more experimental type of fusion. "Passport-Doldinger" should be considered as one of the better fusion albums together with other champions of the genre (RTF, Mahavishnu, Weather Report...).

PERSONAL RATING: 4/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5

Passport is a little known - or should I say forgotten - German instrumental jazz-rock unit right from the heyday of fusion. Their roots are clearly more in rock then in jazz, which brings them closer to the UK Canterbury sound then to the US fusion acts. Bands like Soft Machine, Colloseum, and the instrumental side of Gong and Caravan can all serve as a point of reference.

The band's strength is clearly in Doldinger's catchy saxophone lines that sometimes remind me of VDGG's David Jackson, only more playful and joyous. Also the almost continuous tight and upbeat pace of the songs is very alluring. On later works, the keyboards would start to play a bigger role, creating a sound that Ozric Tentacles owe a lot to.

The band's weakness lies a bit in the songwriting and lack of originality. Their albums can serve as perfect background music when entertaining guest or doing the dishes but the lack of variation and innovation can get a bit tiresome when listening attentively.

Passport's debut is an album that amply shows their strengths and at the same time hides their weaknesses very effectively. Something they rarely managed to repeat in the remainder of their career. A tasty and easy-going instrumental jazzy rock album.

Passport debut album is pure jazz-rock of its time - heavy on keyboards, filled with Doldinger's sax soloing over bluesy-rock psychedelic sound. The music is very precise, quite melodic, in moments has same atmosphere as early Focus' recordings.

Still strongly based on psychedelic blues rock roots (but with big doze of jazzy sound yet), this album could be placed between early jazz-rock classic releases. Some moments are a bit to mellow for me, I believe Passport's best album is still ahead (for me their top release is obviously Cross-Collateral (1975), but this debut release is possibly next best Passport album ever.

It's a bit pity being so long-living band, Passport has in fact really very short history of interesting releases. Starting from 1975 they very soon became Klaus Doldinger pop-jazz project.

My rating is 3+, rounded to 4.

The first Passport album is a hidden gem of the early fusion scene, which deserves to be considered along with the debuts of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report in considerations of the genre's evolution. Although at points the band do play loud, hard, and fast - as on Lemuria's Dance and Madhouse Jam, the former of which seems to me to show a bit of influence from the sound achieved by Frank Zappa on Hot Rats. But by and large, the music here is a touch more gentle than the competition, with a spacey atmosphere often attained by bandleader Klaus Doldinger through his embrace of modern synthesisers, an innovation which sets the album apart from most other fusion albums from the same year. A great start to an extremely prolific project.