AERA

A German Fusion band from Nürmberg that was led by guitarist Muck Groh. They were active from 1975 to 1983.

Side 1 1. "Mechelwind" (9:24) some American Southern rock-influenced themes and sounds with some very rock-like drumming, bass, and guitar playing. (Much of this song reminds me of American bands like THE OUTLAWS, DIXIE DREGS, early JEAN-LUC PONTY and perhaps Molly Hatchet and even a little bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd). Several impressively-sophisticated weaves back some nice rock-oriented solos. (18/20) 2. "Alabaster Keaton" (3:06) using variations on fairly familiar jazz melodies (from the flutes and acoustic guitar) the band presents a piece that sounds like some of the more folk-classical explorations of FOCUS. (8.875/10)

3. "Wrdlbrmfd" (5:33) a piece that has a more modern discordant edge to it (not unlike VAN DER GRAAF GENERATIOR while also preparing us for bands like SEVEN IMPALE). Once the initial weave has been beaten to death, the band shifts into a more relaxed though still-mathematical motif within which saxes, violin and guitar get to take some turns doing some soloing (but how boring for the rhythm section of bass, drums, and rhythm guitar). A good song but nothing to write home about. (8.75/10)

Side 2 4. "Elephen Elephants" (8:40) a little attempt at some JTULL both rhythmically and sound palette wise. This becomes especially evident when the flute and saxes become the lead instruments. There is also a bit of KCRIMSON feel to parts of this as well as a tastefully done (and well-recorded), extended, multi-part drum solo in the middle. When the band is allowed to rejoin it is through the heavily-effected ministrations of a picked electric guitar followed by some very pretty and enjoyable saxophone playing. Christoph Kreiger's echoed electric violin gets the next solo before the band uses a couple of sequences of slowly-ascending arpeggiated chords to close down the song. (17.5/20)

5. "Herbstzeitlos" (2:27) what opens like a mathematical exercise--and étude--ends up supplying enough grist for some melody making over the top. It's actually a decent little song! (9/10)

6. "Ad Absurdum" (5:06) this is a song that seems to indicate that the band needed to get a little Frank Zappa-like parody out of their system--here making fun of some of the musics used in American westerns or even some of the old Country & Western musics. The skills are obviously all here, I just don't find the humor of FZ-like parodies particularly entertaining (they're usually quite inane and dehumanizing). (8.75/10)

7. "Kamele On" (5:35) using a blues bass and drum rhythm track as foundation material, the guitarist band leader finally lets himself loose. The Allman Brothers-like guitar work is quite impressive; too bad the music supporting him from beneath gets a little stale. But then there is a switch at 3:30 into a new motif that is more mathematical but then they switch back to the first rhythm motif for an Spanish-Arabian take on the opening. I like it! (8.875/10) Total Time: 39:48

An album of diverse and highly creative and mature compositions that are not as guitar-centric as one might expect having a guitarist for their leader and main composer. As a matter of fact, I commend Muck on the way his compositions get the entire band involved. While this shows little or no tendencies toward following the rising tide of melodic Smooth Jazz, there is a rockishness that seems to be pulling them away from the true J-R Fusion movement.

B/four stars; an excellent album to add to any prog lover with a proclivity for creative "Third Wave," pre-Smooth/Easy Listening jazz-rock fusion.

By 1977 Klaus Kreuzeder had found himself all alone in the Aera line-up with the other members following different paths.Muck Groh went on for a solo career and to form Grotesk and Christoph Krieger would appear many years later in Groh's Jazz/Funk project Neue Aera along with the former drummer of Aera Wolfgang Teske.Kreuzeder found some talented replacements like Missus Beastly's founding member Lutz Oldemeier on drums, Cyklus' Matz Steinke and Achim Gieseler on bass and keyboards respectively, Helmut Meier-Limberg on percussion (another one to join Neue Aera later), Freddy Setz on drums and various keyboards with Locko Richter, also from Missus Beastly, guesting on bass and Groh playing guitar in one track of the upcoming album.''Turkis'' was released in 1979 on the familiar Erlkoening label.

Looking on the front cover of Aera's third album already you get the feeling that something different is going on.And the truth is that Kreuzeder decided that the group should take a more Jazz Funk direction with this work, apparently hurting the impressive history of the group.The majority of the tracks feature playful, kinky sax parts, lots of percussion, the more commercial GENTLE GIANT-like clavinet vibes with the funky bass lines leading the way.A complete lifting for Aera, on which the turn of the decade had a huge impact, the Germans abandoned their monstrous Kraut-Folk-Fusion amalgam of the past for a slick and more accesible Jazz Fusion style with no evident links to the German Jazz Fusion scene.They even show some tendency to produce melodic parts in the process, which was very strange for anyone having listened to the early efforts of the band.The title-track still shows hints of the past with some blisterring breaks and the display of atmospheric textures, creating a more flexible sound, but the 11-min. ''Dracula'' is propably the only track to hold the interest of the listener.Semi-improvised Jazz Rock with technical bass work and charming sax parts over a neurotic keyboard rhythm, opening the way for a laid-back Fusion mood with jazzy synths and light organ and yet another nice sax execution by Kreuzeder.

Definitely a dissapointment compared to the first couple albums of the band.Well-played stuff, but sounding very pale and less intricate than both ''Hand und fuss'' and ''Humanum est''.''Dracula'' will save the day, but the rest is standard, percussion-heavy Jazz Funk with no particular highlights.Recommended for die-hard fans of the style...2.5 stars.

"Hand un Fuss", second studio album form Germany band, calls my attention due the use of acoustic guitars in several moments (not only as a harmony instrument , but ... also in some moments in melodic musical construction) ... a rare signature in prog-jazz bands., and this is the main differential in relationship from others bands .I can illustrate my affirmation cite the track 4 "Elephen Elephants" or track 5 "Herbstzeitlos" ( this one reminds me a GENTLE GIANT reminiscence ) in the track 6 "Ad Absurdum" the "highlights" goes to bass guitar and vocals duo at the end of track. I think clearly which this album, although aren't a masterpiece.... however is capable to be pleasant any progressive music listener. My rate is 4 stars !!!

A couple of line-up changes occured in the Aera line-up after ''Humanum est''.Dieter Bauer and Wolfgang Teske jumped off board, we would meet the later a few years later on Muck Groh's solo release ''Mucke[%*!#]''.Their replacements were violin player Christoph Krieger and drummer Lucky Schmidt from WIND, while bassist Peter Malinowski would be promoted to a regular member.The next offering by the group was the album ''Hand und Fuss'', released in 1976 again on the Erlkoenig label, featuring also guest star Onkel Latzi on sax and oboe.

The classic 10-min. opener ''Mechelwind'' sets the tone for another solid release by Aera.Wild Kraut-Fusion with blisterring grooves, sudden breaks, folky vibes and external interplays, executed with passion and precision all the way.''Hand und Fuss'' is another very tight album by the talented Germans, swirling around the Jazz-Rock and Fusion territories with plenty of progressive vibes in well-arranged tracks with a nice deegree of variety, missing the strict lines of the rough Kraut Rock style and sounding quite refined.Great violin movements, powerful sax interventions, rhythmic flute drives, Folk references and a few acoustic textures surround a very energetic rhythm section, dominated by the difficult bass lines and steady but furious drumming.The guitars are less apparent compared to the band's debut with just a few explosions, as the music is strongly based on the sax, violin and bass parts.However the sound remains very dense with minor flaws and and some tremendous battles between the instrumentalists, mostly in a jazzy vein.

Nice and strongly recommended follower to the otherwise solid ''Humanum est''.Instrumental Prog/Fusion of high quality, essential for all lovers of the style...3.5 stars.

Man this is so much better than anything else that I have from this band. A big thankyou to David for this one. The music here is simply more powerful and more passionate than their other records. The new drummer is fantastic and the bass is upfront the way I like it so yes a prominant rhythm section is the result plus we get guitar, violin, flute and sax helping out. Lets put it this way, there is a definite Rock in this Jazz / Rock album.

"Mechelwind" is such a good track. Guitar to start as bass, drums and violin join in. We get a nice heavy rhythm section here. Sax too. Some nice guitar work after 3 minutes. A calm before 5 minutes then the violin comes in ripping it up. Relaxed horn before 6 1/2 minutes as the violin stops. A beautiful guitar solo comes in before 8 minutes as the drums and bass continue. Violin returns late. "Alabaster Keaton" has some depth to it once again because of the bass and drums. The flute comes in over top. It picks up 1 1/2 minutes in. Love the drumming here. It all eases up with the flute again playing over top like earlier to end it. "Wrdlbrmfd" has a beat with sax and the guitar joins in too. Violin after 1 1/2 minutes followed by sax as they continue to trade off. Some energy late.

"Elephen Elephants" has these deep bass lines with drums and sax also standing out. Violin replaces the sax after a minute. Then it's the flute's turn. Sax is back then we get a drum solo before 3 1/2 minutes. A change 6 minutes in with cymbals, guitar and sax followed by drums as it turns fuller. Violin before 8 minutes. "Herbstzeitlos" is sax led with the drums and bass doing the ground work. I like it ! Violin replaces the sax briefly. "Ad Absurdum" has these punchy sounds that come and go. Some nice drum work when it picks up each time. The violin and sax play over top after 2 minutes. Great sound ! Vocal expressions before 4 minutes. "Kamele On" is so good ! The guitar leads and sounds amazing as he lights up the soundscape.

Easily 4 stars and I finally know what all the fuss is about with this one (insert groan here).

Fusion for beginners - hot cocoa for the peeps in the know

I've often talked to people here on PA about how enormous the Italian prog scene was back in the day. Seems like everywhere you look - every rock you turn over, out pops a little obscurity. Well Germany was like that too. Man I've stumbled over some amazing records - spanning from Krautrock to Avant guarde to Symphonic cream. The scene was broad like a hippo's derrière - broad I say.

Aera fits in under the fusion umbrella, although I hear a strong psychedelic vibe from this band as well - meaning that whether you're cruising the Herbiedelic beboppadoo jazzy highway - or melting gently out on the terrace like a psychedelic gummy bear in heat, chances are that you're going to love this one like you love feet.

On Hand und Fuss (Hand and Foot) you are met with a delicious mix of melodies and a raw psych groove. No such thing as dry chops and duduliduh dududuliduh on its own - no, there's a sweetness to these pieces, that not unlike Danish band Secret Oyster manages to portray the music here as warm, vibrant and effortlessly flowing. Often you get obstacles in your fusion - blocking the easy way forth, making the melody skip the beat - drive around the set course, deviate from everything else, and leave everything behind for a nice spot in front of the band right up close to the mic. This is not the Aera way! This is smooth and floating jazz rock - with emphasis on the rock part of the equation. It's psychedelic as I mentioned earlier, but in a groovy gravy kind of way - with warbling bass lines and wah wahing guitar textures that sink into each other like hot scrumptious chocolate lovers making sonic adult gymnastics as the tunes drift along.

Just like Secret Oyster, the tracks here are often lead by birdy bird wind instruments such as saxomophone, flute and the occasional oboe. Mmmmhhh I love the oboe. It's like the instrument world's version of Pee-wee Herman... All these tooting birds are very attuned into the melodic approach taken by the other instruments around them. They don't complicate things unnecessary - they stay the course, but in a most brilliant way - which makes me think of the small insistent blackbirds outside my window that every summer wake me up around 5 in the morning with these sunshine serenades that all sound very smooth and beautiful - unlike the later afternoon sessions where they seem to have drunk a fair deal of alcohol, because they all start sounding like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. Outside the birds, we have a violin taking care of business from time to time, and in a genius kind of way, it actually sounds perfectly like these aforementioned wind instruments - albeit with another timber and voice of its own. These are all the guiding beacons of Hand und Fuss, but where things start to get fuzzy and slightly psychedelic is in the guitar department, that whilst often sticking to the back draft with a tight rhythm bearing duty accompanying the bass lines - also freaks out when the moment calls for it - changing the scope of the track - adding olive oil to the mix slithering the tunes out of bounce in a most astonishing manner.

There are no keys or synths on this outing and I quite frankly don't miss them. If the individual track needs a splash of something out of the ordinary, the instruments on deck will surely take care of this in a jiffy - just like the weird and oddly infatuating animal piece called Elephen Elephants - where the sax changes its natural presence in for a much more lovable and nasally charged pachyderm sound, that takes me back into the Jungle-book with Colonel Hathi marching along - blowing his trunk to the saucy beat of the forest. So sweet this track, and again so melodic and alluring that it practically invites you in.

This is a jazz rock album for the uninitiated and those who are still wondering how and where to start in these fusioneros waters. These are treacherous - yes I know, but Hand und Fuss is so welcoming, rocking and melodically enhanced, that it is damn near impossible not to get a little smitten by it. This is a perfect album to start your journey into the more jazzy lands of prog rock, and if you already love this kind of stuff - you'll most likely adore this one. Somewhere between Kraan and Secret Oyster lie Aera with their marvellous brand of jazzy psych rock - that swoops over you like a cosy hand held sonic sprinkler. Frooooossshh!!!

Aera's second album, Hand und Fuss, is a substantial improvement over their debut (Humanum Est). With the Mahavishnu Orchestra still an influence, Aera diversify a bit to incorporate musical influences from all over the world into the mix. Lucky Schmidt takes up the drummer's stool this time around and Christoph Krieger joins on violin, and both of them enrich the group's sound considerably, but props also have to be given to Muck Groh, the group's furiously talented guitar player. Whilst the previous album didn't really stand out for me, this one is a great piece of late-1970s fusion proving that even in the latter half the decade talented artists were still advancing the genre.

Aera's debut album is a pleasant jazz-rock album with a sound ranging from spacey, avant material (as in the intro to Papa Doing) to more mainstream fusion, approaching conventional jazz at points. The prominence of guitar in the compositions might lead the listener to expect a Mahavishnu Orchestra-like sound, but on balance I'd say they're closer to Weather Report and mid-70s Soft Machine - the band never really let rip and rock out as the Mahavishnus do. It's an enjoyable listen and I certainly don't consider it a waste of time, but it doesn't exactly break much new ground or particularly excel at the fusion styles it turns its hands to.

This live AERA album released in 1980 certainly sounds different from the studio album "Turkis" that they released the year before. In part that might be because EMBRYO's guitarist Roman Bunka gets a prominant role as you might expect in this live setting.

"Scream Your Horizon" opens with this raw and aggressive guitar that caught me off guard. It does settle quickly though with vocals.This reminds me of KRAAN only not nearly as good.The guitar is soloing after 2 1/2 minutes and later around 4 1/2 minutes followed by organ. A calm with sax before 7 minutes. "Yellow Moon" is experimental then it changes after 1 1/2 minutes as a beat takes over and vocals join in.

"Stoned Out" is another experimental sounding track. "What I Can Do,You Can Do To" is both catchy and a little funky. Guitar 1 1/2 minutes in.This is the best song so far.

"Sulzheim Swinging" has some prominant sax with drums. Good song that turns more intense before 5 minutes. "Harm-O-Nights" has this raw sounding guitar at first then the sax, organ and drums take over.This is great ! "Scooter Future" is laid back early on as vocals arrive 1 1/2 minutes in. It does pick up before 3 minutes and slowly builds. Nice bass too. Sax leads before 6 minutes then it settles back with vocals a minute later. A fuller sound 10 1/2 minutes in as the vocals continue.

The second half of this record is pretty strong but not enough to save it from a 3 star rating.

The band has changed personel-wise with only the sax player remaining from the previous album of 2 years earlier. Although the former guitarist does guest on one track. I would describe the music as fairly light with a funky groove coming through at times. Lots of percussion as well while the sax (often soprano) plays over top. Just not my favourite style of music to be honest.Too bad because these guys can play. I'm sort of reminded of those PASSPORT albums that i'm not too into becaiuse of the lack of power.

"Fetzenotto" has all these intricate sounds then the bass comes to the fore after a minute. Funky stuff right here as the sax blasts. "Pfiffe" is led by guitar and drums throughout.The drumming is so crisp and intricate. "Dracula" is an upgrade with the pulsating organ which gives us an urgent feeling. Some cool guitar before 4 minutes and it leads until before 5 1/2 minutes when the sax returns.The guitar is back a minute later followed by a calm. Sounds come back then it kicks in after 8 1/2 minutes to a funky rhythm. Nice drum section after 10 minutes.

"Annettchon" is a short laid back piece. "You Need Some Speed" has percussion, bass and sax that stands out. It settles some then the keyboards come in at 5 1/2 minutes to end it. "Turkis" is better with a much more prominant sounding bass.The sax plays over top. It settles before 3 1/2 minutes with some growly bass. Sax is back 8 minutes in. "Siebert" opens with drums and bass as the sax joins in. Drum solo 3 1/2 minutes in.The sax is back after 6 1/2 minutes.

3 stars but this just isn't something I want to play.