KUNSTKOPFINDIANER (WITH HANS KOLLER, WOLFGANG DAUNER, ADELHARD ROIDINGER & JANUSZ STEFANSKI)

January 21 - 23 of the year 1974 was a serious fusion party in Europe! This gathering of seasoned veterans yielded this magnificent release which took on the contemporary trend of crafting stellar 70s jazz-fusion in this case with the anarchic glee of free jazz. Initiated by German jazz pianist Wolfgang Dauner, this supergroup with no name cranked out some outstanding fusion sessions that rivals John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra only minus the guitar hero antics and more on the jazz side of the equation. Joined by Austrians Hans Koller (soprano and tenor saxophones) and Adelhard Roidinger (contrabass, bass guitar) along with two Polish virtuosos - Zbigniew Seifert (alto sax and violin) and Janusz Stefański (drums and percussion), this group kicked some serious jazz-fusion ass!

Graced by one of the coolest and boldest jazz album covers of all time, KUNSTKOPFINDIANER (Art-Head-Indians) featured five diverse tracks that offered a plethora of stylistic shifts ranging from the jazz-fusion sounds of the era that included a thundering electric bass line and rock drumming along with Cecil Taylor style otherworldly piano runs as well healthy doses of saxophone squawking via alto, soprano and tenor. Add an occasional violin to the mix and you have a veritable album's worth of music magic. The different artists involved were all at different stages in their careers. Koller had been recording solo since 1954, Dauner since 1967 and Stefanski since 68. For both Adelhard Roidinger and Zbigniew Seifert, this would be their debut into the world of vinyl and a starting point for a lengthy career to come.

In many ways KUNSTKOPFINDIANER sounds like the Mahavishnu Orchestra especially in the sequences with the Jerry Goodman sounding violin screeches as well as some of the compositional structuring but the band doesn't rock in the same way due to the fact there is no guitarist. Instead the flashy virtuosic performances are traded off by the sultry sax sounds and finger breaking piano rolls that keep this album much more in the world of jazz than of rock however there's no mistaking that the rock rhythms and influences aren't bubbling through for the majority of the album's running time. The album's five tracks vary greatly in length with the opening title track and the overly feisty "Ulla M. & 22/8" both slinking past the nine minute mark with the former almost hitting twelve. The short but sweet "Suomi" barely passes the 2 1/2 minute mark. Can't forget to mention the Rhodes piano that firmly connects it to the era.

The album was marketed as world fushion as it features exotic sounds such as from the nagoya harp but ultimately this is a classic 70s sounding jazz-fusion album from beginning to end with a beefy bass groove and busy drummer. The musical cadences of a recurring bass line with soloing is a classic Mahavishnu characteristic only sounding like an alternative universe where McLaughlin traded in the guitar for a series of saxophones. This album in many ways presents itself as a What If scenario as if the Mahavishnus had focused more on the jazz side of the equation rather than the rock. This is a fascinating intricate weaving of timbres, melodies, tempos, time signatures and all the other accoutrements that make a stellar jazz release. This is really my favorite kind of fusion with a nasty bit that will leave you scarred like the dude on the album cover who got too many blow darts to the head.

For anyone looking for something similar to the Mahavishnu Orchestra's first two albums then KUNSTKOPFINDIANER is the album for you. This is one of those one and done type projects and this particular ensemble would never reform again but despite everything these five musicians worked together like a well-oiled machine that delivered everything in near perfection. This is almost a 5 star masterpiece to my ears but the similarities to the Mahavishnus are a bit too strong at times and therefore i can't quite take it that far but as far as enjoyment purposes go, this album is outstanding! One of the best jazz albums with rock energy of the entire 70s really. Highly recommended.

4.5 rounded down (too similar to Mahavushnus at times)