Wolfgang Dauner was one of the true pioneers of the late 60s German jazz scene. And so he was a natural to experiment with rock’s energy and sounds, and combine them with his vision of free jazz. The opening track features a driving staccato synthesized organ sound (somewhat akin to Supersister or Soft Machine) mixed with some freer jazz structures that can be a bit much in places. The next three tracks are Dauner at his best, mixing an array of ethnic/world music (mainly Eastern) with some psychedelic rock and modal jazz. The album closes with a free jazz piece, which gets away from my personal tastes. So the opener and closer keep this from being a classic for me – but one that I still hold in high esteem.
The CD reissue adds an additional three bonus cuts, and the LP appends one more with 'An Open Can' (12:35). These 4 tracks collectively were recorded at the same time as the album proper, and so are musically similar. That is to say they are at the crossroads of psychedelic rock and reckless jazz - though I'd submit these bonus tracks are tilted more in favor of the former, which is a good thing in my book.
Ownership: LP: 2011 Long Hair. 2xLP. Gatefold. This reissue includes the same liner notes and three bonus cuts as the CD, plus one more lengthy - and excellent - track.
CD: 2008 Long Hair. Superb with excellent liner notes, great sound, and a full 3 bonus tracks.
5/28/09 (review); 1/6/14 (new entry)
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