Hippopotamus ~ Germany

Schnatterzapfen (1982)

Hippopotamus were a band from Germany who released one album with the odd name of Schnatterzapfen. Google Translate informs us that it means Schnatterzapfen in "Luxembourgish". I didn't even know such a language existed and I've been there! My best guess then is that Schnatterzapfen means - in Luxembourgish of course - "straight jazz".

Hippopotamus is frequently lumped in with the Kraut Fusion crowd (and I have it in my own list), but it isn't really. The instrumentation is alto and tenor sax, piano, lightly amplified electric guitar, bass, and drums. It's as jazz as jazz is. There's absolutely zero edge here. On compositions such as 'Midnight in Ruhrort' and the title track, one can hear similar themes as found on the 1974 Missus Beastly album, minus any kind of rock ambition of course. Overall an OK jazz album, nothing more and nothing less.

No reissues exist as of 3/8/25.

3/7/19 (review)