FunkFreak75 ASSOCIATION P.C. guitarist and keyboard player Toto Blanke and Jasper Van't Hof's second round of self-expression outside of Pierre Courbois' leadership. The result is a more experimental sound adventure over which Toto plays his jazz-guitar (and banjo).

1. "PPG" (6:06) cool TERRY RILEY-like Minimalist electronica is here used to create a weave that ends up supporting Toto's guitar soloing. (8.75/10)

2. "Flowers All Over" (6:16) oddly experimental music with jazz guitar eventually dominating the top. I find it boring due to the extremely drawn out time it takes to develop into anything resembling jazz music--and that only a Weather Report-like level of pop jazz. (Bassist Dave King is relegated to playing two notes on infinite repetition for the first 5:45!) Once Toto gets into gear (over half way through the song), he plays some great GEORGE BENSON-like guitar albeit over some ultra-smooth melodic support. Great drumming, though. (8.75/10)

3. "Arabab" (5:52) yet another experimental soundscape opening before wah-wah-rhythm guitar and funk bass and drums take over bringing a funked-up AREA-like sound. This may be the most jazzy song on the album, but still a far cry from the sophisticated stuff these guys are capable of. (8.75/10)

4. "Minister Ed" (7:37) again the unusual dominance of the Berlin School-like sequencer is notable. In the third minute the sequencer disappears and a slow funk with banjo rises in its place. Interesting. Not my favorite. (13/15)

5. "Song For Zeenat" (3:59) long, spacious, slow, and rather eerie electronica intro with delicate cymbal play, percussive noises, sustained low bass note amp hum, and gentle volume-pedal controlled electric guitar notes and riffs, and finger-plucking of piano strings. Over half way into the song it's still forming, coagulating, as Toto and drummer Edward Vesala are still figuring each other out. I actually love this experimental "unfinished" kind of stuff! (9/10)

6. "Spiesser Krollak" (4:32) Berlin School-like saw-synth arpeggio pans across the sonic field for a minute before being supplanted by a slow, mathematical funk chord weave that repeats itself over and while the "prepared [wah-wah pedaled] organ" solos over the top. Edward embellishes and enriches with his fills and flourishes as Toto and bassist Dave King hold fast to the foundations of the math rock motif. Interesting as an experiment/étude, but, in the long run, a waste of valuable tape and vinyl. (8.25/10)

7. "Spinner" (2:03) tuned percussion [muted marimba] organ that seems sequenced which African/Caribbean percussives add to the weave so that Toto can solo Calypso-style (like a steel drum) with the very upper register of his guitar played in a muted staccato fashion. (4.25/5)

Total Time 36:25

My over all feeling from this album is that Jasper and Toto were going through a growing phase upon the acquisition/access to some new electronic equipment, that this album came from tapes garnered from the recording sessions in which the band were just getting to know these instruments and their potentialities; these were just the captures of their experimentations. In my opinoin, only bass player Dave King and drummer Edward Vesala live up to the standards of true Jazz-Rock Fusion, Toto and Jasper are caught in a wormhole of Steve Hillage-like audio distortion. Thus, I would not consider this a very highly recommended album: though there is a much that I like here, I think it would be better suited for collectors only.

B/four stars; a sparsely populated album filled with a large percentage of sound and new instrument experimentation. Best suited for collectors.

FunkFreak75 This 1978 release is a real late-comer to the First, Second, and Third Waves of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. Tales of Tomorrow contains more of the German guitar virtuoso's sound experimentations captured for publication. And to make things weirder: other than a guest string quartet, the entire album's music and sounds are created by Toto tout seul! At least some of the weirdness has been worked into fairly competent song structures.

1. "Overture" (0:42) string quartet opener. Nothing Earth-shatteringly innovative or expressive. (But quite a contrast to that which is following!) (4.375/5)

2. "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" (4:22) sound 40 years ahead of its time with its computer-sounding early drum machine rhythms at the song's foundation. Then all the layers of affected guitar sounds woven above! If this is Jazz-Rock Fusion then Kraftwerk and Bill Nelson are members, too! (8.75/10)

3. "Aliso Samba" (4:06) opens with string quartet before Toto's bass and acoustic guitar join in and, eventually, take over. The solo acoustic guitar (with bass, rhythm guitar, and bandoneon support) is awesome. Strings rejoin and swell in the final minute as Toto wraps things up. A very pleasant, upbeat song! (9/10)

4. "Roland The Giant" (5:02) I love how adventurous Toto was: always exploring the furthest edges that new technologies could allow the music (and musician) to travel. Here he's preparing us for "Music for Vacuuming," Jon Hassell, and Adrian Belew as well as Annette Peacock's Sky-skating. (8.75/10)

5. "Ostfriesisches Festtagsbegrabnis" (1:05) bandoneon and bouzouki. (4.25/5)

6. "Casablanca" (6:32) ring modulator and PPG sequencer open this one before Toto's George Harrison-toned electric guitar enters and begins his soloing. He's such a gifted, creative guitarist! It's too bad he got all obsessed with sound modification cuz he can really play! Weird manipulations of volume (performed, obviously, in the recording engineer's booth) make for an unfortunate cheap-sounding production. Too bad! Not even the Rodrigo-like Spanish guitar finish can save this one. (8.75/10)

7. "Rush Hour" (1:50) high-speed PPG sequencing with effects and volume modification while Toto's distorted electric guitar wails in the background (and through some other effects modifiers). (4.25/5)

8. "Pork Pie" (3:43) string quartet sounding very dire and serious open this one before turning George Martin/BEATLES-like. Synths and layers of electric guitars join in while Roland guitar synths and ring modulator provide the leads. Interesting ideas. (8.75/10)

9. "New Years Eve" (3:17) multiple layers of acoustic guitars playing some Spanish-themes and -styles give this a very AL DI MEOLA- and JOHN McLAUGHLIN-like feel and quality. Beautiful little song. In the second half, multiple layers of acoustic guitars: most of them strumming in a fast Latin/Spanish style while a steel-string acoustic provides the lead melody in fast time. (9/10)

10. "Flat Top And The U.S. Sad Cats" (9:11) mysterious bass line, volume-controlled bandoneon chords, over which two very different guitars solo: one wah-wahed that presents a very horn-like sound (though muted); the other more distorted and slightly compressed at the high-end that provides intermittent flourishes and machine gun blasts of runs while the cat-like sounding horn-guitar continues playing steadfastly over the fretboard. Again, very interesting but nothing I really want to hear repeatedly. (17.5/20)

11. "Sunday Morning The 26th Of February" (3:31) bandoneon cords and wonderful acoustic guitar soloing that sounds just like John McLaughlin playing with Zakir Hussain and the Shakti gang. Stunningly beautiful. Just like the Mahavishnu. (9.666667/10)

Total Time 43:21

Though this is quite experimental, there is little to no fusion of jazz and rock going on here. As a matter of fact, with the collaboration of any other jazz or rock musicians, I'd be hard pressed to have much hope for such. I should have known better.

B/four stars; an album of mixed energy and results: some are absurdly experimental--absolute frozen examples of what people were trying at the time (only, Toto chose to publish all of his experiments instead of learning from them for more mature future compositions), others are stunningly beautiful samples of Toto's guitar genius and skill.

FunkFreak75 More of Toto Blanke's experimentation outside of his gigs with Pierre Courbois and Jasper Van't Hof and Joachim Kühn. The influence of John McLaughlin's MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and SHAKTI project is quite obvious here as is the more recent sounds and songs of WEATHER REPORT (on bassist Norbert Dömling).

1. "Birds Of A Feather" (9:41) opening with some of the sequencing he was experimenting with on his two previous albums, the song moves into WEATHER REPORT territory. A little too uniform in sticking with one single motif throughout the song--which makes it hard to stay engaged over ten minutes, but very high quality musicianship throughout. (17.75/20)

2. "Asiento" (3:51) Trilock Gurtu's opening percussion barrage lets us know that we're in for a SHAKTI-like fusion of Eastern and Western traditions. Norbert Dömling's fretless bass is straight out of the JACO PASTORIUS school of bass. Very nice imitation with nocitceably loose and free feeling from all musicians. (9/10)

3. "Hallo J. (2:00) Toto's beautiful play on his steel-stringed acoustic guitar paired up with Norbert Dömling's wonderful Jaco Pastorius-like fretless bass Wonderful! Could've gone longer (for my tastes). (5/5)

4. "Billi (6:06) a Latin vehicle for some wild tenor sax play from Mat Nodolny. Stu Goldberg's mostly-two-chord support is a bit too forward and, therefore, obnoxious. In the fourth minute, Toto's electric (Roland?) jazz guitar gets the second solo. Lot's of unusual hand percussives and weird synth noises being thrown into the background (Trilock's contributions a little too far forward). (8.875/10)

5. "Floating (5:39) a high-speed cruise that has a lot of angular melody lines in its "Vashkar"/Mahavishnu-like sound palette. Exceptional musicianship on display, top to bottom. (9.3333/10)

6. "Winterlied (3:42) a duet between Stu Goldberg's MiniMoog and Toto's steel-stringed acoustic guitar. It opens as slow and ruminative duet of MiniMoog and gentle acoustic guitar chord picking before breaking down with some more flashy contributions from the acoustic guitar while the MiniMoog continues its melody-searching unphased. Reminds me of both SHAKTI and PAT METHENY. (9.25/10)

7. "I'm A Stranger Here Myself (8:00) very much like something from AREA's Crac!: "Nervi Scoperti" Excellent musicianship (as it would have to be to earn that comparison)! (13.75/15)

8. "Friends (Dedicated To T. Blanke)" (4:27) interesting Weather Report-like weirdness. Smooth and melodic, though. (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:26

I'm not sure why Stu Goldberg gets second billing unless he was integrally-involved in the composition department as his keyboard play serves more in a support role (except for "Winterlied").

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of a broad spectrum of wonderfully-performed jazz-rock fusion--one that could hold a candle to anything happening at the highest levels of fame, virtuosity, and sales marketing in the rest of the world.

FunkFreak75 The side project of German guitarist Hans Otto Blanke when not working with Jasper Van't Hof or with Pierre Courbois' ASSOCIATION P.C. This album finds the European virtuosi playing with Philadelphia expats John Lee (bass) and Gerry Brown (drums).

Line-up / Musicians: - Toto Blanke / electric & acoustic guitars, composer & producer With: - Joachim Kühn / Fender electric piano - Carmine Ugo "Charlie" Mariano / soprano saxophone, flute - John Lee / bass guitar - Gerry Brown / drums

1. "Lady's Bicycle Seat Smeller" (7:00) sounds very much like RETURN TO FOREVER (in no small part due to Gerry Brown's pre-RTF drumming). The drums, bass guitar, and electric guitar play are so closely fitted to the RTF style, it is only the presence of Carmin Ugo Mariano's flute and Joachim Kühn's more Herbie Hancock-like keyboard playing style. (13.5/15)

2. "Intermission" (6:58) another song styled very closely after some of RETURN TO FOREVER's more quirky and dynamic constructs, this time with keyboard player Joachim Kühn's stylings sounding more akin to those of Chick Corea. (13.75/15)

3. "Rocbaron" (2:45) a Django Rhinehardt-styled acoustic guitar song solo by Toto definitely takes on a non-Django sound and style (and more Al Di Meola- and acoustic John McLaughlin sound) as it goes on. Excellent virtuoso guitar play! (9.75/10)

4. "Toto" (6:22) opens with two concurrently played tracks of Toto's electric guitar(s) playing wah-wah-ed arpeggi, soon along with John Lee's bass and Gerry's syncopated drums. Very cool! (Very "Discipline" like!) At 1:08 the hypnotic weave is broken by a crash into a slower procession of chunky-funky effected-bass, syncopated almost-military drums, and electric guitar arpeggi with Fender Rhodes electric piano support. (I hear no saxes or flutes.) The guitar soloing in the fourth minute reminds me very much of Larry CORYELL while Gerry Brown's drumming is like a mirror copy of the style and sounds of Lenny WHITE! In the fifth and sixth minutes the guitars return to two tracks weaving opposite one another, eventually speeding up to signal the band's transition into decay and finish. I really love this song--from multiple perspectives--maybe the drumming the most! (9.5/10)

5. "Spider's Dance" (4:33) a protracted Mahavishnu-like progression of chords from guitar and bass while Joachim's clavinet and Gerry's drums sky rocket all over the place beneath and around the plodding oddly-time-signatured stringed rhythm section. Charlie Mariano's flutes and saxes as well as another track devoted to Toto's lead guitar carry the smooth melody line to the song's conclusion. Quite exciting and noteworthy. (9.33333/10)

6. "Prelude" (0:58) strumming acoustic guitar receives some flange treatment. (4.5/5)

7. "Slight Touch Of Hepatitis" (14:28) using a sparse and rather spacious rhythm section from the bass à la Bitches Brew and the early Mwandishi albums, drummer Gerry Brown is free to explore wherever Spirit guides him as Charlie Mariano and Joachim Kühn go wild and crazy over the top--for the first five plus minutes, that is. Toward the fifth and sixth minutes John Lee's bass begins to become quite adventurous and interesting while Toto Blanke's lead guitar and Joachim's wah-wah-ed Fender Rhodes become increasingly angular, key-bending, and at times outright dissonant. The band reigns it in and thins out in the eleventh minute to allow for some pure Fender Rhodes solo time (though John Lee's very active bass is still unavoidably noticeable just beneath). Gerry's drumming is solid and fluid but feels, compared to the creative freedoms he was given in previous songs, more constrained and liming. I'm sure this was a very cerebral and liberating song to perform--and the performances are certainly impressive for their virtuosic creativity--but my puny little brain happens to prefer the melodic commitments of the previous songs. (27/30)

Total Time 43:04

Quite an excellent and creative album despite the obvious emulation and inspiration from Chick (and Herbie), Stanley, Al Di (and Larry Coryell), and Lenny. Even so, these musicians are all at the top of their games--given further freedom and expressive boosts by wah-wah pedals and multiple track recording.

A-/five stars; a remarkable masterpiece of high-powered Jazz-Rock Fusion--one that every prog lover and J-R Fuse lover should experience!

Igor91 The following is a review that I originally published on the sister website of Jazz Music Archives, Progarchives, on 2/28/19:

German guitarist Toto Blanke (1939-2013) came to prominence as a member of the excellent avant-jazz rock outfit Association P.C. "Electric Circus," Blanke's second solo effort, is quite different from his first, "Spider's Dance." While his first album consisted of Anglo-American style jazz-rock (which was very good), "Electric Circus" finds Blanke incorporating the ground-breaking sounds of his home country at the time.

Blanke not only handles the guitars on this album, he also plays a ppg synth, ppg sequencer, moog taurus, as well as the banjo. As you may guess, the modern (at the time) synths, sequencers and moog make this quite different from your average fusion LP. Joining Blanke is his former band mate from Association P.C., Jasper van't Hof on keyboards. Also in the mix is American bassist Dave King, who also played with Embryo and the Curt Cress Clan, as well as others. Drums and percussion duties were handled by Edward Vesala of Finland.

The result is an interesting blend of jazz rock and Krautrock. Blanke's guitar (and Banjo) playing is magnificent as ever, but "Electric Circus" is not a guitar album. The synths take center stage on most tracks, layered over spacey, Kraut grooves. Experimental in nature, the album captures the best of both of the worlds it straddles. Recommended to those who like experimental music like Et Cetera / Wolfgang Dauner and other like-minded Teutonic musicians. 4 stars.