KLAUS DOLDINGER/PASSPORT — Ataraxia (aka Sky Blue aka Klaus Doldinger) (review)

KLAUS DOLDINGER/PASSPORT — Ataraxia (aka Sky Blue aka Klaus Doldinger) album cover

Album · 1978 · Fusion

4/5 · 2025-04-09
FunkFreak75

Oh, no! Gone are drummer Curt Cress and bass player Wolfgang Schmid! Let's see how Klaus does with replacements Willy Ketzer and Dieter Petereit (and new full-member on keys, Hendrik Schaper). At least he was able to keep percussionist Elmer Louis and his extraordinary guitarist brother, Roy.

1. "Ataraxia, Pt. 1" (2:55) truly a pastoral introductory piece--one with little to no development. (4.375/5) 2. "Ataraxia, Pt. 2" (5:23) In these first two pieces Klaus' new predilection toward rich keyboard textures in his music is accented by the significant contributions of newcomer Hendrick Schaper. There is almost a TANGERINE DREAM feel to this music--certainly to the sound palette--at least until the arrival of Klaus' saxophone at 2:20--which brings out the not-so-TD-sounding funk from bassist Dieter Petereit and the keyboardists. I like this music, the new keyboard-rich sound palette; I just lament the loss of the music's Jazz-Rock Fusion footings. (9/10)

3. "Sky Blue" (4:38) keyboard synth wash chordal opening--a sound that reminds me more of early synths (like those used by Vangelis at this time) --leads to a rock-heavy theme that sports a pretty awesome "recorder/flute" synth solo. I do not like the thinner, poorer quality of sound coming from the engineering team for this album; this is a much more rock 'n' roll-sounding engineering sound--like something from The Crusaders at about this same time. The synth sounds are all quite dated (and unprocessed?) I like it all but, again, I just feel sad for the drift away from the sounds that made Jazz-Rock Fusion its own unique sub-genre. (8.875/10)

4. "Mandrake" (4:27) okay, here at least we're back to a little of the funky that Bob James, Steely Dan, and the pop-rock-jazz artists are making popular in the States. With doubled-up (chorused?) sax leads and handclaps(?) This, to me, is still Jazz-Rock Fusion, though definitely of the lighter, Fourth Wave or "Smooth Jazz" version. Nice guitar soloing from Roy Louis. This must be what Klaus thinks the public want. Another very pleasant, likable song, if definitely more pop-oriented. (8.875/10)

5. "Reng Ding Dang Dong" (3:01) this one sounds like a funk-affected modification of early Terry Riley-like synth sounds--as if the array are all trying to break free of the minimalist sequence they are stuck in. Interesting! (4.5/5)

6. "Loco-Motive" (4:17) all sounds here but the Disco-lite bass and drums seem to be trying to create an I Robot-like ALAN PARSONS PROJECT song--only, here, the danceable, disco version! It's certainly entertaining--and likable--even when the DAVID SANBORN sax joins in for the third minute. Creative and yet perhaps a little too derivative. (8.875/10)

7. "The Secret" (5:05) the Weather Report sound and style is back! Sax, keys, and bass all exposing the opening chords/melodies in unison. At the one-minute mark they spread out and begin expressing new melodic streams in a harmonized, if still syncopated, fashion. Then, with the third minute's opening we move into a motif that feels as if borrowed straight from some of the quieter passages of NOVA's brilliant Vimana album ("Vimana," "Night Games" and "Driftwood"), but then it goes back to the poppier Weather Report mode as Klaus solos with his soprano sax. The final minute sees a total return to the Weather Report-like opening motif. It's okay, but, again, the sound quality is a bit disappointing--especially after a string of seven previous albums whose sound quality was among the greatest in the music industry. (8.75/10)

8. "Louisianna" (4:32) slowed down fair that might be trying to emulate a Louisiana sound or style but end up sounding completely like one of those blues DAVID SANBORN songs. A sad waste of space. (8.5/10)

9. "Algeria" (5:12) wild upbeat and up-temp Latin-/Caribbean-dominant music. Great percussion performances throughout the song with nice "big band"-like full-band-backed horn arrangements defining the bookends but leaving plenty of time for some spry and fun tenor sax soloing in the middle. Certainly a fun song. (9/10)

Total Time: 39:11

Though I admire Klaus' ever-adventurous spirit for being open to the exploration of many of the latest and current trends in music, I find the drop in sound quality of this album's production to be surprising--especially since I had, since 1971, upheld his albums as the gold standard in sound recording. What happened?

B/four stars; a nice addition of diverse music that represents rather perfectly the the "awkward teen" years of the late 70s.