KLAUS DOLDINGER/PASSPORT — Infinity Machine (review)

KLAUS DOLDINGER/PASSPORT — Infinity Machine album cover Album · 1976 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Miler72
Used Passport LPs in my neck of the woods (I live in Veneta, Oregon, but have to buy my stuff in nearby Eugene) are a dime a dozen, so it didn't take me too long to build up my collection all the way up to Ataraxia (of course, their stuff pre-Looking Thru doesn't appear in Eugene, and I still don't have Second Passport, but I was surprised to find a copy of Hand Made in Eugene, but I had to get my copy of their debut online). I was completely blown away by Cross-Collateral, an LP I found at a St. Vincent de Paul in Springfield, of all places. So I had to get Infinity Machine. Well, while many feel Infinity Machine is frequently considered their final album worth getting, I, for a long time thought it was a let-down. But it's grown on me since. The opener "Ju-Ju Man" has a rather funky feel, and evidence of Latin rhythms showing up. The title track and "Ostinato" are certainly the highlights, where they attempt a more electronic approach, especially "Ostinato". On the other hand, I didn't think the album had quite the intensity of its predecessor. What I do get a kick off is that cover depicting the Earth as a cube. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but seemed like the cover got spoofed in 1977 by an American band called The Fanz (featuring ex-Blues Image and Iron Butterfly member Mike Piners) on the album The Grand Illusion (coincidentally sharing the same title as Styx that same year). That album cover too featured a cube-shaped Earth! After hearing Igacu (has its moments, but drifted too much in smooth jazz, I had less troubles with the Brazilian sounds, though), Infinity Machine is definitely better. Still good, but I prefer Cross-Collateral, Hand Made, and the debut (and even, strangely some of the more interesting stuff off Ataraxia).
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Sustain Avant-Garde Jazz
AALY TRIO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunset Park Post Bop
TOBIAS MEINHART
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us