BLUE TATTOO

I listened to this album last night for a change after listening to heavy and complex stuffs like Somnambulist (a review to follow), Frogg Café, Weather Report and Van der Graff Generator. I purchased this album long time ago in the eighties with the assumption that it would sound like the only song that introduced me to Passport: "Jaddoo". The song was really great: a fusion jazz-rock music in relatively fast tempo demonstrating great combination of sax and keyboard with dazzling drum work. But this album is different - it's much more softer than Jaddoo. It's a relaxing experience if you can enjoy a jazz fusion kind of music. I can think of this album like a marriage between the music of Japan's Casiopea, Pat Metheny and Spyro Gyra. I might be wrong but that's what I can tell in brief about "Blue Tattoo" album. I can hear a blend of good guitar work by Kevin Mulligan and sax work by Klaus Doldinger. Even though this album is not my cup of tea, but it's a good one to have - especially for a change. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild! GW

It's too bad that many of the 'prog snobs' tend to discount everything Passport released after 1976. In a way it's understandable - little has been actually progressive as the term is generally understood. But most of Passport's albums have been truly magnificent jazz fusion anyway, each one wholly deserving far wider recognition than they've received. 1981's "Blue Tattoo", in my opinion one of the finest Passport releases ever, has been particularly ignored by many fans. This would seem to be because on this album Klaus Doldinger relies far more on his keyboard skills than his sax brilliance.

The results, however, cannot be faulted; this is some of the very best contemporary jazz of it's time, with a variety of great melodies performed with complete dedication. Released the same year as the final Soft Machine album ("Land Of Cockayne"), Passport's "Blue Tattoo" is even better than the Softs classic.

While Doldinger and crew do not break new ground with this album, they prove that they have now perfected the new direction begun four years prior. And while this is far from the last great Passport album, it remains a landmark in their long career and certainly a testament to Doldinger's place in jazz history. Even though there's comparatively little sax on "Blue Tattoo", it's not really missed; the music flows with what it has, and when the sax does come, it's among the musician's most affecting work ever. And this album does not sound the slightest bit dated today.

Forget what reputation this cd has. It's a classic.