HERRGOTTSAX

One of the most obscure and long forgotten releases in the world of German jazz fusion that was popular throughout the 1970s into the early 80s, HERRGOTTSAX was a one-off which featured many of the same musicians of another one-off jazz fusion polit-rock band called Kernbeisser which set out to craft a unique jazz fusion protest album against a nuclear power plant. Led by saxophonist / flautist Büdi Siebert who honed his jazz playing skills in 70s bands such as Puppenhaus and Orexis as well as the strange musical world of Poesie und Musik, Siebert assembled a team of no less than 19 musicians to record HERRGOTTSAX's sole 1981 release SEIBOLD SEIERGESICHTS SÜNDIGE SAXOFONE, German for "Seibold Seiergesicht's Sinful Saxophones." Also notable is the presence of Wolfgang Dauner (Et Cetera), Jo Koinzer (Brainstorm, Fashion Pink) and vocalist Anne Haigis of Message.

This rarity was released once in 1981 on the equally obscure Eigelstein Records label and then pretty much forgotten to the annals of history. Even to this very day any tangible info on this short gathering of musical talents proves to be scarce and unrevealing. Graced with a decent production as well as fiery performances from seasoned veterans of the jazz rock fusion paradigm, SEIBOLD SEIERGESICHTS SÜNDIGE SAXOFONE offers a thrilling journey into the deep underground of German jazz fusion at the turn of the decade which offered the familiarity of German jazz fusion band influences ranging from Missus Beastly, Munju, Mosaik to the more Krautrock infused fusionists such as Sunbirds, Passport, Embryo or Et Cetera. The album features only eight tracks but almost reaches a 53 minute running time.

The album begins rather strangely with the opening "Guten Morgen, Du Schöne" which insinuates a dreamy Krautrock album to come with fluttering flutes and a lush ethereal atmosphere but soon throws a curveball with the following "Adolf Und Martha: HerrGottSax!" which features chipmunk vocal manipulations with a big band backing sounding more like a children's entertainment show with a soundtrack than a musical journey into the heady technical world of jazz rock fusion. The album finally launches itself into a veritable fusion album with "Sabanone (Schlachtruf Der Affen)" which meanders on for over 14 minutes and showcases the tight-knit excursions into the world of instrumental jazz fusion at a top tier level. The album drifts on in jazz rock and at moments pure jazz ecstasy delivering a dreamy journey into a wordless instrumental panacea.

The album finds an unusual intermission with the jazz funk "Man Nennt Mich Seiergesicht" which features a rather bouncy even danceable beat, psychotic male vocals that would make Captain Beefheart a fan as well as backing female vocals. This track also features prominent rock guitar and drumming and deviates from the fusion plan which resumes on the following second 14-minute behemoth "Also Ich Weiß Es Nicht?" which delivers a smooth and easy ride through multiple easy on the ears jazz rock cadences and motifs with both dreamy and more energetic excursions as well as a few hairpin turn unexpectations. The album ends with another oddity, the short but percussion-rich "Wenn Es Nacht Wird In Stuttgart (Werden Die Gehsteige Hochgeklappt)" which features a fast-paced Latin percussion section and a lone flute fluttering before ceding imperceptibly into the hard driving closer "Tanz Der Giganten" which unleashes the full fusion affect in the vein of "Romantic Warrior" era Return To Forever.

SEIBOLD SEIERGESICHTS SÜNDIGE SAXOFONE is an unbelievably excellent album with primo musicianship throughout and wild curveballs thrown in at select moments to offer a bit of contrast. While the overall effect is a bit tamer than a lineup of 19 musicians would indicate, the musical flow is rather smooth and pacifying with every single musician knowing where to contribute his part at the right moment. A fascinating little obscurity from the German underground that still remains undiscovered well into the 21st century. Definitely worthy of a proper reissuing and surprisingly consistent throughout. Buried under the rubble solely because of the glut of equally talented jazz rock acts clogging up the attention span of the dwindling audiences in 1981 but nevertheless a superb slice of jazz fusion majesty.