IGUAÇU

After all the spacey experimental shabangs with the previous albums, Klaus decided to go for Latin sounds hence the title referring to the famous falls in Brazil. This is quite different from anything they were doing before. Most of the classic lineup is still here (minus Kristian) and 2 new members brothers Roy (guitar) and Elmer (percussion) Louis. Klaus also went all out and brought in what appears to be some South American musicians as guests as well. The result is somewhat of a mixed bag. While I still prefer the earlier spacey classically tinged works on the previous albums, Klaus still comes up with some great melodies. I can't say it's classic PASSPORT, but it still has the Doldinger magic there. Recommended.

To start, I must confess that, in addition to being a jazz fusion fan, I'm also a fan of Latin jazz, so that colours my impression of Passport's Iguacu album. Also, it appears that many members of the Prog Archives like their music heavy and intense, so the first Passport albums might be closer to that mark for them. But I'd say it's not justified to write Iguacu off as light-weight Latin pop. The music is too sophisticated for that, the title track being a clear example. And the playing is great, including some excellent sax, flute and keyboard work by Dolindger, and nice guitar work by Louis. I discovered Passport late, and this was one of the first albums I picked up. But having acquired others since, I still quite like it, and find it very cheery.

This isn't an album that will make you happy. Even with everyone from the previous line-up - minus the keyboard player - on board, Doldinger took a complete turn towards pop-music with this album, and as far as I've heard he never returned to the energetic jazz rock of the beginnings nor the spacerock-jazz of their mid-70s period.

Iguaçu is a harmless pop-jazz album, of course it's executed professionally but this kind of instrumental easy-listening jazz sits very far on the bottom end of what I want to listen to. This music would even annoy me in a supermarket, let alone in my stereo.

Doldinger always had a knack for writing easy and catchy tunes, but in combination with the Latin party atmosphere of this album it doesn't result in even one track that I find worth listening. Given how the band sank even deeper with the next albums, I'll stick with 2 stars.

Just two years and one album released after great Cross Collateral , but Passport is very different band there. Fashion of smooth jazz influenced them too strong, and this album is in general pleasant jazzy listening with some brass sound, plenty of world fusion,even some new age traces.

Happily, funk grooves still are part of the music, so it saved the album from being total disaster. Klaus sax is more sound for cocktail party or TV commercial, that progressive fusion. I still like bass grooves, but it's all - not too much for the full album. Release for Latin-funk pop-jazz lovers.

Passport Iguacu By Ron Tagliapietra Iguacu is the 7th studio album by Passport. I consider it their best. It includes Latin influence in the song titles (some Brazilian places) and the use of percussion instruments (from Brazil). "Bahia do Sol", the first track, is very upbeat and catchy. Two other tracks are also fast and energetic: "Sambukada" and "Guna Guna". All 3 of these tracks are great and obviously liked by the band, too, since they're all on their live album Lifelike . In fact, the first 2 of the songs are also on their compilation album Spirit of Continuity: the Passport Anthology . None of the 8 tracks are bad, but "Praia Lame" and "Aguamarinha" are fantastic and exude energy.

For the album Iguacu, the line-up consisted of Kurt Doldinger (saxes, flute, organ, synthesizer [Moog]), Curt Cress (drums, berimbau), Wolfgang Schmid (bass), Roy Louis (guitar) and Elmer Louis (percussion). There are also 7 guest musicians: Mat Bjorklund (guitar) played only on "Guna Guna", while the other 6 guys (Wilson Das Neves, Roberto Bastos Pinheiro, Noel Manuel Pinto, Clelio Ribeiro, Marcello Salazar, Pedro Santos) played various Brazilian percussion instruments on "Sambukada" (and 2 of them, Pinto and Santos, also played on "Bird of Paradise"). Percussion instruments included atapaques, berimbau, cuica, pandeiro, & surdo.

The album's title and cover should not be ignored. The cover is an upside-down photo of Iguacu, a waterfall on the Iguacu River, forming the border between Brazil and Argentina. The river empties into the Rio Parana at the Paraguayan border not far downstream. During the dry season, it pales in comparison to Niagara Falls, however during the rainy season, it has 10 times as much water flowing over it as Niagara Falls. This makes it the most powerful waterfall in the world! It's a fitting commentary for the powerful energy of Passport's music! Why is it upside down? It's your Passport into jazz-fusion!

Latin influences were very subtle on the Infinite Machine and came to prominence on Iguacu. The album features some catchy and very memorable songs. I don't agree that there are no fusion moments present here, just listen to the title track and there is plenty to explore. The main issue was a significant drop in the ability to experiment and try harder. The songs are mostly well structured and composed but there is not much space to stretch and show the chops. The guest musicians are competent too - the change of the sound is not necessarily bad but for a regular progger, not much is left to be pleased with after repeated listens. Therefore two stars only.