Joachim Kühn - SpringFever (1976)

(Germany 1961 - Present)

Despite a prodigious recording career, Joachim Kühn essentially seems to be a forgotten name, maybe even in the realms of fusion and jazz where he has primarily made his mark over the last 30-odd years. Nonetheless Kühn's musical journey has been a fascinating one.

Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1944, Kühn took piano lessons beginning at age 5, and formed his first trio in 1962. The simply titled Joachim Kühn Trio was released in 1965, and his career has continued on over the decades. Sometimes called an avant-gardist, Kühn has more accurately specialized in a fusion of classical and jazz, with a uniquely European flavor. More recently he found acclaim in 1997, working with Ornette Coleman to make Colors: Live From Leipzig.

A period of success in the 1970's found Kühn making several albums of his own, as well as working with the likes of Jean-Luc Ponty and Jan Akkerman. Like Akkerman, Kühn had the opportunity to make some albums on the widely popular and well-distributed Atlantic label. 1976's 'Springfever' is an album of mostly accessible, rocking, sometimes funk-tinged fusion, punctuated by Kühn's dizzying piano runs and blissful organ tones. Philip Catherine joined on guitar; John Lee on bass and Gerald Brown on drums provided the rhythm section, courtesy of Blue Note Records.

Springfever's opener "Lady Amber" is also the album's longest cut, clocking in at 10:15. A languid mix of piano and various electronic keyboard sounds serves as the intro to a moderately paced instrumental rock workout, with just a hint of funk and plenty of interplay between the musicians. Curt Cress guests on drums and Zbigniew Seifert on violin on this cut only, and Lee's swarthy, sometimes rubbery bass establishes itself, turning out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of this album; his playing is not overtly flashy, but he has the perfect deep tone and chops to impress. "Sunshine" is paced a shade more slowly, and provides a relaxing, but not by any means boring, opportunity for Kühn to flex his muscles at the piano, with keyboard cascades that flow like a waterfall over a graceful chordal foundation.

Lee rears his formidable low-end presence again on the next cut, "Two Whips," and it also becomes obvious that he and Brown work well together; the two are locked in radar-like and razor-sharp on this cut, which of course provides another opportunity for Kühn and Catherine to shine. Side one ends with the album's title cut, a speedy solo piece by Kühn which hints at some of his later work that can be heard on albums such as Situations and Wandlungen-Transformation.

Joachim Kühn - Pianist Vertuoso

The deliciously moody "Morning" kicks off the second side, and like many people, this 7:00 cut seems to take a while to get moving after waking up. Following a slow, almost creepy/funky intro wherein the musicians slowly seem to be coagulating, another wistful chord sequence forms in the center, before the band launches into a dreamlike end section that features a darkly cutting synth melody from Kühn. Catherine and Lee remind the listener of their presence as well, with both popping in with some perfectly timed licks of their own.

"Mushroom" is the album's shortest piece, and the most conventional (but still not too much so) in chord structure, with a "chorus" section highlighted by yet another variation on the common chord progression made famous by Led Zeppelin during the climactic ending section of "Stairway To Heaven." Kühn plays a relevant, catchy melody and wraps the piece before it has a chance to become repetitive. Next up is "Equal Evil," with Catherine's biting guitar tone introducing the primary melody before Kuhn solos over an especially heavy rhythmic bed made to please by Lee and Brown; Catherine closes with a tasteful yet incendiary solo.

Of course the album has to end with another workout by Kühn, and "California Woman" delivers the goods in spades. Catherine also takes an especially tight solo, flashing his chops but also showing perfect note choice and restraint, and the omnipresent Lee and Brown provide the muscle. This end piece summarizes everything that is great about Springfever. It is an album tailor-made for 70's prog-fusion nuts (guilty, I plead), chock-full of warm, analog keyboard timbres; it has just enough succinct melody to be accessible to a casual listener, while maintaining a level of musicianship that is far more than sufficient for chops-hounds; it is a keyboard-lovers feast that puts Kühn's ample talents up front for all to hear; Philip Catherine also plays some killer fusion licks; and did I mention that this is one bad-ass bass performance by John Lee?

Joachim Kühn Band

Maybe it's time for Joachim Kühn to get his props. Certainly he is a world-class musician with an awesome resume, and by all indications he is also, thankfully, totally uncompromising with his art. Springfever is only one of many noteworthy albums by Kühn but perhaps it could serve as a suitable gateway for those interested in exploring his music. [Review by Reginod, 2008 rateyourmusic.com]

Is this truly one of the best jazz-rock and fusion albums of its time? It's not for me to judge. I'm not one to do that, but personally, I really enjoy revisiting this album, time and time again.  I highly recommend it. And that cover is undoubtedly eye-catching, though my wife doesn't share my enthusiasm LOL!

This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from CD (I've never come across a vinyl copy) and includes full album artwork for both media, along with label scans.  If you are a fan of jazz-rock fusion bands like: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Nova or Australia's very own MacKenzie Theory (which heavily featured violin and keyboards), then you are really going to enjoy Joachim Kühn.

Tracks:

01 Lady Amber  10:15

02 Sunshine  3:45

03 Two Whips  4:40

04 Spring Fever  3:39

05 Morning  7:00

06 Mushroom  2:35  

07 Equal Evil  5:15

08 California Woman  7:00

Musicians :

Joachim Kühn - keyboards

Philip Catherine - guitar

John Lee - bass guitar

Gerald Brown - drums

Guest Artists :

Zbigniew Seifert - violin

Curt Cress - drums (on "Lady Amber")

Recorded : April 1976 at Union Studio, Munich, Germany -

Produced by Joachim Kühn

Springfever Link (105Mb)