EMBRYO - WIESBADEN - 1972

Этот, пожалуй, один из наиболее интересных западногерманских коллективов был основан в Мюнхене в 1969 году Кристианом Бэрхардом, игравшим до этого в различный джазовых ансамxxxх. За свою более чем тридцатилетнюю историю состав группы постоянно менялся, и лишь Бэрхард, постоянно оставаясь лидером, не покидал ее все эти годы. В этой связи, все альбомы (а их более двадцати) очень сильно отличаются друг от друга, хотя и выдержаны в одном ключе. Начинала группа с исполнения классической психоделии, но вскоре в музыке в значительной мере стала заметна джазовая составляющая и элементы этно-музыки. Все музыканты, проходившие в разное время через группу, отличались высоким исполнительским уровнем и постепенно музыка эволюционировала в сторону виртуозного джазрока с этническими обертонами и мощной психоделической линией. Группа в полном составе часто совершала поездки по Индии, Афганистану, Африке и Ближнему Востоку, где ее участники знакомились с музыкальной культурой разных народов и нередко записывались с местными музыкантами. EMBRYO существует и поныне, и является чуть ли не единственной дожившей до наших дней краут-рок группой.
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This is EMBRYO which I really liked in the 70s - they had their creative peak during the first half of this decade. The Wiesbaden gig saw an audience of 1200 people - not to believe! Three core members are on the stage here at the end of 1972. Roman Bunka, one of the most important german jazz rock guitarists ever who adopted oriental elements to his style more and more playing saz and other 'unsual' instruments at that time. Furthermore Dieter Miekautsch - the master of the Fender Rhodes piano and Christian Burchard, founding member and alltime drummer, who is holding up the band up to now. They were supported by bassist Randy Stiletti, a short-time band mate hailing from San Francisco and percussionist Klaus Götzner who later changed to TON, STEINE, SCHERBEN.

This concert was recorded by organiser Muck Krieger who used an Uher tape recorder. The sound quality is not top-notch always - just like a bootleg - but what more can you expect from live recordings in 1972? The band offers fine improvised jazz rock/fusion here in any case. The first six songs are one long jam devided in several sections - compelling and a great dream for every open-minded jazz rock fan. Roman Bunka and Christian Burchard are starting the show with a long marimba and saz collaboration. Don't know if this was really intended because they had some technical problems at the beginning. Anyhow - this can be treated like an excellent warm-up with an intensive oriental flavour. For the last minutes on Sunrising Burchard changes to the drums, Bunka later to the traditional electric guitar and then Miekautsch is interfering with his piano - the ultimate jazz rock jam is on the run now fitting exactly.

Some patches and fragments from the later recorded studio albums are to notice clearly. Space to no place to go appears one year later on 'We keep on' as 'No place to go' for example. Master plan of Pharoa is derived from Pharao Sanders' 'The creator has a master plan'. At the end some audience action is to hear when the band announces a short break. The following long track Pygmäen überall - Back from Africa is basically continuing the 'Space to no place to go' jam. Hansi Fischer adds some nice soprano saxophone contributions to the song which serves an oriental world music mood once again.

Clockwork Blue finally is a bonus track from the following AUS DEM NICHTS performance - an EMBRYO and XHOL related band which presents this song in a very jazzy freestyle version but can't reach the brilliance of the previous EMBRYO appearance. For a summary this is another high voltage EMBRYO performance released by the Garden Of Delights label. Roman Bunka once again is heading with his fantastic guitar work - 4.5 stars.
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