Kravetz

The Parisian-born Jean-Jacques Kravetz was classically-trained on alto saxophone at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris. In the mid-60s, he moved to Hamburg to work as a music teacher and moonlighted with folk-rockers The City Preachers on keyboards. Around the time of Frumpy's metamorphosis into Atlantis, Kravetz assembled some friends to record a solo album in Hamburg for the Vertigo label. Drummer Udo Lindenberg brought his former Mustangs bandmate, bassist Karl "Steffi" Stephan, and adds vocals to a couple of tracks. Inga Rumpf guests on "I'd Like to Be a Child Again," offering her voice and lyrics; but it's really Thomas Kretzschmer's guitar solo that steals the show. And there's Kravetz with his remarkable organ playing; not only does he have the chops, but his tone is exemplary, ranking him with the top British players. Lindenberg offers some vocals on "Ann Toomuch," while Kravetz adds a synthesizer solo toward the end. "Routes" drifts into chaos before returning on a nice groove, again with Kretzschmer providing the solo. The simple piano of "When the Dream Is Over" backs another Lindenberg vocal, while "Master of Time" is indeed masterful, and wouldn't have been out of place on Frumpy's second album. Kravetz was re-released in 1975 on the German Fontana label as 8 Days In April by The Hamburg Scene. Stephan, Kravetz and Kretzschmer would later work with Lindenberg in his Panik Orchestra; Kravetz also was a member of Randy Pie and, from 1977 on, Peter Maffay's band.