Volker Kriegel Band live at Jazzfest Berlin 1981

Photo © 2009 Michael Scheiner

Volker Kriegel, guitar
Wolfgang Schlüter, vibraphone
Thomas Bettermann, keyboards
Eberhard Weber, bass
Ralf Hübner, drums

recorded live at Metropol, Berlin, November 5, 1981

1. Calcador/ Schwebebahn/ Chateu Sentimental/ Eberhard´s Solo
2. Naura

A self-taught guitarist, Volker Kriegel (24 December 1943–14 June 2003) began playing when he was fifteen and formed a trio three years later that won an award at a 1963 amateur jazz festival. In 1973 he founded Spectrum, a quartet that included Eberhard Weber, among others. In 1975 Kriegel spent a month teaching for the Goethe Institute, an organization he had worked for at various points throughout his career. In 1976 Spectrum broke up, and Kriegel started another band called the Mild Maniac Orchestra which stayed together in to the 1980s.
Kriegel was widely considered the father of European jazz-rock thanks to his influential stint with the Dave Pike Set as well as a subsequent series of pioneering solo LPs for the MPS label.
In 1977 Kriegel became the partial owner of a label called Mood Records. He has also done sideman work for various musicians, including Klaus Doldinger. In addition to music, Kriegel was also a cartoonist who appeared in several German newspapers, a radio broadcaster, and a director of films and author of books related to music.
In 1981 he released his album "Journal" on Mood records.

Dave Pike Set: Nobody´s Afraid of Howard Monster - live at Berliner Jazztage 1969

Dave Pike, vibraphone
Volker Kriegel, guitar
Hans Rettenbacher, bass
Peter Baumeister, drums
recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, November 7, 1969

1. Hey Duke (Kriegel/ Pike)
2. Mambo Jack The Scoffer (Pike)
3. Nobody´s Afraid of Howard Monster (Rettenbacher)
4. Riff For Rent (Kriegel)

In 1968, Pike joined German Jazz label MPS and recruited Oscar Peterson, Jean-Luc Ponty and a guitarist named Volker Kriegel who played Indian ragas. Around this time Pike usually played vibes, Kriegel guitar, sitar and electric bass, J.A. Rettenbacher on bass, cello and electric bass, and Peter Baumeister on drums. This collective became known as The Dave Pike Set. On their album "Noisy Silence - Gentle Noise", released in 1969, as with many recording artists during the late 60's, The Dave Pike Set didn't escape the psychedelic influence of that era and as a result the band covered Frank Zappa's 'Mother People' and the Psychedelic Jazz sound of 'Mathar' was carefully crafted.
The Dave Pike Set continued to record and entertain an avid European audience but their efforts went largely unnoticed in Pike's homeland of America.
More information on this really great band con be found on http://www.myspace.com/davepikeset.