Mild Maniac Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Mild Maniac Orchestra was a German jazz-rock band founded in the 1970s around guitar player Volker Kriegel
. It existed until the beginning of the 1980s. The band was named after Kriegel's record "Mild Maniac" from 1974. Another founding member was keyboard player Rainer Brüninghaus
, although he does not appear on the published recordings.
From 1975 on Kriegel appeared with his band as Mild Maniac Orchestra. Between 1976 and 1980 he published four records under the name Volker Kriegel & Mild Maniac Orchestra. Concurrently as well as from 1980 on he published under his own name.
Band members on all recordings were:
The music of the band was characterized by Kriegel's distinctive guitar playing and the orientation on improvisation patterns of fusion
music as well as by the intensive use of percussion instruments, for which usually an additional musician was employed.
Volker Kriegel
Volker Kriegel was a German jazz guitarist and composer born in Darmstadt, Germany, perhaps most noteworthy for his contributions to the European jazz rock genre and for his collaborations with the American vibraphonist Dave Pike...
. It existed until the beginning of the 1980s. The band was named after Kriegel's record "Mild Maniac" from 1974. Another founding member was keyboard player Rainer Brüninghaus
Rainer Brüninghaus
Rainer Brüninghaus is a German jazz pianist and composer.Born in Bad Pyrmont, Germany, Brüninghaus began in the jazz rock group Eiliff. In 1973 he joined the band of German jazz guitarist Volker Kriegel. In 1975 with bassist Eberhard Weber and Charlie Mariano he formed the band Colours...
, although he does not appear on the published recordings.
From 1975 on Kriegel appeared with his band as Mild Maniac Orchestra. Between 1976 and 1980 he published four records under the name Volker Kriegel & Mild Maniac Orchestra. Concurrently as well as from 1980 on he published under his own name.
Band members on all recordings were:
- Volker Kriegel (guitar)
- Thomas Bettermann (keyboards)
- Hans Peter Ströer (bass)
- Evert Fraterman (drums)
The music of the band was characterized by Kriegel's distinctive guitar playing and the orientation on improvisation patterns of fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
music as well as by the intensive use of percussion instruments, for which usually an additional musician was employed.
Discography
- Octember Variations (1976)
- Elastic Menu (1977) with Nippy NoyaNippy NoyaNippy Noya is a Europe-based Indonesian percussionist and songwriter, specialising in congas, Kalimba, bongos, Campana, Güiro, Cabasa, shek, Caxixi, triangle and the Berimbau....
(percussion) - Long Distance (1979) with Hans Behrendt (percussion)
- Live in Bayern (1980) with Hans Behrendt (percussion)
Awards
- 1982 Deutscher SchallplattenpreisDeutscher SchallplattenpreisThe Deutscher Schallplattenpreis was a prize that the Deutsche Phono-Akademie awarded from 1963 through 1992. Its successor is the ECHO prize....
(German Record Award), "Künstler der Jahres 1982" (Musician Of The Year 1982), category Ensemble Pop National