German Saxophone Titan Klaus Doldinger got his final Passport
Klaus Doldinger (05.12.36–10.25.25) has left us a legacy as a superb jazz saxophone player and the creator of one of the greatest of all jazz fusion bands: Passport. He entered a conservatory at age 11 and played through his teens and into his 20s. He first recorded with Rolf Kühn in 1962, and the first album under his name was Live at Blue Note Berlin in 1964.
Doldinger composed and scored music for twenty movies and television shows, most notably Das Boot and The Never-Ending Story (with Giorgio Moroder).
His star exploded in 1971 with the release of the first Passport album, followed in quick succession by a string of brilliant recordings including Second Passport, Hand Made, Cross Collateral, and Infinity Machine. He surrounded himself with an amazing array of players ready to jump into the fusion genre.
After the debut album, Doldinger sought a more jazz-oriented approach, and the lineup that established the Passport sound included Klaus Doldinger, saxophone, flute, keyboards; Curt Cress, drums; Wolfgang Schmid, bass, guitar; and Kristian Schultze, keyboards.
Personnel changes over the decades involved players and guests such as such as Brian Auger, keyboards; Frank Roberts, keyboards; Philip Catherine, guitar; Jim Jackson, drums; Alexis Korner, guitar, vocals; Volker Kriegel, guitar; Lothar Meid, bass; Alphonse Mouzon, drums; and John Mealing, keyboards.
The most recent lineup featured Peter O’Mara, guitar; Patrick Scales, bass; Michael Hornek; Christian Lettner; Biboul Darouiche, and Ernst Ströer.
Passport will always stand as one of the major fusion bands to emerge in the 1970s, with the multitalented Doldinger at the helm.