Passport-Cross-Collateral (1975)

Although they never reached the same level as their American jazz-rock contemporaries like Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, or Return to Forever, the German band Passport became a leading name in the European jazz-rock scene, forging their own distinctive style in a market already overcrowded with bands and artists at the time. Alongside the surreal colors of their album covers, Passport showcased an explosive mix of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and funky groove in their first ten years. Led by the brilliant Klaus Doldinger (keyboards, tenor and soprano saxophones), this band released some of the most exciting jazz-rock albums throughout most of the 1970s and part of the 1980s. With their fifth album, "Cross-Collateral", they finally broke into the coveted North American market thanks to an exquisite work featuring drummer Curt Cress, bassist Wolfgang Schmid, and keyboardist Kristian Schulze. An engaging repertoire comprised of the pleasing fusion tracks with space rock influences, “Homunculus” and “Cross-Collateral”, showcases the overwhelming strength of a band led by the prominent bass and the dynamic sound of the drums and soprano/tenor saxophone. The dizzying “Jadoo” and the catchy, funky “Hill-O’ the-Wisp” and “Albatros Song” maintained the high standard of the rest of the album, contributing to encouraging sales in the English-speaking market. From this point on, Passport would become a regular on the Billboard Jazz charts, reaching very high positions thanks to albums like “Iguacu” (1977), “Ataraxia” (1978), “Garden of Eden” (1979), and “Oceanliner” (1980).