Mild Maniac Orchestra
The Mild Maniac Orchestra was founded in the mid-1970s German jazz - rock band that existed to the guitarist Volker Kriegel until the early 1980s. It got its name after Kriegels published 1974 LP " Mild Maniac". Founding member was the keyboardist Rainer Brüninghaus, but which is no longer to listen to the releases of the band.
Already since 1975, Kriegel has performed with his band as Mild Maniac Orchestra. Between 1976 and 1980 he published four LPs under the name Volker Kriegel & Mild Maniac Orchestra. Both the meantime and after 1980 Kriegel also published repeatedly records under his own name.
Fixed band members were on all shots ( but probably not all performances ):
- Volker Kriegel (guitar)
- Thomas Bettermann (keyboards)
- Hans Peter Ströer ( bass)
- Evert Fraterman ( Drums )
The music of the band coined addition to the characteristic guitar Volker Kriegel especially the focus on improvisation patterns of fusion music and the diverse use of percussion instruments for which was responsible not only for the drummer usually yet another musician. While earlier recordings of the improvisations ago Kriegels strongly oriented to the standards of jazz and very rocky from rhythm here, the recordings of the Mild Maniac Orchestra are more similar to the modern fusion of Kriegels U.S. American colleagues Pat Metheny.
Media
The following LPs are published under the name of Mild Maniac Orchestra:
- Octember Variations ( 1976) as a quartet
- Long Distance (1979 ) with Hans Behrendt ( percussion)
- Live in Bavaria ( 1981) with Hans Behrendt ( percussion)