Volker Kriegel – Mainz Studio Recordings (2CDs, Jazzhaus)

There are worlds between the 1963 debut recordings made by Südwestfunk (SWF) of 19-year-old Volker Kriegel in a trio in the Deutschhaus in Mainz and the 1967 studio sessions in the Kammersaal studio. On the one hand, the guitar had made a career in jazz (and also in rock music), on the other hand, Kriegel had gained in self-confidence. In 1968 he found an equal counterpart in Claudio Szenkar, who challenged him communicatively and compositionally. The last sessions of the present album from 1969 show Kriegel already as a sure band leader and composer.