This delightful
Dutch band had its roots in 1965, when Rob van Wageningen (flute,
saxophone) and Peter (bass) and Winky Abbink (drums) brothers played
together in a band called Free Art Group, along with other musicians.
This band played music, mostly inspired by classic and avant-garde jazz
musicians, namely, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and John Coltrane. In 1968,
they were joined by Tony Schreuder in bass, renaming themselves Group
67/68, and Peter Abbink switching to guitar. During concerts in Felix
Meritis they met Ruud Tegelaar, manager of center Fantasio, who offered
them to become the house band in Fantasio. They also changed their name
once again to Ahora Mazda, a corrupt version of the chief deity of
Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda. (Zarathustra religion is also called
"Mazdaizm.) The name was suggested by Tegelaar. The band was known for
their long jam sessions, but they recorded shorter and more arranged
songs for their self-titled debut (and only) album. The album was
recorded in three days and released on May 31, 1970.During the next
year, Tony Schreuder and Winky Abbink had some problems playing and
rehearsing. At concerts they needed the help of substitute musicians,
like guitarist Jan Landkroon and Michiel Krijnen. Abbink was replaced by
Paul van Wageningen, who played drums in Groep 1850. Because of these
difficulties and the lack of atmosphere that came with the substitutes
the band ceased to exist. Their music is a reflection of the "spacy"
music (as implied by the name of the first track in the album) in
Netherlands, yet, they owe more to the Kosmische Music scene of Germany
than the symphonic approach of their fellow countrymen such as Focus,
and of those which were yet to come, like Kayak and Finch. Though the
tracks are relatively short (the longest clocking shortly over 9
minutes), they still retain the "jamming" and "experimental" features,
which are landmarks of the kosmische Krautrock sound. The CD reissue
adds 5 shorter bonus tracks, which still have the same characteristics. Line-up / Musicians Peter Abbink/guitar,vocals,piano,trumpet,organ Rob van Wageningen/flute,saxophone,vocals,percussion Tony Schreuder/bass,percussion Winky Abbink/drums Discography Ahora Mazda 1970
1.Spacy Tracy 2.Timeless Dream 3.Oranje Vrijstraat 4.Fallen Tree 5.Power 6.Fantasio
