1.Super Star
2.The Cage
3.Imagine
4.Get it on							play
5.Love Is Blue
6.You're All I Need To Get By
7.Eleanor Rigby
8.I just Want To Celebrate
9.Flowers
10.Spunkwater
11.Sail On							play
12.Little Big Horns

Musicians:
Palle Mikkelborg - trumpet
Chuck Findley - trumpet
Ack Van Rooyen - trumpet
Bob Lanese - trumpet
Philip Catherine - guitar
Don Menza - sax, flute
Herb Geller - sax, flute
Ferdinand Povel - sax
Dick Vennik - sax
Günther Kronberg - sax
Fritz Pauer - Elec piano
Barry Ross - trombone
Charles Orieux - trombone
Slide Hampton - trombone
Dieter Reith - elec. piano, organ, synth.
Lucas Lindholm - fender bass
Klaus Weiss – drums

Recorded live In München 
November 20,1971

Born in Gevelsberg, Westphalia, on February 17, 1942, Klaus Weiss taught himself to play drums and began his professional career at the age of 16 as a member of the Jazzopators, a group which accompanied American trumpeter Nelson Williams and also singer Inez Cavanaugh.

His musical associates have included Benny Bailey, Cecil Bridgewater, Don Byas, Philip Catherine, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Jerry Dodgion, Klaus Doldinger, Kenny Drew, Booker Ervin, Wilton Gaynair, Herb Geller, Dusko Goykovic, Johnny Griffin, Friedrich Gulda, Slide Hampton, Billy Harper, Hampton Hawes, Clifford Jordan, Herbie Mann, Howard McGhee, Don Menza, Tete Montoliu, George Mraz, Sal Nistico, Walter Norris, Horace Parlan, Bud Powell, Jerome Richardson, Tony Scott, René Thomas, Mal Waldron, Leo Wright and Attila Zoller.

When Klaus Weiss began his professional career in 1958, good drummers in Europe were still very few and far between. Weiss, however, found favour with visiting jazz stars because, as Johnny Griffin observed, "he is one of the few European drummers with that distinctive American feeling."

From 1962 to 1965 he worked with Klaus Doldinger and during this time he had a spell in Paris, where he worked in the famous Blue Note club with Bud Powell, Johnny Griffin and Kenny Drew.

In 1965 he formed a trio which backed American saxophonists Don Byas and Leo Wright and Jamaican Wilton Gaynair. That same year Weiss toured with a group that included Sal Nistico and Dusko Goykovic and also played some dates with Don Menza.

The following year Weiss's trio, now with pianist Rob Franken and bassist Rob Langereis, toured with Booker Ervin. That same year Weiss won the International Jazz Competition in Vienna.

After a spell with the Erwin Lehn Big Band (1967 - 68), Klaus Weiss moved to Munich, joined the Bayerischer Rundfunk Jazz Ensemble led by Joe Haider and appeared many times at Munich's celebrated Domicile club. In the late sixties and early seventies, he became increasingly active as a studio musician. In 1971 he worked with a multi-national quartet which featured American bassist Jimmy Woode, Dutch saxophonist Ferdinand Povel and Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer, and in the autumn of that year toured with an all-star orchestra which included Slide Hampton, Don Menza, Herb Geller, Fritz Pauer, Philip Catherine and Chuck Findley.

In the first half of the 1970s, Klaus Weiss worked with the Horst Jankowski Sextet, the trio of former Mingus saxophonist Bobby Jones and the Eugen Cicero Trio. From 1975 to 1977 he toured with Mal Waldron and with the Dusko Goykovic Big Band and then, between 1978 and 1983, Weiss led a quintet which featured various guest soloists, including Sal Nistico, Roman Schwaller, Clifford Jordan and Andy Scherrer. He also played with Catalan pianist Tete Montoliu, with Eddie "Lockjaw Davis" and with the WDR and NDR big bands.

In the 1980s toured with Clifford Jordan and Horace Parlan, played with multi-instrumentalist Jerome Richardson and toured with his new quintet. In 1984 he recorded a big band album, "Lightnin' " which was nominated for the Süd West Funk Jazz Prize.

In 1991 Klaus Weiss formed a new trio with pianist Rob van Bavel and bassist Thomas Stabenow and also put together the Saxophone Connection group (with Roman Schwaller, Andy Scherrer, Dado Moroni and Thomas Stabenow) which recorded a fine album for L&R Records (Bellaphon).

In a highly varied career, Klaus Weiss has made 17 albums under his own name, with formations ranging from trio, quartet, quintet and sextet to full orchestra, and has appeared on numerous other albums as a sideman.

Weiss's musical philosophy is that good jazz music - which means jazz played by consummate professionals who have a powerful rapport with one another and the same sense of musical direction - is a highly durable music. He says: "Count Basie's music will still be up to date 50 years from now."

It is significant that Klaus himself defines his approach to drumming as directly derived from some of the great American drummers which he began listening to in the early 1950s. Says Klaus: "For me, the essence of great jazz drumming was epitomized by those giants, like Big Sid Catlett, Klook, Blakey, Buddy and Philly Joe. These have all been listening drummers, each with his own personality, but having in common a great ability to swing, to generate excitement, and to stimulate the soloists. And besides their sound and way of playing, I got really interested in the American drum rudiments because, as I discovered at the time, all great American drummers know and use those essential rudiments - but few of the European drummers in the fifties seemed to have assimilated these elements - at least, to my ears."

He died January 10, 2008 very surprisingly suffering from a heart failure. ---Mike Hennessey, drummerworld.com

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1.Sunbirds
2.Sunshine 
3.Kwaeli						play
4.Spanish Sun
5.Blues For D.S.
6.Sunrise
7.Dreams
8.Fire Dance 

Ferdinand Povel (tenor sax, flute), 
Philip Catherine (guitar), 
Fritz Pauer (el-piano), 
Jimmy Woode (bass), 
Juan Romero (percussion), 
Klaus Weiss (drums).

Discovery is perhaps the single most pleasurable feature that awaits the prog enthusiast, similar perhaps to the wine lover who is in constant search for a new vintage, a fresh varietal to quench his thirst. Because of the vast array of sub genres, there is a seemingly limitless treasure trove of unknown albums that lie hidden barely beneath the sand, waiting to be unearthed. Such is the case with the multi-national Sunbirds, a gift from my pal Mellotron Storm who ignited my curiosity with his review (isn't that the real purpose of this site?) and the find is curiously attractive, as I am currently in a heavy jazz-rock-fusion mode (happens often in winter) with arrivals of the first 4 Nucleus albums and Isotope's Gary Boyle, all to be reviewed imminently. Just like with a sunken cache, the jewel is tarnished only by time and in fact, only glows brighter than ever before with each listen. The first comment remains concretely evident in that the early 70s were nothing more than a giant organic laboratory of experimentation with a huge arsenal of modern instruments for the time, electric piano, synths and treated electric guitars, all conspiring to alter the limits of jazz by providing a solid rock backbone. There is nothing more pleasing than the e-piano, the celebrated Fender Rhodes in particular and this debut has endless cascades of the glorious keyboard within its grooves, here played by Fritz Pauer . Belgian guitarist Phillip Catherine sizzles fiercely when called upon which is often and the delectable flute also has a predominant role. This is groove music par excellence, an all-instrumental blitz that powers forward with reptilian efficiency, urbane at some moments and galactically spacey at others. On "Sunshine", Catherine palpitates brilliantly within the confines of a sweltering mass of trippy notes, while on the scintillating "Kwaeli" the flute and bass enjoy a slow dance of loving embrace, as American jazz stalwart Jimmy Woode lays down a fierce bass furrow that burrows deeply into the psyche, the guitar hovering over the entity with bold confidence, sounding like much very early Santana. When the e-piano enters the fray, well?.wow! You have to marvel at the deft musicianship. That perceivable Latin flavor is proven by the "Spanish Sun" track, perhaps even the highlight piece here, sounding like some soundtrack to a 70s American movie filmed in San Francisco, breezy, trippy, groovy and all the cool words used back then apply. The riffling rhythm guitar is simply superb, whilst the flute dances above the fray with manic delicacy, propelled by Klaus Weiss' spontaneous drumming. "Blues for D.S." just keeps glowing cheerfully, the bass and drums setting down a crawling groove on which the soloists can evoke sensational sequences of sounds that seeks out the most far-flung expanses without becoming cheesy. The rumbling organ does well in inspiring the simmering pot effect. "Sunrise" like the title suggests is vivacious, funky, playful and gently intense. The mood is super-cool and Catherine's playing style explains why he replaced Jan Akkerman in latter day Focus, loads of "flick o the wrist" riffs abound , rekindling images of the jam tracks off Focus "3" album. The finale is called "Fire Dance" and once again, the onus is on heat and shimmer, with the axe blasting forth with relish (and mustard!) , the groove shining bright and you can imagine the smile on the musicians faces as this simmers to an end. Incredible music .

Some may slimily claim that this is very dated and has no context by today's standards but we are dealing with an ancient musical artifact that is essentially timeless. Hey, Miles Davis, Mozart, Bach and countless others still thrill to the gills, so why not the Sunbirds? This is a tremendous recording that has a distinctive place in the prog heritage. Thanks, John via Greg Walker (networking works!). In terms of prog academia, if you ever wanted to get into an electric piano orgy, look no further! --- tszirmay, progarchives.com

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