Association P.C. -

Association P.C. was a Dutch/German avant-garde jazz-rock ensemble that released five albums between 1970 and 1974 on the MPS, Munich, and Corona labels.

Members: Pierre Courbois (drums, percussion), Toto Blanke (guitar, ring modulator, nagoya harp), Jasper van’t Hof (electric piano, 1969-73), Peter Krijnen (bass, 1969-70), Sigi Busch (bass, 1970-75), Heiner Wiberny (tenor saxophone, basset horn, piccolo, ?-1973), Joachim Kühn (piano, 1973-75), Jeremy Steig (flute, piccolo, bass flute, 1973-75)

Background

Association P.C. formed in 1969 when Dutch keyboardist Jasper van’t Hof teamed with local drummer Pierre Courbois and German guitarist Toto Blanke. The name marked Association Pierre Courbois, though Munich issued the first album under the Association name with Courbois printed on the sleeve.

Courbois was born in Nijmegen on April 23, 1940, and studied classical percussion at the Muzieklyceum in Arnhem. In Paris, he worked with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and saxophonist Eric Dolphy after lessons with drummer Kenny Clarke. Courbois led the Dutch Free Jazz Quartet and later formed the Free Music Quintet.

Keyboardist Jasper van ’t Hof was born in Enschede on June 30, 1947, to a jazz-trumpeter father and a classical-singer mother. He took piano lessons from age five and later studied with Wolfgang Dauner at the Jazzklinik. At nineteen, he played jazz-festival dates with Courbois.

Guitarist Toto Blanke was born Hans Otto Blanke in Paderborn on September 16, 1936. He studied classical guitar and played with Gunter Hampel and pianist Otto Wolters during his architecture studies in Braunschweig. Bassist Sigi Busch was born Siegfried Busch in Krefeld-Uerdingen on October 29, 1943. He received violin lessons before he changed to double bass at twenty. Busch studied music in Bremen after work with Dixieland and swing groups.

Association P.C. used amplified instruments from the start, with bassist Peter Krijnen and Busch alternating in the early lineup. The group played the Hammerveld Jazzfestival in Roermond on August 9, 1970, with bassist Peter Kowald. The first album lineup comprised drummer Pierre Courbois, guitarist Toto Blanke, keyboardist Jasper van ’t Hof, and bassists Sigi Busch and Peter Krijnen. Association recorded Earwax at Middelhorst Studio in Wageningen on October 30–31, 1970, with producer Wim Wigt.

Earwax

Association released their debut album, Earwax, in 1970 on Munich Records.

The album documents the first recorded Association P.C. lineup with Blanke, van ’t Hof, Courbois, and two bassists split by side. Busch appears across side A, while Krijnen appears across side B and joins Blanke, van ’t Hof, and Courbois among the credited composers.

“Spider” skitters through intricate lead figures, cymbal wash, a brief kit solo, and a short electric-piano turn. “Hit the P. Tit” hurtles through fuzzed guitar attack, sparse chord hits, fast rhythm-section motion, an extended bowed-bass detour, a cleaner full-band return, a second kit solo, and a late fuzzed reentry. “Elsen” softens into a brief pastoral weave between guitar and electric piano.

“Earwax” tightens around intricate ensemble accents and clean lead figures before a midpiece kit solo redirects the piece. “Round A’bout Nine” probes an extended effected-bass opening while the ensemble adds loose incidental responses, then lets guitar and electric piano enter after the long first section. “Jazzper” lopes through a lightly Latin pulse, intricate ensemble motion, and quick electric-piano figures.

A1. “Spider” (4:20) – Blanke
A2. “Hit the P. Tit” (11:00) – van ’t Hof, Courbois
A3. “Elsen” (1:35) – van ’t Hof

B1. “Earwax” (7:19) – Courbois
B2. “Round A’bout Nine” (6:36) – van ’t Hof, Krijnen, Courbois, Blanke
B3. “Jazzper” (3:56) – van ’t Hof

Association recorded Earwax on October 30–31, 1970, at Middelhorst Studio in Wageningen with producer Wim Wigt and recording engineer Dick van Schuppen. Dick Muileman designed the cover package, and Maarten Derksen wrote the liner notes.

Sun Rotation

Association P.C. released their second album, Sun Rotation, in 1972 on MPS Records.

The album retains the core quartet of Blanke, van ’t Hof, Busch, and Courbois. Blanke plays electric and 12-string guitar; van ’t Hof plays electric piano and organ; Busch plays double bass and electric bass.

“Idee A” glints over laid-back electric-piano figures, then kicks into a firmer bass pulse and a brief guitar lead. “Scorpion” unravels through smeared atmosphere, random kit strikes, tuneless lead fragments, and late violin-colored haze. “Neuteboom” circles a repetitive organ arpeggio while solo lines press against the pattern. “Scorcussion” erupts from a kit solo into fuzz bursts, discordant chord spray, a sudden calm, and a pulsating electronic fade.

“Silence” clips a compact uptempo burst of piano, attack, and angular collision. “Don Paul” shuffles from a low-register solo into brushed motion and dissonant chord play. “Totemism” opens on a clean guitar figure while piano and kit enter in fragments, locks into a bass-and-organ pulse after the loose first section, settles around a forward motif, drops into a midpiece calm, accelerates through distorted electric-piano pressure and intermittent guitar, then thins before the close. “Frau Theunissen” flares briefly from a fade-in with organ color, quick ensemble lift, and a clipped final turn.

A1. “Idee A” (4:29) – van ’t Hof
A2a. “Scorpion” (6:47) – Busch
A2b. “Neuterboom” (5:42) – van ’t Hof
A2c. “Scorcussion” (5:56) – Courbois

B1. “Silenc” (0:18) – Courbois
B2. “Don Paul” (3:09) – Busch
B3. “Totemism” (16:45) – Blanke
B4. “Frau Theunissen” (1:10) – Blanke

Association P.C. recorded Sun Rotation on November 24–27, 1971, with producer-supervisor Joachim-Ernst Berendt and engineer Conny Planke. Busch wrote the liner notes, and Stefan Gross created the cover art.

Erna Morena

In late 1972, Association P.C. released Erna Morena, an MPS live album sourced from their April 25 SWF Jazz Session at the University Freiburg, Germany.

The live set comes from the April 25 SWF Jazz Session at the University Freiburg in Germany. The album retains Blanke, van ’t Hof, Busch, and Courbois, with guest reedist Karl-Heinz Wiberny on alto clarinet, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone.

“Frau Theunissen’s Kegel” starts on bass and bolts into a seven-beat rush, with saxophone placing the first solo before distorted electric-piano runs, guitar figures, and a tight drum solo drive the piece through atonal pressure. “Space Erna” swarms through open tones, noisy ensemble motion, and brief calm pockets while the rhythm section keeps the background in constant motion. “Erna In India” settles into a drone-like organ field, meditative low-end pattern, and Arabic-colored phrase before a repeated figure pushes the suite back toward speed.

“Erna Aude Maxima” ignites the suite’s most direct rhythmic drive across the split point. “Only Grass In My Stomach” nearly halts on cymbal taps, quiet percussion, bowed low notes, and a short relaxed passage before a distorted lead cuts across the calmer area. “Schnoor 8” ruptures through quick shifts from calm to loud ensemble pressure, yields to a structured drum solo, then exits on a short rhythmic line.

A1. “Frau Theunissen´s Kegel” (8:05)
A2. “Erna Morena Part I”
— a. “Space Erna” (9:35)
— b. “Erna in India” (5:50)

B. “Erna Morena Part II”
— c. “Erna Audi Maxima!” (2:28)
— d. “Only Grass in My Stomach” (12:17)
— e. “Schnoor 8” (7:02)

Association P.C. recorded the source performance with producer Joachim E. Berendt and recording engineers Anneliese Schroeder and Rainer Pöppl. Heinz Bähr designed and photographed the cover package.

Rock Around the Cock

Association P.C. released their third studio album, Rock Around the Cock, in 1973 on MPS/BASF.

Association P.C. cut the album as a base trio of Blanke, Busch, and Courbois, with featured players split by side. Wiberny appears on the side A pieces with tenor saxophone, basset horn, piccolo flute, and shawm; keyboardist Joachim Kühn appears on side B with electric piano.

“Phenis” flickers through cymbal chatter and eastern-colored guitar chords, then quickens into tremolo attack before a closing kit solo. “Polar Anna” races on hyper-fast rhythm-section pressure while saxophone flight gives way to a high-speed lead. “Mirrored Dimensions” bends from spacey haze into warped low tones, bowed resonance, and snapped electric accents. “Shirocco” opens with untreated bass exploration, then narrows into a loose duet with a reedy mid-Eastern line.

“Rock Around the Cock” struts through thick syncopation, electric-piano stabs, and raunchy lead bursts. “Autumn In March” unfurls from a slow, delicate opening into a loosely synchronized motif with dissonant solo space. “Cap Carneval” clatters around one-chord pounding, frantic ensemble motion, a kit break, and a final race.

A1. “Phenis” (5:03) – Courbois, Blanke
A2. “Polar Anna” (6:40) – Wiberny, Courbois, Busch, Blanke
A3. “Mirrored Dimensions” (2:40) – Wiberny, Courbois, Busch, Blanke
A4. “Shirocco” (3:38) – Wiberny, Busch

B1. “Rock Around the Cock” (6:43) – Kühn, Courbois, Busch, Blanke
B2. “Autumn in March” (7:45) – Kühn, Courbois, Busch, Blanke
B3. “Cap Carneval” (9:07) – Kühn, Courbois, Busch, Blanke

Association P.C. recorded Rock Around the Cock on March 4–7, 1973, at Windrose Studio in Hamburg with producers Joachim E. Berendt and Achim Hebgen, recording engineer Conny Plank, and assistant engineer Flipper “Babu” Lampe. Berendt also wrote the liner notes. Bernard Wetz designed and photographed the cover package, with additional photography by Jens Arthur Carstens.

Mama Kuku

In 1974, Association P.C. released Mama Kuku, an MPS live title with featured reedist Jeremy Steig.

The album presents Blanke, Kühn, Busch, and Courbois with flautist Jeremy Steig, who plays flute, piccolo, and bass flute. The program divides five shorter Freiburg pieces on side A from the side-long Swiss performance “Lausanne.”

“Mama Kuku” opens on relaxed bass figures, adds guitar after the first stretch, swells into full ensemble motion, then settles when flute enters. “Bold ’n’ Steig” alternates airy lead lines with electric-piano blocks, then strips down before the returning lead closes the piece. “Dr. Hofmann” lies low through sparse rhythm and unhurried lead phrases. “Ecnelis” kicks the set into a denser collective attack. “Bassamagic” pares the ensemble to a solo feature.

“Lausanne” ranges across a long suite: an opening lead-and-chord exchange, a sharper midsection with heavier chord pressure, a quieter passage around lazy lead phrases, a solo low-end break after the applause, and a final lead return.

A1. “Mama Kuku” (5:44) – Busch, Blanke
A2. “Bold ’n Steig” (5:45) – Steig, Kühn
A3. “Dr. Hofmann” (4:31) – Steig, Kühn, Courbois, Busch, Blanke
A4. “Ecnelis” (4:46) – Courbois
A5. “Bassamagic” (4:18) – Steig

B1. “Lausanne” (21:50) – Steig, Kühn, Courbois, Busch, Blanke

Joachim E. Berendt produced Mama Kuku, with Achim Hebgen as assistant producer. Conny Plank engineered and mixed the recording.

Discography: