Bakmak

Bakmak were a German jazz-rock band that released two albums on NOVA and Strand between 1976 and 1978.

Members: Christian Lüdeke (guitar), Peter Dörnenburg (drums, percussion), Frank Lüdeke (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, percussion), Eckard Lüdeke (bass, 12-string guitar), Reinhold Heil (piano, organ, synthesizer)

Bakmak were formed in 1973 Berlin by the Lüdeke brothers: guitarist Christian Lüdeke, bassist/guitarist Eckard Lüdeke, and saxophonist Frank Lüdeke. Just as the band started recording, Frank also took a slot behind Austrian musician Georg Danzer.

Bakmak’s debut album, Out of the Blue, appeared on TELDEC-subsidiary NOVA in 1976. It features seven originals, including “Austral Sky,” “Eternal Breath,” “Out of Range,” and the eight-minute two-parter “Criss Cross.” The opening track, “Wave,” features American trumpeter Eddie Hayes. The self-produced effort was recorded that March at Berlin’s Teldec-Studio. Between albums, Frank played on the 1977 release Children of Tomorrow by the jazz-rock big band Messengers.

The band’s second album, Forward Flight, was released in 1978 on Strand, another TELDEC sublabel. The album features seven proper songs, including “Enchanted Mesa,” “Maracujas,” “Ojo Caliente,” and the 8:45 “Orbiter.” The front-cover image features a kneeling showgirl, taken by magazine cameraman Richard L. Shaefer, who also photographed Tamiko Jones for the cover of her 1975 release Love Trip.

Heil played on the 1978 album All About the Things by fellow jazz-rockers Maloo. He subsequently joined Nina Hagen‘s backing band, which eventually recorded separately as Spliff.

Frank continued as a mainstay of Danzer’s backing band. He also played on two albums apiece by Lilli Berlin and — alongside Christian — singer Klaus Zufall. Eckard last appeared on a 1982 album by Pete Wyoming Bender.

Discography:

• Out of the Blue (1976)
• Forward Flight (1978)

Sources:

• Discogs: Bakmak