Bakmak -

Bakmak was the German jazz-rock band behind the 1976 NOVA release Out of the Blue and the 1978 Strand title Forward Flight.

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)

Formation

Bakmak formed in 1973 in Berlin around the Lüdeke brothers: guitarist Christian Lüdeke, bassist Eckard Lüdeke, and saxophonist Frank Lüdeke. They rounded the lineup with keyboardist Reinhold Heil and drummer Peter Dörnenburg.

As sessions commenced on their debut album, Frank scored a second gig behind Austrian musician Georg Danzer.

Out of the Blue

Bakmak’s debut album, Out of the Blue, appeared on TELDEC-subsidiary NOVA in 1976.

Out of the Blue contains seven group-credited originals, including “Austral Sky,” “Eternal Breath,” “Out of Range,” and the two-part “Criss Cross.”

“Wave” features American trumpeter Eddie Hayes, a fellow Danzer sideman.

Bassist Eckhard Lüdeke doubles on 12-string acoustic along with brother Christian. Reinhold Heil’s arsenal contains organ, standup piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and the ARP Solina String Ensemble.

A1. “Wave” (3:49)
A2. “Austral Sky” (5:44)
A3. “Silver Circle” (7:18)
A4. “Eternal Breath” (4:54)

B1. “On the Rocks” (7:30)
B2. “Criss Cross Part I & II” (8:13)
B3. “Out of Range” (2:34)

Bakmak self-produced the album in March 1976 at Teldec-Studio in Berlin. Between albums, Frank played on the 1977 release Children of Tomorrow by the jazz-rock big band Messengers.

Forward Flight

Bakmak released their second album, Forward Flight, in 1978 on Strand, another TELDEC sublabel.

Drummer Hans Behrendt of the Release Music Orchestra plays Latin percussion on “Heavy Sparks” and “Ojo Caliente,” both co-written by Christian Lüdeke and Reinhold Heil, who lone-wrote “Maracujas,” “Homesick Orbiter,” and “Second Sunrise.”

Eckard Lüdeke composed “Enchanted Mesa” and collaborated with the pair on “Green Surprise,” which features Lokomotive Kreuzberg drummer Herwig Mitteregger on roto-toms.

A1. “Heavy Sparks” (3:29)
A2. “Maracujas” (6:24)
A3. “Homesick Orbiter” (8:45)

B1. “Green Surprise” (4:32)
B2. “Ojo Caliente” (4:56)
B3. “Second Sunrise” (3:45)
B4. “Enchanted Mesa” (5:42)
B5. “Heavy Sparks – Reprise” (0:36)

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.

Post-Bakmak

Heil played on the 1978 album All About the Things by fellow jazz-rockers Maloo. He teamed with Mitteregger and fellow Kreuzberg alumni in Nina Hagen‘s backing band, which made four albums (post-Nina) 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: