Cry Freedom -

Cry Freedom was a German jazz-rock band that self-released the 1976 album Volcano, followed by the 1979/80 Erlkönig titles Sunny Day and Nobody’s Fool.

Members: Reiner Kleber (piano), Benny Melzer (drums), “Higgers” Schneider (bass), Rudi [Rudolf Madsius] (vocals, guitar), Gerhard Billmann (piano, organ, Moog, synthesizer), Dieter Urbassik (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone), Klaus Kukla (bass), Klaus Braun (drums, percussion), Helmut Körber (bass), James T. Durham (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion), Don Braun-Hessing (drums)

Background

Cry Freedom sprung from Soulflower, a local band based in Fürth, Bavaria. Guitarist and vocalist Rudolf “Rudi” Madsius led the early lineup, which gigged throughout Germany’s club and festival circuit. They gained exposure on opening slots for visiting UK rock acts (Free, Eric Burdon) and national legends The Rattles.

Amid lineup shifts, Madsius secured a core group with drummer Klaus Braun and keyboardist Gerhard Billmann. Cry Freedom evolved into a jazz-rock quintet with saxophonist Dieter Urbassik and bassist Klaus Kukla.

Volcano

Cry Freedom released their debut album, Volcano, in 1976 as a DIY blue-label title.

The album opens with an expansive, ensemble-driven sound shaped by layered phrasing and simultaneous motion. Rudi Madsius threads agile guitar figures through electric keys by Gerhard Billmann, whose textures pivot between atmosphere and lead role. Saxophonist Dieter “Sont” Urbassik splits his parts across alto, tenor, and baritone ranges, frequently stacking registers in contrapuntal passages or trading off with the others. Klaus Kukla grounds the material in rounded, resonant bass tones, accented by bell strikes and framed by Klaus Braun’s fluid, multi-meter drumming.

Volcano opens with extended forms that balance agile phrasing and sudden directional turns. On “Euthanasie-Suite,” the band builds a steady rhythmic base and shifts momentum across long instrumental arcs, with saxophone breaks opening into spaced intervals where organ, Moog, and guitar trade clipped motifs and held tones. “Ländlich” moves with more layered density—organ and reeds slide across fractured rhythms that accelerate, drop, and regroup with brief pockets of calm. “Epitaph” tightens the focus with brisk tempo and compressed interplay that pivots quickly between phrasing blocks.

On the title track, Cry Freedom extends the form into an open jam. Drums shift between swing pulse and clipped syncopation while bass lines trace curved motion across the low register. “Mambo auf Burg Eckbertstein” splits between limber, Latin-paced keyboard cycles and tighter, midsection turns that carry the phrasing toward denser terrain. The final track, “Bayrisch Blue,” drops the tension for a short, off-center burst of cartoonish energy, switching to percussive piano rhythms and slapstick shifts before the tape cuts. Throughout, the band favors instrumental tension and sharp crossfire, using rhythm as the fulcrum for movement and interplay.

A1. “Euthanasie-Suite” (9:57) – Madsius / K. Kukla
A2. “Ländlich” (7:54) – Madsius
A3. “Epitaph” (3:51) – Urbassik, Madsius / J. Kukla

B1. “Volcano” (10:41) – Urbassik, Billmann, Braun, Kukla, Madsius
B2. “Mambo auf Burg Eckbertstein” (6:03) – Urbassik, Billmann, Madsius
B3. “Bayrisch Blue” (2:59) – Trad., arr. Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom self-produced and mixed Volcano at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein with engineer Mani Neuner. Jolly Crackers handled the album’s cover design and photography.

Following the album’s release, Urbassik and Kukla cleared respectively for saxophonist James T. Durham and bassist Helmut Körber. Urbassik resurfaced on The Three Bushes, the 1984 second album by Sirius.

Sunny Day

Cry Freedom released their second album, Sunny Day, in 1979 on Erlkönig.

This release streamlines the lineup while sharpening focus on real-time interaction. Rudi Madsius and Gerhard Billmann continue to share lead space, shifting between coordinated bursts and offset exchanges.

Saxophonist James T. Durham alternates alto and tenor lines with rhythmic punctuation from congas and auxiliary kit. Bassist Helmut Körber moves fluidly between fretless slides and staccato fretted passages, shaping low-end movement beneath Braun’s lithe, metrical drum architecture.

A1. “Get It Right” (5:12)
A2. “Sagatana” (6:43)
A3. “People Souldn’t Carry On” (4:48)
A4. “Zappel-Phillip” (4:14)

B1. “Jolly Cracker” (4:39)
B2. “Coco Nut” (5:08)
B3. “Sunny Day” (3:27)
B4. “Just Go On” (4:12)
B5. “Bayern 4” (2:44 )

As with Volcano, Cry Freedom self-produced and mixed Sunny Day at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein with engineer Manfred Neuner. Intercord Ton GmbH distributed the LP in Germany.

Nobody’s Fool

Cry Freedom released their third album, Nobody’s Fool, in 1980 on Erlkönig.

The album crystallizes the group’s approach into denser, more controlled forms while expanding their tonal reach. Rudi Madsius and Billy Billmann engage in interwoven textures and lead-voice interplay, blending sustained tones with clipped phrasing. Durham’s saxophone work provides melodic contour and thematic returns across shifting settings. Körber’s bass outlines each structure with clear, centered lines, while Don Braun-Hessing’s percussion locks tightly into place, augmented by Olders Frenzel’s timbral accents on tuned percussion and hand-played effects.

Billmann’s arsenal here includes piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond H-100, Mini Moog, Clavinet, and accordion.

A1. “Time to Hit the Road” (4:51)
A2. “Nobody’s Fool” (4:05)
A3. “Smart Daddy” (3:43)
A4. “In My Town” (3:53)
A5. “Quarter to One” (3:47)

B1. “Milky Way” (2:44)
B2. “One Too Many” (3:46)
B3. “Someone Special” (4:10)
B4. “Women’s Night Out” (3:53)
B5. “Riehr-Ay” (2:51) – Madsius, Durham

Cry Freedom self-produced and mixed Nobody’s Fool at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein with Manfred Neuner and assistant engineer Norbert Meidel. Erlkönig Schallplatten issued the release, with distribution and marketing handled by Intercord Ton GmbH.

Postlude

Klaus Braun played on the 1982 jazz-rock album Strange Tune Pictures by Achim Ranke

Braun and Gerhard Billmann joined Rudolf Madsius in his backing band Streetlife, which made the 1984 album Düsenclipperhocker on Nachtgiger Records

Helmer Körber and James T. Durham joined Joker and played on their 1983 second album, Flyin’ High, led by former Carol of Harvest singer Beate Krause.

Discography: