Känguru -

Känguru was a German jazz-rock band that made a 1981 album on Pingo, followed by the 1983 World of Music release Tierisch.

Members: Olav Gustafsson (drums), Anselm Kluge (bass), Claus-Robert Kruse (keyboards), Peter Weihe (guitar), Thomas Bettermann (keyboards, 1982-83), Junior Weerasinghe (drums, 1982-83)

Background

Känguru formed in Hamburg in 1978 when bassist Anselm Kluge and keyboardists Claus-Robert Kruse and Frank Oberpichler assembled a jazz-rock group. Oberpichler, born Frank Hieber in Paderborn in 1957, studied piano and cello from childhood and joined the Musical-Theater orchestra in 1978 under Rolf Kühn. Kruse played beforehand in To Be with guitarist Peter Weihe prior to Känguru.

Känguru soon added reedist Herb Geller and drummer Udo Dahmen. Geller settled in Hamburg in 1965 for a long NDR appointment as saxophonist, arranger, and composer. Dahmen studied classical percussion in Aachen and Cologne from 1971 to 1975, then continued his training with Dante Agostini in Paris.

Känguru played Onkel Pö’s Carnegie Hall in Hamburg on November 14, 1978, with Geller, Oberpichler, Kruse, Kluge, and Dahmen. The band performed fifteen originals, including pieces by Kruse (“I Can Guru,” “From Cancer to Cancer”), Kluge (“Latin Weather”), Oberpichler (“C’est la Vie”), and Dahmen (“Out of the Jungle”). Känguru recorded several pieces at Rüssl-Studio in Hamburg with the same lineup near the end of the decade. The group retained the session masters when no record contract followed and later reconfigured around guitarist Peter Weihe and drummer Olav Gustafsson.

Weihe previously played with Kruse in To Be and entered Hamburg studio sessions in his late teens. Känguru recorded “Outside” in 1981 at Try Harder Studio in Hamburg with Geller, Gustafsson, Kluge, Weihe, and Kruse, the five-piece lineup on the self-titled Marifon debut.

Discography:

Känguru (1981)
Tierisch (1983)

Sources

Claus-Robert Kruse / Känguru, 2017 archival release statement. This is the key source. Kruse identifies Kluge, Kruse, and Oberpichler as the 1978 founders; names Geller and Dahmen in the early lineup; places that lineup at Rüssl-Studio; explains the failed record-deal attempt; and identifies the second lineup that recorded “Outside” at Try Harder Studio in 1981. (connektar.de)
Noal Cohen, Herb Geller discography / NDR archive data. The NDR records fix the Onkel Pö concert at November 14, 1978 and give the five-man personnel, all fifteen titles, composers, and timings. This is particularly useful because the archive identifies Oberpichler under his birth name, Frank Hieber. (Noal Cohen’s Jazz History Website)
Paso Doble official biography. Confirms Frank Oberpichler was born Frank Hieber in Paderborn in 1957, his childhood piano/cello study, his later composition instruction, and his 1978 piano appointment under Rolf Kühn. It also places him in Känguru around the turn of the decade. (Paso Doble)
Bundesakademie Trossingen — Udo Dahmen. Confirms Dahmen’s 1951 Aachen birth, 1971–75 classical percussion studies in Aachen and Cologne, further training with Dante Agostini in Paris, and Känguru among his professional credits. (Bundesakademie Trossingen)
Gitarre & Bass — Peter Weihe interview. Weihe describes To Be as his first jazz-rock group, identifies Kruse as the pianist who later joined him in Känguru, and dates his entry into Hamburg studio sessions to his late teens. He also recalls extensive Känguru touring, including Fabrik and Quasimodo, although the interview does not date those concerts tightly enough for me to place them confidently before the debut. (GITARRE & BASS)
Herb Geller discographical and biographical records. Geller began his long NDR association in Hamburg in 1965, which supplies the relevant local context for his participation in Känguru. (Noal Cohen’s Jazz History Website)
Musik-Sammler catalog record. Identifies the first Känguru LP as a 1981 German Marifon release, catalog number 296 034-315. Noal Cohen’s Geller discography independently lists the same album, label, catalog number, and year. (Musik Sammler)