Moira -

Moira was a German jazz-rock sextet led by Embryo co-founder Edgar Hofmann. They released the 1977 album Crazy Countdown on Schneeball. In 1984, the label issued a second Moira album credited to a quartet with no overlapping personnel.

1977: Jürgen Kanwischer (guitar), Rainer Frank (bass), Edgar Hofmann (winds, saxophone, flute), Butze Fischer (drums, percussion), Burkhard Plenge (keyboards), Jofrey Ramos (percussion)

1984: Eberhard Bronner (drums), Martin Ziegler (keyboards), Gino Samele (guitar), Michael Stoll (vocals, bass, flute)

Background

Moira formed in Munich in 1976 around saxophonist and flutist Edgar Hofmann, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who co-founded Embryo with Christian Burchard and Dieter Serfas. Hofmann played on Embryo’s early albums Opal, Embryo’s Rache, and Father, Son and Holy Ghosts before departing in 1972 following their North African tour. He later appeared on Steig Aus, Rocksession, and Surfin’, returning intermittently through 1977.

Moira’s first and only 1970s lineup also included guitarist and composer Jürgen Kanwischer and bassist Rainer Frank, both unrecorded prior to the group. Keyboardist Burkhard Plenge had earlier played on Jamaica by Broadway (Ariola, 1976). Percussionist Jofrey Ramos appeared on Aristoteles by Julius Schittenhelm and contributed to Embryo’s Live album (April, 1977). Drummer Butze Fischer, then 23, played on For Missus Beastly under the alias Dr. Aftershave and played on Embryo’s Apo Calypso (April, 1977).

Crazy Countdown

Moira released their first album, Crazy Countdown, in 1977 on Schneeball.

The album charts a sequence of extended instrumentals shaped by tightly knit interplay between guitarist Jürgen Kanwischer and saxophonist–flutist Edgar Hofmann, who shares frontline duties across shifting meters and multi-section passages. Keyboardist Burkhard Plenge shades the ensemble’s upper register with both textural layering and punctuated figures, while the rhythm section—anchored by bassist Rainer Frank and propelled by the dual percussive thrust of Butze Fischer and Jofrey Ramos—locks into a steady, fluid underpinning that shapes each transition in form and pace.

“Para Jofrey” begins in suspended calm—flute, piano, and chimes circling a restrained harmonic frame—before layered percussion and alternating acoustic–electric guitar lines guide the music into broader, two‑chord motion and later Rhodes‑driven expansion, where solo voices pass forward in measured succession. Title track introduces environmental sound and spoken fragments that dissolve into tight, syncopated momentum led by fuzz‑edged guitar and elastic bass figures, then cycles through contrasting motifs that reset intensity without breaking flow. “Smile” holds to a subdued register built from sparse keys and sitar color, gradually thickening as drums and bass enter with heavier dynamic weight.

“Mata Meme” centers on volume‑shaped guitar tones over loose hand percussion before acceleration lifts the texture into firmer rhythmic alignment, while “Gemini” sustains brisk, stop‑start acoustic patterns that push the ensemble through continuous high‑energy phrasing. “Always Later” pivots mid‑course from relaxed blues‑tinged interplay into faster, pulse‑driven movement with rotating keyboard, saxophone, and guitar leads, and “Spain Mandala” closes with driving Latin‑leaning propulsion where strummed acoustics give way to bright electric runs over persistent percussion and bass.

A1. “Para Jofrey” (8:05)
A2. “Crazy Countdown” (5:55)
A3. “Smile” (5:41)

B1. “Mata Meme” (5:45)
B2. “Gemini” (4:12)
B3. “Always Later” (6:34)
B4. “Spain Mandala” (5:01)

Moira recorded Crazy Countdown in May 1977 at Sunrise Studios in Kirchberg, Switzerland, under the engineering of studio founder Etienne Conod. The band self-produced the session and released the album as Schneeball 00014 with layout design by Kanwischer.

Moira also appear on Umsonst & Draussen – Vlotho 77, a double live compilation recorded July 1–3, 1977, at the Alter Steinbruch auf dem Winterberg. Their track, “Improvisation” (6:15), captures the band in open-form mode with Edgar Hofmann on wind instruments (credited as Tröten), Jörgen Kanwischer on guitar, Rainer Frank on bass, Geoffrey Ramos on congas, and guest drummer Ernst Bier. This lineup reflects a minor shift from their Crazy Countdown session two months earlier, with Bier filling in for Butze Fischer.

The Vlotho set documents a key moment in the mid-1970s Schneeball–related scene, also featuring live recordings by Embryo, Release Music Orchestra, Missus Beastly, Munju, Real Ax Band, and Checkpoint Charlie, alongside underground acts like Skyline, ES, and Sadja.

Interim

After the release of Crazy Countdown, Moira’s original members diverged into various directions across the German jazz, fusion, and experimental scenes.

Rainer Frank played on 1979–84 albums by Orexis with Georg Lawall (Bittersüß Wie Stuttgart), Swing Metrum (Swing), the Lyn Morgan Band (Broke But Happy), Open Voice (1984), and Transfusion (Cat Call).
Jofrey Ramos resurfaced years later on the 1996 tribal-fusion release Magical Mystery Tour by Alatul (Blue Flame).
Butze Fischer recorded 1979–86 sessions with Guru Guru Sunband (Hey Du), Roland & die Dadadogs (Roland und die Dadadogs, Eats Meats Wets), Embryo (Anthology, Zack Glück), Paramashivam, Notorische Reflexe, and contributed to Foyer des Arts’ Die Unfähigkeit zu frühstücken.
Jörgen Kanwischer exited music after Moira and took no further credits.
Burkhard Plenge reemerged on unknown-date releases by Charly Kingson (Dance to the Music) and Jamaica Papa Curvin (Unity).
Edgar Hofmann resumed activity with Julius Schittenhelm (Müllmutanten, Rundschlag), Embryo (Embryo’s Reise, Anthology, Life, La Blama Sparozzi, Zack Glück), Spacebox (Spacebox, Kick Up), and the short-lived project L.S. Bearforce (1983).

In 1984, a young jazz-rock quartet inherited the Moira name and issued a second Schneeball release with no overlap to the 1977 lineup. Bassist–flutist–vocalist Michael Stoll had appeared on the 1981 Didier album Cptn. Coffee. Drummer Eberhard Bronner played on Du glaubsch des war a Spiel (1983) by Swabian folk-rockers Schwoißfuaß. Guitarist Gino Samele and keyboardist Martin Ziegler had no prior credits of record.

Moira

Moira (Mk II) released their self-titled album in 1984 on Schneeball.

The new quartet presents a more spacious and synth-forward palette, shaped by the interaction between keyboardist Martin Ziegler and guitarist Gino Samele, who thread arpeggiated motifs and chordal fragments between sustained passages. Michael Stoll underpins the material with doubling on bass and flute, locking with drummer Eberhard Bronner to form a sparse but reactive backline that pivots in tandem with compositional shifts.

Moira opens with “Reise Nach Ixtlan,” where slow pacing gives way to layered expansion—guitar and bass trace a loose framework until drums and synths join with rising momentum. Midway through, organ enters with sustained phrasing over dense rhythmic interplay, and the final minutes feature extended electric guitar lines over busy, responsive kitwork. “Oase” strips back to flute and drums, holding to a compact, single-phrase motion.

“Kristall” builds from low-register organ and taut rhythmic figures, with guitar breaking through in sharp turns over a charged backdrop. A subdued section interrupts before a full-volume return led by bass and drums. “Einsame Schatten” pivots between instrumental pairing and sectional contrast—first with bass, drums, and organ in unison, then guitar and keys trading short overlapping leads before a break into low dynamics and the only vocal passage of the album. “Resumé” closes with clipped speech fragments and tonal dissonance, pulling the structure back into abstraction.

A1. “Reise Nach Ixtlan” [Trip to Ixtlan] (–) – Moira
A2. “Oase” (–) – Bronner, Stoll
B1. “Kristall” (–) – Stoll
B2. “Einsame Schatten” [Lonely Shadows] (–) – Stoll
B3. “Resumé” (–) – Stoll

Moira recorded the album at Golden Line Tonstudio with Curt-Jürgen Monninger and Mirko Buxbaum handling recording and mixdown. The release appeared as Schneeball 0025 in 1984, jointly copyrighted to Moira and WAR. Michael Stoll co-designed the cover with Axel “The Axe” Rokkenfeld.