Passport

Saxophonist Klaus Doldinger originated Passport, though he has emphasized that the name functions more as a flexible banner for his various endeavors than as a fixed ensemble. Having begun in Dixieland during the 1950s, Doldinger evolved into a modern tenor saxophonist who also took on studio work the next decade. His musical outlook stayed expansive, leading him to launch Passport in 1970 as a vehicle for merging advanced jazz improvisation with rock-driven rhythms. The project pairs Doldinger’s reeds—tenor, soprano, flute, and occasional keyboards—with an electric rhythm section. Its debut album, Passport from 1971, featured Olaf Kübler on second tenor and flute, organist Jimmy Jackson, electric bassist Lother Meid, and drummer Udo Lindenberg. The lineup soon underwent the first of many total overhauls. In the mid-’70s the ensemble typically comprised Doldinger alongside keyboardist Kristian Schultze, electric bassist Wolfgang Schmid, and drummer Curt Cress; by 1978 the personnel had shifted once more. Regardless of changes in the rhythm section, Doldinger’s lead voice and the group’s overall musical direction stayed steady across the decades. Passport issued many recordings, beginning on Atlantic and continuing through WEA and its various subsidiaries and licensees into the twenty-first century, among them 1996’s Passport to Paradise, 1997’s Passport Control on Connoisseur, 1998’s Move, 2000’s Passport Live, and 2003’s Back to Brazil.