Kraan is a German band based in
Ulm and formed in 1970. It had several minor hits through the 1970s and 1980s. After a break of ten years, the group reunited in 2000. Their early style can be described as
Krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
that turned later to
fusion, combining elements of both
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
.
The band was named Kraan, after considering the name Jack Steam. The name means faucet in Dutch, a fact they were apparently unaware of at the time; it has no meaning in German, but they liked it because it was easy to remember.
Allmusic: Kraan Biography by Richard Foss
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Members
Current line-up
* Peter Wolbrandt – guitar (1970–present)
*Hellmut Hattler
Hellmut Hattler (born 12 April 1952 in Ulm, West Germany) is a German jazz and rock bassist and composer.
Hattler took much of his early influences from Jimi Hendrix. As a child, he received violin lessons, and in the 1960s, he played guitar. ...
– bass guitar (1970–present)
*Jan Fride – drums (1970–1978, 1984–present)
Former members
*Ingo Bischof ( de) – keyboards (1975–2007; died 2019)
*Johannes Pappert – alto saxophone (1970–1976)
* Udo Dahmen – drums (1977–1980)
*Joo Kraus ( de) – keyboards, trumpet (1987–1992)
* Gerry Brown – drums, lead vocals (1979–1983)
*Tomy Goldschmidt – drums (1977)
*Eef Albers – guitar (1982–1983)
*Marc McMillen – keyboards, vocals (1982–1983)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*1972 '' Kraan''
*1973 '' Wintrup''
*1974 ''Andy Nogger
''Andy Nogger'' is the third album by the German Krautrock band Kraan. It is the last studio album from Kraan's original line up.
Track listing
All songs composed by Kraan.
Side one
# "Stars" – 5:17
# "Andy Nogger" – 3:50
# "Nam Nam" – 5: ...
''
*1975 '' Let It Out''
*1977 ''Wiederhören
''Wiederhören'' is the sixth album by the German Krautrock band Kraan. It is the first album after the departure of Johannes Pappert from the band.
Track listing
All songs composed by Kraan.
Side one
# "Just One Way" – 4:00
# "Vollgas ahoi" ...
''
*1978 ''Flyday
''Flyday'' is the seventh album by the German jazz rock band Kraan.
Track listing
All songs composed by Helmut Hattler and Peter Wolbrandt.
Side one
# "Far West" – 2:31
# "My brother said" – 3:42
# "Ausflug" – 7:15
# "Gayu Gaya" – 5:05
...
''
*1982 ''Nachtfahrt
''Nachtfahrt'' is the ninth album by the German jazz rock band Kraan.
Track listing
Side one
# "Wintruper Echo" (Hattler, Wolbrandt) – 4:30
# "Faust 2000" (Wolbrandt, Wolbrandt) – 3:56
# "Elfenbein" (Bischof, Hattler, Wolbrandt) – 5:1 ...
''
*1983 ''X''
*1989 '' Dancing In The Shade''
*1991 ''Soul of Stone''
*2003 ''Through''
*2007 ''Psychedelic man''
*2010 ''Diamonds''
*2020 ''Sandglass''
*2023 ''Zoup''
Live albums
*1975 '' Kraan Live'' (2lp)
*1980 ''Tournee
''Tournee'' is the eighth album and the second live album by the German jazz rock band Kraan. It was recorded in four venues between March and November 1979.
Track listing
# "Borgward" – 8:16
# "Almrausch" – 5:57
# "Peterchens Reise" – 7 ...
''
*1988 ''Kraan Live 88''
*2001 ''Live 2001''
*2018 ''The Trio Years''
*2019 ''The Trio Years - Zugabe''
*2020 ''Finkenbach Festival 2005''
Compilations
*1976 ''Starportrait'' (2lp)
*1983 ''2 Platten (Best of Kraan)'' (2lp)
*1998 ''The Famous Years Compiled''
*2001 ''Berliner Ring'' (Demos and live recordings)
External links
*
*
Prog Archives: Kraan discography and reviewsJazz Music Archives: Kraan discography and reviews
References
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1970
German jazz-rock groups
Krautrock musical groups
German jazz fusion ensembles
German progressive rock groups
German experimental musical groups
Inside Out Music artists