Sigi Schwab, Chris Hinze, Jasper Van't Hof - Total Musik (1982)

One-off collaboration led by flautist Chris Hinze, his fellow Dutchman Jasper Van't Hof on keyboards, and German guitarist Sigi Schwab.  Their brief sleevenotes to this album talk excitedly about what the 'Total Musik' concept means to them in terms of creative liberation - suppose this makes sense in context as Hinze's and to an extent Schwab's careers thus far seemed to have been dominated by classical interpretation.  Van't Hof did have a more experimental jazz fusion background, including a 1980 album with Markus Stockhausen that badly needs reissuing.

The Schwab-penned opener Sphinx shows plenty of promise, with some electronic effects and subtle synth work from Van't Hof.  The remainder of the album is taken up by two lengthy suites written by Hinze, in which the trio set aside sonic exploration in favour of showcasing their considerable talents as group players and soloists.  Schwab lets rip many a good flurry on his Ovation acoustic, making me think of John McLaughlin circa the trio with DeLucia/DiMeola.  Hinze switches between piccolo and flutes, occasionally treating the latter with an understated digital delay, and Van't Hof stretches out on piano, almost channeling Köln-era Jarrett at the end of Children Suite Pt. 1.  Great early 80s chamber jazz with strong classical influences... hmm, wonder what three-letter record label this would've been a perfect fit for?

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