Foreword

A word from Alan Ashton

It comes as no surprise to me that 20 years on from his sudden and very un-expected passing, that Klaus Wunderlich should be remembered with affection by so many people, including Cled Griffin who had the rare privilege of being able to feature him at one of the many Electronic Organ Festivals that this forward thinking Welshman pioneered back in the early 80s.  In terms of electronic organs they were very competitive days: the pioneering Hammond having been the leader, and which serious musicians still believe to be the case.  As a pianist/accordionist Klaus was coerced by fellow artists to consider introducing the sound of the Hammond in the Jazz group that he’d joined.

Even the first Hammond that he owned was soon electronically ‘doctored’ and customised to his own personal specifications.  His skill with a soldering iron and knowledge of electronic circuitry, all of which he acquired through reading books, meant that many years later these skills would be combined to (once again) customise and build the German Wersi ‘kit pack’ organs, that he now favoured.  Wersi offered to provide him with their latest model, but Klaus declined on the grounds that he wanted to ensure that every soldered joint and component was installed to his 100% satisfaction.  If testimony were needed I have never heard a single story of one of his instruments developing fault whist on any of his World Wide Tours.  Klaus was a perfectionist in everything he set out to do, and as he once said to me when I asked him about playing the drums for his later recordings “it is no problem. There are books. Everybody must learn these things”

But if you are still looking for testimonies, you need look no further than almost all of today’s electronic keyboards and organs, for they have the never to be forgotten and instantly recognisable ‘Wunderlich Sound’ built in to them. The one caveat is that the sound may be built in, but the skill, interpretation and arranging of the music, often leaves a lot to be desired by the players sat at them!

A word from Ian Griffin

I was privilleged to appear on stage with Klaus Wunderlich in the Keyboard Cavalcade Festival held at Caister, Norfolk, in October 1985.

I first saw Klaus Wunderlich play live at his first UK tour in 1978 and little did I think then that I would later be spending a week with him at the Caister Fesitival.

It is true to say that Klaus was a sort of role model for me and that I had always been facinated by his playing.

A year or two ago I was delighted when Alan Ashton, who has always been closely involved with Klaus and his family, asked me to write the sleeve notes on a CD of a recording that was discovered after his death.

Also, at Alan's home,  I was privileged to hold a gold disc that the family of Klaus gave to Alan in appreciation of his work on the Klaus Wunderlich discography.

Now, twenty years after his death in 1997, his music lives on as it will for many years to come.

EXTRA

A GramRfone production by Alan Ashton - to complement his Foreword: