Klaus Doldinger

A trailblazing German jazz saxophonist and flute player, Klaus Doldinger expanded the horizons of jazz in Europe, bringing together sophisticated post-bop, South American traditions, and rock elements with his influential fusion group Passport. Doldinger initially gained international fame leading his jazz quartet on 1963's Jazz Made in Germany and blending organ-accented hard bop with Latin and bossa nova-rhythms. However, it was with his evolving jazz-fusion group Passport that he brought his cross-cultural vision together, releasing influential albums like 1971's Passport, 1974's Looking Thru, and 1977's Ataraxia. While Passport made him a star, Doldinger expanded into film, scoring the 1981 WWII submarine drama Das Boot and the beloved 1984 children's fantasy film The Never Ending Story. He also revisited his acoustic jazz roots on 1994's Doldinger in New York and 1999's Blind Date. In 2003, he reconvened Passport for Back to Brazil and remained active well into his eighties before his passing.