Following the internationally acclaimed “Electric Circus” (1976), guitarist and composer Toto Blanke took a markedly different approach on “Tales Of Tomorrow,” released by bacillus in 1978. Rather than expanding his Jazz-Rock ensemble, Blanke turned inward, creating an intimate studio album that combined electric and acoustic guitars with guitar synthesizer, sequencers, drum machine, bouzouki and electronic textures. Parts of the album are further enriched by a string quartet, giving several compositions a chamber music character that was unusual for the late 1970s Jazz Fusion scene.
Known as one of Germany’s leading Jazz guitarists through his work with Association P.C. and later Electric Circus, Blanke was never confined to conventional fusion. “Tales Of Tomorrow” reflects his growing interest in composition, technology and atmosphere, balancing melodic miniatures with playful rhythmic ideas and cinematic soundscapes. The result is an album that sits comfortably between Jazz, Progressive Music and Contemporary Classical influences without fully belonging to any single genre.
Within the bacillus catalogue, “Tales Of Tomorrow” represents one of the label’s most understated releases. While many bacillus productions explored Progressive Rock or Krautrock, Blanke‘s album demonstrates the label’s openness to sophisticated instrumental music that crossed stylistic boundaries. It also points towards the increasingly personal and experimental direction Blanke would pursue throughout the following decades, both as a solo artist and with his evolving Electric Circus projects.
Today, “Tales Of Tomorrow” stands as a distinctive chapter in Toto Blanke’s extensive body of work—an imaginative recording that combines Jazz improvisation with early Electronic Experimentation and refined compositional writing.
This release is part of the bacillus records archive on Bandcamp.
Purchase “Tales Of Tomorrow” on Bandcamp: https://bacillusrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tales-of-tomorrow-1978
Tracklist:
01. Overture 00:42
02. I’m A Stranger Here Myself 04:22
03. Aliso Samba 04:07
04. Roland The Giant 05:01
05. Ostfriesisches Festtagsbegräbnis 01:04
06. Casablanca 06:31
07. Rush Hour 01:50
08. Pork Pie (Dedicated to Jasper Van’t Hof) 03:43
09. New Years Eve 03:51
10.Flat Top and the U.S. Sad Cats 09:11
11. Sunday Morning the 26Th of February 03:24
Composed by Toto Blanke
Arranged & Conducted by Herman “Hose” Josephs
Lineup:
Toto Blanke / Roland Guitar Synthesizer, PPG Synthesizer, PPG Sequencer, Rhythm Box (Drum Machine), Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Bouzouki, Bandoneon, Ring Modulator (Tracks 2–11)
Marian Lale / Viola (Tracks 1, 3, 8)
Jörg Kramer / Violin (Tracks 1, 3, 8)
Makar Niedrig / Violin (Tracks 1, 3, 8)
Thomas Schultze / Violoncello (Tracks 1, 3, 8)
Produced by Elmar Hartmann & Toto Blanke
Recorded at Studio Battran, West Germany on 20–26 February 1978
Mixed at Studio Battran, West Germany on 12–14 March 1978
Cover Design by J. Grossardt