Volker Kriegel, born in Darmstadt, Germany, on December 24, 1943, was a German jazz guitarist, composer, cartoonist, and author who lived until 2003. Self-taught on guitar from age 15, he formed a trio performing in Wiesbaden before winning awards for best guitarist and soloist at the 1964 Deutsche Amateur-Jazz-Festival alongside drummer Lothar Scharf. He joined Claudio Szenkar's quintet in 1965 and performed alongside Emil Mangelsdorff and Klaus Doldinger before joining the Dave Pike Set in 1968, contributing his composition “Mathar” to their 1969 studio album, Noisy Silence – Gentle Noise. As a leader, he released his studio album Spectrum on MPS Records in 1971, followed by Inside: Missing Link in 1972, Lift! in 1973, and Mild Maniac in 1974. He founded the bands Spectrum and the Mild Maniac Orchestra, co-founded the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble in 1975, and co-founded Mood Records in 1977, releasing his studio album Elastic Menu in 1977. In the 1990s, he focused on writing, illustrating, and cartooning, returning for a final tour before dying of a heart attack in San Sebastián, Spain, on June 14, 2003, at age 59.
![Volker Kriegel: Mainz Studio Recordings (1963-1969) [Extended Version]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/160ac38b36c20af5c0b257bb89f71cf8/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
