Jaki Liebezeit, pictured here behind Damo Suzuki – CAN in full flow, one of the great primordial forces in rock music. Much of their power as a group came from the driving beats and rhythms of the jazz drummer, Jaki, and in the partnership he formed with Holgar Cuzkay on bass. Jaki said that CAN was a backronym for “communism, anarchism, nihilism”, and that group from Cologne who lived a very collective life in old castles and developed their music in their own studios and through long jamming sessions, with songs emerging from this laboratory, only to be improvised even more in live performances.
If you asked me what band I wanted to be part of, this is the one. I think they embody the dedicated pursuit of a sound, giving themselves over to the that chase knowing the alchemy that happens when recreate such music, live.
Influenced by great jazz drummers like Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones it was said by Jaki that he
“learned everything by listening myself, then by thinking, then by training”
Jaki said that he didn’t care if people liked his music. But we did Jaki, we loved it.
He passed away on the 22nd of January.
We’ve been left with his music and the beats go on.
TRACKLIST
- CAN – Don’t Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone
- CAN – Mother Sky
- CAN – Vitamin C
- CAN – Halleluhwah
- CAN – I Want More
- CAN – You Doo Right
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