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The band Ahora Mazda with Peter Abbink (voc, g, p, harp, tp, org), Ron van Wageningen (fl, voc, sax, perc), Tony Schreuder (b, perc) and Winky Abbink (dr) was formed in Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the end of the 1960s. They named themselves Ahura Mazda after the god of light from the Persian holy book Zend-Avesta. The suggestion for this name came from Ruud Tegelaar, the manager of the notorious Fantasio Club. After many gigs there, they became the house band and a kind of underground attraction with their psychedelic-jazz rock improvisations. After joint concerts with Shocking Blue and Groep 1850, they recorded their self-titled debut album in 1970. Instead of the long jam sessions for which they were known, they played shorter, better-arranged songs. The album was recorded in three days and released on 31 May 1970 on the progressive Bovema sub-label Catfish.
Unfortunately, their imaginative blend of psychedelic jazz rock, experimental krautrock, classic psychedelic from the late 60s and borrowings from world music found only few buyers. After many more concerts with the support of additional musicians, the band sadly disbanded at the end of 1971. Their sole LP as a Dutch first pressing is now a sought-after collector's item.
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