German krautrock band Guru Guru was formed in 1968 as The Guru Guru Groove by Mani Neumeier (drums),Uli Trepte (bass), and Eddy Naegeli (guitar) (later replaced by AmericanJim Kennedy (guitar)). By the time of Guru Guru's debut in 1970, Ax Genrich had replaced Kennedy to solidify the classic Guru Guru line up. Guru Guru were related to the free jazz scene both through their work with Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer and through Neumeier, who had already won several jazz prizes before forming the band. They were also influenced by psychedelic rock artists including Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, The Rolling Stones, and early Pink Floyd. Among the band's friends were Amon Düül, Can, andXhol Caravan, with whom Guru Guru often jammed.