Discography
(Selection)
2007, Bitter Funeral Beer Band, featuring Bengt Berger, Don Cherry and K Sridhar,
Live in Frankfurt 1982, Country & Eastern (CD)
Recension i Svenska Dagbladet, 2007
Bitter Funeral Beer Band
Bitter Funeral Beer Band was a unique world music band that has not existed before or after the few years in the 80s that the band was active. BFBB mixed african funeral music, jazz improvisation with a nordic touch. Led by Bengt Berger who had studied a couple of years in Ghana, the band based a lot of the music on the funeral music concept of the Lo-Birifor people of northern Ghana. The band did its first CD, Bitter Funeral Beer, on ECM and then one more, Praise Drumming on the Swedish Dragon label.
Live in Frankfurt 1982 was recorded by Hessischer Rundfunk at 18 Deutsches Jazzfestival at Alte Oper in Frankfurt.
Line up
Anita Livstrand (Ko-Gyil, voice, percussion;)
Bengt Berger (Ko-Gyil (Lo-Birifor funeral xylophone), Atsimevu ()
Björn Hellström (bass clarinet, flute, percussion;)
Bosse Skoglund (percussion;)
Christer Bothén (tenor sax, bass clarinet, percussion;)
Don Cherry (pocket trumpet;)
Jörgen Adolfsson (soprano sax, alto sax, percussion;)
K. Sridhar (sarod)
Matthias Helldén (cello, percussion;)
Sigge Krantz (acoustic and electric bass, guitar, percussion;)
Thomas Mera Gartz (percussion, tenor sax;)
Tommy Adolfsson (trumpet, percussion;)
Tord Bengtsson (violin, guitar, percussion;)
Ulf Wallander (soprano sax, tenor sax, percussion;)
Photo, concert Frankfurt
Bitter Funeral Beer Band,, photo concert tour Bombay 1984
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2007, Bitter Funeral Beer Band, featuring Bengt Berger
Live in Nürnberg 1984, Country & Eastern (MP3)
Bitter Funeral Beer Band, 1984 (sleeve)
By 1984 the Bitter Funeral Beer Band had further improved their handling of the combination of the west african, nordic and improvisational elements in Bengt Berger´s music. This is a live concert recorded by Bayerischer Rundfunk for Radio and TV in Nürnberg, 1984
Line up
Anita Livstrand, Ko-Gyil, voice, percussion;
Bengt Berger, Ko-Gyil (Lo-Birifor funeral xylophone), Atsimevu (Ewe master drum);
Björn Hellström, bass clarinet, flute, percussion;
Jörgen Adolfsson, soprano sax, alto sax, percussion;
Kalle Ericsson, trumpet, percussion;
Liselotte Norelius, percussion;
Matthias Helldén, cello, percussion;
Sigge Krantz, acoustic and electric bass, guitar, percussion;
Thomas Mera Gartz,percussion, tenor sax;
Thomas Gustafsson, soprano sax, tenor sax, percussion;
Thomas Huhn, electric bass, percussion
Tommy Adolfsson, trumpet, percussion;
Tord Bengtsson, violin, guitar, percussion;
Ulf Wallander, soprano sax, tenor sax, percussion;
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2004 (CD), Bolon Bata, featuring Christer Bothén
Trance Dance, MNW-records, original recording 1983.
1984 (LP), Bolon Bata, featuring Christer Bothén
Trance Dance, Skivbolaget Urspår.
Trance Dance, 1984 (sleeve)
Line up 1 - Bolon Bata
Mimouna (9:09), The Horizon Stroller (9:14)
Christer Bothén - tenor saxophone, donso ngoni, voice, bass-clarinet;
Bosse Skoglund - drums;
Björn Hellström - bass-clarinet, sopransax;
Björn Lundqvist – bass, qaraqeb;
Marianne N´Lemvo - voice, qaraqeb;
Lennarth Söderlund - guitar;
Ulf Lindén – sopransax, barytone saxophone;
Guest on Mimouna
Brita Cronvall - sång, qaraqeb;
Line up 2
9+10 Moving Pictures for the Ear (16:57)
Allan Olsson - barytone saxophone;
Anita Livstrand - finger cymbals;
Bengt Berger - drums, Ewe drums;
Björn Hellström - bass-clarinet, flute;
Christer Bothén - tenor saxophone, donso ngoni, bass-clarinet;
Jörgen Adolfsson - soprano & altsaxophone;
Karl-Erik Eriksson - flute;
Kjell Westling - bass-clarinet, sopranino saxophone;
Lars Olofsson - trombone;
Mattias Helldén - cello;
Ola Backström - gitarr;
Sigge Krantz - bass;
Thomaz Nilsson - marimba;
Tommy Adolfsson - trumpet;
Tord Bengtsson – piano, violin;
Ulf Wallander – tenor saxophone.
Bolon Bata, photo 1983
(Björn Lundqvist, Ulf Lindén Björn Hellström, Lennart Söderlund,
Marianne N´Lemvo, Christer Bothén, Bosse Skoglund) 
Bolon Bata, photo 1982
(Ulf Lindén, Björn Hellström, Becki, Björn Lundqvist,
Bosse Skoglund, Christer Bothén)
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1990, Frim Storband (LP), Borstviska (10:49)
Sounds– Contemporary Swedish Improvised Music, Blue Tower Records
Conductor
Mats Gustafsson
Line up
Arne Forsén - piano;
Björn Hellström - bass-clarinet;
Christian Munthe - electric guitar;
Dror Feiler - contrabass clarinet, sopranino saxophone;
Jörgen Adolfsson - contrabass clarinet, sopranino saxophone;
Kennet Schlaich - baritone saxophone;
Kjell Nordeson - drums, percussion;
Lars Almqvist – trumpet;
Magnus Hayashi Alexanderson - electric guitar;
Marie Selander - voice;
Paul Pignon - tenor saxophone;
Per Åke Holmlander - tuba phone;
Peter Söderberg - acoustic guitar;
Tommy Björk - drums, percussion;
Tuomo Haapala - double bass;
Ulf Åkerhielm - double bass.
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1986, Bitter Funeral Beer Band, featuring Bengt Berger
Praise Drumming, Dragon Records (LP).
Bitter Funeral Beer Band, Praise Drumming (sleeve)
Line up:
Anita Livstrand - song, percussion;
Bengt Berger – percussion;
Bengt Ernryd - trumpet, flygelhorn, percussion;
Björn Hellström - bass-clarinet, soprano saxophone, flute, percussion;
Liselotte Norelius – percussion;
Matthias Helldén - cello, percussion;
Sigge Krantz - bass, guitar, percussion;
Thomas Mera Gartz - drums, percussion;
Thomas Gustavsson – tenor & soprano saxophone, flute, percussion;
Thomas Huhn - bass, percussion;
Tommy Adolfsson - trumpet, percussion;
Tord Bengtsson - guitar, violin, percussion;
Ulf Wallander – tenor saxophone, percussion.
Bitter Funeral Beer Band, Live at Fashing, Stockholm 1984
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1985, J. Lachen, featuring Lars Jonsson
Music for the Dying Forest, Bauta Records (LP).
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1983, Barrikadorkestern,
Internationalen, Skivbolaget Urspår (LP).
Line up
Anita Livstrand - qaraqeb;
Andreas Heedwall - trombone;
Bengt Berger - percussion;
Björn Hellström - bass clarinet;
Carina Edström - accordion;
Christer Bothén - tenor saxophone;
Chris Casén - trumpet;
Dror Feiler - bass saxophone;
Ebba Högström - alto saxophone;
Johan Petri - alto saxophone;
Jörgen Adolfsson - alto saxophone;
Kenneth Schlaich - alto saxophone;
Marie Selander - percussion;
Nils Personne - tenor saxophone;
Ola Ragnar - percussion;
Per-Åke Holmlander - tuba;
Tommy Adolfsson - trumpet;
Tommy Björk - percussion;
Ulf Lindén - barytone saxophone.
