BITTER FUNERAL BEER BAND WITH DON CHERRY & K. SRIDHAR – Live In Frankfurt 82 (Country & Eastern, 2007)

Instrumental, other languages
International relevance: ***

Recorded the same year as Bengt Berger's ”Bitter Funeral Beer” with basically the same people: only Kjell Westling is missing while Björn Hellström on bass clarinet and flute, and sarod player K. Sridhar are added. It's an all-star line-up with too many names to mention, but the individual efforts aren't as important anyway as the pan-continental collective outcome.

This live recording made by Frankfurter radio at the annual jazz festival at the Alte Oper in 1982 is more ragged and unkempt than the studio album. More on the edge, if you will. The nervous energy runs through the entire set, and comes through even in the slow ”Bitter Funeral Beer” which is given a particularly bluesy, mournful rendition.

While I really like the studio album, this recording is a more vivid document of the band. Even if you know you're in the safe hands of masterful musicians, they conjure up a loose spirit that keeps the music uncertain to the right degree. You never quite know exactly what will happen at what moment. It's a generally thrilling perfomance that grows in strength until the 25 minute jubilant ending (not counting the short afterthought "Gahu") with ”Funeral Dance”.

 

The album was later reissued on vinyl (minus "Gahu") in Italy with a different cover (as seen above).

Full album playlist

Also check out the TV broadcast of the show here!

BENGT BERGER – Bitter Funeral Beer (ECM, 1982)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

It's impossible to imagine the 1970's music movement/progg/jazz scene without Bengt Berger, the drummer and percussionist who has added his magic touch to more albums than anyone can count (possibly including himself). He plays as if he has the whole world by his drum sticks and well, in a way he does. I doubt there's anything from anywhere that he can't play, or at least learn to play just by listening in. Much like saxophonist Roland Keijser, his name is a hallmark of quality. If Berger's name's on an album, it's something worth listening to.

”Bitter Funeral Beer” is different insofar Berger's not actually the drummer here, the equally exceptional Bo Skoglund is. Berger plays the Ghanaian xylophone ko-gyil, an instrument he first used on Archimedes Badkar/Afro 70's ”Bado Kidogo” from 1978. The music on ”Bitter Funeral Beer”, recorded in 1981, is based on actual Ghanaian funeral music and sounds like a natural extension of what Archimedes Badkar did. Several ex-Archimedes members also appear, such as Christer Bothén, Sigge Krantz, Tommy Adolfsson, and Jörgen Adolfsson. Plus Thomas Mera Gartz, Anita Livstrand, and the formidable Don Cherry who was living in Sweden at the time. The music is vibrating with beautiful vitality, it's a marvellous album, quite possibly the best on the ECM label post their most interesting early 70's period. This album is truly the work of masters.

There are several albums released as Bitter Funeral Beer Band. From 1987, there's the fabulous ”Praise Drumming” on Dragon (reissued on CD in 2017). In recent years, Bengt Berger has put out some Bitter Funeral Beer Band live recordings from the 80's on his Country & Eastern imprint. ”Live in Frankfurt 82” features several pieces from the ”Bitter Funeral Beer” album but very different in sound and mood with help from Indian sarod player Krishnamurti Sridhar. Also of interest in ”Live in Nürnberg 84”, a fine sounding concert originally recorded by Bavarian radio. Everything by Bitter Funeral Beer Band is essential listening, especially to fans of Archimedes Badkar and Bolon Bata.

Bitter Funeral Beer
Blekete
Chetu

Tongsi

Darafo/Funeral Dance (Dar Kpee)