BENGT BERGER IN MEMORIAM 1942-2026

 

It is incredibly sad, mournful and incomprehensible to read the news that Bengt "Beche" Berger has left us after a short period of illness. He was a fantastic musician - drummer, percussionist - who was actually much more than that. He was a musical dynamo, a unifying force in almost every context he worked in. If his name's on an album cover - and it is on so incredibly many - it's almost an unerring guarantee of quality. If his name is there, it's an album I have to listen to. Calling him a legend is a gross understatement - if you have participated in groups such as Arbete & Fritid, Archimedes Badkar, Spjärnsvallet, and Bitter Funeral Beer Band, you're not just a legend, you're a musical historical node. That's how I first made his acquaintance, through music, from a distance. 

It was much later that we developed an online friendship built on a deep, mutual respect which in turn was based on our shared love of MUSIC as the elixir of life, as the marrow of existence. I started reviewing Beche's releases on his label Country & Eastern decades ago. He liked them, was probably flattered, sometimes even embarrassed by my unvarniashed enthusiasm. Then he read what I wrote on my progg blog. He had my unrestricted permittance to publish anything he wanted on Country & Eastern's website which was just about everything I wrote about his records. It made me unspeakably proud to gain such trust from someone I admired so much. The greatest gift however was asking me if I wanted to write a chapter for the fine memorial anthology of his friend and fellow musician Kjell Westling. I said yes without any hesitation, even though I had promised myself a long break from writing because I had worked far too long, far too much and far too underpaid for a publication that I will leave unnamed.

Another proud (semi-)professional moment was obviously when he enthusiastically and specifically for this blog wrote what's no less than an essay about his years playing with Don Cherry. A wonderful text that's permeated with that very warm love for MUSIC, for creativity and thus: for life itself. To be honoured with such an exclusive piece still touches my heart and I'm incredibly proud to have “Growing Music With Don” featured on The Swedish Progg Blog. We e-mailed each other a bit some time after his words on Don Cherry were published. He appreciated my translation of it (it was originally written in Swedish) and thanked me for it. We talked about writing; he was very assertive I should turn the progg blog into a book. He told me he was working on an autobiography. Then some months passed, I thought of contacting him regarding a huge interview with him for the blog, covering his whole musical life. We had discussed it now and then over the years. As always, he would happily do it.

And then the incomprehensible, abyss black newspaper headlines pounded their way out my laptop screen: “Musician Bengt Berger has died”. Kjell Westling is gone. Roland Keijser is gone. Now Beche's gone too. Perhaps the best musicians Sweden ever had. And with Beche, just like in the case of Roland, I have lost a friend whom I valued immensely. Thank you for brightening my life in so many different ways, Beche!

PEPS PERSSON IN MEMORIAM

The sadness is unfathomable. Not long ago, Bosse Skoglund, noted drummer with a plethora of bands, artists and constellations left us for the otherworld. And now, his long standing friend and collaborator in excellent music has followed suit – Peps Persson. Peps, who pretty much helped raise awareness of American blues and, perhaps even more important, basically singlehandedly brought Jamaican reggae to Sweden just passed away at the age of 74 after a long period of illness. His impact on Swedish music cannot be overrated. He was an everpresent spirit touching the hearts of not only progg lovers but casual listeners for decades. And more amazingly, always a bit from the side of the progg movement and the mainstream. He carved out his own niche where he was free to do whatever he wanted, to immerse himself in music that really mattered; i.e. music that grew in the hearts of those who endured hardships and had the gift to express them and touch others again. He will be sorely missed like few others. His passing away has left a hole in my heart that no other Swedish musician will be able to mend. So much more could be said, but words fail me at this time. Blessings Peps, wherever you went!

ROLAND KEIJSER IN MEMORIAM 1944-2019

It is with a hurting grief in my heart and a pain in my soul that I share the news of Roland Keijser's passing. The loss is unmeasurable on so many levels I hardly know where to begin. Maybe by saying what everybody who ever heard him play already know: He was a true master musician. One of those who could make me pick up an album if his name was in the credits. Because he always played the truth. The instrument – no matter if it was the saxophone or if it was a flute from faraway lands – was always an extension of himself. He played like a spiritually enlighted philosopher, phrasing his knowledge of man and music with the immediacy of genuine honesty. He was always on a different level than everyone else. He played like Roland Keijser, and Roland Keijser only. He was a meaningful Musician, always demonstrating the innermost comprehension of Music.

He was also my friend. No, we never met in real life, but we exchanged a vast number of messages and letters over the years. Our Facebook conversations were often long and sometimes intimate, almost in a hushed way. We didn't so much write as we spoke to each other, even if the voices we used were those of the written word. Sometimes we quarrelled – I'm an outspoken person and so was Roland. I wasn't afraid of telling him straight when I thought he was completely off on some topic, and he wasn't afraid to tell me if I have crossed the line of civility. Friends can do that and still be friends when there's a sincere, mutual respect.

But most of the time, we had similar ideas and during our extensive conversations, we touched on a wide array of topics. Even when agreeing with each other, we could make the other person consider other possibilities, calibrating our opinions, shifting our perspectives. Talking to him about Blå Tåget and Arbete & Fritid often generated a tsunami of memories, opinions, historical facts that was impossible to find anywhere else. He narrated his own past, and I eagerly sucked up every drop of information he humbly provided me with.

And he never gave up. During his last months, he battled the big C, but he kept on working. He told me he was busy making new music, and just before his passing, he uploaded a set of brand new recordings to Youtube. A farewell gift to his fans and friends? Probably. He stoically faced his fate, he knew he wasn't able to fool the grim reaper. But he died so fully living that the circumstances allowed him to. He never stopped being a Musician. The full Keijser discography is voluminous; the Arbete & Fritid and Blå Tåget albums are just a little part of something much, much bigger. It's always an interesting listen, often illuminating, never irrelevant.

But it was Arbete & Fritid that introduced me to his music. That particular band was instrumental (no pun intended) in igniting my interest in progg. If you will, Roland Keijser was crucial to the birth of this blog. Without him, this would likely never have happened. His music so often revealed the invisible to me. And I can't stop listening. Arbete & Fritid's first album still moves me in a way few other albums do. It phrases things that the spoken or written language can't fathom. His music, old and new, is indestructible. Resistant to time. It's music that channels the eternity while being an indisposable part of it. Thus, it will never be forgotten, Neither will its creator.

May you rest in peaceful spheres, Roland, and from deep within my heart, thanks for everything you've done for me!

IN LOVING MEMORY OF OVE KARLSSON 1946-2017

I am very, very sad to announce that Ove Karlsson passed away this morning, 22 October, at the age of 71.

Multi-instrumentalist and key member of Arbete & Fritid as well as Nya Ljudbolaget, plus a participant in many, many other projects including the majestic free jazz big band G.L. Unit, Karlsson was a stellar character on the progg scene. His importance cannot be overrated – without him, so much music I and countless of others dearly love would never have been made. Certainly not in the way we know it.

I never knew him personally but we did exchange a few messages over Facebook. He was always very kind, even when he was ill, which he was for a long time, spending his final months in Mora Hospital. But he was a fighter and should be remembered as such, bravely battling his ailments and illnesses up until the very end when he just couldn't fight it no more. He refused to give up, and so he won even though he lost the ultimate battle.

My sincerest thoughts go to Ove's family – do know that he will be in our hearts and minds, through his music that will remain a never fading reminder of one man's overwhelming creativity and vision.

Rest forever in peace, Ove, and thanks for touching our souls!