Berger Knutsson Spering

Posted 2013-08-12

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After 13 years we are ready to play and tour with the great Finnish singer Mirja Mäkelä again in Sweden and Finland January-February 2024. We played a lot then and did a nice album named after a song by Christian, Arco Iris. Soon we will see what has happened the last two decades.

Here is Sad Song from our first concert at Fasching in Stockholm.

Mirja Mäkelä & Berger Knutsson Spering: Arco Iris

We are extremely happy to have Akkarai Sisters with Jayachandra Rao and Shreesundarkumar back in October 2018 for some concerts. This time the setting will be a little more intimate as they will meet the Berger Knutsson Spering Schultz quartet. This is the schedule:
October 17 Folkteatern, Göteborg
October 18 Umeå Jazz Studio, Umeå
October 20 Stockholm Jazz Festival at Fasching, Stockholm

Berger Knutsson Spering (photo by Tomas Gidén)

In 1996 Bengt Berger, drums Jonas Knutsson, saxes and Christian Spering, double bass formed a trio, having played together in various swedish constellations. We are still at it. Since the start we have played all over Sweden and in Denmark, Finland, Belgium, France, Morocco, India and South Korea.

CE34 album cover

In 2015 Berger Knutsson Spering were joined by our great guitarist friend Max Schultz and released a new album, BLUE BLUE (CE34) with him in September, 2015. Here is a Swedish review from the release concert in Umeå and here is a fantastic one out of the very good reviews the album has received, this one by Raul da Gama.

20171009 P’ansori meets BKSS with Im Young Yee and Chu Jae Young

In October 2017 we toured South Korea, playing at the Sejong Festival and in various jazz clubs in Seoul, Daegu and Wonju. We had the pleasure of working with two great singers, soprano Kim Hyun See and tenor Lim Heon Ryang with a great pianist that I don’t have the name of. And we had a rare chance to collaborate with P’ansori great National Treasure Im Young Yee and her drum accompanist Chu Jae Young. You will find a video and some photos under More Info below.

In October 2015 the trio toured India for two weeks of concerts during the centenary celebrations for tabla maestro Pandith Taranath (who was Bengt Berger’s guru since 1965). A video from this wonderful tour is here.

BKS with Niklas Rådström and Indrakvartetten, 2013

In the summer of 2006 we did a “Don Giovanni Crossover” with Berth Nilsson conducting the Camerata Lyckensis with soloists and Niklas Rådström reading his own text about Mozart and Don G. We  did it again in 2011. In between we did a programme around Schubert and Coltrane, entitled Franz Coltrane where we collaborated with Bobo Stensson and a piano trio, using two grands. In 2013 we had another great collaboration with Niklas plus the Indra String Quartet, this time around Beethoven. We called it Beethoven Grand Tour. You will find two video excerpts below.

Berger Knutsson Spering have so far done six cd:s, UP CLOSE, was recorded at “La Buissonne” in the south of France and was released in august, 2006. The one preceeding that was also released on the C&E label, SEE YOU IN A MINUTE – MEMORIES OF DON CHERRY which was a DC tribute with many of our favourite songs from playing with Don. It was done together with Neneh and Eagle-Eye plus some friends who also had first hand experiences with Don; Christer Bothén, Thomas Gustafsson, Sigge Krantz, Per Tjernberg and Mats Öberg.

You find quite a few videos at the Berger Knutsson Spering play list