Cool Funeral Beer – Day 1 – The Creation of the Final Ancestor Shrine
Cool Funeral Beer & Bengt Berger
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Cool Funeral Beer
Posted 2021-08-09
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NEXT: NOVEMBER 29, 2023
OPEN REHEARSAL VII AT FASCHING, STOCKHOLM ON
COOL FUNERAL BEER – DAY 1 – THE CREATION OF THE ANCIENT ANCESTOR SHRINE
On Christmas Eve 2023 we released the first album in digital format. Now we are looking forward to Public Rehearsals VII and beyond for the work on Day 2 and Day 3 during 2023.
The Cool Funeral Beer project is ever growing, we have now a very good producer, Catrin Lundqvist (lundqvistcatrin@gmail.com), we will be working with director Bogdan Szyber with huge experience from Opera and Performance plus several artists in that sphere to make the whole project into a full scale audiovisual experience in 2024. The first half of this year will be spend in applying for funding and preparing the open rehearsals this fall aiming at 2024 performances.
The blessed music essayist Raul da Gama has given this glorious account of Cool Funeral Beer so far and Songlines has it as TOP of the World in the April -23 issue with a great five star review.
Due to lack of funding for 2023 we had to do Open Rehearsals V and VI with reduced lineup and lousy pay for the great musicians. Here are some fine photos by Göran Fors from the soundcheck at Folkteatern in Gothenburg on October 12.
At BAS in Stockholm on October 14 we were lucky to have Karnatic greats Flute J.A. Jayant and Mridangam Sai Giridar join us for a great Open Rehearsal VI
Lars Fredriksson (subbing for Peter Janson, Marque Gilmore, Lise-Lotte Norelius, Christer Bothén, Dicken Hedrenius, Lars Almkvist, Martin Jonsson, J.A. Jayant, Max Schultz, Sai Giridar, Bengt Berger and in front Robin Cochrane and Marianne Nlemwo Lindén
Open rehearsal IV in Umeå 2022 (photo T. Vahlstedt)
PUBLIC REHEARSALS III and IV CONCLUDED AT STOCKHOLM JAZZFESTIVAL ON OCTOBER 23rd and UMEÅ JAZZ FESTIVAL ON OCTOBER 30, 2022!
Here are all the 2022 videos from Cool Funeral Beer
Musikcentrum Öst were kind enough to finance a photo shoot while we prepared at Dieselverkstaden. Cool photographer Johan Bergmark provided these press photos. If you need write to info@countryandeastern.se
Open Rehearsal II took place at Dieselverkstaden in Nacka, Stockholm, Sweden on March 30, 2022.
We were 18 musicians: Thomas Gustafsson, soprano saxophone; Max Schultz, guitar; Lars Almqvist, trumpet; Robin Cochrane, balaphone, percussion; Lisen Rylander Löve, tenor sax; Peter Janson, bass; Martin Jonsson, percussion, sound; Sir Thomas Jäderlund, saxes, bass clarinet; Göran Klinghagen, guitar: Jonas Knutsson, saxes; Sten Källman, saxes; Emanuelle Martin, vocal; Marianne Nlemwo Lindén, vocal, percussion; Livet Nord, violin; Viktor Reuter, acoustic and electric bass; Staffan Svensson, trumpet; Henrik Wartel, percussion and Bengt Berger, ko-gyil, percussion.
Here is a link to the event at Dieselverkstaden
Cool Funeral Beer at Dieselverkstan in Nacka, Stockholm, Sweden on March 30, 2022
Cool Funeral Beer at Dieselverkstan in Nacka, Stockholm, Sweden on March 30, 2022″Av og til lurer jeg på hvorfor det ikke er flere band og ensembler som spiller denne formen for jazz, hvor man henter inspirasjoner og ideer fra fjerne himmelstrøk i stedet for å kun se mot USA eller bruke nordisk folkemusikk som basis, som det eneste rette. For i dagens jazz, særlig her i Norden, er det nesten bare Bengt Berger som holder denne fanen høyt. Og hvis denne konserten skulle regnes som øving, så kan vi bare glede oss til det blir alvor! For dette var strålende!” -Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts
The Background
In the early eighties we created the Bitter Funeral Beer, a work greatly inspired by the funeral traditions of the Lo-Birifor peoples of Northern Ghana where their funeral ceremonies are concluded one or several years after the first ceremony with the Cool Funeral Beer ceremony. Likewise we are trying to reach the conclusion of our version some 40 years later. This will happen thru a series of open rehearsals until we reach the full three days of performing our Cool Funeral Beer for the last time.
There are three parts in this requiem:
- The Creation of the Final Ancestor Shrine, this is the most ceremonial part where we express our sorrow and loss.
- The Bathing of the Widows, we dance intensly expressing all our emotions before the greatness of the life that is lost and say our individual good-byes.
- The Settlement of the Estate, in a light and thankful mood we conclude in happiness looking forward to getting on with our own lives.
Almost all my favourite musicians are in the band: Thomas Gustafsson, Sigge Krantz, Lise-Lotte Norelius and Christer Bothén. from the original band are joined by Lars Almqvist, trumpet; Robin Cochrane, balaphone, percussion; Signe Dahlgren, saxes; Marque Gilmore, percussion; Peter Janson, bass; Martin Jonsson, percussion; Sir Thomas Jäderlund, saxes, bass clarinet; Göran Klinghagen, guitar: Jonas Knutsson, saxes; Sten Källman, saxes; Emanuelle Martin, vocal; Marianne Nlemwo Lindén, vocal, percussion; Livet Nord, violin; Viktor Reuter, acoustic and electric bass; Mattias Ståhl, marimba, xylophones; Staffan Svensson, trumpet; Henrik Wartel, percussion; Mats Äleklint, trombone, sousaphone, harmonica; Lisen Rylander Löve, tenor sax;
Most of us will be present at any one time.
Here is a short film from Gothenburg when we practise one of the pieces in the Cool Funeral Beer, Hambo:
Open Rehearsal I took place at Bellahöj Friluftsscene in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 4, 2021.
Our first public rehearsal was supposed to take place at the exhibition about Moki and Don Cherry in New York last year in October. We all know why that did not happen, but we have been practising separately and in small groups and on September 4, many of us met and practised together for the first time in Copenhagen. Here is a short clip with some great dancing at the beautiful Bellahøj friluftsscene:
We were 17 musicians in Copenhagen: Lars Almqvist, trumpet; Bengt Berger, kogyil, percussion; Christer Bothén bass clarinet; Robin Cochrane, balaphone, percussion; Signe Dahlgren, saxes; Marque Gilmore, percussion; Thomas Gustafsson, saxes; Peter Janson, bass; Sir Thomas Jäderlund, saxes, bass clarinet; Jonas Knutsson, saxar; Sigge Krantz, guitar; Sten Källman, saxes; Marianne Nlemwo Lindén, vocal, percussion; Emmanuelle Martin, vocal; Lise-Lotte Norelius, percussion, electronics; Viktor Reuter, bass; Staffan Svensson, trumpet; Mats Äleklint, trombone, sousaphone, harmonica
“I bandet sitter mange av Sveriges beste jazzmusikere, og med vokalen i front, solide solister og et strålende ensemblespill ble dette en höydare av en konsert. Vi merket oss et intenst og fint bassklarinettspill fra Christer Bothén, som har vært med i Bergers store band fra starten, nydelig trompetspill fra Svensson og en himmelsk trombonesolo fra Äleklint, pluss vakker vokal og en perkusjonsgruppe som Berger førte gjennom konserten på en utmerket måte.” -Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts
Some photos from Copenhagen:
all records with Cool Funeral Beer
