The first monday in september 2000 fifty swedish percussionists met at jazzclub Fasching in Stockholm. In front of the stage was a luscious dinner table created by Bengt Carling. Having eaten, the eldest drummers (born in the twenties) entered the stage and started a slow dignified rhythm. Gradually the stage was filled by younger and younger drummers in front of a sold out Fasching. Swedish, european, asian, african, south american drummers who had never played together before. The evening was quite lovely.
Photographer Per Björn who was working at Aftonbladet at the time just gave me some photos he had taken at the first STRIKE in 2000.
The drummers were:
Hassan Bah, Badi Bangoura, Bengt Berger, Tommy Björk, Christer Bothén, Rune Carlsson, Alfredo Chacon, Micke Emsing, Åke Eriksson, André Ferrarri, Thomas Mera Gartz, Fredrik Gille, Jonas Holgersson, Ahmadu Jarr, Peter Johannesson, Martin Jonsson, Anita Livstrand, Anders Loughin, Ali Lundbohm, Johan Löfcrantz, Martin Löfgren, Gilbert Matthews, Werner Modiggård, Abdo Nairoui, Micke Nilsson, Liselotte Norelius, Fredrik Norén, Sebastian Notini, Magnus Persson, Ola Ragnar, Fredrik Rundqvist, Rafael Sida, Jonas Sjöblom,Bosse Skoglund, Sune Spångberg, Bengt Stark, Stoffe Sundlöf, Bosse Söderberg, Per Tjernberg, Sebastian Voegler, Henrik Wartel, Micke Wennergrund, Sebastian Åberg, Morgan Ågren, Anders Åstrand, Magnus Öström
Here is a sound clip from the evening
And here is a film clip:
The next year we did it again, this time at Nalen in Stockholm. Luckily Karaikudi Mani Iyer and his Sruti Laya were in town for concerts so they joined us, as did the classical Kroumata ensemble. Sruti Laya, from left Allam Durgaprasad, V. Suresh, Karaikudi Mani Iyer, P.S. Purushottam, P.S. Purushottam, Srirangam Kannan and B.V. Balasai
In 2002 we did it for the third and last time at “The World Smallest Jazz festival in Margaretaparken but there are no pictures as far as I know.
