Puneet Varma (Editor)

Bitter Funeral Beer

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Released
  
1981

Length
  
43:02

Artist
  
Bengt Berger

Producer
  
Manfred Eicher

Genre
  
Jazz

Recorded
  
January 1981

Bitter Funeral Beer (1981)
  
Praise Drumming (1987)

Release date
  
1981

Label
  
ECM Records

Bitter Funeral Beer httpsecmreviewsfileswordpresscom201110bit

Jazz albums
  
Eternal Now, Organic Music Society, The Golden Age of Ap, Loved Ones, Ballads by Cobb

Bitter funeral beer


Bitter Funeral Beer is an album by Swedish ethnomusicologist, drummer, and composer Bengt Berger recorded in 1981 and released on the ECM label.

Contents

Reception

The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick awarded the album 4½ stars stating "the combination of stunningly gorgeous repeating themes and inspired improvising make one wish the music would never stop. This recording, though little known, is one of the very finest items ever released by ECM. While wonderful in and of itself, it might also serve as a fine introduction to West African music, albeit via a circuitous route through Stockholm".

Track listing

All traditional compositions arranged by Bengt Berger
  1. "Bitter Funeral Beer" - 9:18
  2. "Blekete" - 3:05
  3. "Chetu" - 3:20
  4. "Tongsi" - 5:03
  5. "Darafo/Funeral Dance (Dar Kpee)" - 22:16
  • Recorded at Decibel Studios in Stockholm, Sweden in January 1981

    • Personnel

  • Bengt Berger - xylophone (ko-gyil - Lo Birifor funeral xylophone)
  • Don Cherry - pocket trumpet
  • Tord Bengtsson - violin, electric guitar
  • Jörgen Adolfsson - violin, sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone
  • Tommy Adolfsson - trumpet
  • Christer Bothen - bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
  • Thomas Mera Gartz - violin, tenor saxophone, drums
  • Matthias Hellden - cello
  • Ulf Wallander - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone;
  • Kjell Westling - sopranino saxophone, bass clarinet
  • Sigge Krantz - electric guitar, bass, electric bass;
  • Bosse Skoglund - drums;
  • Anita Livstrand - voice, bells, axatse (rattle)

    • Songs

    1Bitter Funeral Beer9:16
    2Blekete3:05
    3Chetu3:20

    References

    Bitter Funeral Beer Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA