Quite a few of my musical and spiritual firends, teachers and fathers have left this world during the last few years, in Sweden as well as in India and Ghana, where I have learned so much about life and music.
I have chosen to make this album a moment of farewell and consolation, a Cool Funeral Beer. That is how I feel about this music, but feel free to experience it in a different way if you wish.
Among the musicians you will notice the fantastic Indian brothers K. Shivakumar and K. Sridhar on violin and sarod respectively. They are playmates of mine since my studies in India in the sixties, and it's a treat to hear them outside the strictly classical idiom.
Roland Keijser, with whom I've been playing almost as long, is featured on bamboo flute and tenor sax. The eminent Tommy Johnsson is playing acoustic bass. From Enteli, the Swedish folk/jazz/world super group, you will find Ale Möler on trumpet and Jonas Knutsson on alto and baritone sax.
Completing the list of musicians are Anders Andersson and Per Winqvist on musical saws and Ola Ragnar on gourd rattle.
My own instruments are tabla and tablatarang (a set of tuned tablas), amadinda (East African xylophone), waterphone (a metallic bottle filled with water and played with a bow) and drums. Since I'm in charge of this album, nobody could stop me from playing Hammond B3 on a couple of songs. - Bengt Berger
