«Viltvarning» (Wild Life Alert) documents a historic live performance of Swedish master drummer-percussionist Bengt Berger and his little big band at the Fasching jazz club in Stockholm from November 2002. The idea was to have an evening around the theme of wildlife, with a game menu and musicians who embraced the wild spirit of the evening. The special wildlife menu was created by Bengt Carling and Berger and his little big band began the evening by hypnotizing the audience, coaxing them into experiencing the presence of a live elk passing through the club during the evening. There was even an «elk guarantee», stating that if anyone from the audience did not see an elk he or she would get their money back. Since nobody asked for that, an elk must have passed through the room during the evening. Accordingly, «Viltvarning» was released in October 2021, at the beginning of Sweden’s hunting season of the elk.
The little big band featured some of the hottest and adventurous Swedish jazz musicians at the time – Berger and a second drummer, Martin Jonsson, two bassists – Torbjörn Zetterberg and Per-Ola Landin, keyboard wizard Mats Öberg, guitarist Göran Klinghagen, three sax players – Thomas Gustafsson, Jonas Knutsson and the late David Wilczewski, trumpeter and accordionist Thomas Hallonsten and the lovely vocalist Lina Nyberg.
«Viltvarning» documents the whole performance, two sets and almost two hours of festive and jubilant music that blended ecstatic free jazz with electro-funk, swinging polkas and seductive cabaret songs. Bengt and his little big band knew how to build emotional, evocative drama and how to lead the audience after the mysterious elks throughout this performance. You can sense clearly the joyful-communal spirit that enchanted the musicians and, no doubt, clearly hypnotized the audience. The two hours of fine music fly fast and only then you may remember that you missed your promised elk dish.
Eyal Hareuveni
Bengt Berger (dr), Thomas Gustafsson (ss, ts), Tomas Hallonsten (tp, harmonica), Martin Jonsson (dr), Göran Klinghagen (g), Jonas Knutsson (ss, as, bs), Pär-Ola Landin (b), Lina Nyberg (v, perc), David Wilczewski (fl, ss, ts), Torbjörn Zetterberg (b), Mats Öberg (keys, v)
