Sven-Åke Johansson
Painting of Sven-Åke Johansson by Anton Bruhen.
Born 1943, Mariestad, Sweden; lived in Berlin since 1968. Drums, percussion, accordion, song, voice, poetry, composition.
One of the earliest free percussionists in Europe, Sven-Åke Johansson was the drummer on
Peter Brötzmann's first self-produced trio recording and, along with
Han Bennink, contributed to the marvellous, audacious and joyful
noise that was Machine gun. From working with
Alex von Schlippenbach in the Manfred Schoof group, the two musicians went
on to work together as a piano/percussion, accordian duo with some voice, gradually moving - if the
recordings are anything to go by - to a concentration on piano/voice, culminating in the improvisations of
...über Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel.
Sven-Åke Johansson
has performed in many varied groups but his recordings do not always indicate this range. His is a
theatricality of musicianship that has to be seen in concert and, for example, the second solo record,
Schallplatten und plastikblumen, while well recorded loses quite a lot in its transfer to the
living room. But also, particularly in recent years, Johansson has been criminally under-recorded, until a batch of releases on Hat Art in the late 1990s/early 2000s. This may be a result of him being an artist
difficult to pigeon-hole for, in addition to improvisation he also works
with composed music.
As an artist, he has contributed to various exhibitions and created CD and LP covers, a recent (2002) example being the drawings for Alessandro Bosetti's Pinocchio CD.
A list of compositions are presented below and, further down, some reactions to a
concert by the trio of Rüdiger Carl, Hans Reichel and Sven-Åke Johansson in 1995.
Compositions
- Cirkelmusik für grosses orchester (1968)
- Paul Lincke Musik für kleines Ensemble (1977)
- 1 bis 10 minus für schlagzeug und bläser (1979) (recorded on FMPS17)
- Harke und spaten. Musikalisches Bühnenspeil für Sänger und Ensemble (1983)
- Italienische Verkehrsverständigung für 7 holzbläser (1983)
- ...über Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel (1986)
- Konsumdelikatessware I-X für Holzblasinstrumente, Schlagwerk und Akkordeon (1988) (recorded on Intakt CD 016)
- Das telephonbuchstück für zwei "Gelbe Seiten" (1989)
- Solostück für Concertbecken nach Blättern von Lorenz-Matthhias Seitz (1990)
- Wagenstück für sextett (1990)
- 22 miniaturen für akkordeonorcheter (1991)
- Wegen überfüllung bereits geschlossen (1992) Kammerstüuck für 2 gesangsstimmen, bandoneon, klarinette, klavier, kontrabass und schlagzeug
- Flötenquartett (1992)
- WePa (1993) solostück für kartonangen
- Dillquist. Musikalisch-szenisches Stück mit einer Pause (1993)
- Drei und vier für flöte und schlagzeug (1994) (recorded on Beoton WO 0609)
- Klingend und festgehalten - fünf stationen für comboschlagzeug (1995)
- Sechs kleine stücke (1995) für quintett (recorded on hatOLOGY 538
- Bom-Zeke-Bom (1995) für septet
- Modernismen lassen sich moderieren (1996) für septet (recorded on Beoton WO 0609)
- Tankstellen bilden im saitengewirr (1996) für schlagwerk und piano
- Konzert für zwölf traktoren (1996) (recorded on Beoton WO 0609)
- Vom gleichwertigen und ungleichwertigen (1997) für klavier solo (recorded on hat[now]ART 121)
- Einen staubigen klang finden (1998) für trumpet, bass clarinet, violin and double bass
- 3 solo stücke für Zion (1998/9)
- Tüüt (1998) radiohörstück realised by saarl rundfunk
- Gurkenstück (1999)
- Konzert für MC (H-D) und gemischtem chor 2000
- Bessunger miniaturen (I-IV) für 6 instrumente 2000
- Trilogie für windgeneratoren 2001 radiohörstück realised by deutschlandradio
- Seewetter 69 2001 radiohörstück realised by deutschlandradio
- Polis, wachs und pomade 2001 kammerstück für streicher, bläser und stimme
Photograph copyright Kai Bienert kbienert65@aol.com
Carl/Reichel/Johansson in concert, 1995
The trio of Carl/Reichel/Johansson played an intriguing set at Free Music XXII at Antwerp in August 1995.
While this is no doubt a trio of individualists, the music was integrated to a level that might be
suggested by the length of time the three have played together in a variety of circumstances over the years.
One of the intriguing elements was the purely visual: Reichel, dressed in dark colours assuming a
disinterested look, maybe having trouble with one of the spotlights shining into his face; Carl, also
seated, body hidden by the large black and shiny silver accordion, face at times contorted, expressing
complete involvement with the music and rather at odds with his sober appearance (light coloured shirt
and slacks, tie), clarinet standing there isolated, untouched throughout the performance; and Johansson,
smart, green-shirted with braces, on his feet the whole time and very much the focus of attention moving
between two drums (one of them a large bass drum),
two cymbals, a piece of cardboard packing case mounted on a stand, two large hand cymbals, a small red
accordion and an array of household odds and ends dragooned into percussive use.
The dynamics of the
music did not vary greatly throughout the performance and neither did the tempo, the variety and interest
coming largely from the interplay between the three musicians. Time was suspended on several occasions
only to be interrupted by that type of accordian sound that Hollywood uses to signify a walk by the Seine
or, again, by a horse-trotting scene from a Western, this time coming from Reichel, but each time the
pastiche was taken to new pastures by the musicians and not simply played straight or for laughs. But
laughs were also provided, particularly by the theatricality of Johansson, standing upright waiting almost
impatiently for
just the right moment to crash his enormous hand cymbals and then putting them gently down unsounded; or,
towards the end of the performance, pouring a handful of something from a tube, cupping it to his
mouth and then using a pea-shooter to send the peas bouncing off his own kit and that of another,
previously lying untouched at the back of the stage. His recitative vocals also appeared to amuse
some of the audience but, unfortunately, were unintelligible to this Englishman. And there was also the sandpaper
and plastic blocks or brushes dragged across the horizontal drum surfaces, making the bowing of cymbals
almost ordinary by comparison. 30 years ago they used to say that Elvis Presley could sing the telephone
directory and his fans would buy it; Sven-Åke Johansson did better than that (much better): he played a
cardboard television packing case and made it musical.
I suspect that not all
the performance was freely improvised and that some elements may have been suggested beforehand,
particularly by Carl (as suggested in the sleeve notes to Blue Goo Park)
but at all times it was the interplay of the three musicians that was most important, whether playing as
a trio or in the various duet combinations of both instruments and musicians. An excellent concert.
Recordings
- 1967, For Adolphe Sax, BRO 1/FMP 0080. Brötzmann/Kowald/Johansson.
- 1967, For Adolphe Sax, UMS/ALP230CD. As BRÖ 1/FMP 0080 with extra track.
- 1967, Usable past, Olof Bright OBLP 1. Brötzmann/Kowald/Johansson.
- 1967, Manfred Schoof Sextett, Wergo WER 80003.
- 1967, The early quintet, FMP 0540. Manfred Schoof.
- 1967, Globe Unity 67 & 70, Atavistic/Unheard Music Series. Globe Unity Orchestra.
- 1968-1972, Berlin Symphonie, Olof Bright OBCD 14-15. Moderne Nordeuropäische Dorfmusik.
- 1968, Machine gun, FMP CD24. The Peter Brötzmann Octet.
- 1968, The complete machine gun sessions, ALP262CD. Peter Brötzmann Octet.
- 1968, Fuck de Boere, UMS/ALP211CD. Peter Brötzmann Nonet.
- Orangutan, E 06-34163.
- 1969, Westberliner stadtmusik 1969, SO-2.
- 1969, Westberliner stadtmusik 1969 I-IV, Leiterwagen Records LWR 16.
- 1972, Schlingerland/Dynamische schwingungen, FMP SAJ 01/UMS/ALP212CD.
- 1974, Canadian cup of coffee, FMP SAJ 02.
- 1976, Schlippenbach & Johansson live at the Quartier Latin, FMP 0310.
- 1977, Kung Bore, FMP0520.
- 1976/77, Live 1976/77, FMP CD 111. CD re-issue of above two LPs minus one track.
- 1979, Drive, FMP0810.
- 1979, Idylle und katastrophen, Po Torch PTR/JWD 6. Schlippenbach/Johansson/Altena/Bailey/ Christmann/Fuchs/Lovens/Natvig.
- 1979, Sven-Åke Johansson mit dem NMUI im SO 36 '79, FMP S17.
- 1979, Sven-Åke Johansson mit dem NMUI im SO 36 '79, Olof Bright OBCD10/GROB650. Full version of concert previously released on FMP S17.
- 1979, Up and down the lion - revised, Olof Bright OBCD 26. Brötzmann/Schlippenbach/Johansson.
- 1982, Bergisch-Brandenburgisches Quartett, Amiga 856031. With Carl/Reichel/Petrowsky.
- 1982, Kalfactor A. Falke, FMP0970.
- 1982, Instant replay, nato 25/32. With Lol Coxhill and Annick Nozati.
- 1984, Schallplatten und plastikblumen FMP S12. Solo.
- 1984, Night and day FMP S13. Schlippenbach/Johansson/Carl/Oliver.
- 1984, Blind aber hungrig - norddeutsche gesänge, FMP S15.
- 1985, Fünfunddreissigvierzig, FMP 1080.
- 1986, The Berlin station, FMP SAJ-57. With Phil Minton.
- 1986, ...über Ursache und Wirkung der Meinungsverschiedenheiten beim Turmbau zu Babel, FMP S20/21. Schlippenbach/Johansson/LeBarron/Honsinger/Baumgart/Fuchs/Lovens
- 1986, Magnetische hunde, FMP S19. Duo with Per-Henrik Wallin.
- 1988 Konsumdelikatessware, Intakt CD016. Duo wiht Dietmar Diesner.
- 1989, Tjo och tjim, Dragon DRLP 192.
- 1990, Test record, United music of marantz UMOM 1. Duo with Rüdiger Carl.
- Versuch der rekonstruktion einer vergangenen zeit, FMP S24.
- 1992, Night and Day plays them all, Edition Artelier Graz 6CD set. Night and Day.
- 1994, Smack up again, Two Nineteen Records 2-19-002.
- 1995, Klingend und festgehalten, SAJ CD(R)6. Solo.
- 1996, Kompositionen, Beoton WO 0609.
- 1997, Enfants terribles, hat[now]ART 121. Includes one composition by SAJ played by Steffen Schleiermacher.
- 1997, Djungelmusik med sång, Häpna H.2. Duo of Carl/Johansson.
- 1997, Bahn und Boot, algencd 023. Duo of Johansson/Sandell.
- 1998, Rearcar - Rearprojection 3, Lieterwagen Records LWR 15. Solo track on compilation CD.
- 1998, Sven-Åke Johansson's Ol' Man Rebop Ensemble, SAJ CD(R)1.
- 1999, Six little pieces for quintet, hatOLOGY 538.
- 1999, Barcelona series, hatOLOGY 559. With Axel Dörner/Andrea Neumann.
- 1999, Solo, SAJ CD(R)5.
- 2000, Proklamation I, hatOLOGY 563. With Per Henrik Wallin.
- 2001, Total Music Meeting 2001: Audiology - 11 groups live in Berlin, A/L/L002. One solo track on this compilation CD.
- 2001, Hudson Riv, GROB 542. Johansson/Carl/Williamson.
- 2001, I hear music, SAJ CD(R)3. Rebop Ensemble Berlin.
- 2002, Santa Fé, Eventuell EVTL02 (LP). Burkhard Beins/Sven-Åke Johansson.
- 2006, Beirut-Ystad, Olof Bright OBCD 16-17.