Christer Bothén
Serpentine
After the wild Afro-jazz fusion of Trancedance (reissued as BT118) and the meditative solo Christer Bothén Donso n’goni (BT133), legendary Swedish multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothén returns to Black Truffle as part of a dream quartet completed by the three members of Ghosted: Oren Ambarchi (guitar), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums). Recorded at a rustic studio built by Werliin and Hans Fredriksson in the sylvan surrounds of Hamburgsund, Sweden across a few days in September …
Rörane
Rörane showcases an adventurous blend of free improvisation and jazz-rooted exploration from Swedish experimental ensemble stalwarts. Recorded with bassist Nina de Heney, pianist Karin Johansson, and drummer Henrik Wartel, the project melds deep spontaneous interplay with Bothén’s decades-spanning creative voice in avant-improvised music. A boundary-pushing sonic journey that reflects both the collective’s empathic interplay and their shared drive toward expansive musical expression.
Christer Bothén Donso n’goni
Black Truffle is thrilled to present the first ever solo Donso n’goni recording from octogenarian Swedish multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothén. Active in the Swedish jazz and improvisation scene since the 1970s, often heard on bass clarinet, Bothén travelled to Mali in 1971, eventually making his way to the Wassoulou region in the country’s south where he encountered the Donso n’goni, the sacred harp of the hunter caste of Wassoulou society. Though playing the instrument has traditionally been …
Trancedance
Black Truffle is pleased to announce the first vinyl reissue of Trancedance, a wild slice of Swedish Afro-fusion from Christer Bothén, originally released in 1984. A major figure in Swedish jazz and improvised music since the 1970s, often heard on bass clarinet and tenor sax, Bothen studied doso n’koni (the large six-stringed ‘hunter’s harp’ of the Wasulu) in Mali in 1971-2 before turning to the guinbri (the three-stringed lute of the Gnawa/Gnauoua) in Marakesh later in the decade. In between, h…
Ambrosia
Don Cherry collaborator and Bolon Bata founder Christer Bothén (b. 1941) delivers three CDs devoted to his highly personal expression on the bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet. To quote the artist himself: ”Those empty pipes have possibilities enough to cover several lives”. Sounds and silences are delicately carved out in different acoustic spaces, from a rainy soundscape in Spain to a peculiarly resonating church in Sweden. The album also includes a composition inspired by Tarkovskij’s mast…
Omen
I associate Christer Bothén with a Maestro. I look upon him as a Maestro. A true MAESTRO. Of music. Of Life. A Maestro needs pupils. And pupils need a Maestro. To be given perspectives on Music and Life. It works both ways. It is a sharing of ideas and previous experiences. In order to make music NOW and onwards. In order to live. This is old school. And this is the way it works. And HAS to work. The true mechanics of artistic work and a creative way of living. We learn from other people. From t…
Ljudskulptur För 5 Kontrabasklarinetter 5 Qaraqeb & Elektronik
Christer Bothén is a main character in the Swedish improv, jazz and world music scene. He studied music in Mali and Morocco in the 70s and collaborated w Don Cherry. Bothén has been active in bands like Bitter Funeral Beer Band, FIRE! Orchestra, Mats Gustafson NU Ensemble, Spjärnsvallet and Bolon Bata. We are very proud to work with him on this exclusive vinyl LP release.