Jon Ben Berger is an american artist living in Uppsala. He is a legendary musician himself. He has also had many experiences during his long life as an active musician since the sixties. He socilaized with musicians in New York City in the sixties and seventies and he attended the Woodstock festival in 1969.
The original articel in swedish:
Jons latest music, that he just recently recorded in his own studio, is now beeing finalized in a proffesional studio. In the end of this article a preview review of the coming album is published. One of the songs is Jons awesome version of Cornelis Vreeswijks "Somliga går med trasiga skor" translated to english and interpreted by Jon.
Jon Ben Berger at Katalin 2013 (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
I first crossed paths with Jon Ben Berger 8-10 years ago. I was curious about his music after I'd seen a post on Facebook. Since Jon is also living in Uppsala I contacted him and we decided to meet at a café. I bought some CDs with his recorded music from him and I directly senced that it was something unique and really great about his music, his lyrics, the songs and his voice and awsome guitarplaying.
I was impressed by his music, and already then I was wondering why he was not more generally known. Since then we have kept in touch. Jon has kept me updated when he's made some new music. When we have met, most of the times in Jons studio, he has told me the most interesting and awsome stories about his meetings with other musicians.
Martin Sörbom and Jon Ben Berger at Katalin 2013 (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
Jon Ben Berger was born in 1946 and spent his first years in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Wappingers Falls, NY after a few years, where his parents started a Music and Arts Camp. During parts of the sixties and seventies Jon was living at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Chelsea Hotel on the Manhattan is a famous place for artists and musicians to stay. Many famous artists have lived there during the years, for example Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith and Bob Dylan.
Jon certainly got many experiences and exciting meetings during his time there.
- Leonard Cohen and I could sit for hours in the lobby without really speaking to eachother. We nodded with agreement to eachother when somebody passed by or something happened. Cohen was dressed in a suit and often wore a tie while I more or less looked like a hippie, Jon remembers. At one time a group of jamaicans, that just arrived to New York, stepped out of a taxicab. At first Jon did not know who they were, but as it was they were Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Jon released a single in 1966 and a LP-album in 1967 under the name of Toby Ben. (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
Jon also met Jimi Hendrix at a party at Jons manager Monte Kays place. It was at Jimi Hendrix birthdayparty November 27, 1969. Jon and Jimi started to talk and Jon wanted to show and play his song "All for the time to be young" to Jimi. Jimi grabbed Jons twelve stringed electric Dobro guitar and since he was lefthanded he played it upsidedown without any difficulties. The same night the Rolling Stones performed at the Madison Square Gardens and after the show they showed up at the party.
- All of a sudden Mick Jagger sat crosslegged on the floor right in front of Jimi and myself when we were jamming. Keith Richards wanted to buy my guitar but it wasn't for sale, says Jon.
Jimi Hendrix liked Jons song and made plans to record it in the Electric Ladyland studios for his coming album. Unfortunately Jimi Hendrix tragic death happened before it became reality. An other artist that also died only a few weeks after Jimi Hendrix was Janis Joplin. Jon remembers when he went in to the bar "El Quijote" that was situated close to the Chelsea Hotel.
- Janis was there with some of her hangers on. She started to sing a line of her new song "Mercedes Benz" and her company gave her a hard time about the song that they did not care for. Janis moved closer to where I was and we started to talk says Jon and continues, the next evening Tony Williams Lifetime was going to play in town. Janis knew that my manager Monte Kay also was Tony Williams manager. She asked me to arrange for her to come with me to the concert.
After the gig Janis and Jon got to come in backstage to meet Tony Williams and his other musicians that were Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin and Larry Young.
Jon Ben Berger at home in his studio. (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
Jon noticed how sick Janis looked and in what bad shape she was. Jon tried to make her management with Albert Grossman at the top, to take the pressure off her and help her to get some medical aid as soon as possible. They didn't listen to Jon and soon there after she was dead and unfortunately what Jon feared became reality.
Jon is a person that always is following his inner voice and goes his own way. One windy Thanksgiving night, in the early sixties he drove to the folksinger Pete Seegers house in Beacon, New York. Jon had worked on writing yet another verse, that was about the Holocaust, for Seegers song "Bells of Rhymney" and wanted to know what Seegers thought about it. On his way there a tree had fallen across the road and Jon had to walk the last part of the road to Seegers house.
Once he got to the house Jon rang the doorbell. Pete Seegers wife opened the door and called for her husband. when Seegers heard that Jons guitar was still in the car by the fallen tree he went to get his axe. Pete Seegers and Jon then walked to the car and Seegers chopped up the tree so they could go back to the house. Pete Seegers liked Jons new verse and after that he invited Jon to come to Broadside Hotenannys in Greenwich Village. Artists like Buffy Saint Marie, Arlo Guthrie, Joni Mitchell, Dave van Ronk and others have been there at several occations.
Jon Ben Berger and Martin Sörbom. (Photo: Magnus Wegler)
When John decided that it was time to leave the Chelsea hotel, he got accomodation at a doctors place on Canal Street. Jon payed his rent by driving the doctor on his motorcycle when he was doing sick calls. One day they were going to a Mr. Davis. Walking through the large appartment they passed by a musicroom with a Slingerland drumkit. Jon also had one like it and was impressed by seeing it and other instruments. They finally entered a bedroom in the back of the appartment. In a big red bed Mr Davis was laying Mr. Miles Davis.
Jon, that was very surprised, sat down in a corner to be out of the way when the doctor examined Miles Davis. After a while Miles Davis spoke to Jon. "Hey kid, are you a drummer". Jon was wearing the same kind of shoes as the ones that Miles Davis drummer usually wore. Miles Davis also told Jon that he was welcome to attend a jamsession with him someday.
In the middle of the sixties Jon released some records in California under the artist name Toby Ben. I just got a hold of a single with Toby Ben Blues Band released on Columbia Records 1966 and the LP "Wake up to the Sunshine that he released as Toby Ben on Venture Records 1967.
Jon Ben Berger in conversation the Studio manager Willem Bleeker at Baggpipe. (Photo: Lars Bergh)
An other thrilling episode that Jon tells me about is when he went to the Woodstock festival. Jon got a chance to go early with some friends a few days before the festival started. He helped building stages and other things. Jon also carried conga-drums up on the stage right before Richie Havens were going to perform. Richie Havens also was Jons mentor and they played together at the Café Wah in New York. You can actually see Jon in a short sequence of the Woodstock movie. When I watched the movie on DVD a few years ago, I stopped the film and took a picture of Jon and sent it to Jon to ask if it was him, and it was.
Jon also remembers that they were afraid that the stage would sink in the mud when Sly and the Family Stone were playing and dancing on the stage, but it didn't. Another strong and somewhat magic memory of Jons, is when Ravi Shankar made the audience to think intensely and together that the rain should cease to fall,and it did while he was performing, then it started again after his gig. Jon also participated in the musical Hair at The Biltmore Theatre on Broadway during eight months.
Jon Ben Berger is playing his coming album for Uppsalanyheters reporter Pär Dahlerus. (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
When Jon first arrived to Sweden in the beginning of the eighties he also participataed in Bruno Wintzells version of Jesus Christ Superstar. Cornelis Vreeswijk played the roll of Herodes then, which is the ties that bind them together and also tie together the translation that Jon has now done of Cornelis song "Somliga går med trasiga skor" to english. "Worn out shoes" is one of the songs recorded for the new record that is soon to be released. It was Jons friend, Per Kristiansson, that gave him the idea to translate the song to english and record it in order to salute Cornelis that would have been 80 years old this year if he'd been alive.
Jon Ben Berger has just finished the final touches on his new album that goes under the working name"Find Love". On the album Jon is cooperating with his music-partner since 14 years, Martin Sörbom.
- Martin has been very important to me in the creation of this album as he also has for previous recordings that we have done, Jon says.
At another occasion Martin is telling Uppsalanyheter that he and Jon first met in 2003.
- A mutual friend gave Jon a hint about me, Martin says.
- Jon wanted to get out and do gigs in Europe, but I had just survived three years playing at Irish pubs all over the continent , 500 gigs I believe, so I did not really feel the call for that, Martin continues. Anyhow they still started playing as a duo in Uppsala and Stockholm. In 2008 they did their first recording together "Thank you for living your life".
- It was a magic time of recording and it turned out to become a very good album. It was after that recording that we found our common expression. An other important factor was a steady gig at St. Clara in the old town in Stockholm, where we played from 6-8 Friday nights. We succeded in building up a faithful audience that really listened to us. Jons music is, in spite of being powerful and sometimes rocking, very vulnerable and is demanding an audience of listeners, Martin says.
Finally here is a short review of the comimg album that I have been lucky enough to listen to in advance. The first listen I had together with Jon in his studio. Jon even told me that I was the first person that got to hear all the songs in a row. It was even the first time he did hear them in a consecutive order himself.
Uppsalanyheters reporter Pär Dahlerus in a "selfie" with Jon Ben Berger some years ago. (Photo: Pär Dahlerus)
The arrangements are very nice with great rhythms. Jon Ben Bergers wonderful, somewhat hoarse voice, together with his own and Martin Sörboms harmonious guitarplaying is the most important and central in the music. Jons great lyrics should be listened to. He has something to tell through them. On the album they are also accompanied by Mårten Korkman on contrabass and Tore Berglund on saxophone. Martin Sörbom is not only playing the guitar, he is also playing drums and percussion. Jon is doing some programming and is playing electric bass on some of the songs too.
Planned record cover to the coming single release, designed by the Berger Family.
With some reservation that the song order might be different on the final release. Here are my comments for each song.
1. Alma Moon
Is about Jons first grandchild that is living in Paris. Jon is a very proud grandfather and the distance between Uppsala and Paris is a bit to far. A song filled with warm feelings and happiness played with really fine guitar harmonies. Jon wrote the song before, during and after the terror attacks in Paris last year. It is one of my personal favourite songs.
2. Nature Girl
Jon made a rewrite of text and music to Nat King Coles hit Nature Boy. The music is in a nice samba beat. Martin Sörbom is playing flamenco-style sounding guitar. Jon is singing great as always with his smoth but also a little bit hoarse voice. Mårten Korkmans contrabass playing is really cool and sometimes he plays with a bow.
3. I want to dance
Wonderful guitar playing and Jons voice in several different harmonies. I have always thought that there is something with Jons voice that sounds like Stephen Stills. A song full of happiness that makes you wanna dance.
4. Old Man River
Jons own interpretaion of the classic Old Man River with new lyrics for the time we are living in. Jon is using his whole register of his great voice. The song is floating on a cool bass tune and nice guitar chords with a modern jazz feeling to it.
5. City of Tears
A great tune with lyrics about the city of Jerusalem and the ongoing conlict there.
6. Leather Briefcase
Is a tribute to Raul Wallenberg and his kind helping deeds, his fate and personal engagement in humanity. The arrangement is reminding me of something of Alan Parsons Project with a dramatic soundstage.
7. Worn Out Shoes
A magnicifent translation and interpretation of Cornelis Vreeswijks song "Somliga går med trasiga skor". The song is in a nice reggae tempo that is very captivating. The text is full of serious context regarding the injusticies in life. It is a wonderful rendition and version of the song that I believe Cornelis would have loved. A given favourite and radio hit!
8. The Artist
A lyric about the unknown artist that is playing for his audience without anybody knowing who he is. Many times those artists are at least as good or even better than more known artists. Wonderful saxophone playing by Tore Berglund together with the guitarplaying of Martin Sörbom. The tempo of the song is in a blues-like tempo and Jons is singing like he really has the blues. This is also one of my favourite tunes.
9. Find Love (make it worthwhile)
Is about everything you can believe in but in the end you have to find love and make it worthwhile. To be content with life and the people around you and to find love everywhere is the most important thing in life.
A final mix is now done to the album by the head studio technician Willem Bleeker at Baggpipe Studio (Earlier EMI studio where many international artists made recordings) Willem Bleeker says that the cooperation with Jon has been rewarding. Willem also just put the finishing mix to the new release of Anastacia.
I already can imagine that the album is going to be "Top of the Line" once the final touches have been done.
My review
is a solid 10/10 and would have been so even if I had not known Jon a little.
I would like to take a moment to thank Jon so much for trusting me and telling me all these great stories from his life. Also for letting me listen to the music at an early stage. It has been a dream fullfilled for a music lover like me and I sincerely hope that many more people will explore the music in Jon Ben Bergers world!
I finally hope that I did not make to many mistakes translating my own article, originally written in swedish.
