Cool Funeral Beer: Day 1 – The Creation of the Final Ancestor Shrine

This is the first instalment of a remarkable three-part project of music inspired by traditional funeral ceremonies in Ghana. The music may be African inspired but composer Bengt Berger draws on his vast experience of global music and jazz. As a drummer, Berger performed frequently with jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who participated in the first outing of the Bitter Funeral Beer Band, which was started in the 80s. This newly recorded extended suite of music is performed by an orchestra of 24, which he describes as “most of my favourite musicians.”

The diverse musical elements blend remarkably well together as the orchestra switches between jazz, African percussive passages and Indian classical melodies. Berger has an extensive knowledge of classical Indian music and his compositions reflect this, particularly on the exquisite raga ‘Chalnut’. This is just the first of a three-part suite and the intention is to complete the three cycles during the next couple of years. For now, this stunning first cycle is available as a download and can also be seen in rehearsal on YouTube.