Björn Alke’s Quartet

Björn Alke’s Quartet was founded in 1973, and performed, from the very beginning, a highly personal music: intimate, coherent, and swinging chamber jazz, based on a repertoire largely composed by the musicians themselves. In the autumn of 1973, Björn Alke’s Quartet won the award “Jazz in Sweden” and got to release their debut album on Caprice Records in 1974. Björn Alke played the double bass and led the quartet, a versatile and active jazz group performing at concerts, festivals, and jazz clubs. The group also did a tour to daycare centers and schools across the country.


Björn Alke (1938-2000) started playing the double bass in the mid 1950’s in Sundsvall, completely self-taught as his main instrument was the violin. And even though he initiated studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, to become a classical violin soloist, the jazz music – and with it, the double bass – eventually took over, and his entrance on the Swedish jazz scene luckily coincided with the rapid and fundamental change in the role of the double bass in jazz music. It was no longer just an accompanying support for wind players and pianists, but an equal voice in the ensemble. This suited Alke like a glove, and he became something of a sensation: a powerful, ingenuous, and jerky accompanist and a playful, bold, and imaginative soloist.

Björn Alke: double bass, violin
Gunnar Bergsten: soprano and baritone saxophone, flute
Fredrik Norén: percussion
Göran Strandberg: piano, electric piano

Tecnician: Rune Persson
Producer: Lars Westin.
Cover painting: Elisabeth af Geijerstam

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Show playlist

    • 1.
      Klagosång till Bertil Zachrisson Music: Björn Alke
      1'10

    • 2.
      Blues för Ann-Katrin Music: Börje Fredriksson
      5'33

    • 3.
      Nepal Music: Gunnar Bergsten
      8'58

    • 4.
      Elegie Music: Göran Strandberg
      2'54

    • 5.
      Kitten on the Keys Music: Zez Confrey
      0'59

    • 6.
      Intakt Music: Göran Strandberg
      7'17

    • 7.
      Wienerkorven Music: Björn Alke
      0'53

    • 8.
      Gun Music: Björn Alke
      6'34

    • 9.
      Kommunisten Music: Gunnar Bergsten
      5'15

  • Total playtime 56'00
Digital // CAP 21841 // Jazz in Sweden // Jazz // Releasedate: 5 March, 2015