VARIOUS ARTISTS – Tvärsnitt (Caprice, 1978)

Featured artists: Hayena Band / Kattegatt / Claes Wettebrandts Trio / Vågspel / Puls / Boojwah Kids / Krubbits / Alter Ego / Marulk / Änglaspel
Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

The still active Caprice Records were very active pushing unknown bands to public attention, releasing a fair number of various artists compilations in the 70s apart from their regular output of folk music, jazz and contemporary composers. Albums such as ”Det nyjazzte från Göteborg”, ”Jazz och rockstipendiater 1976”, ”Jazz och rock”, and even ”Gatumusik från Stockholm sommaren 76” reveal their consideration of yet unsigned acts. Some remained unsigned, or were forced to release music on their own to make a mark outside of Caprice's release schedule, while others got a more or less prolific career such as Änglaspel, Boojwah Kids and Claes Wetterbrandts Trio. Kattegatt had an interesting album out on their private label, while the exceptional Hayena Band and symph rockers Alter Ego (later Alter Echo) had to wait decades before finally reaching out to the public with archival releases. Vågspel, Puls, Krubbits and Marulk were less fortunate and soon disappeared in obscurity.

”Tvärsnitt” is appropriately subtitled ”13 unga svenska jazz- och rockgrupper 1978” (=”13 young Swedish jazz and rock groups 1978”), so expect some diversity in style here, ranging from prog rock to average piano jazz. But the general competence level is high – some too competent for their own good, emphasizing skill over emotional content, but some of it is in fact quite good. I've already singled out Hayena Band as way above average, and Kattegatt were indeed interesting. The track from Puls starts out as pedestrian jazz fusion but suddenly bursts with heavy Miles Davis energy circa '71-'72. Boojwah Kids are what they are, but if you're into them, their ”Gul sak som känns” is a welcome addition to their small output.

If you don't expect absolute consistency, then ”Tvärsnitt” is a fairly worthwhile compilation with the odd surprise hidden away in the tracklist. 

Hayena Band - Puerto Tune  
Alter Ego - Innan strax före  

KATTEGATT – Alla barnen går en sväng! (Selma Rec, 1981)

 Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

A Gothenburg band that's not widely known today although they commissioned music for Ungdomsradion (=”the youth radio”) for the Swedish national broadcasting company in the late 70s. The songs commented on current topics with blatant political lyrics.

The members were only around 15 years old when Kattegatt began in 1976/77, all self-taught and making up their songs collectively during endless rehearsal sessions in the Gårda part of Gothenburg. Their 'modest' ambition was to make a kind of music no-one had ever heard before... but being inspired by the likes of Genesis, Frank Zappa and Samla Mammas Manna, it was clear they ended up with something well adjusted to progressive rock. But teenagers sometimes grow apart as the years go by, and once it was time for their lone, self-released album, they had all developed divergent interests. So the curiously titled ”Alla barnen går en sväng!” (=”all children go for a stroll!”) was really the beginning of the end and not the start of a continious recording career..

The many hours spent in their rehearsal room must have payed off quite well because the LP is a pretty accomplished work roughly in a fusion style. You can clearly tell the influence from 70s era Zappa from the sudden time shifts here and there, and there are indeed dashes of skewed Samla Mammas Manna humour.

Not everything here is successful. I could have done without the Caribbean moves on the first two selections, and the vocal tracks on side 2 drag a bit. But Kattegatt's joy of playing shines through on most tracks which makes this curious LP one of the more entertaining examples of Swedish fusion. They're certainly not choking on their own self-importance simply because they don't take themselves too seriously. There, an anachronistic lesson to be learnt here by many other fusionists so full of themselves that they forgot how to smile the very second they picked up their instruments.

Not a brilliant album, but one fun enough to pull out every fourth year or so.

Drummer and percussionist Mårten Tisselius actually joined Samla Mammas Manna's Von Zamla incarnation later on before joining Lars Hollmer in his Looping Home Orchestra together with Kattegatt keyboardist Sven Jansson. Singer/guitarist Staffan Ahlbom had a couple of solo singles out in the mid 80s on Transmission (the reformed version of Nacksving) before turning to studio production along with Sven Jansson recording some rather well-known Swedish bands in the 90s and 00s. They also had the Helikopter label connected to the studio and released quite a few albums in the early/mid 90s.

All previous members have stayed in touch and they still meet for some unpretentious jamming at their old rehearsal space. A full-time Kattegatt reunion is ruled out according to themselves, but a compilation of thirteen tracks called ”The Gårda Tapes” was released digitally in 2023. Still quirky, but nowhere near as charming as their original LP.

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