Archimedes Badkar -

Archimedes Badkar was a Swedish ethno/jazz-rock big band that was active for eight years, starting in 1972. The band self-released a 20-minute 7″ in 1973, followed by four albums on MNW between 1975 and 1978.

Members: Per Tjernberg [Per Cussion] (percussion, drums, keyboards), Jörgen Adolfsson (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, violin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandola, mandolin, clarinet, flute, recorder, percussion, gong), Mats Hellquist (guitar, bass), Pysen Eriksson (percussion, vibraphone), Anders Jonsson (drums), Bosse Nyman (congas), Per Lapins (bass), Christer Bjernelind (bass, mandolin, percussion, wind instruments), Tommy Adolfsson (trumpet, horns, percussion, drums), Kjell Andersson (percussion, clarinet), Peter Rönnberg (guitar), Anita Livstrand (tambourine), Bengt Berger (drums, percussion), Ingvar Karkoff (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Peter Ragnarsson [Peter Ek] (tabla, sarod, bass, percussion), Christer Bothén (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Sigge Krantz (guitar, bass)

Background

Archimedes Badkar formed in 1972 in Gröndal, Stockholm, when Per Tjernberg assembled a loose, expandable ensemble from the Swedish underground. The group drew in players from overlapping jazz, rock, folk, and improvising circles and developed a mutable lineup that could shift from small-group interplay to a much larger collective. Early on, the music joined jazz motion, Swedish folk material, rock energy, and a widening interest in African and other non-Western traditions, which gave the band a broad instrumental palette and an unusually open rhythmic language.

The band introduced itself with the 1973 self-released single Rumpstek, a two-track 7-inch EP cut live one winter evening that year. “Zeke Steppar” and “Oroa Dig Inte, Det Ordnar Sig Aldrig” already show the group’s early method: long-form pieces, live ensemble interplay, reeds and organ over a dense percussion bed, and a rough, collective attack. The record appeared in a very small pressing sold at concerts, with silkscreened artwork and a typed insert; sources differ on the exact quantity, giving either 100 or 200 copies.

“Badkar” is Swedish for bathtub. The name almost certainly plays on the old Archimedes image: Archimedes of Syracuse, the Greek mathematician, inventor, and natural philosopher who lived c. 287–212 BC, is traditionally pictured in the bath discovering buoyancy and leaping out with “Eureka.”

Badrock För Barn I Alla Åldrar

Archimedes Badkar released their debut album, Badrock För Barn I Alla Åldrar, in June 1975 on MNW. Badrock packs electric guitars, reeds, trumpet, keyboards, hand percussion, and small struck instruments into short pieces and multipart suites that keep changing shape. The title translates as Bathrobe for Children of All Ages.

Their lineup features guitarists Mats Hellqvist and Peter Rönnberg, keyboardist-percussionist Per Tjernberg (organ, piano, electric piano, kalimba, marimba, vibraphone), bassist-guitarist Christer Bjernelind, drummer-percussionist Kjell Andersson (temple block, bells), percussionist Pysen Eriksson (congas, tambourine, wood block), reed-string player Jörgen Adolfsson (soprano and tenor saxophone, mandolin, acoustic guitar), and trumpeter Tommy Adolfsson. Guests extend the palette with talking drum, flute, timbales, choir, and extra bell color.

Badrock För Barn I Alla Åldrar opens with three compact pieces that pull in different directions. “Det Stod En Kärring Uppå Torget” snaps into place with a tight, clipped ensemble line, “Kalimba / Från Gröndals Djupa Skogar” leans on hand percussion and folk-like motion, and “Sweet Love” runs hot on tense sax-led pressure. “Wago-Gozeze” stretches that approach into a long, slow climb: a steady bass figure and small struck sounds hold the floor while the sax enters gradually, rises through repeated patterns, and locks the piece into a trance-like pulse.

The remaining side moves through shorter linked episodes with sharp contrast. “Yelir” keeps to a light reed texture, “Samepojkens Jaktlåt” strips down to interlaced guitar lines, and “Mister X” charges out fast before opening into a piano break. “Sammansmältningen” returns to the suspended pull of the long-form pieces with twin saxes circling above a patient rhythmic base, while “A Love Supreme” drives its theme through a compact, forceful arrangement. “Järnet!” pushes ahead on wah-toned guitar over a hard rhythmic line, “Den Badande Gurun” flashes by at a headlong pace, and “Morgonstjärnan” starts in a slow guitar haze before gathering weight into a sax-led rise.

A1. “Det Stod En Kärring Uppå Torget” [There Stood an Old Woman in the Square] (2:06) — Tjernberg
A2a. “Kalimba / Från Gröndals Djupa Skogar” [Kalimba / From Gröndal’s Deep Forests] (0:40) — Tjernberg
A2b. “Sweet Love” (3:23) — Tjernberg
A3. “Wago-Gozeze” (3:10) — Bjernelind
A4a. “Yelir” (13:28) — Badkaret
A4b. “Samepojkens Jaktlåt” [The Sami Boy’s Hunting Song] (1:30) — Bjernelind
A4c. “Del Tre” [Part Three] (3:18) — Adolfsson

B1. “Låt Tusen Taxar Springa” [Let a Thousand Dachshunds Run] (2:50) — Adolfsson
B2. “Mister X” (3:26) — Tjernberg
B3. “Sammansmältningen” [The Fusion] (5:00) — Hellqvist
B4. “A Love Supreme” (3:25) — John Coltrane
B5. “Järnet!” [The Iron!] (2:09) — Badkaret
B6. “Den Badande Gurun” [The Bathing Guru] (1:15) — Andersson
B7. “Morgonstjärnan” [The Morning Star] (5:20) — Bjernelind
B8. “Repris” [Reprise] (1:36) — Tjernberg

Archimedes Badkar recorded Badrock För Barn I Alla Åldrar at MNW Studio in Waxholm in December 1974, except “Yelir,” “Samepojkens Jaktlåt,” and “Del Tre,” which the band recorded in their Gröndal rehearsal room in May 1974, with engineers Affe Larsson, Kurt-Åke Stefan, and Tommy Berkert.

Per Tjernberg designed the main cover and Matts G. Bengtsson handled the booklet cover with typography by Malin Trollbäck and photographs by Bjarne Santesson, Gunnar Smoliansky, and Micke Ström. Each side of the original LP features locked runouts.

II

Archimedes Badkar released their second album, II, in October 1976 on MNW. The double album opens into longer pieces shaped by drone, chamber texture, folk melody, hand percussion, and slow ensemble movement.

Their lineup features reed-and-string player Jörgen Adolfsson (violin, soprano saxophone, mandola, recorder), keyboardist-percussionist Per Tjernberg (piano, electric piano, organ, clavinet, bendir, bells), bassist-gong player Christer Bjernelind, drummer Kjell Andersson (clay drums), percussionist Pysen Eriksson (finger cymbals, bells), keyboardist-cellist-guitarist Ingvar Karkoff, and trumpeter-percussionist Tommy Adolfsson. Guests broaden the palette with tambura, flute, bouzouki, tabla, and wood block, while traditional material feeds the album’s modal, meditative, and processional writing.

Archimedes Badkar II leans into long-form pieces built from drones, hand percussion, plucked strings, and slow thematic drift. “Förtryckets Sista Timme” and “Efter Regnet / Vattenfall” set the tone with sustained string color, low rhythmic motion, and a patient rise that favors repetition over sharp turns. “Jorden” carries a slightly cosmic cast, while “Charmante Yérévan, En Låt Från Armenien” cuts the pace down to a brisk, dance-shaped line with a lighter step.

“Afreaka II” unfolds at a measured pace and holds its tension through incremental change, and “Radio Tibet” opens with a stark horn call before widening into freer ensemble motion. “Två Världar” keeps that exploratory pull in a broad, open structure, while the closing side turns through compact folk-dance figures in “Jugoslavisk Dans,” a longer tabla-and-drone piece in “Indisk Folkmelodi Och Ett Tema Av Ingvar,” and the side-long weight of “Två Hundra Stolta År,” which closes the album in a spacious, hovering jam.

A1. “Förtryckets Sista Timme” [The Last Hour of Oppression] (11:17) — Badkaret, Jörgen Adolfsson
A2a. “Efter Regnet” [After the Rain] (10:20 total with A2b) — Christer Bjernelind
A2b. “Vattenfall” [Waterfall] (10:20 total with A2a) — Christer Bjernelind

B1. “Rebecca” (1:33) — Kjell Andersson
B2. “Jorden” [The Earth] (6:13) — Jörgen Adolfsson
B3. “Charmante Yérévan, En Låt Från Armenien” [Charming Yerevan, a Song from Armenia] (3:25) — traditional, arranged by Westling, Tjernberg
B4. “Afreaka II” (10:40) — Jörgen Adolfsson

C1. “Radio Tibet” (9:17) — Per Tjernberg, Tommy Adolfsson
C2. “Två Världar” [Two Worlds] (9:26) — Badkaret, Ingvar Karkoff

D1. “Jugoslavisk Dans” [Yugoslav Dance] (2:15) — Djaković
D2. “Indisk Folkmelodi Och Ett Tema Av Ingvar” [Indian Folk Melody and a Theme by Ingvar] (7:05) — Ingvar Karkoff, traditional; arranged by Badkaret
D3. “Två Hundra Stolta År” [Two Hundred Proud Years] (9:46) — Ingvar Karkoff, Jörgen Adolfsson; introduction by Per Tjernberg

Archimedes Badkar recorded “Afreaka II” on the night of December 12–13, 1974. The band recorded “Efter Regnet / Vattenfall” in March 1976. All other tracks were recorded during one week in December 1975 at Musiknätets Studio in Waxholm, with recording by the group, Curt-Åke Stefan, Jörgen Adolfsson, Tommy Berkert, and Torbjörn Falk.

Christer Bothén drew the front and back cover, Per Tjernberg handled the graphic design, and Gunnar Naeslund, Jörgen Adolfsson, Per Lapins, and Tjernberg supplied the photographs. The album appeared in a gatefold sleeve, and some copies included a two-page insert with Swedish liner notes. The notes advise that the records should be played at rather high volume.

Tre

Archimedes Badkar released their third album, Tre, in December 1977 on MNW. Tre tightens the group into a more acoustic, percussion-led ensemble built from hand drums, reeds, piano, plucked strings, thumb pianos, and regional folk instruments.

Their lineup features keyboardist-percussionist Per Tjernberg (piano, accordion, santoor, harmonium, marimba, kalimba), reed-and-string player Jörgen Adolfsson (clarinet, saxophones, flute, recorder, mandola, violin), bassist-string player Christer Bjernelind (electric bass, contrabass, bouzouki, slide guitar, panpipes), percussionists Bengt Berger (ghatam), Pysen Eriksson, and Peter Ragnarsson (tabla), trumpeter-percussionist Tommy Adolfsson, and reed-keyboard player Christer Bothén (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, piano, balafon). The writing draws on Indian, African, Greek, and Middle Eastern material and shapes it through long rhythmic cycles, drone-backed themes, and ensemble passages driven by texture and pulse.

Tre brings the band into a tighter, more deliberate shape. “Badidoom” opens with busy percussion, piano, and a forceful horn front line that keeps the piece in constant forward motion, while “Världens Liv” shifts into a looser field of natural sounds, winds, struck objects, and drifting acoustic detail. “Akombah” works as a dense percussion collage, and “Bhajan” settles into a measured tabla pulse with bright string color and violin entering over the top. “Slum” narrows the scale and lets piano set a somber line before drums, recorder, and then sax take the lead.

The second side returns to fine-grained texture in “Tumpianomusik,” then expands in “Svit: Pharoah – El Legend – Marrakech,” where piano, percussion, trumpet, and sax build from a steady opening into a fiercer stretch with hard reed cries near the midpoint. “Tzivaeri” eases the pace with clear, gently strummed strings and soft recorder lines, while “Nomader” closes the album on an ominous horn figure that gradually gathers mass and weight.

A1. “Badidoom” (11:17) — Bothén
A2. “Världens Liv” [The Life of the World] (10:20) — Badkaret
A3. “Akombah” (3:55) — Badkaret
A4. “Bhajan” (3:32) — Swami Haridas, arranged by Badkaret
A5. “Slum” (2:27) — Tjernberg

B1. “Tumpianomusik” [Thumb Piano Music] (1:57) — Adolfsson, Tjernberg
B2. “Svit: Pharoah – El Legend – Marrakech” [Suite: Pharoah – El Legend – Marrakech] (12:10) — Tjernberg; “El Legend” based on an idea by Ingvar Karkoff
B3. “Desert Band” (2:56) — Adolfsson, Tjernberg, Ragnarsson
B4. “Tzivaeri” (3:43) — traditional Greek melody, arranged by Badkaret
B5a. “Signal” (0:38) — Tjernberg
B5b. “Nomader” [Nomads] (5:30) — Tjernberg

Per Tjernberg produced Tre. The group recorded the album in June 1977 at MNW Studio, with additional work and post-production completed during the summer and autumn. Tommy Berkert engineered the sessions, and Jörgen Adolfsson, Tjernberg, and Berkert handled the mix.

Tjernberg designed the cover with advice and assistance from Christer Bothén. Per Madsén supplied the front-cover Fårö photograph, Bengt Berger provided the Ghana front-cover image, Karl Erik Tallmo shot the back cover, and Kari Lathi took the group photo.

Bado Kidogo

In 1979, Archimedes Badkar and Afro 70 released Bado Kidogo, a collaborative live album on MNW. Bado turns toward East African song forms, Afrobeat pulse, and Ghanaian ceremonial rhythm with a leaner, more vocal-centered attack than the earlier Archimedes Badkar records.

Patrick Pama Balisidya leads the main program with electric guitar, lead vocals, and original songs sung in Swahili, while Christer Bjernelind on electric bass, Bengt Berger on drums, Per Tjernberg on timbales and percussion, Brynn Settels on piano and maracas, Dick Unga on congas and vocals, and Sophie Nzuki-Balisidya on shekere and vocals keep the patterns in steady forward motion. Jörgen Adolfsson, Christer Bothén, and Tommy Adolfsson add reeds and trumpet lines that sharpen the ensemble’s surface, and the closing traditional piece opens the texture further with low clarinets, ko-gyil, handclaps, bells, and Ewe drum.

Bado Kidogo runs on brisk, locked rhythm, bright horn writing, and vocal lines that stay clear at the center of the arrangements. “Kila Mtu” sets the pace with a strong song line and crisp trumpet accents, while “Bado Kidogo” pushes even harder, its contoured verse and refrain carried by a firm rhythmic bed and sharpened by animated sax solos. “Kwa Vile Nakupenda,” “Nimashaka,” and “Leo Harusi” keep the same danceward pull but vary the surface through different vocal pacing and horn color. “Darafo / Darkpen” breaks from the song format and stretches out across a long, open-ended ensemble workout, with low reeds, handclaps, bells, and percussion driving the piece through a more improvisatory, ceremony-shaped flow.

A1. “Kila Mtu” [Everybody] (6:09) — Patrick Pama Balisidya
A2. “Kwa Vile Nakupenda” [Because I Love You] (5:33) — Patrick Pama Balisidya
A3. “Nimashaka” [Doubts] (5:41) — Patrick Pama Balisidya

B1. “Bado Kidogo” [Not Yet] (4:07) — Patrick Pama Balisidya
B2. “Leo Harusi” [Wedding Day] (3:59) — Patrick Pama Balisidya
B3. “Darafo / Darkpen” [Funeral Music from Ghana] (12:28) — traditional

The group recorded tracks A1 through B2 on May 6–7, 1978, with recording by Brynn Settels and mixing by Per Tjernberg and Jörgen Adolfsson. “Darafo / Darkpen” was recorded separately in October–November 1978 by Archimedes Badkar and Curt-Åke Stefan, then mixed by the group. Patrick Pama Balisidya arranged tracks A1 through B2, and Bengt Berger arranged B3.

Göran Petersson and Per Tjernberg designed the sleeve. Bengt Berger, Jörgen Adolfsson, Micke Berg, Per Madsén, and Thomas Gabrielsson supplied the photographs. MNW issued the album with a four-page insert.

Discography: