Kvartetten Som Sprängde -

Kvartetten Som Sprängde was a Swedish jazz-rock/psych trio behind the 1973 album Kattvals on Gump.

Members: Finn Sjöberg (guitar, bass, flute), Fred Hellman (keyboards), Rune Carlsson (drums)

Background

Kvartetten Som Sprängde (The Quartet That Blew Up) formed in 1972 in Stockholm when guitarist Finn Sjöberg teamed with singer Margareta Söderberg, drummer Rune Carlsson, and organist Fred Hellman. The musicians adapted the group name from Kvartetten som sprängdes, a 1924 novel by Swedish author Birger Sjöberg.

Sjöberg grew up in Örebro, where he played guitar from 1968 with Squareheads Blues Band. He joined the successor Papa Lightfoot Blues Band, which opened for John Lee Hooker on June 21, 1969, at Örebro Konserthus. Sjöberg moved to Stockholm in 1970 to study engineering and became active in the local blues and jazz circuit.

Hellman played organ circa 1966–67 at the Liverpool Club on Norr Mälarstrand. He subsequently joined Zoom, which recorded the 1968 RCA Victor single “Coloured Rain” (b/w “Ticket to Ride”). Carlsson played with trombonist Eje Thelin from 1962 through 1965 and recorded with Polish pianist Krzysztof Komeda on the Astigmatic sessions in Warsaw.

Kvartetten Som Sprängde played frequent concerts on the Swedish progressive-music circuit. Söderberg left when her folk and medieval song repertoire diverged from the musical direction of the other members. The remaining musicians retained the name and continued as a guitar/organ instrumental trio. They entered Metronome Studio in Stockholm in May 1973 to record Kattvals for the Gump label with producer Anders Burman.

Discography:

Kattvals (1973)

Sources

Finn Sjöberg – Med plektrum i fickan — July 8, 2023. Review of the guitarist’s autobiography, covering his Örebro bands, 1969 concert with John Lee Hooker, Stockholm relocation, and involvement with Anders Burman. (Håkans Pop)
Power House – Banden — Örebro jazz-club archive identifying Finn Sjöberg in Squareheads Blues Band (1968–69) and the subsequent Papa Lightfoot Blues Band. (Power House / GÖREK)
Fler berättelser från Örebro — Concert chronology confirming John Lee Hooker with Papa Lightfoot Blues Band and Takt & Ton at Örebro Konserthus on June 21, 1969. (Håkans Pop)
Finn Sjöberg – About — Autobiographical account of his Örebro musical upbringing, 1970 move to Stockholm, and membership in Kvartetten Som Sprängde. (Finn Sjöberg)
Nu gör Beatles-generationen en duck walk in på seniortiljorna — Profile with first-person recollections of early concerts, the original four-member lineup, the singer’s departure, and the Metronome recording. Page 4 of the 2012 annual report. (Blomsterfonden)
Musikaliskt CV – Fred Hellman — Drummer Tommy Frölin recalls late-night organ-and-drums sessions with Hellman aboard the Liverpool Club barge on Norr Mälarstrand in 1966–67. (Tommy Frölin)
Zoom – Coloured Rain / Ticket to Ride — Discographical confirmation of the Swedish group’s 1968 Norwegian RCA Victor single, catalog NA 1334. (45cat)
Rune Carlsson: Ledande trumslagare och utsökt jazzsångare — Biography covering the drummer’s membership in the Eje Thelin Quintet, international jazz engagements, and Stockholm club activity. (DIG Jazz)
Krzysztof Komeda Discography — Personnel and recording chronology confirming Rune Carlsson on the December 1965 Warsaw sessions for *Astigmatic*. (Jazzdisco)
Finn Sjöberg – Finn (EMI, 1978) — Retrospective account identifying 1972 as the formation year of Kvartetten Som Sprängde and connecting Sjöberg to Squareheads Blues Band. (The Swedish Progg Blog)
Kvartetten Som Sprängde – Kattvals (Gump, 1973) — Group history with Fred Hellman’s earlier Zoom membership, the transition from quartet to trio, and Rune Carlsson’s jazz background. (The Swedish Progg Blog)
Kvartetten Som Sprängde – Kattvalls — Early retrospective identifying Margareta Söderberg as the original vocalist and describing the difference between her folk repertoire and the instrumentalists’ approach. (Gentleoctopus)
Kvartetten, som sprängdes — Digital edition of the 1924 Birger Sjöberg novel from which the band adapted its name. (Projekt Runeberg / Arkivkopia)
Gump, 40 år släpps digitalt — October 10, 2012. History of the Metronome subsidiary established by Pugh Rogefeldt and Måns Rossander, including the 1973 Kvartetten Som Sprängde release. (Musikindustrin)
Kvartetten Som Sprängde – Kattvals — Album catalog entry confirming Gump 5, the three instrumentalists, and recording at Metronome Studio in May 1973. (Musikon)
Kattvals – Subliminal Sounds Reissue — Reissue information confirming Anders Burman as producer, recording personnel, original label, and Metronome Studio location. (Green Noise Records / Subliminal Sounds)