Vacation, rest & upcoming gig

Reform at Myspace

Hello fellow jazzrockers and music lovers!

I'm on vacation until Saturday. A vacation without internet, so you will have to settle with these videos. Those from 2001 is with Reform 2 and 3.

You can also visit our page at RadioIndy if you want to stream our channel on a hot summer's day.

12 September Reform & EGBA play at the Stockholm Fusion Club! Check the add!



Freak Jazz Live August 2001

Thru Breaks Live August 2001

Six Live August 2001

Happy Landing Live August 2001

Vuelta Abajo Live August 2001

Great Expectations Live August 2001

Happy Landing Live at Underbara Bar 6 May 2009

Hellstone Live at Stampen 22 April 2009

Lion Bar Live at the Seahorse 24 may 2009

Happy Landing Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

Amanita Muscaria Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

Thru Breaks Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

Uncle Urri Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

It's About That Time Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

Great Expectations Live at Stampen 22 April 2009

Hellstone (Kullrusk) Live at the Seahorse 24 May 2009

Take care and live well!
Yours truly
Jesper

The History of Reform VIII

In the summer of 2003 Jesper was back in STockholm. Reform now bacame a trio consisting of Johan Glasson on guitar and Isak Andersson on drums. The gruop change direction a bit towards Tony Williams' Lifetime and John McLaughlin's record Devotion. Alvaro G guested this formation once. Songs were written both by Johan and Jesper. Johan brought his portable digital studio and in early 2004 the band recorded their third album, Reduced and Maximized (recently re-issued).

After this disc Reformed was laid to rest for a while.

Johan had a project of his own. Isak was the drummer and there was a bassist, whose name I can't remember. The project still had no name, but a demo was cut. Johan was not really satisfied with it and he decided that he would change his personnel. For a period of time he had been jamming with a guy called Garre and I suggested that Garre was a candidate for the drum chair in the project. I was selected bassist and I was very happy for that. Johan wrote all the songs and since I liked them, actually loved them, it was easy for me to create bass lines. During our time in school I called Johan "Glasson" (son of ice cream) since he did not like ice cream. One day Johan came to the rehearsal studio saying that the band was to be called Glasson.

To be continued...

Today's video


Take care!
Jesper

Reform is now Distributed by Tradebit

Reform has got yet another distributor!

Check this out!



Music is divine
Jesper

Review of Reformed Re-published by RadioIndy

Read the review of Reformed! We're very satisfied with it!

Music forever!
Jesper

The History of Reform VII

Reform at Myspace

Jesper and Alvaro G started to hang out regularly, meeting up at one of the thousands of bars in Donostia. As Jesper's Spanish got better he and Alvaro G started to talk more profoundly and realized that they were more or less twin-souls when it came to music. They benefited from each other since their musical backgrounds were completely diffrent. Jesper's came more from an Anglo-Saxon world and Alvaro's from a Latin one. Alvaro had travelled in Latin-America for a couple of years and had stayed for an extra long period of time in Brazil. There he had learnt to appreciate bossa-nova. He could play the guitar and the harmonica at the same time and perform an endless repertoire of bossa numbers. Among other things they recorded two of Alvaro's own compositions, with harmonica as the lead instrument. Jesper slowly drew Alvaro's attention towards Miles Davis and he became more and more interested. The Spanish version of Reformed started to form. Alvaro knew a pianist, Paúl San Martín. Pa´l knew a drummer, Fran Gasol, and at the bar Ondarra right beside the surfer's beach, Zurriola, Jesper met Pitú, who had played with Manu Chau.

They started rehearsing at Alvaro's apartment.

(It is amazing what a difference there is between countries. Rehearsing with electric bass, drum kit, electric guitar, piano and harmonica inside a regular apartment, without receiving complaints from the neighbours. In Sweden that would be totally out of the question. Actually, I think we wouldn't even consider trying.)

The band worked perfectly and is immortalized on the cd Concierto en Altxerri

To be continued...

Today's video is from 2001 with Reform 3



Enjoy!
Jesper

Listen and Support the Arts

Hello there!

As I have written before, the three previous Reform albums are available for download. Further down I have now pasted a widget. On this widget you may listen to a sample if you are too lazy to go to Last.fm and there listen to all the tracks for free, and then download. Anyway, I hope you like what you hear whether you download or not! Reform is always yours!

Hats off!
Jesper

IndyRadio Corrects and Reposts Reform's Review

Reform at Myspace

Good morning jazz-rockers and fellow musicians and music lovers!

I have just been contacted by RadioIndy and I am happy to announce that I, in fact, am the bassist of Reform. I have not been substituted with Johan Glasson. The review will be reposted any day now.

Read about Reform at:

Wikipedia (sv)
Wikipedia (en)

A blast from the past:


Enjoy!
Jesper

Reduced & Maximized: Re-issued & Re-mastered

In the summer of 2003 Jesper came back to Stockholm. Reform now became a trio consisting of:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric guitar
Isak Andersson: Drums

This formation was more influenced by the early recordings of Tony Williams’ Lifetime and by John McLaughlin’s second album Devotion. In 2004 Johan made a recording of the trio. This recording has now been remastered and two bonus tracks have been added, Cream and Mountain. The result is Reduced & Maximized.

You may also listen to the tracks at Last.fm

Support the arts!
Jesper

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

Reform presents a blast from the past!

Check out the new videos at myspace with Reform 2 & 3 live August 2001.

or

Reform's channel at Youtube

Take care!
Jesper

The History of Reform VI

Reform at Myspace

Of course recording wasn't quenching Jesper's thirst for playing and as soon as he had established himself in Altxerri he asked his boss Alvaro if he might introduce him to some musicians. Alvaro said that the best way to know local musicians was to go to the street Reyes Catolicos (The Catholic Kings), better known as Reyes Alcoholicos (The Alcoholic Kings). Jesper went there and he found an English pub from which the sweet sound of blues was coming out. Lower octave harmonica. Accompanied by only bass.

Well inside Jesper ordered a pint of lager and sat down to enjoy. Jesper didn't know it yet but the guy playing was Àlvaro Fernandez Gavíria. It was soulful, dark, sweaty and intense. His harmonica was crying and screaming.

After the last set Jesper went up to Gavíria and introduced himself. Since Jesper's Spanish was far from perfect there was a short misunderstanding of Jesper's business. Jesper and Álvaro sat down and talked about music until very late. They decided that they should meet at Alvaro's apartment the next day and make some music. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

To be continued...



Enjoy!
Jesper

Reformed reviewed by RadioIndy

Reform at Myspace

Yesterday Reformed was reviewed by RadioIndy. A very satisfying review, though there was some confusion since Johan Glasson is mentioned both as the guitar player and the bass player of the group. Johan Glasson plays the guitar and Jesper Bergman (that's me) is the bass player.

Read the review here

Take care!
Jesper

Midsummer

Reform wishes you a happy Midsummer!

Today's video

The History of Reform V

Reform at Myspace
In June 2002 Jesper moved to San Sebastian, or Donostia which is the name in Basque, in the Basque Country to study Spanish and to work. He immediately started to look for musicians. He went to one of the jazz clubs, Atxerri. There he met Alvaro Suarez for the first time and they became friends. Alvaro was the one in charge of the music and he asked Jesper what Jesper could work with. Jesper said that he had brought his computer and that he could record the gigs. Alvaro accepted and Jesper started his work. Jesper place was at the end of the bar where he sat with his computer close the the mixer and to the musicians. He became known as El Sueco (The Swede).

To be continued...

Today's video

The History of Reform IV

Reform at Myspace

The concentrated around Miles Davis' early fusion period and performed numbers such as: Rated X, Billy Preston, Moja, Wili, It's About That Time, Great Expectations and many more.
About this time Gustav Ejstes of Dungen moved up to Stockholm. Jesper and Anders had played with him in Skövde and he called them Bröderna Sjuk ("The Sick Brothers" with reference to the Swedish folkloric group Bröderna Djup "The Deep Brothers"). Jesper had already played with Dungen a couple of times and now he joined them. Through Dungen Jesper met Alexander Wiig and Reine Fiske. Isak Andersson, a great drummer, had recorded pop songs with Jesper earlier and he also joined Dungen for a concert at Skeppsholmen in 1999.
The 3rd of November 2000 a new line-up of Reform met for the first time in the Semi Studio at the Royal University College of Music and recorded three numbers.

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric guitar
Anders Bergman: Percussion
Mattias Lennestig: Rhodes
Reine Fiske: Electric guitar
Alexander Wiig: Percussion, Sitar
Isak Andersson: Drums

The first was called Morning and was written by Jesper, the second one was based on a groove by Ginger Baker and with a base line written by Jesper, and the third one was Great Expectations written by Miles Davis. Everyone was very satisfied with the recording and Alexander immediately designed a beautifully strange cover for the cd, which was never released. This line-up went into the studio a couple of times more and it resulted in the cd Easy. Included on the record is only one of the three numbers from the first session, Baker. It is fast and has a great drive. On the last two numbers on that album Pedro Martinez takes Isak's place at the drums. But Reform stuck to its path: To deliver Psychedelic JazzRock to the people!

To be continued...

Today's video

The History of Reform III

The music life in Stockholm was intense. Jesper and Johan played in many bands, both together and separately. The first Reform line-up emerged when Anders moved to Uppsala. Mattias Lennestig, rhodes, knew Jesper from Skara Stifts Folkhögskola where they had studied music for two years. Mattias was an excellent improviser and was at the time also studying at the Royal University College of Music. Ulf and Jesper already played together in an obscure 60's tribute group, Carl-Eiwar Sect, where Jesper played the keyboard and, the later to become the drummer of Reform, "Doktor" Åke Eriksson played the bass. Ulf joined Reform.

To be continued...

The History of Reform II

Time passed and it was not until 1998 that Jesper and Johan reunited at a party at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, where Jesper was studying at the time. They decided to join forces.

To be continued...

The History of Reform I

Reform was formed in Stockholm in 1998 by Jesper Bergman, Johan Klaeson and Anders Bergman, who had played together from time to time since 1992. The gruop started out playing tunes from Miles Davis' early fusion period (1969-1975). The group then consisted of:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric guitar
Anders Bergman: Drums
Mattias Lennestig: Rhodes
Ulf Henningsson: Electric guitar

Ulf and Jesper knew eachother from their home region, Skaraborg in the south of Sweden, where they had jammed together at numerous occasions at the studio, Alice's Restaurant (owned by Mats Jarl). Sometimes they were joined by Anders on drums, but Anders prefered reading books by Herman Hesse and watching Alfred Hitchcock movies so he had to be bribed (candy worked well!).
Jesper, Johan and Anders had first played together in the Bergman's basement jamming Jimi Hendrix. One time Johan got himself so worked up so he started to bang the guitar on the floor during an outrageous version of Wild Thing. At climax the cellar door swung open and there was Mr. Bergman (Prosecutor). He had just come home from work. He looked at Johan, closed the door and went back to work.

To be continued...



Enjoy!
Jesper

Reform is now distributed by IndieRhythm

Reform is now distributed by IndieRhythm!

Todays video:


Greetings!
Jesper

Our new album, Reformed.

Our new album, Reformed, has been received very well and is now distributed both digitally and non-digitally. We are trying to get through to Swedish and international conaisseurs of psychedelia, progressive and fusion, since our music, according to many, is a mix of these three.

We appreciate Soft Machine, Nucleus, Grateful Dead (in fact, all the other Bay Area bands from that period), Phish, Wasa Express, Träd Gräs och Stenar, Kullrusk, Mahavishnu Orchestra and, especially, Miles Davis' music from 1969 - 1975. In concert we play some Miles numbers, for example Great Expectations, It's About That Time, Billy Preston, What If/Sivad, Moja1...

Reformed was recorded and mixed in two and a half days time with no re-takes what so ever. I am very satisfied with the result. It has that "in the moment" feeling that I like about all kinds of music. On our myspace we have a lot of things that could be interesting if you like what you have read so far.

Reform has gone through many shapes but established its sound and musical direction with line-up number 2:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric Guitar
Anders Bergman: Drums/Percussion
Reine Fiske: Electric Guitar
Mattias Lennestig: Rhodes
Alexander Wiig: Sitar, Flute, Percussion
Isak Andersson: Drums/Percussion

The current line-up is:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric Guitar
Anders Bergman: Drums/Percussion
Peter Åkerberg: Electric Guitar
Magnus Ramel: Keyboard
Alvaro Fernandez Gaviria (sometimes substituted by Jonas Redmo): Harmonica
Åke Eriksson: Drums

Take care!
Jesper

Previously released Reform albums available

Previously released records available!

The previously released Reform albums "Reform - Concierto en Altxerri" and "Reform - Easy" are now listenable at Last fm. If you want to support us financially please download 1 or more tracks from the albums at IndieStore.

Musicians on "Reform - Easy" are:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Johan Glasson: Electric guitar
Anders Bergman: Percussion
Mattias Lennestig: Rhodes
Reine Fiske: Electric guitar
Alexander Wiig: Percussion, Sitar, flute
Isak Andersson: Drums
Pedro Matrinez Ramirez: Drums

Musicians on "Reform - Concierto en Altxerri" are:

Jesper Bergman: Electric bass
Àlvaro Fernandez Gavíria: Harmonica
Pitú: Electric guitar
Fran Gasol: Drums
Paúl San Martín: Piano

Enjoy!
Jesper Bergman & Reform