Börje Ekberg

Swedish record company founder, born in 1930, died April 2022 in Tuscon, Arizona, USA.

He started Metronome in 1949 with the brothers Lars Burman, Anders Burman, the company that is still the basis of Warner's Swedish publishing. He was involved in introducing a long line of Swedish music's biggest names until Metronome was incorporated into Warner in 1979.

Börje went as a teenager to Norra Latin in Stockholm. But the question is whether he did not spend more time at Kafé Flamman on Vattugatan in Klarakvarteren. To Flamman, he rushed on breaks and break hours to listen to the latest jazz imports on 78-revs, together with regulars of musicians, writers and journalists.

Börje managed to get his first records, the very first was one with Benny Goodman, before he made his first voyage of discovery to the Mecca of jazz in New York in 1947. On 52nd Street, he tested all the jazz clubs he read about and became even more convinced that it was jazz music that would be his life.

In 1948, an important step was taken towards that dream when he bought a tape recorder in New York, a Webster Wire Recorder, which was used in 1949 when the newly started company Metronome with Börje as responsible made his very first release - Gösta Theselius and His All Star Band in the song " Siesta".

By this time, Börje had teamed up with another former student at Norra Latin, albeit two years older, a drumming music lover named Anders Burman.

Börje Ekberg and Anders Burman then became pair horses for three sensational decades with Metronome.

Anders was the producer and talent scout, often face to face. Börje was also a talent scout, not least during the 1950s, but took as his main role to manage the company's business and artist relationships. He became a combined record partner, manager and general supervisor in a context of artist souls.

Artists such as Charlie Norman, Alice Babs, Lasse Gullin, Stan Getz, Delta Rhythm Boys, Siw Malmkvist, Quincy Jones and Svante Thuresson passed revues with Börje in varying roles but always with the basic responsibility.

When he eventually became a more refined manager for several of the company's artists, it could result in him clashing with some who thought he was too demanding as a janitor, the example of Cornelis Vreeswijk is famous.

But there was always a huge respect for Börje's job. "He was strict but always honest" as Siw Malmkvist described him.

After Metronome was bought by Warner in 1979, Börje moved to the USA and California, where he remained until last year when he moved to his daughter in Arizona. In the summers, Börje always returned to Sweden and the Stockholm archipelago, which he loved. First to the house on Ingarö and later Västerö.

He was constantly curious about what was happening "back home". Especially in the jazz context but also in general in the blue-yellow music context.

Many of us exchanged faxes and emails with a man who had all the answers and details. But who never let this obscure the central, lifelong role of one of our real jazz cats.

Börje Ekberg was one of those who built the Swedish music industry on a happy union of entrepreneurship and love of music.