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Johannes Bergmark's "Playing Cousins"

The concept "playing cousin" appeared on a Norwegian tour when we were talking about who we've played with and who those had played with. The kind of step-family that appears between musicians and artists you have collaborated with. A playing cousin is someone you haven't played with but that person has in turn played with someone you have played with: you have a "playing brother" or "playing sister" in common. This is of course just a funny concept with no credentials whatsoever. It just makes you feel like a part of something you are still outside, like a cousin from the country. So, here's a list - naturally far from complete! - of some of the people I've never played (or performed) with, but who have, at some point, played or otherwise worked with someone I've played with:

   australia:
Tony Buck, Jim Denley, Amanda Stewart

   austria:
Olaf Rupp.

   canada:
Zev Asher, CCMC, André Eric Letourneau, bp Nichol, John Oswald, Michael Snow, Nihilist Spasm Band, Six Heads

   czechia:
Ida Bittová (=Ida Kellerova), Pavel Fajt, Jan Švankmajer

   england:
Derek Bailey, The Bill Posters Will Be Banned, John Butcher, Chris Burn, Bob Cobbing, Tom Cora, Lol Coxhill, Chris Cutler, Rhodri Davies, Phil Durrant, The Electro-acoustic Cabaret, Fred Frith, Barry Guy, Graham Lewis, Paul Lytton, Morphogenesis, Evan Parker, Eddie Prevost, John Russell, Paul Rutherford, John Stevens, Roger Turner

   france:
Le Quan Ninh

   germany:
Die Audio-Gruppe, Blixa Bargeld, Burkhard Beins, Peter Brötzmann, Ensemble Modern, Wolfgang Fuchs, Günther Christmann, Nina Hagen, Tristan Honsinger, video artist Thomas Kiesel, Peter Kowald, Joachim Kühn, Torsten Müller, Andrea Neumann, Hans-Karsten Raecke, Ignatz Schick, Karlheinz Stockhausen

   holland:
Han Bennink, Kapotte Musiek

   iceland and ?:
The Hafler Trio

   italy:
Nobel price winner Dario Fo, Massimo Pupillo, Zu

   japan:
butoh dancer Yoko Ashikawa, Tetsuo Furudate, Sachiko M, Merzbow (Masami Akita), dancer Min Tanaka, Otomo Yoshihide

   mongolia:
Mongolian National Folk Song and Dance Academic Ensemble, Davaasuren Bayarbaatar.

   norway:
Isak Andersen, And The Balcony Fell, Lars Beckstrøm, Mari Boine Persen, Jon Christensen, Cikada, Circulasjon Totale, Coleman Five, Dog Age, Dusty Cowshit, Sidsel Endresen, Grusomhetens Teater, Terje Isungset, Jazzpunkensemblet, Lasse Marhaug, Eivind One Pedersen, Supersilent, actor/director Lars Øyno

   poland/japan:
Zbigniew Karkowski

   russia:
Sergei Kuryochin

   sweden:
Anitas Livs, Andreas Berthling, Chihuahua, Cirkus Cirkör, Thomas DiLeva, Dr. Alban, choreographer Björn Elisson, Öyvind Fahlström, Stefan Forssén, Dan Fröberg & Köksensemblen, The Great Learning Orchestra, Gul 3, Hallingkvartetten, Jarl Hammarberg, poet Bob Hansson, Harpo, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Jonas Hellborg, Jean-Louis Huhta, Iskra, Peter Jansson, Niels Jensen, Sven-Åke Johansson, dancer Per Jonsson, KammarensembleN, George Kentros, Peter Kihlgård, dancer Anna Koch, actor Marika Lagerkranz, Anita Livstrand, Erik Malmberg, Max Martin, comedian Lasse O'Månsson, playwright Suzanne Osten, Hans Parment, Mats Persson, Position Alpha, Povel Ramel, Sabbath Hela Veckan, Janne Schaffer, Kristine Scholtz, Johan Söderberg, Teatermaskinen, Träd Gräs och Stenar, Urban Turban, Urga, Vibafemba, Lasse Werner, Morgan Ågren, Änglaspel

   usa:
Ron Anderson, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Eugene Chadbourne, Don Cherry, Roger Cleier, John Coltrane, Tom Cora, Curlew, Hamid Drake, John Duncan, Henry Flynt, Slim Gaillard, Harry The Hipster Gibson, Greg Goodman, Annie Gosfield, Lou Harrison, Ted Joans, Henry Kaiser, George Lewis, Alan Licht, Madonna, Myra Melford, Roscoe Mitchell, Moondog, David Moss, The Residents, Terry Riley, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Elliott Sharp, Johnny Shines, Ken Simon, Blaise Siwula, Wadada Leo Smith, Sonic Youth, Cecil Taylor, John Tchikai, James "Blood"Ulmer, Tom Waits, John Wiese, LaMonte Young, Frank Zappa, John Zorn

   vietnam:
The Khak Chi ensemble