Nils Landgren / Esbjörn Svensson - Layers Of Light (2 Vinyl LP) November 26, 2021 ACT Music

All music has its roots in folklore. In some playing styles this is easy to recognize. In others hundreds of years of cultural development and change have effectively sublimated those roots. Stripped of ornamentation and structural artifice, however, the foundation remains the same. The melodies and structures that affect and influence people in their day to day lives remain the basis of musical knowledge and experience. They are the blueprints of the collective consciousness and a challenge to the creative spirit. Individuality along with innovation in its surprising, unconventional workings emerge as a contrast to those folk origins. So is the secret art by which the balance between memory and fantasy, between folklore, tradition, and improvisation is weighed.

Nils Landgren was born in 1956 and grew up with the music of his father, a jazz cornetist, and the church music of his grandfather, a pastor. He never lost his strong affinity for his own musical heritage.

Esbjörn Svensson, born in 1964, didn’t want to play folk music at first. At home with the music of Chopin, Ellington, or disco-pop groups such as The Sweet, the pianist had first found his place in the competitive music scene in Sweden. His trio was a success, and in his homeland he was voted jazz musician of the year in 1995 and 1996. The first sprinkling of jobs became a steady flow. Svensson proved himself in the bands of his friend Nils Landgren. The music was about funk  and soul, occasionally pop, and in the main, classic jazz. But not folklore.

It was through the influence of Landgren and Svensson’s former teacher Bengt-Arne Wallin, who recorded the landmark album "Old Folklore In Swedish Modern" back in 1962 (ACT 9254-2), that Svensson and Landgren were inspired to make a duo album centered around folk songs. In August 1997 both went into the studio and with only trombone and piano recorded Swedish Folk Modern (ACT 9257-2). Their improvised treatments of the classic songs of the folk culture not only impressed the public; it brought praise from the press. Svensson and Landgren had created more than just a few impressions in duo. Discarding any sort of large conceptual superstructure, they had continued what Jan Johansson’s Jazz på Svenska and Bengt-Arne Wallin had begun in the early sixties and what has since become a major force within the inner workings of European jazz.

The time after Swedish Folk Modern was hectic and exciting. Nils Landgren’s Funk Unit advanced to the position of a celebrated festival act. Svensson’s own trio, EST expanded beyond Scandinavia’s borders, where the band’s fortunes skyrocketed. Inundated with jobs, the musicians finally found the time to once again get together in December 1999 in Oslo’s Rainbow Studio. It would be a meeting full of exceptional jazz energy. Even more than the first time, they would rely on the force of reduction. Moods would be suggested, left open. Melodies worked out in simple clarity.  Delicate variations supplemented and amplified both the original and traditional motifs of the central musical im- pressions. Layers of Light is an affair of the hearts of two artists who went back to their roots. That makes their music truthful, direct, and authentic in a wondrous way. 

1 Song From The Valley (traditional) 03:33

2 Calling The Goats (traditional) 03:37

3 Kauk (traditional) 04:07

4 Kristallen (traditional) 04:25

5 Mattmar (traditional) 02:59

6 Lakk (traditional) 04:32

7 Höpsi (traditional) 02:53

8 Calling The Cows (traditional) 04:16

9 Lullaby (traditional) 03:21

10 Simple Song (traditional) 03:03

11 Layers Of Light (Svensson, Esbjörn) 05:04

12 Lonely At The Lakeside (traditional) 03:38

13 Norwegian Fox Trot (traditional) 04:21

14 Nils Walksong (traditional) 03:57

15 The Farewell (Wallin, Bengt-Arne) 03:34

Nils Landgren - trombone

Esbjörn Svensson - piano

Recorded at Rainbow Studios, Oslo - Norway on

December 2 - 3, 1999

Engineered and mastered by Jan-Erik Kongshaug,

24 bit digital supermapping

Produced by Siegfried Loch

Format: Vinyl (also available as CD)

PREORDER

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Paint It Blue (2 Vinyl LP) November 26, 2021 ACT Music

A TRIBUTE TO CANNONBALL ADDERLEY.

What is Funk? Funk is Soul with the resources of Jazz: the fluid boundaries between religious service and a party.

The record PAINT IT BLUE is dedicated to the man who for many still today embodies the central figure at the genre’s source: Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (1928 - 1975). Maybe he didn’t invent Funk. Together with his co-musicians in his 60s quintet, Cannonball’s alto sax style, his attitude, humor great musicality, and his love for his audience allowed him to become a synonym for FUNK.

NILS LANDGREN, born in 1956, grew up between the music of his father, a Jazz cornet-player, and the music of his grandfather, a pastor on the island Gotland. He first heard Cannonball Adderley on Kind Of Blue. In this Miles Davis Sextet of the late 50’s, they were all together: "Miles, the master of beauty. Coltrane, the master of sound. And Cannonball Adderley, the master of funk," Nils Landgren writes in the liner-notes to Paint It Blue. From that point on he procured everything of Cannonball’s that he could lay his hands on. Landgren never experienced the revered master live. "Without the soul of Cannonball it would have been impossible to form my group Funk Unit many years later," he writes. Is it a coincidence that  this band had its greatest success to date with the guest alto saxophonist, Maceo Parker (on ACT 9223-2)?

The enormous liveliness and freshness of Cannonball Adderley’s music becomes apparent to anyone listening to his recordings today. Someone like him does not need a museum and that is why Paint It Blue, Nils Landgren’s second Funk Unit production for ACT, is more of a declaration of love to the spirit of Funk à la Cannonball than a musical show of reverence to a deceased idol. Nils Landgren has developed, deliberated and played Cannonball further. Seven of the twelve tracks are Nils own compositions and, more importantly, every bar of the famous Adderley-numbers like Walk Tall or Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, with all love for the originals, sound like here and now. Seamlessly, Nils Landgren inserts Rap elements of the 27 year old MAGNUM COLTRANE PRICE. The autodidact sings everything from Hip Hop to Rhythm ‘n’ Blues that’s good and also plays numerous instruments. With one exception, the remaining lyric contributions are from Adderley himself. Landgren edited Cannonball’s live concert announcements into his own arrangements, so that the time jump between the original and the nouveau arrangement appears non-existent. An effective device that literally brings this revered musician into the fold of Nils Landgren’s Funk Unit.

Whoever speaks of Cannonball Adderley, must also speak equally of his brother Nat Adderley. It was an obvious thought to invite the most important brothers in Jazz after the Adderleys to guest on Paint It Blue; with the high energy Funk-Jazzrock of the late 70s, the Brecker brothers have proven worthy heirs to the Adderleys. Both of them solo on Landgren’s track You Dig.

The equally noble and forcible groove is delivered by the sideman to countless Soul greats, BERNARD PURDIE. Bernard’s own stylistically related production with the Brecker Brothers, Nils Landgren, amongst others is now strongly in the public consciousness on SOUL TO JAZZ, ACT 9242-2. Much like Cannonball Adderley, AIRTO MOREIRA owes important impulses to his time with Miles Davis.

NILS LANDGREN, the man with the red trombone and the blue-painted overalls, the initiator and one paying homage, combines the variety of his possibilities of expression here. His eventful musical curriculum vitae gives a hint of these. As a six year old he already played the drums - not the worst start for a career as a Funk musician. Seven years later, Landgren changed over to trombone and after a music degree he moved to Stockholm, aged 23. Years of apprenticeship with Jazz and Rock bands as well as in the theatre followed, until in 1981 he became first trombonist in Thad Jones’ Bigband. He formed his first Unit in 1983 and a year later his debut record under his own name, Planet Rock, appeared. Since 1991, Nils Landgren has been a regular guest at the Baltic Sea jazz-festival, Jazz Baltica; he is the only musician to have been a member of all the Jazz Baltica-Ensembles, which have changed in line-up from year to year. Internationally he has played with artists as diverse as Marcus Miller and Kenny Wheeler, Abba and Herbie Hancock, The Crusaders and David Murray - to name a few.

Paint It Blue is possibly Nils Landgren’s most lavish record to date and with some certainty also his best. Landgren’s playing is cool and smooth, with warmth, temperament and thought. Here his sound combines organically with everything he surrounds himself with. The album sounds as if the recordings for it were a pure joy for all participants. Nils Landgren has the prerequisite for serious fun, the gift of intelligent serenity.

The Funk Unit:

Nils Landgren - tb

Per Ruskträsk Johansson - sax

Henrik Janson - git

Esbjörn Svensson - keyboards

Magnum Coltrane Price - vocals, synth

Lars DK Danielsson - fender bass

plus:

Bernard Purdie - dr / Michael Brecker - ts

Randy Brecker - tp /Airto Moreira - perc

Till Brönner - tp / Marcio Doctor - perc

Steffen Schorn - bcl

Recorded in May 1996 Peer Studios, Hamburg/Germany by Geoffrey Peacey

Produced by: Anselm Kluge and Nils Landgren. Executive Producer: Siegfried Loch

Format:Vinyl (also available as CD)

PREORDER

Nils Landgren Solo - Nature Boy (ACT Music)

The Man with the Red Horn. Nils Landgren’s nickname is apt. It brings to mind the fiery, coruscating energy with which the charismatic, soulful trombonist leads his Funk Unit. And yet there are many other facets to this hugely popular Swedish musician. In the course of a 40-year career, he has taken on many roles, producing albums, directing festivals, leading big bands, teaching in universities...And yet his musical personality also has a very different side, one that is much more delicate and softer. Ithas previously come to the fore in various contexts, notably at the end of the 1990s in his duo with Esbjörn Svensson and their groundbreaking interpretations of Swedish folk music on the albums "Swedish Folk Modern" and "Layers Of Light". He has also increasingly nurtured it as a singer of ballads, with a very appe...

1 Tänk att få vakna / Morning Has Broken ( traditional)02:52

2 Nature Boy ( Eden Ahbez)04:07

3 A Minor ( Nils Landgren)03:33

4 In a Sentimental Mood ( Duke Ellington)04:31

5 Solitude ( Duke Ellington)03:37

6 Värmlandsvisan ( traditional)02:56

7 Allt under himmelens fäste ( traditional)03:19

8 Der Mond ist aufgegangen ( traditional)02:55

9 Nu sjunker bullret ( traditional)03:11

10 Din klara sol går åter opp ( traditional)02:05

11 Som stjärnor små ( Evert Taube)03:17

12 Den blomstertid nu kommer ( traditional)03:23

13 Jag lyfter ögat mot himmelen ( traditional)02:58

14 Sov på min arm ( Evert Taube)02:05

Nils Landgren / trombone

Traditional music arranged by Nils Landgren, except otherwise indicated

Produced by the artist

Recorded by Nils Landgren at Ingelstorps Kyrka, February 4 & 19 and April 5, 2021, assisted by Beatrice Järås Landgren

Edited, mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann, July 7 - 9, 2021

Cover art © Terry Winters, Echo (detail), 2020, ACT Art Collection

Lacquer Disc Cutting by Sidney Claire Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios Berlin

PREORDER

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Funk is my Religion (2021 ACT Music)

Back in 1994 when Nils Landgren started up his Funk Unit, there were those who asked whether there was actually any need for Swedish funk. After seventeen years, ten albums and several hundreds of concerts, the question has basically answered itself: to find the most fired-up take on this music anywhere, a sound which is inextricably welded into soul, rhythm and blues and jazz, and in which all of the instruments – and the vocals too – have an irresistible rhythmic urgency about them, this is definitely the band to see and hear. And if one turns to the pioneers, godfathers and grandees of the funk world – Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, the musical prime movers behind James Brown, Ray Parker Jr., or Joe Sample from the Crusaders – then there’s no need to look any further: each and every one of them has played with the Funk Unit.

And the Funk Unit’s story is far from over. Not even this pandemic was going to hold back their eleventh album. "Originally we wanted to record at Palma Studios in Mallorca, but Corona put a stop to that," Nils Landgren explains. "Then we decided we’d record at "Redhorn District" in Bad Meinberg, but nothing was working in Germany either. So what should we do. Give up? The Funk Unit? No chance! I asked my friend Björn Yttling if we could go to his Ingrid Studio in Stockholm, and he said ‘No problem.’ A few days before the session, the Swedish authorities decided that no more than eight people could assemble indoors at once. So, with the six of us plus just one sound engineer, we managed to stay under the limit."

So it is the core members of the Funk Unit who are to be heard on this album. Together, they form a close-knit clan from the "Stockholm Underground". Apart from Landgren himself, there is Magnum Coltrane Price on bass – he has been a member of the band right from the beginning, and also has a producer credit here. The others, who have gradually become part of the fabric of the band, are Jonas Wall on tenor saxophone, Andy Pfeiler on guitar, Petter Bergander on keyboards and Robert Ikiz on drums. What unites them is best expressed through the title of the new album: "Funk Is My Religion". And it is indeed that veneration of the great idols, combined with their own qualities – personal, individual, and European – which lie at the heart of the unparalleled success of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit, and may also be the secret behind its remarkable and possibly unique longevity.

Everything that goes to make up superb funk is to be found on "Funk Is My Religion" – and more. It starts with the warm soul of the opener "Amanda", in which gentle keyboards, a soft brass section and a dreamy trombone solo all set the tone. Then we move into funk which is still calm but also hard-hitting on "Anyway You Want It". The tempo picks up a lot with "See Ya In Court", then settles into a bouncy groove in the title track and also shows the melancholic, bluesy side on "ES In Memory". Classic, gospelly syncopated funk to get people singing and bopping along to is there in "Doing It For The People"; we’re into a thrilling remi-niscence of James Brown in "Play Funk", the jazz soloists have their way with "Brand New Funk" and then on into the exuberant final anthem. We have some great basslines, some slick and ener-getic back-and-forth between in instrumentals and vocals. As the title of their 2013 album reminds us, there is some top-notch "Teamwork" going on here: as well as Landgren, the album has numbers composed by Price, Pfeiler and Wall.

"Each of the pieces tells a story," says Nils Landgren. "Some-times they are about people who have inspired us or whom we admire, sometimes they are simply things that need saying - in the same clear way that the title of the album sums up what it’s all about." Among the people remembered here is the great Esbjörn Svensson, who tragically died, and far too young. He helped to launch the Funk Unit, and here Landgren plays "ES In Memoriam", a beautiful, sad melody on trombone. Another hallmark of Landg-ren is his admiration for strong women. So, on this album, young poet Amanda Gorman, "who made such a strong impression at the inauguration of Joe Biden", and Kamala Harris, the first female, black and Asian-American vice-president are both dedicatees of songs which express respect and admiration, soulfulness and love.

The album is in part a celebration of the USA as "the largest and most important democracy. I keep in touch with events there in spite of the pandemic and want to pay tribute to those who have fought for its founding principles," says Landgren. It is also the country which allowed him to find the musical roots which he has gone on to develop. "Without my father playing jazz trumpet, and without the soul records my older brother played me, what we do wouldn't exist. This is such a tasty soup with so many ingredients." In essence, "Funk Is My Religion" also carries the legacy of many predecessors and role models for this incomparably physical and vital music: "It's fantastic. It’s no plastic!", as the lyrics of "Play Funk" describe it. What started in Sweden can reach out to the whole world. As the title of the closing track makes unmistakably clear: "NLFU will never stop"!

1. Amanda ( Nils Landgren) 05:28

2. Anyway You Want It ( Nils Landgren) 04:21

3. See Ya in Court ( Jonas Wall) 04:23

4. Funk is my Religion ( Magnum Coltrane Price) 04:49

5. ES in Memoriam ( Nils Landgren) 06:22

6. Doin’ It for the People ( Andy Pfeiler / Magnum Coltrane Price) 05:01

7. Brand New Funk ( Nils Landgren Funk Unit) 05:12

8. Play Funk ( Magnum Coltrane Price) 02:34

9. Kamala ( Nils Landgren) 04:55

10. NLFU Will Never Stop ( Andy Pfeiler) 04:30

Nils Landgren / trombone & vocals

Magnum Coltrane Price / bass, vocals & additional keyboards

Jonas Wall / tenor saxophone & vocals

Andy Pfeiler / guitar & vocals

Petter Bergander / keyboards & vocals

Robert Ikiz / drums

Recorded by Gustav Lindelöw at Ingrid Studios Stockholm, November 3 - 7, 2020

Additional recordings at Retrotech Studio, Tudeludan 3, Daion Studio, Skyclose Studio and Brottby Recording

Rhythm arrangements by Funk Unit

Horn arrangements by Jonas Wall

Produced and mixed by Magnum Coltrane Price at Retrotech Studio

Mastered by Hoffe Stannow at Cosmos Mastering

Cover art inspired by Andy Warhol (detail)

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Ida Sand - My Soul Kitchen (ACT MUSIC 2018)

Like jazz, soul has undergone an evolution from an American-based music rooted in the blues into a form of expression that now finds itself at home anywhere in the world. This global reach of the music is visible in ACT’s artist roster where we find, among others, Nils Landgren, Knut Reiersrud, Solveig Slettahjell, Magnus Lindgren, Torsten Goods, and - above all -  the Swedish singer/pianist Ida Sand. Her four previous albums have channelled jazz, pop and folk influences, but "My Soul Kitchen" is different. It is Ida Sand's clearest declaration yet of her love of "sweet soul music", and is also a demonstration of her deep affinity for it. There are songs by soul greats such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and The Meters, which are completely at one with both Ida Sand's own tunes and with her soulful interpretations of the music of artists like John Fogerty and Mike Shapiro. As Ida Sand herself says: "Soul music is such a broad genre. There’s funky soul, blue-eyed soul, neo-soul, RnB, New Orleans soul, Motown-soul and many others. This album is a blend of many of these.”

The band taking care of business throughout "My Soul Kitchen" is not just tight, it grooves organically. "Stockholm Undergound" consists of the Swedish recording scene’s finest. They made a huge impression on flautist Magnus Lindgren’s debut as leader on the ACT label, and are also the same musicians who formed the basis of Nils Landgren's first "Funk Unit". As Ida Sand remembers: “When I was 17 I really wanted to go to Fasching jazz club in Stockholm to listen to Nils Landgren and his Funk Unit. At the time, the band included Henrik Janson on guitar, bassist Lars DK Danielsson (not to be confused with double bassist and cellist Lars Danielsson) and drummer Per Lindvall. A few years later, keyboard player Jesper Nordenström joined the band. I was very excited because they were the best musicians I knew about back then. But to my disappointment it turned out I was too young, and the doorman said he couldn’t let me in. I started crying, and he felt so bad for me that he did let me in.  During the show, I remember saying to myself:

‘Imagine if I could play with these guys some day.’ And now I do!

I don't have the words to express what a joy it is to have gathered these musicians on my album. In addition, Magnus Lindgren, who is simply one of the most inspiring musicians I know, contributed the horn arrangements."

The presence of a distinguished veteran has also made its presence felt on "My Soul Kitchen". This doyen of the scene is not a musician but a recording studio, the Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, which for nearly 60 years has been a nucleus of the Swedish recording scene. Albums by jazz artists such as e.s.t., Coleman Hawkins, Jan Lundgren, Magnus Öström, Jan Johansson and Nils Landgren were produced there, but above all legendary pop recordings by ABBA, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, Roxette, The Cardigans, Fatboy Slim, Randy Crawford, Mando Diao and many more. Atlantis’  renowned sound engineer Janne Hansson has also given "My Soul Kitchen" an unmistakably warm, earthy, soft, yet crisp and extremely natural sound that inevitably evokes associations with original recordings from the heyday of American soul and legendary labels such as Motown or Stax Records. 

"We spent three wonderful days in the studio with the two producers Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch," recalls Ida Sand. "Everything was so incredibly smooth and natural. Most of the tracks on the album are first takes. It was such a pleasure to see this band at work and to be a part of it. Together we have cooked a hot soul casserole for our listeners. And we hope they turn up the music and enjoy it together with some good friends. They'll love the taste of it, I guarantee ya!"

Ida Sand / vocals & piano

Stockholm Underground

Jesper Nordenström / keys

Henrik Janson / electric guitar

Lars DK Danielsson / electric bass

Per Lindvall / drums

Magnus Lindgren / reeds

special guests:

Ola Gustafsson / electric & acoustic guitar

Paris Renita / background vocals

André Dahlbäck / background vocals

Nils Landgren / trombone & vocals

1 Take Me To The River ( Al Green & Mabon Hodges) 03:00

2 Where The Hell Are You ( Ida Sand) 02:34

3 Crash & Burn ( Ida Sand) 03:47

4 Please Don't Hurt My Baby ( Stevie Wonder) 02:02

5 I Believe To My Soul ( Ray Charles) 03:16

6 Born On The Bayou ( John Fogerty) 04:01

7 I Have Nothing Left For You ( Ida Sand) 03:31

8 Just Kissed My Baby ( The Meters) 02:57

9 Empty Bed Blues ( J. C. Johnson) 02:58

10 If You Don't Love Me ( Ida Sand) 03:00

11 It's Your Voodoo Working ( Charles Sheffield) 03:58

12 Spooky ( Harry Middlebrooks Jr & Mike Shapiro / James Cobb & Buddy Buie) 03:56

All songs arranged by Ida Sand

Horn arrangements by Magnus Lindgren

Recorded by Janne Hansson at Atlantis Studio, 

Stockholm, January 31 – February 2, 2018

Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Produced by Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch

Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

Cover photo by Josefine Bäckström

Nils Landgren - Chrismas With My Friends VI (ACT MUSIC 2018)

Christmas without the songs – it's unthinkable. And yet how can one be open to different musical styles and also strike a good balance between them? How can all the right moods for the festive season be captured? Should it be classical or soulful, gospel or pop, blues or jazz? The result can often be just one style of singing from one person – but that’s not the case with Nils Landgren's "Christmas With My Friends". A sequence which would normally have had to be patched together from a wide range of interpreters is all there, and from just the one source. Alongside the Swedish trombonist/singer himself, there are four vocalists, Jeanette Köhn, Ida Sand, Jessica Pilnäs and Sharon Dyall, and their fundamentally different voices allow them to combine many musical genres. The way these four co-exist so harmoniously is just one o...

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Nils Landgren / trombone, vocals

Sharon Dyall / vocals

Jonas Knutsson / saxophon

Jeanette Köhn / vocals

Eva Kruse / bass

Jessica Pilnäs / vocals

Ida Sandlund / vocals, piano

Johan Norberg / guitar

1 Chrismas Is ( Eva Kruse & Peter Liljeqvist) 03:00

2 Oh No, It's Christmas Again ( Johan Norberg/Nils Landgren) 02:34

3 Who Comes This Night ( Dave Grusin/Sally Stevens) 03:47

4 Wie soll ich dich empfangen ( Johann S. Bach/Paul Gerhardt) 02:02

5 Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth ( Katherine K. Davis, Harry Simeone & Henry Onorati / Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman & Alan Kohan) 03:16

6 Come One, Come All ( Jonas Knutsson/Sharon Dyall) 04:01

7 What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? ( Frank Loesser) 03:31

8 The Story of Christmas ( Evelina Gard) 02:57

9 I Have A Dream ( Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus) 02:58

10 Merry Christmas Baby ( Lou Baxter & Johnny Moore) 03:00

11 Christmas Lullaby ( John Rutter) 03:58

12 When This Night Is Over ( Jessica Pilnäs) 03:56

13 I'd Like You For Christmas ( Bobby Troup) 03:05

14 Hymn No III ( Johan Norberg & Nils Landgren) 01:51

15 Den signade dag ( traditional, Johan Olof Wallin) 03:25

16 Hark! The Heald Angles Sing ( Felix M. Bartholdy/Charles Wesley) 04:11

Various Artists - Magic Moments 11 (ACT MUSIC 2018)

Presenting the 11th edition of ACT's popular Magic Moments series. This CD presents sixty-seven minutes of the best of current jazz. Thoughtful moments sit alongside pure joy and entertainment. With Michael Wollny, David Helbock, Vincent Peirani, Iiro Rantala, Joachim Kühn New Trio, Ida Sand, Lars Danielsson & Paolo Fresu et al.With ACT-releases of 2018: 01 David Helbock’s Random ControlAfrican Marketplace 02 Andreas Schaerer / Luciano Biondini / Kalle Kalima / Lucas NiggliPlanet Zumo 03 Jin JimHouse Of The King 04 Benjamin Schmid & Andreas M. HofmeirConcertino vom Lande - Beim Fernsehen 05 Laila BialiQueen Of Hearts 06 Lars Danielsson & Paolo FresuAmigos 07 Vincent Peirani / Living BeingEnzo 08 NESAhlam 09 TonbruketDig It To The End 10 Emile Parisien Quintet / Vincent Peirani / Michel PortalLe clown tueur de la fête forain...

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line up

Michael Wollny, Nils Landgren, Ida Sand, David Helbock, Iiro Rantala, Jin Jim, Benjamin Schmid, Andreas M. Hofmeir, Laila Biali, Lars Danielsson, Paolo Fresu, Vincent Peirani, NES, Tonbruket, Emile Parisien, Michel Portal, Joachim Kühn, KUU!, Julian Wasserfuhr, Roman Wasserfuhr, Jörg Brinkmann, Andreas Schaerer, Kalle Kalima

1 African Marketplace ( Abdullah Ibrahim) 04:23

2 Planet Zumo ( Kalle Kalima) 03:43

3 House Of The King ( Jan Akkerman) 04:31

4 Concertino vom Lande - Beim Fernsehen ( Christof Dienz) 01:59

5 Queen Of Hearts ( Laila Biali) 04:55

6 Amigos ( Lars Danielsson) 02:50

7 Enzo ( Vincent Peirani) 04:27

8 Ahlam ( Nesrine Belmokh & Matthieu Saglio / Leïla Guinoun) 04:41

9 Dig It To The End ( Dan Berglund) 04:05

10 Le clown tueur de la fête foraine III ( Parisien, Touéry, Gélugne & Darrifourcq) 03:59

11 Barcelona - Wien ( Joachim Kühn) 03:50

12 Thank You Iceland ( Kalle Kalima, Frank Möbus & Christian Lillinger / Jelena Kulji?) 04:15

13 Hello Dave ( Michael Wollny) 04:06

14 I Have Nothing Left For You ( Ida Sand) 04:34

15 Cello Bello ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 04:08

16 Tears For Esbjörn ( Iiro Rantala) 06:01

Curated by Siggi Loch

Cover art by Jiri Geller: Sugar Happy, 2012

with the kind permission of the artist

Various Artists: Fahrt ins Blaue II - groovin' in the spirit of jazz (ACT Music 2018)

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Unbreakable (ACT MUSIC 2017)

Mr Redhorn, Nils Landgren would never, ever mess with a good recipe.

Unbreakable opens with the title song, Nils Landgren’s own composition. It  begins with an unmistakeable guitar intro by Detroit funk legend Ray Parker Jr. (for the occasion an “Honorary Funk Unit member”) a funky riff that sets the pace for what’s to follow; a nonstop funk blowout. The Funk Unit rhythm section is tighter than ever before and lays down a groove like no other band. The horn arrangements (by band member Jonas Wall) are exquisitely precise and the process of arranging, mixing and performing they have developed over the years is unique and totally their own. If you add to that an outstanding trombone player/lead vocalist you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians ever to hit the stage in Europe. Some funk, some jazz and some straight-out party music, and when the likes of Ray Parker Jr., Randy Brecker and Tim Hagans are willing to come along for the ride, it’s bound to keep the recipe going and some good music playing. The title is important to Nils and marks something of a turning point in the history of his band: “Throughout all our years together, there have been countless moments of great joy and laughter, but also times when we had to fight to stay on the right track. Remembering the highs always helped us to face the lows and to get back up on our feet. The love for the music and for each other has always won and always will. We are unbreakable”.

Nils Landgren, one of the most successful European jazz musicians ever, has received a plethora of jazz awards and other honours, including the Swedish Grammy for “lifetime achievement” and the Royal Swedish medal ”Litteris et Artibus” from the hands of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, for his outstanding achievements.

When ACT Music founder Siggi Loch, first heard Landgren play in 1994, the band was called Unit. ”Why don’t you call it what it is?", Loch said, and from that moment Funk Unit was born.

The first album on the - then young - ACT label would be Live in Stockholm, recorded in summer 1994 with Maceo Parker as special guest, and that would soon be followed by a string of Funk Unit records released on ACT. Some of the notable highlights are the Cannonball Adderley tribute Paint It Blue (1996) featuring Bernhard Purdie, Michael and Randy Brecker. Funky Abba (2004) and Funk For Life (2010) supported, together with Doctors without Borders, a project to support children and teenagers with their music in Kibera, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ray Parker Jr., guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. Previously lead guitarist with Stevie Wonder. Parker wrote songs and did session work for Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and many others. Parker has scored six Top 40 hits as a solo artist; including the million selling hit single Ghostbusters in 1984.

Randy Brecker, trumpet player. Six-time Grammy award winner. Started his career as a member of Blood Sweat and Tears, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His collaboration with younger brother Michael led to some of the most notable albums in the fusion genre, Brecker Brothers.

Tim Hagans, jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer from Dayton, Ohio. USA. Three-time Grammy Nominee. In his early years he toured with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Among other artists Tim has recorded with Steps Ahead, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano.

Unbreakable was recorded in November 2016 in the legendary Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, also the recording site for artists like ABBA, Scorpions, Elvis Costello and Esbjörn Svensson.

1 Unbreakable with Ray Parker Jr.

2 Just a Kiss Away

3 Get Down on the Funk with Ray Parker Jr.

4 Friday Night

5 Stars in Your Eyes with Ray Parker Jr.

6 Rockin’ After Midnight with Ray Parker Jr. feat. Randy Brecker

7 Soulchild

8 Old School

9 Nlfu Funk feat. Tim Hagans

10 Bow Down with Ray Parker Jr.

Nils Landgren Funk Unit:

Nils Landgren / trombone & vocals

Magnum Coltrane Price / bass & vocals

Andy Pfeiler / guitar & vocals

Jonas Wall / saxes

Petter Bergander / keyboards

Robert Ikiz / drums

Honorary Funk Unit Member - Ray Parker Jr :

Guitar on Unbreakable,

Rockin’ After Midnight (& vocals),

Just A Kiss Away, Stars In Your Eyes

& Bow Down

Randy Brecker / trumpet on 06

Tim Hagans / trumpet on 09

Nils Landgren & Friends - New Eyes on Martin Luther (ACT MUSIC 2017)

Many have tried to combine jazz and classical music. Few have succeeded.

In “New Eyes on Martin Luther” the ensembles have focused on the similarities instead of the differences, and have scrupulously avoided attempts at parody or postmodern extravagance.

Everyone is just doing what they’re best at, and with the open tonality of the renaissance music, they have found the perfect meeting place and playground for it. Swedish soprano Jeanette Köhn together with a small ensemble (Johan Norberg guitar, Magnus Lindgren, flute and clarinet, Eva Kruse, bass) fronted by Nils Landgren, recorded their album “New Eyes On Baroque” with Swedish Radio Choir under the baton of Gustaf Sjökvist (2013) released on ACT: “… how well the timbres of soprano saxophone, trombone and guitar suit the original melodies. The effect in Handel's ’Gia nel seno’ and Purcell's ’When I Am Laid in Earth’ is gorgeous” (The Observer, GB). ”A strong direct quality about the music which is distinctly Nordic in character…a superb piece of music making on the part of all involved” (Euan Dixon, Jazzviews).

Jeanette Köhn is one of Sweden's most versatile sopranos. She has been an established concert- and oratorio- singer for a long time with engagements all over the world. Jeanette Köhn was soloist at the Royal Wedding of H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria with Mr Daniel Westling on the 19th of June in Stockholm. She is also a member of Nils Landgren's highly coveted and successful touring ensemble "Christmas With My Friends”.

Nils Landgren has one of the leading profiles on the European jazz scene, easy recognizable with his red trombone and tasteful tenor voice. With “Funk Unit”, the Swede gives full rein to his grooving side, whereas the highly sentimental Nils Landgren can be seen during Advent with his ensemble “Christmas With My Friends”. When looking for a new challenge he decided to see if it was possible to combine baroque music with Swedish traditional music and jazz.

After the success of the first album “New eyes on Baroque” it was an easy choice to dig even deeper into the history of classical music. In 2016 there was an opportunity to perform a concert with the Capella de la Torre and Knabenchor Hannover conducted by Jörg Breiding at the 500th anniversary of the reformation, an event at NDR's Funkhaus in Hannover.

Capella de la Torre have specialized in historical performance practice with a repertoire of mediaeval and renaissance music. Their instruments are similarly old, from shawms, slide trumpets and sackbut to lute, cow horn and percussion. In 2016 their critically acclaimed album “Water Music – Tales of Nymphs and Sirens” won an ECHO Klassik award in the best recording ensemble/orchestra category.

Jörg Breiding took over as conductor of the Knabenchor Hannover in 2002. Together they have made several recordings and in 2003 released a new CD with Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Messiah” with “Barockorchester L’Arco”. In 2006 the Knabenchor Hannover was awarded “ECHO Klassik” in the category “Choral Work Recording of the Year”

”New Eyes on Martin Luther” is an experiment based on Nils Landgren's relentless conviction that “music is music” and “nothing is impossible”. With those words serving as a motto, the three ensembles just dived into the music without pre-conceptions. The traditional German folksong “Die Gedanken sind frei” is here performed with a percussive flute solo, and Landgren’s smooth voice on top of a funky rhythm. Sometimes he joins Capella de la Torre with a trombone solo and when all musicians play together it sounds as if the music was originally written with this in mind. It moves seamlessly between genres and what you can hear is the sound of really skilled musicians together - and just having fun.

Nils Landgren with Janis Siegel - Some Other Time (A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein) 2016

The great Leonard Bernstein would recognise a kindred spirit in Nils Landgren, the Swedish trombonist, singer and all-round musical prodigy who conceived this expansive tribute to him. Combining his own jazz quartet, the voice of Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), the Bochum Symphony Orchestra and star arranger Vince Mendoza, Landgren achieves exactly the right blend of classical and popular modes. The 12 pieces include tunes from West Side Story – among them a version of America for multitracked trombones – with a gorgeous version of Lonely Town from Siegel and, to close, Landgren’s own warm, elegant improvisation on a melody from Bernstein’s 1971 Mass.

01. Overture: America

02. Some Other Time

03. Cool

04. Maria

05. Somewhere

06. The Story Of My Life

07. One Hand, One Heart

08. Something's Coming

09. Lonely Town

10. A Quiet Girl

11. Lucky To Be Me

12. A Simple Song

Nils Landgren / trombone & vocals

Janis Siegel / vocals

Jan Lundgren / piano

Dieter Ilg / bass

Wolfgang Haffner / drums

Members of the Bochumer Symphoniker

arranged & conducted by Vince Mendoza 

Recording Information

Produced by Nils landgren

Curator, Design & Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

Recorded by Adrian von Ripka & Nico Schütte at Sound Studio N, Cologne, November 1 - 4, 2015.

Recording assistance: Georgi Topalov, Hans-Günther Kasper & Uli Zimmermann.

Mixed and mastered by Adrian von Ripka at Bauer Studios, Ludwigsburg,

November 2015, assisted by Hannes Fritz

Additional vocals and trombone recorded by Lars Nilsson at Nilento Studio 

Photo (Nils Landgren with Janis Siegel) by Lutz Voigtländer

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JAVI