Nils Landgren (musician)

Nils Landgren (* February 15, 1956 in Degerfor, Värmland ) is a Swedish trombonist and singer. He is one of the most successful European jazz musicians. His most famous formation is the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. Because of its red trumpet he is nicknamed " Mr. Red Horn ".

Life

Education & early work

Landgren was born into a music-loving family; his father was a jazz cornet player. At age six, he began to play drums, and moved at age 13 to the trombone. From 1972 to 1978 he studied classical trombone in Karlstad and Arvika. Influenced by encounters with Bengt -Arne Wallin and Eje Thelin, he then moved on to jazz. After moving to Stockholm Landgren began his professional career, inter alia, with a tour with Swedish pop star Björn Skifs (U.S. pop chart Number One with " Hooked on a Feeling " ) and 1981 as the lead trombonist with the Big Band Project " Ball of Fire" by Thad Jones. The trombonist worked in subsequent years with ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris and Herbie Hancock. His album debut " Planet Rock " (1983) was followed by the albums " Street Fighter " (1984), " You are my No. 1" ( 1985), " Miles from Duke" ( with Bengt -Arne Wallin 1987), "Chapter Two 1 "(1987), " Chapter Two 2 "and" Follow your heart "(1989). In 1995, Landgren as an exclusive artist for the German independent jazz label ACT Music, where he is true to this day.

Nils Landgren Funk Unit

In 1992, the trombonist Nils Landgren Unit and joined with her, with great success at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. The international breakthrough, however, came only in 1994 with the appearance at the German Jazz Baltica Festival in Salzau and renamed " Nils Landgren Funk Unit ". By 1995 appearing debut album "Live in Stockholm " (with Maceo Parker as a guest), the band became internationally known. The album also marked the start of cooperation with the ACT label. A year later, the first studio album " Paint it Blue", a tribute to the bebop saxophonist Cannonball Adderley with guest musicians such as the Brecker Brothers and Till Bronner. With this album Landgren won for the first time the German Jazz Award. One of the highlights in the career of the radio unit may be called the performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1998. The live recording was released in 1998 under the "Live in Montreux ". Among other things, with Esbjörn Svensson, Fred Wesley and Roy Hargrove Nils Landgren 1999 published " 5000 Miles ", for which he was nominated for the ECHO. With " Funky ABBA " Landgren paid tribute to the famous Swedish pop band tribute in 2004. In cooperation with "Doctors Without Borders " supported " Funk For Life" ( 2010), a charity music project in the Kibera slum ( Nairobi ). Regularly travels Landgren Funk Unit with its there to make with the kids and local youth music. Since late 2010, the occupation of the radio unit is unchanged, with bassist and vocalist Magnum Coltrane Price, woodwind Magnus Lindgren and Jonas Wall, Sebastian Studnitzky on keyboards, guitarist Andy pillars and drummer Robert Mehmet Ikiz. In this formation, and with the Crusaders legends Joe Sample and Wilton fields and Till Bronner as guests in May 2013 " Teamwork " is displayed.

Landgren as a singer

Nils Landgren's singing was first heard on the original recording of the ABBA song " Voulez Vous ", on which he also plays trombone. In the years 1985-87 he performed for 360 shows the Swedish success stage play " SKÅL " as singers, actors, dancers and trombonist. From the album " Ballads " (1993) he now was concentrated in his instrumental work and his vocal use in the radio unit on the ballad - singing. This he introduced in 2003 together with Rigmor Gustafsson on "I Will Wait For You " in 2002 with " Sentimental Journey" and 2011 with "The Moon, The Stars And You " on. On the album published in 2005, " Creole Love Call" with Joe Sample, he proves himself as a blues singer.

Other projects

Landgren always returns reference to his homeland - the first time at " Gotland " (with Tomasz Stanko, 1996) and later on the two duo albums "Layers of Light" and "Swedish Folk Modern" with pianist Esbjörn Svensson, on which the two traditional Swedish songs interpreted. In 2005 he initiated with steadily increasing success, the CD and concert series " Christmas with My Friends ", in which he interpreted with Scandinavian musicians carols. A very special project is " Salzau Music on The Water", recorded live at Jazz Baltica 2006 with Lars Danielsson and Christopher Dell. The spontaneous improvisation of rare calm and meditative power was taken in the early morning hours. Nils Landgren has appeared on numerous albums to hear beyond as a guest musician, as his band Crusaders he was a member of Viktoria Tolstoy, Ida Sand, Wolfgang Haffner and Joe Sample, for many years.

Big Bands

Nils Landgren with various big band formations traveling the world and was hired as a guest soloist. His first job as lead trombonist, he received the early 80s in the big band of Thad Jones. From 1998 to 2001, Landgren member of the NDR Big Band in Hamburg. For the concert season 2008/2009 he was a double peak for the management of the NDR Bigband committed, along with conductor and arranger Jörg Achim Keller. To date, Landgren performs regularly with the NDR Big Band. In 2006 he was involved with the WDR Big Band Cologne at the last recording of the saxophonist Eddie Harris ( " Last Concert "). Currently available Landgren before the Bohuslän Big Band as artistic director, with whom he 2011, the Cole Porter tribute " Do not Fence Me In" published, arranged by Colin Towns.

Producer activity

In addition to his many publications as a trombonist and singer Nils Landgren also worked as a producer in appearance, including albums for the Swedish singer Viktoria Tolstoy and Ida Sand, Wolfgang Haffner and the newcomers Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, Adam Baldych and Mo 'Blow.

Other activities

Nils Landgren was in the years 2001 and 2008 to 2011 artistic director of the Berlin Jazz Festival, as the successor of Peter Schulze. Since 2012 he has also held the artistic director of Jazz Baltica. Since 2006, he has taught as a lecturer at the Hamburg Conservatory of Music jazz trombone.

Honors and Awards

Nils Landgren has been recognized for many of his albums with the German Jazz Award of the Federal Association of Music Industry, reached top spots in the Jazz charts and received several Swedish Grammy. 2012 Landgren was honored in Sweden with Sir George Martin Music Award and at the Swedish Grammys awarded the honorary prize for his life's work.

Discography

  • Planet Rock (1983 )
  • Street Fighter ( 1984)
  • You Are My Number 1 (1985 )
  • Miles from Duke ( 1987) with Bengt -Arne Wallin
  • Chapter Two 1 (1987 ) with Johan Norberg
  • Chapter Two 2 (1989 ) with Johan Norberg
  • Follow your heart (1989 )
  • Untitled Sketches ( 1991) Tomasz Stanko with
  • Red Horn (1992 )
  • Ballads (1993 /98)
  • Live in Stockholm (1994-1995) with radio unit and Maceo Parker
  • Paint It Blue (1996 ) with Funk Unit
  • Gotland (1996 )
  • Swedish Folk Modern (1997-1998) Esbjörn Svensson with
  • Live in Montreux (1998) with Funk Unit
  • 5000 Miles (1999) with Funk Unit
  • Layers of Light (1999-2001) Esbjörn Svensson with
  • Fonk da World (2001) with Funk Unit
  • Sentimental Journey ( 2002)
  • I Will Wait For You (2003) Rigmor Gustafsson with
  • Funky ABBA (2004)
  • Creole Love Call ( 2005) with Joe Sample and Ray Parker Jr.
  • Salzau Music on the Water (2005 ) with Lars Danielsson and Christopher Dell
  • Christmas with My Friends (2006) with Viktoria Tolstoy, Jeanette Köhn, Sharon Dyall, Ida Sand Lund, Bugge Wesseltoft and many other
  • Licence to Funk ( 2007) with the Funk Unit
  • Christmas with My Friends II ( 2008) with Jeanette Köhn, Sharon Dyall, Ida Sand Lund, Jonas Knutsson
  • Funk for Life (2010) with Funk Unit
  • The Moon, The Stars and You ( 2011) with Michael Wollny, Lars Danielsson, Rasmus Kihlberg, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Do not Fence Me In - The Music of Cole Porter (2011 ) with the Bohuslän Big Band
  • Christmas with My Friends III (2012 ) with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand
  • Teamwork (2013 ) with the Funk Unit
  • New Eyes on Baroque (2013 ) with Jeanette Köhn, Johan Norberg, Jonas Knutsson, Eva Kruse and the Swedish Radio Choir
  • Eternal Beauty (2014) with Michael Wollny, Johan Norberg, Lars Danielsson, Rasmus Kihlberg

As a producer:

  • Shining On You (2004) by Viktoria Tolstoy
  • My Swedish Heart (2005) by Viktoria Tolstoy
  • Shapes (2006) by Wolfgang Haffner
  • On My Way With You (2006) by Rigmor Gustafsson
  • Meet Me Around Midnight ( 2007) by Ida Sand
  • My Russian Soul (2008) by Viktoria Tolstoy
  • Upgraded in Gothenburg ( 2009) by Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr
  • For those about to funk ( 2011) by Mo 'Blow
  • Letters to Herbie ( 2011) by Viktoria Tolstoy
  • Gospel Truth of Ida Sand ( 2011) by Ida Sand
  • Imaginary Room (2012 ) by Adam Baldych & the Baltic transition
  • Gimme the boots (2013 ) by Mo 'Blow

Swell

605436
de