Funk is my Religion

Nils Landgren & Swedish Radio ChoirSandström: Sonnets of Darkness and LoveCD / digitalNils Landgren trombone & vocalsSwedish Radio ChoirKaspars Putniņš music directorALBUM NOTES BY NILS LANDGRENOn October 18, 2018, I received an email from the Danish choir leader and former trombone colleague Mogens Dahl. He wrote: “I have this idea to have the Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström write a piece for mixed choir, plus your trombone and vocals — nothing else. As a former trombone player, I have a certain affinity for the instrument, and I really like the way you play and sing. Sven-David is unwell but is willing to start writing immediately. Can we meet, maybe at the publisher’s office?”That was the beginning of this wonderful project. We met on November 13 at 10:00 a.m. at the office of the publisher Gehrmans in Stockholm, and it was a very special and heartwarming encounter. Mogens and the librettist, Jakob Holtze, were new acquaintances, but I already knew Sven-David from several events at the Royal Academy of Music, where we had often expressed mutual appreciation for each other’s work.Despite his illness, Sven-David was full of energy, and it was an exhilarating experience to sit down with one of the great composers of our time, discussing a piece he would write specifically for Mogens’ choir and me, with lyrics curated by Jakob. What an incredible honor. On April 4, 2019, we received an email from the CEO of Gehrmans, Gunnar Helgesson, stating: “Astonishing news. Sven-David has already finished the piece! A scanned manuscript will be available at your next meeting.” On May 6 of that same year, I met with Mogens, Jakob, and Sven-David’s wife, Anne-Marie, at Dalen Hospital outside Stockholm. Sven-David, though visibly marked by his illness, still had a spark in his eyes. He showed us some of the music, and it was deeply moving to witness the master at work. It was also the last time I saw him. On June 10, Sven-David passed away, surrounded by his family — a sad day indeed. I often recall something Sven-David said during our first meeting, a comment that lingers in my mind and still brings a smile to my face: “Your voice is really weird, but hey, it sounds good anyway, and I like it!” Perhaps Sven-David was right about my voice—it doesn’t appeal to everyone, but to some, it surely does. I feel deeply connected to this piece of music. Although Sven-David never got to hear it performed, his widow, Anne-Marie, once said he would have loved our version had he been around. That thought comforts me, as do the music and the lyrics chosen by Jakob Holtze—Shakespeare, Lorca, Nietzsche, and Sandström. What an extraordinary combination.My next step was to contact Christian Kuhnt, the intendant of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, to gauge his interest in presenting the project. He was indeed interested. I then approached Östersjöfestivalen at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, and the head of the concert hall, Staffan Becker, suggested we collaborate with the world-famous Swedish Radio Choir, who had a long and fruitful history with Sven-David Sandström. The ball was rolling. Then the pandemic hit, and everything came to an abrupt stop. Years later, I was approached by the Swedish Radio. Would I consider taking up Sonnets again, with two performances in Berwaldhallen featuring the Radio Choir? I certainly would. This marked the start of a wonderful collaboration with the choir and the Latvian conductor Kaspars Putniņš. Both performances sold out and Swedish Radio P2 recorded them. What you hear on this album is live!Nils Landgren, Skillinge, January 2025 CreditsRecorded live on March 15–16, 2024, at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, Sweden Recording Producer: Jens Braun Sound engineer: Johan Hyttnäs Mixing Engineer: Jens Braun Mastering: Jens Braun FOH and sound adviser: Jan Ugand Cover art by Mark Harrington

The famous compliation "Magic Moments", curated by Siggi LochTracklist: 01 Elevation of Love // Album: e.s.t. 30 Magnus Öström, Dan Berglund, Magnus Lindgren, Joel Lyssarides, Verneri Pohjola, Ulf Wakenius 02 Second Nature // Album: Life Rhythm Wolfgang Haffner03 Raw // Album: raw Nils Landgren Funk Unit 04 The Answer // Album: The Answer Jakob Manz 05 Shots // Album: Bloom Bill Laurance 06 Das Handtuch // Album: Tough Stuff Iiro Rantala 07 She’ll Arrive Between 10 & 11 // Album: Guitar PoetryMikael Máni 08 Terrible Seeds // Album: While You Wait Little North 09 Se Telefonando // Album: Ennio Grégoire Maret, Romain Collin 10 Wonderland // Album: Wonderland Daniel García Trio 11 Fresu // Album: Inner Spirits Jan Lundgren, Yamandu Costa 12 Hands Off // Album: Stealing Moments Viktoria Tolstoy 13 Hidden Prelude // Album: What the Fugue Florian Willeitner 14 Pralin // Album: Let Them Cook Emile Parisien 15 My Brother Rolf // Album: Komeda Joachim Kühn 16 Passacaglia // Album: Passacaglia Adam Bałdych, Leszek Możdżer 17 Linden Tree Rag // Album: Rag Bag Bernd Lhotzky 18 Zafeirious Solo // Album: Arcs & Rivers Joel Lyssarides, Georgios Prokopiou

Wolfgang Haffner - Life RhythmCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums Simon Oslender piano & keyboards Thomas Stieger bass, sitar guitar (#07) Sebastian Studnitzky trumpet Arto Mäkelä guitar Nils Landgren trombone (#01) Thomas Konstantinou oud (#05) Shantel additional production, electronics & mix (#05) Dominic Miller acoustic guitar (#06) Bruno Müller rhythm guitar (#06) Nicolas Fiszman bass (#06) Bill Evans soprano saxophone (#08) ‘I keep thinking about how to lead a band from the drums in a way that gives the instrument a central role, but one which is more about shaping the music than displaying virtuosity,’ says Wolfgang Haffner. This way of working, a common thread throughout his career, is a key factor in ‘Life Rhythm’, his tenth album for ACT. Haffner may shun the virtuoso drummer/bandleader stereotype – and do so intentionally – but ‘Life Rhythm’ nonetheless has the drums at its very heart. Back in 2022, it was Wolfgang Haffner's very first solo concert at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps which set the process in motion that has led to this album. He remembers: ‘That was an insane challenge. I had a decision to make: was I really going to play a drum solo … for a full hour? Of course not! So what I did was to add a lot of percussion instruments that I could use melodically, looped passages played live, I worked with reverb and delays – basically it was as if I was in the studio, but on stage.’ This has led to Haffner taking the drum kit, the instrument which has been his close companion throughout his life… and re-thinking his relationship with it: whereas Haffner’s tunes normally originate from the piano, all of the tracks on ‘Life Rhythm’ have the drums as their source.The consequences of this approach can be experienced right from the start of ‘Life Rhythm’: the title track has a driving groove in which drums rather than cymbals set the pulse. It is no coincidence that this groove has a clear echo of Phil Collins and his track ‘Take Me Home’. Collins, and the way he turns a drum part into a building block for his songwriting has always been one of Haffner's greatest inspirations. Each of the eleven highly concentrated, song-like pieces on ‘Life Rhythm’ opens up its own world of particularly musical drumming: ‘Balance’ has some gentle brushwork, in ‘Joy of Life’ it is a cymbal groove, for ‘Eternity’ there is the subtle use of electronics, and in ‘Silence and Sound’ less is definitely more. There is a reason why Haffner is able to transform this wide range of styles into a coherent whole, and that is because of quite how much of his career has been spent playing directly alongside the shapers of the music, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek, Esbjörn Svensson, Albert Mangelsdorff...and many, many more. All of these collaborations have shaped Wolfgang Haffner's vocabulary on the instrument and his personality and individuality as a composer.A versatile approach and the highest level of musicianship are also factors which Wolfgang Haffner has in common with his fellow musicians on ‘Life Rhythm’. At the core is his regular, completely ‘played-in’ trio with keyboard player Simon Oslender, also a drummer and a band leader in his own right, and Thomas Stieger, one of the most sought-after bassists on the German pop and jazz scenes. They are joined by trumpeter Sebastian Studnitzky, Haffner's regular collaborator since his ACT debut ‘Shapes’, and Finnish guitarist Arto Mikälä, a real discovery with remarkable variety in his sound.Haffner also welcomes some unique musical personalities to bring their own highly individual colours to the band: Nils Landgren has been a good friend and touring colleague for more than 20 years. Also appearing are saxophone icon Bill Evans, Sting’s guitarist Dominic Miller, Balkan beat star Shantel, the refined bassist Nicolas Fiszman, oud virtuoso Thomas Konstantinou and Bruno Müller, one of the finest of German jazz guitarists. ‘Life Rhythm’, says Wolfgang Haffner, ‘is not a repetition for me, but a continuation.’ With its warmth, power and clarity, the music has the distinctive hallmark which makes Haffner probably the most popular drummer/bandleader in Europe, known from his albums and from thousands of concerts in more than 100 countries. And at the same time it marks an evolution in his music. Indeed, perhaps one of the key factors behind Haffner's success is that his music will always contain elements of the familiar alongside the new, and that Haffner always brings the audience along with him to participate in the flow of his ideas – and also in the ‘life rhythm’ which he communicates so brilliantly, and instils in everyone around him. Credits: All music composed, produced and arranged by Wolfgang Haffner Cover art created by Peter Krüll

Nils Landgren Funk Unit - rawCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone, vocals Magnum Coltrane Price bass, vocals Andy Pfeiler guitar, vocals Jonas Wall tenor saxophone, bg vocals Petter Bergander keyboards, bg vocals Robert Ikiz drums, bg vocals The year 1994 marks the birth of the Funk Unit. When I got the offer from Siggi Loch to join his new label ACT, the first thing he did was to change the original band name Unit to Funk Unit. When I asked why, he answered: ”because you play funk” – and right he was. The rest is history. After 30 years of albums, touring and everything connected to it, I thought it would be great to go somewhere special for our 30th anniversary recording session. I happen to have a dear friend, Johan Lundgren, who used to be my trombone student lightyears ago, and he, together with another friend, Fredrik Thomander, built a fantastic Recording Studio in Palma on the island of Mallorca. Wouldn’t it be a great opportunity for us all, after all these years together, to record the album in a relaxed setting, being able to fully concentrate on our task? To make an album celebrating our 30-year history as a funk band from Sweden. I presented the idea to my fellow band members, and they all loved it. So did Andreas Brandis, head of the ACT label, my musical home where all my albums have been released since 1994 – twelve of them with Funk Unit, this one included. So now all I had to do was to book the flights, the studio, find accommodation for us all and figure out a way to finance the stay. Oh, there was one more little thing. We all had to write songs for the album. As we met for rehearsals before leaving for the island of Mallorca, no one knew what was written and by whom. I had worked hard in my spare time though, coming in with five songs. So anyway, we started from scratch, listening to each others’ demos and then went on making them sound like us. All of us contributed and it was really great to hear our own compositions come to life. On landing in Palma on my birthday February 15th at 2 pm, we went straight to the studio to set up and get the sound ready for the recordings to start. We just could not wait. Much of the setup had already been done by the studio crew and a few devoted volunteers and sooner than anyone thought possible, we could start to record, with the amazing sound engineer Shades leading the whole operation. From that moment on, we all knew that this was going to be a special album. Everything fell into place. The vibe in the studio, the sound, how the guys in the band played, the food being served in the breaks, how the coffee on the rooftop tasted and the generous dinners after finishing up for the day. To finance the recordings, we had decided to give in-house concerts the last two evenings after recording. Although it meant even longer days for everyone, it was a wonderful feeling to get the chance to test some of the music we had recorded in front of a live audience sitting almost in our laps. It was so rewarding to get feedback from the people that came to our shows. On top of that, we had a film team lead by our dear friend Dan Sermand documenting the whole thing. We all left the island February 20th with a sense of deep satisfaction, knowing that we had done our very best and that our best might be more than just good enough. Only one man stayed behind in Palma: Magnum. Aside from being a badass bass player and singer, he is also the one person at my side, who has experienced the whole Funk Unit journey from Live in Stockholm till today. We had decided to mix the album in the same studio and Shades was not available until a week later. I believe Magnum had a good time, both hangin’ and working with master Shades. The result is this album Raw. Our honest and simple way to create handmade music and to make it enjoyable for both body and soul. We are not just a band. We are Nils Landgren Funk Unit.

Nils Landgren - Christmas with My Friends VIIICD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Sharon Dyall vocals Jonas Knutsson saxophones Jeanette Köhn vocals Jessica Pilnäs vocals Ida Sand vocals & piano Johan Norberg guitars Clas Lassbo bass For large numbers of people, Nils Landgren's Christmas albums are now a part of their holiday season, just like advent calendars or mistletoe. Seventeen years ago, trombonist/singer Landgren, one of the brightest stars in the European jazz firmament, brought together some of his closest musical companions. To get themselves into the mood for Christmas, they set off on a tour of churches in Sweden and Germany. The album which resulted from that first tour, "Christmas With My Friends" was described by one critic as "the most beautiful of all Christmas CDs." Ever since then, Landgren and his friends have been repeating this special way of celebrating Christmas every other year. That time has come round again: "Christmas With My Friends VIII" is ready to take its place among the presents under the tree. These albums all have a wealth of different moods and colours, and that is what makes them so special, as each musician brings their own highly individual contribution. There is Landgren himself with his unrivalled flexible and velvety-smooth trombone, Jonas Knutsson with his lyrical saxophone playing, Johan Norberg and his folky guitar tone. Here for the first time, we also hear the sonorous bass of Clas Lassbo. Above all, however, it is the vocalists who give each track on the album its own special character, and also complement each other perfectly: the classical soprano singing of Jeanette Köhn, the bittersweet soul of Ida Sand, the radiant clarity of Jessica Pilnäs, the powerful blues of Sharon Dyall and, last but not least, the bright soul of Nils Landgren himself.The repertoire which Landgren – and increasingly his friends – choose is also remarkable for its many colours and for the extensive research work which has gone into finding it. There are carols, Christmas songs from pop and jazz, songs which are played all over the world appear alongside songs unknown outside their countries of origin; there is a range from. This time, Landgren and his friends have taken the idea of the richness of colour quite literally. "My Christmas is orange," Landgren says. "I wasn't keen on presents as a child, but far more interested in the holiday season food. That was what made up my Christmas: My mother Margareta brought a big bag of fresh oranges. I still remember when I peeled the first one, and then enjoyed the smell and the wonderful taste." That's why the glowing cover of "Christmas With My Friends VIII" is so...orange.Listeners are encouraged to associate colours with the tracks on the album. Who wouldn't be thinking of green with "O Tannenbaum", for example, especially when it is played, as here, in New Orleans Mardi Gras style. With the hymn-like "In Dulce Jubilo", which swirls around the classical vocals, it has to be gold. And everyone can imagine their own colours for tunes like the ethereal "Lully, Lalla, Lullay", the folky "Soon After Christmas" or the jazzy- "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"... just as Johan Norberg has done in his composition "That's How I Picture Christmas Eve". And there is clearly one colour that must not be missing: the colour of jazz: "When we had recorded everything, Ida Sand said: 'What about Blue Christmas?'" Landgren remembers. And so the album starts with the song by Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson, which gave Elvis Presley his breakthrough to fame, as a wonderfully rolling blues. There are so many colours represented here, and no doubt more will be added when the group tours Germany in December. All that remains is to wish them well: may your days be merry and bright, and may all your christmases be...colourful.Credits: Produced by Nils Landgren & Johan Norberg

Wollny - Haffner - Landgren - Danielsson - 4 Wheel Drive IICD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Michael Wollny piano Lars Danielsson bass & cello Wolfgang Haffner drums Four is a winner: that was the unanimous opinion of critics and audiences alike on the first album from German-Swedish supergroup 4 Wheel Drive. The eponymous debut disc from this band of bandleaders went straight to the top spot as best-selling jazz album in Germany for2019. And the media didn’t hold back with their praise either: "Four first-league jazz musicians with pure joy of playing and a love of good pop music", said ZDF's “heute-journal” about this spirited and enjoyable group, which combines trombonist/singer Nils Landgren, pianist Michael Wollny, bassist/cellist Lars Danielsson and drummer Wolfgang Haffner. AllAboutJazz, a leading American jazz website, asked whether this album might be worth adding to a listener's collection, and answered the question succinctly:"4 sure".The same is manifestly true of the quartet's second studio album (there was also a live concert recording "4 Wheel Drive Live" in between, released in October 2019). In "4 Wheel Drive II", it is evident that things have shifted up a gear right from the start, with the rocky, pulsating opening track "Chapter II", straight from Wollny's compositional workbench. Landgren likes to let his trombone roar like a sports car engine. In similarly dynamic vein are pieces like Danielsson's final track of the album "The Wheelers", which, thanks to Haffner's nimble brushwork, makes you think you're on a high-speed train, or indeed Wollny's powerfully swinging "Spring Dance". Compared to the first album, there has been another change, an increase in the proportion of original compositions written by all of the participants, as Lars Danielsson, who has contributed a sensitive, poppy ballad to the new album "Just Another Hour", remarks. Interpretations of worldwide hit songs were a factor behind the huge success of the debut album, but the ratio to original compositions here is getting closer to 50:50. That said, the fuel powering 4 Wheel Drive has remained the same: this band is all about creating music from deep within, and with like-minded people whom you can absolutely and implicitly trust to be in the driving seat. "It just flows," enthuses drummer Haffner, "we're a group of close friends with nothing we need to prove, we can just go for it. I've had so many magic moments with this band, it really is incredible!"4 Wheel Drive was officially born at the end of 2017, at a special winter concert of the Jazz Baltica Festival, and Nils Landgren has described its entire history as having been blessed by "mutual respect and mutual love.". In the new album "4 Wheel Drive II", listeners are treated to several new moments of pure magic, continuing 4 Wheel drive’s illustrious story. For example, their new instrumental version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Sound of Silence", has something mysteriously Nordic about it. Or their newly-cast version of the surprisingly infrequently covered Genesis ballad "Hold On My Heart" putting it into a jazz context. If there's anyone who can sing a Phil Collins number without it being embarrassing, it's Nils Landgren. That idea also applies to Elton John's "Your Song" or Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years". The courage to approach pop tunes that have become so ingrained in many people's minds from a completely different perspective pays off in full. Because within 4 Wheel Drive are four originals at work, each of whom can be recognised from the very first note they play or sing.Michael Wollny doesn't see the playing of popular hits as a burden in any way, but rather as a freeing-up. "Songs that are so well-known give you the opportunity to be completely open to the moment," says the pianist. "In this band, the song selection allows us great freedom. It's like our concerts, where anything can happen. Drummer Haffner agrees: "There's nothing wrong with interpreting a great song in your own way. If you do it with deep conviction, you are always going to connect with people." Credits: Produced by Andreas Brandis with the artists Recorded by Joar Hallgren and Michael Dahlvid at Nilento Studio, Gothenburg, April 17 - 19, 2023 Additional recording by Lars Nilsson at Nilento Studio, June 2, 2023 Mixed and mastered by Arne Schumann The Art in Music: Cover art by Peter Krüll

Danielsson - Dell - Landgren - Salzau Music On The WaterCD / Vinyl / digital Lars Danielsson bass Christopher Dell vibraphone, speech Nils Landgren trombone What makes the installation “Music on the Water“ by Ilya Kabakov & Vladimir Tarasov, situated on the palace pond in Salzau so unique, is the way it captures the essence of music.It was exactly ten years ago, that the two artists created their idea of a visual “field of sound” in Salzau, and the pier in the pond that seems so raw and artless, has held a strange kind of magical attraction ever since. In the book about “Music on the Water”, Kabakov himself has said that “notes, sounds create a field of energy, a special ambience.” Music is experienced as something that happens in a space. “The notes arrange themselves in this ambience, and each of us wanders through a space on its energy map.”What can the visitor expect? The construction itself seems unfinished; time itself seems to have stopped. A scaffolding has been put up, walls are missing, a stone thrown would find no windows. The distinction between inside and outside has been rendered meaningless. The place provides no cover. Steel wires span the beams that hold no roof, and from them hang various everyday objects such as knives and forks as well as some metal sound rods. The wind breathes through the pier and draws quiet sounds from the objects touching each other. In all these years I have rarely experienced a summer festival in which this place didn’t attract visitors, enticing them to stay. It has a melancholy atmosphere; it draws us away from “the inevitability of everyday stress“ (Thomas Deecke in “Music on the Water“).But not until the festival year 2005 did the JazzBaltica artists discover the installation as a place for their music. The initiative had come from Siggi Loch, who had been a regular visitor to the installation. And he knew about the magical atmosphere of the early morning hours at “Music on the Water“. It was exactly at 6 o’clock on the morning of Monday the 4th of July 2005, and after the festival and the session at the palace, that Lars Danielsson, Christopher Dell and Nils Landgren carried their instruments past the tents of the campers and set themselves up, just as the sun was rising. At first only a few guests were present as they sounded the first hesitant, restrained notes – soft like the morning dew. They were accompanied by birdsong, protesting swans on the pond and the sound of the morning wind in the web of knives and forks above the three musicians. Rarely has music found its way back to its source in this way. It was an extraordinary example of musical silence. Kabakov und Tarasov would have enjoyed this space filled with sound playing a tangible leading role in their installation. JazzBaltica itself has never ended more aptly than on this early morning in the Salzau palace gardens.Credits: Recorded live and open air at the JazzBaltica Festival at 5:00 a.m. on July 4, 2005 by Cees Snellink Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Siegfried Loch

Bernard Purdie - Soul to JazzCD / Vinyl / digital Bernard Purdie drums WDR Big Band directed by Gil Goldstein Eddie Harris tenor saxophone Nils Landgren trombone Michael Brecker tenor saxophone Randy Brecker flugelhorn Dean Brown guitar Dave King bass Martin Moss vocals Stanley Turrentine tenor saxophone Hank Crawford & Vincent Herring alto saxophone Junior Mance & Benny Green piano Cornell Dupree & George Naha guitar Stanley Banks bass Pancho Morales percussion Jack DeJohnette drums and many more Which musician did Aretha Franklin definitely NOT want missing from the line-up when she recorded her most inspired albums at the beginning of the seventies? Who provided the back-beat for Steely Dan's "Aja", and for whom have Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, "Sweet" Lou Donaldson, Joe Cocker and Hank Crawford reserved that stool behind the drum kit? The list is incomplete, it must be, because no other drummer in the last three decades has seen the interior of a recording studio as often as Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. The 57 year-old native of Elkton, Maryland has laid down the beat on over 3000 albums to date.This short list does, however, provide an idea of the unique qualities this man possesses. Colleagues describe the drummers style as the "funkiest soul beat" in the business, and Purdie has decidedly never limited his talents to the realm of Jazz but rather has consistently sought out new musical experiences beyond it's borders. He has anchored sessions with the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Tom Jones with equal ease and proven that - with all his attention to precision playing - terms such as "drive" and "GROOVE" are definitely not missing from his vocabulary. This is certainly why his rhythms have appeared as samples on nearly every "Acid Jazz" record released in the past few years - the new genre that has so successfully hosted the renaissance of Soul Jazz.Furthermore because it is a special pleasure to personally harvest the fruits from trees one has planted oneself - Purdie has now gathered together a flock of like-minded souls and created the new album - "SOUL TO JAZZ". lt will certainly, so much can be sure, stun those who seek to copy his style - if not completely draw their attention. These 12 songs prove that the pioneer of the hybrid blend of Jazz, Soul and Funky Tunes is still light years ahead of his imitators.Bernard Purdie (dr). Born June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland as the 11th of 15 children. Purdie began already as a six-year-old to bang out rhythms on improvised equipment. At 14 years of age he purchased his first real drum set and became the most important provider for the family - earning his pay with country and carnival bands. This "schooling" enabled Purdie to "feel my way into nearly every kind of music, ‘cause I had to know all styles and was never afraid to try something new." Purdie moved to New York in 1960 after finishing high school and played with (among others), Lonnie Youngblood before landing his first hit with King Curtis. This led to his engagement with Aretha Franklin in 1970 - the beginning of an unparalleled career. Since then Purdie has been a regular guest in the studios of the stars of Jazz, Soul, and Rock, working together with Paul Butterfield as well as Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, Hall & Oates, AI Kooper, Herbie Mann, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens, as well as regularly producing his own solo albums under his own name.Gil Goldstein (dir). The keyboardist, accordionist, composer, arranger, producer and band-leader has travelled many trails in the Great Land of Jazz, working together with Lee Konitz, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, and Jim Hall as well as creating Fusion sounds with Danny Gottlieb, Pat Metheny, Leni Stern, and Bill Evans. Goldstein was with the Gil Evans Orchestra for 8 years, functioning as its musical director at the end of his tenure. He received international recognition in 1991 at the Montreux Jazz Festival when his transcriptions of classic Gil Evans songs were used to create the framework of the last public appearance of Miles Davis. Eddie Harris (to). Born Oct. 20, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, Harris also plays (aside from his main axe - the tenor sax) piano, trombone, and vibraphone. As early as 1960, the jazzman Harris also pioneered the border regions of Jazz and Soul with his first solo album "Exodus" by expanding the expressive possibilities of his sound electronically. Recordings with Ron Carter and Cedar Walton as well as Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, and Les McCann are evidence of his wandering between styles. Harris popularized the unorthodox use of various reeds and electronic manipulations of brass instruments. Nevertheless Eddie Harris is still more well known as the "Funk Godfather" of saxophone than as "Electronic Pioneer" among music fans. Michael & Randy Brecker (ts & fl-horn). Born 29 March 1949 (Michael) and 27 Nov. 1945 (Randy) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the brothers ascended into the international Brass-Elite shortly after completing their university education. Their sound has refined numerous products in the Jazz and Rock genres. The younger brother, Michael, worked together with Purdie already in 1969 in New York. Randy was a member in the bands of Booker T. and Clark Terry, Horace Silver and Duke Pearson, as well as recording with rock stars such as Janis Joplin and Edgar Winter. On "Soul to Jazz" Michael Brecker plays an unique solo on "Senor Blues" in memory of the early years of his career as a member of the Horace Silver Band. Nils Landgren (tb). Born 1957 in Sweden, Nils Landgren began his career in 1981 in the band of Thad Jones and has consequently been on the look-out for the fusion possibilities of Soul and Jazz ever since. Intermezzi as a soloist with the "Crusaders" and Herbie Hancock, and especially his constant presence with his own bands on the exciting Scandinavian scene and with the "JazzBaltica Ensemble" have created waves felt far beyond Europe. In 1994 he released his electrifying live-album “NILS LANDGREN FUNK UNIT” featuring special guest Maceo Parker. (ACT 9223-2) Martin Moss (voc). Born in New York as the son of a jazz musician and a gospel singer, he trained as an actor at the "American Academy of Dramatic Arts", and in New York and Berlin as a singer. After performing in various shows in the club scene, Moss switched his major to musicals and appeared in many Off-Broadway productions before coming to Germany. Here he worked as a soloist and member of various musical ensembles and has been playing the title role in the successful musical "Gaudi" from Eric Wolffson since 1995. To every soul & jazz fan Martin Moss is the real discovery of this record.Credits: Soul to Jazz I LP 1 and LP 2, A 01 - 04 Originally released on CD: 01.09.1996 Recorded March 5 - 15, 1996 at WDR Studios, Cologne. Recording engineers: Thomas Sehringer & Reinhold Nickel. Technics: Ruth Witt. Editional recordings: Chateau du Pape & Peer Studios, Hamburg Mix (WDR): Wolfgang Hirschmann, Siggi Loch, Reinhold Nickel & Ruth Witt Mix (PUK Studio, Denmark): Charlie Jensen & Siggi Loch Mastering: Radu Marinescu & Liquid Gold Produced by Wolfgang Hirschmann & Siggi Loch A Co-Production of ACT Music and WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk Soul to Jazz II LP 2, A 05 and LP 3 Originally released on CD: 01.07.1998 Recorded January 24 - 26, 1997 at Avatar Studios, New York City Mixed March 2 - 4, 1997 at Chung King Studios, New York City Recorded and mixed by James Anderson Mastered by Achim Kruse Produced by Bob Belden Executive Producer: Siggi Loch Lacquer Disc Cutting by Sidney Claire Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios Berlin

Nils Landgren - 3 GenerationsCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren with Joachim Kühn, Michael Wollny, Iiro Rantala, Lars Danielsson, Cæcilie Norby, Viktoria Tolstoy, Wolfgang Haffner, Ulf Wakenius, Jan Lundgren, Ida Sand, Youn Sun Nah, Vincent Peirani, Emile Parisien, David Helbock, Marius Neset, Nesrine, Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, Anna Gréta, Johanna Summer, Jakob Manz, and many more We are Family – Celebrating 30 ACT Years Nils Landgren has been and remains the absolute linchpin of the ACT family. To date, the Swede has made forty albums on the label as leader, plus another twenty as producer or soloist. Michael Wollny, whose many many projects with Landgren give him a special connection, sums up a key ele-ment in his success: “With Nils everything becomes easy.” There is indeed a particular ease about Mr. Red Horn’s way of being; it is infectious and runs through everything he does. Which is all the more remarkable when one considers the sheer number of roles he takes on: trombonist, singer, band-leader, producer, festival director, professor, curator, talent scout and mentor.All of Landgren’s multiple roles and traits come to the fore on “3 Generations”. Working alongside producer and ACT founder Siggi Loch, Nils Landgren brings together three gene-rations of ACT artists’ in various line-ups to mark the label’s 30th anniversary. Landgren and Loch have a friendship and habits of working well together which go back almost as long as the existence of ACT itself. The two met for the first time at the 1994 Jazz Baltica Festival, just two years after the label was founded. Landgren became an exclusive ACT artist shortly thereafter. Since that time, it has been through Landgren’s network that artists such as Esbjörn Svensson, Rigmor Gustafsson, Viktoria Tolstoy, Ida Sand, Wolfgang Haffner and many more have joined the label. Nils Landgren continues in his trusted role as ACT’s leading connector and integrator. Finding and nurturing young talent has always been one of ACT’s strong suits. It was true for Nils Landgren, then later for Michael Wollny who joined the label in 2005 and is today one of the most significant pianists in Europe. With artists such as Johanna Summer and Jakob Manz - both born many years after ACT was founded - the label looks to the future with its younger generation of musicians bringing new ener-gy and impetus to the world of jazz.The Times (UK) has written: “Since 1992, ACT has been building its own European union of musicians, fostering a freedom of movement between nationalities and genres, and has given us an authentic impression of what the continent is about.” “3 Generations” demonstrates quite how true that assertion is. Around forty artists from the ACT Family make this anniversary album a celebration of the breadth, openness and inclusive power of jazz. The core of the album consists of recordings made at a summer 2022 studio session lasting several days. In reality, it is only Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch who could have brought this pano-rama of musical Europe into being. The influences here range from jazz, popular song and folk to classical and contempo-rary music, and much more. Thirty tracks from three generations of musicians marking thirty years of ACT, with Nils Landgren as driving force. Not just a retrospective, but above all an insight into the present and future of the discovery label “in the Spirit of Jazz”.Credits: Recorded by Thomas Schöttl at Jazzanova Studio, Berlin on June 7 - 9, 2022, assisted by José Victor Torell – except as otherwise indicated Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Siggi Loch and Nils Landgren The Art in Music: Cover Art by Yinka Shonibare CBE: Detail from Creatures of the Mappa Mundi, Mandragora, 2018

Various Artists - Magic Moments 15: In the Spirit of JazzCD / digitalBest jazz infotainment for the 30th anniversary of ACT: 16 tracks, 65 minutes of music in the spirit of jazz, featuring artists like Nils Landgren, Emile Parisien & Theo Croker, Iiro Rantala, Vincent Peirani Trio, Michael Wollny Trio, Joel Lyssarides, Jakob Manz & Johanna Summer, and more.Credits: Compilation by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Nils Landgren - Sentimental JourneyCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren vocals and trombone Anders Widmark piano Lars Danielsson bass Wolfgang Haffner drumsNils Landgren Sings Ballads Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Natalie Cole - these are the stars that have caused a worldwide furore with their full-blown movement back to the "standards". It comes as no surprise that the interpretation of the well-known ballads that make up a large portion of "The Great American Songbook" has always been considered one of the highest disciplines in jazz. At first glance Nils Landgren might seem a bit out of place in the midst of this illustrious group of women. Landgren - isn't that the guy with the fiery red trombone who continually brings the concert halls to the boiling point? Yah - that's him. But God knows the Swedish jazz trombonist has more to offer than rock-hard, groovy funk. When it comes to ballads, Nils Landgren is an old hand. And Nils could sing practically from when he could talk. Nils remembers with amusement that, "In school we had to sing a psalm every day, which definitely didn't arouse my enthusiasm for singing." It was a convincing performance in the best James Brown manner that got the 18-year old Landgren his first recording contract. Since then Nils Landgren has never completely stopped singing, regardless of all the success of his formidable band Funk Unit.  To the great surprise of those who know the music industry, Landgren's 1992 "Ballads" album (ACT 9268-2), which was brought onto the market without a lot of publicity, evolved into a real word-of-mouth hit. Almost 20,000 copies were sold - that speaks for itself - such a turnover is a more than respectful success in the jazz world. And so "Mr. Redhorn" once again gives way to his sensitive side and undertakes a trip to the land of emotions. "Sentimental Journey" - could there be a more appropriate title for an album from someone who is almost always speeding from one gig to the next, but who would like to shift down a gear? Nils declared that, "After all the hectic tours in this last period, it was simply the right time to do this album. I've always liked quiet songs that tell a story. It doesn't make much difference to me whether I tell that story with words or with my instrument." And there is a whole list of such stories: "In a Sentimental Mood", breathed in the characteristic style of the greatest jazz musician of them all, Duke Ellington. Kurt Weill's "Speak Low", referring to the intimate moment of trusting togetherness. "Nature Boy", "My Foolish Heart", and the title song, "Sentimental Journey"; these are songs that belong to the standard repertoire of virtually every vocal interpreter in jazz. But Nils Landgren has also covered pop artists such as Sting, and it is clear that he has no reservations about tackling such country greats as Allison Krauss: "Fragile" and "Ghost in this House" are seamlessly added to the phalanx of song classics as if they had always belonged there. A lot of heart went into the making of "Sentimental Journey"; it is a project that is worked down to the smallest detail. What is more boring than a record on which every piece sounds pretty much the same? That's not the case here. Every song has its own individual arrangement and stands alone in its beauty. Landgren is no friend of simple solutions - he's not content with getting his ideas ready-made. Instead of using the usual string ensemble for an adequate background, he opted for the original FleshQuartet out of his Swedish homeland. Landgren intoned, "It's damned hard to translate the ideas you have perpetually running around in your head into sounds, but I never thought it was possible that they could sound better in reality than the way I had painted them in my fantasy. I'll always be indebted to the Fleshquartet for their contribution to this recording." Certainly not a bad choice. The Swedish pianist Anders Widmark is one of the most versatile of his profession. A while ago he made a recording of "Carmen" which caused quite a stir. Bassist Lars Danielsson is one of the most sought-after players on the European jazz scene, as is indicated by the many albums he has recorded, both as bandleader and accomplished accompanist. And drummer Wolfgang Haffner's biography could hardly be more colourful: alongside his work with his own formations, he is one of the most sought-after session drummers on the international scene. Besides this, the "special guests" include singers Rigmor Gustafsson and Viktoria Tolstoy, along with Nils' labelmate and friend, pianist Esbjörn Svensson. On the title song "Sentimental Journey" we also hear Nils Landgren with two of his students, trombonists Karin and Mimmi Hammar.  46-year-old Nils Landgren has travelled a long way before he could begin his "Sentimental Journey". He has been involved with more than 500 recording sessions (including ABBA), jazz workshops with some of the world's most renowned big bands, successful international tours with the Funk Unit, artistic director of the 2001 Berlin Jazz Festival - the list could go on and on. One thing that makes "Sentimental Journey" so convincing is that it resists the hectic hustle and bustle that can overwhelm the music. Nils says adamantly that, "This is my baby, at least for a while." And what a beautiful, sweet, sentimental baby it is.Credits: Produced by Siegfried Loch and Nils Landgren

Nils Landgren & Joe Sample - Creole Love CallCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone and vocals Joe Sample grand piano, Fender Rhodes Ray Parker Jr. guitar and vocals Chris Severin acoustic bass Raymond Weber drums Lenny Castro percussion Special Guest Charmaine Neville vocals The man with the red trombone is always on the look out for new challenges. This is what has made Nils Landgren one of the most creative, many-sided and also most successful artists to be currently found in the European jazz scene. Since 1994 he has been under contract to the ACT Label from Munich, releasing over this period 12 albums in his own name. Seven have received the golden German Jazz Award, with two even going platinum! Meanwhile, his role as producer of Swedish singers Rigmor Gustafsson and Viktoria Tolstoy has brought him two further gold awards. With "Mr Redhorn" Nils Landgren, who "for a long time has been at the forefront of European jazz trombonists" (Spiegel), you don't only associate the frenetic celebrated concerts of his groovy Funk Unit, which has been ceaselessly on the road for the past year with the successful project FUNKY ABBA (ACT 9430-2). You also know him from his intimate duos with Esbjörn Svensson where they would rework Swedish folk songs, from his chamber concerts of religious music or from his collaborations with big bands.One first came across Nils Landgren as the sensitive interpreter of ballads on his 1999 album Ballads (ACT 9269-2) from which can be appreciated his gentle and touching voice and "hypnotic charm" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). Following this he released his platinum disc Sentimental Journey (ACT 9409-2) and produced the exceptionally successful album I Will Wait For You (ACT 9418-2) by Rigmor Gustafsson. In 2005 the journey has now taken him to the southern states of USA, leading him to New Orleans. There are many reasons for this. Karl-Erik Landgren would habitually tell his young son: ”Listen to this music, it’s the real stuff”, whenever he took up his cornet to rehearse the swinging tunes from the New Orleans era with his band or played his shellac discs. The enthusiasm spread from father to son and the fascination for the sounds and rhythms of the cradle of jazz was passed on to the young Nils. It was a lifelong dream of his father to set foot in the hometown of jazz at least once in his life. Nils made the journey in his place in spring 2005, in order to realise a project devoted to the music of the American South. A project that could only be recorded in one town and with one man in particular: in New Orleans and with Joe Sample: Creole Love Call. Born in Houston, Texas, Joe Sample grew up exposed to the usual Southern mix of jazz, blues and gospel. He is known above all as a founder member, pianist, keyboardist and composer of the legendary funk jazz band The Crusaders, with which he wrote musical history over the decades. So many of his songs became worldwide hits, such as "Street Life" sung by Randy Crawford in 1979. Many of these can be rediscovered on Creole Love Call. Since the late Seventies, Joe Sample has also followed a parallel career as solo pianist and accompanied stars such as Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker on numerous albums and tours. Nils Landgren and Joe Sample have known each other for at least 20 years, from when Nils accidentally found himself in the middle of a recording session of The Crusaders in Los Angeles and then played together with Randy Crawford in Santa Barbara the following summer. Years later, after three of the original Crusaders got back together in 2003, Joe Sample invited Nils at the beginning of 2005 to join him on a major Japan tour - and thus Creole Love Call was sealed with a simple handshake. The band which Nils and Joe specially put together for this album mainly consists of musicians from New Orleans. With a famous exception: the pop and soul star Ray Parker Jr., especially known for the title song for the Ivan Reitman film "Ghostbusters" (1984). Here he plays guitar and duets with Nils Landgren on the Otis Redding hit "Dock Of The Bay". The rhythm section includes bassist Chris Severin, who is known amongst others from many Dianne Reeves albums, Raymond Weber (drums), and Lenny Castro (percussion). Weber was in the 90s a member of Harry Connick Jr.'s Big Band and is to be seen on screen in the film "Ray" as the drummer in the band of Ray Charles. The busy percussionist Lenny Castro has worked together with greats such as Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Lee Jones, Diana Ross and Quincy Jones, and is also known for work with Joe Sample and The Crusaders. Charmaine Neville, a member of the famous Neville Brothers clan, appears as "special guest", interpreting with Nils Landgren Allen Toussaint's classic "With You In Mind", which lyrics are written by her uncle Aaron Neville. Also appearing on Creole Love Call is one of New Orleans' most famous musicians, the sousaphone player Kirk Joseph, arguably the most important and most creative innovator of his instrument. Together with trombonist "Big Sam" Sammie Williams, leader of the New Orleans funk band "Big Sam's Funky Nation", he is a member of the legendary New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Credits: Produced by Nils Landgren

Wolfgang Haffner - Dream Band live in ConcertCD / Vinyl / digital Wolfgang Haffner drums, table tubes & log drum Randy Brecker trumpet Nils Landgren trombone & vocals (Get Here) Bill Evans saxohone, vocals & piano (Bones from the Ground) Christopher Dell vibraphone Simon Oslender keyboards & piano Thomas Stieger bass Stars, Drive und Herz: Brecker, Landgren, Evans und mehr - Die „Dream Band“ des Schlagzeugers Wolfgang Haffner auf einem Live-Doppelalbum.Credits: Recorded during the Karsten Jahnke JazzNights Tour in Germany, November 2021 Mixed and produced by Wolfgang Haffner Recording engineer: Jochen Etzel Mastering: Peter Heider at Purecuts Cover art by Peter Krüll

Nils Landgren - Layers Of LightCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone Esbjörn Svensson piano 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. Credits: 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

Nils Landgren - Nature BoyCD / Vinyl / digitalNils Landgren tromboneThe 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. It has 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 appealing warmth and lyricism. These have also been the defining characteristics of the Christmas programmes which he has created every two years since 2006 on the "Christmas With My Friends" tour and album series. And it is this contemplative and melodic dimension to Landgren’s work which is now placed front and centre stage. Here is a genuine premiere: Nils Landgren's first ever solo album. The fact that “Nature Boy”, the otherworldly song made famous by Nat King Cole, became the album’s title track is no accident: it is about a "strange boy" who has "wandered very far over land and sea " to realise that the most precious thing is "to love and be loved in return ". These sentiments are analogous to the story of how the album itself came into existence. On 13 March 2020, Nils Landgren had returned to Skillinge in southern Sweden from Hamburg, having taken the last flight before borders closed and Europe went into lockdown. For a person who in normal circumstances would hardly ever spend a whole week in the same place, Landgren suddenly and unexpectedly found himself for several months with his wife Bea in their old house near the coast. A "strange but personally wonderful time", as Landgren remembers, but around Christmas-time he began to miss the "Christmas With My Friends" tour that would normally have been happening. So he suggested to Bea that he might at least play and record alone for her in the church. She immediately loved the idea Landgren put in a request to the priest at the church nearby, Ingelstorps Kyrka. The priest, Maria, ensured that the church would be heated and that everything would be ready for Landgren. And then, when the moment came and he played the first solo notes – "only me, myself and my trombone" – it was almost a shock: "Such a beautiful sound, making the tone of my trombo-ne just fly through time and space. Bea and I looked at each other in silence, knowing that this can become something special." It was also special because Landgren only chose pieces with a personal significance for him. In the first instance there are the traditional Swedish songs such as "Allt under himmelens fäste" (everything under the sky) or "Värmlandsvisan" (Värmland song), which he had sung in church as a child – and also "Den blomster-tid nu kommer" (now comes flowering time), written in the 17th century by Israel Kolmodin, an ancestor of Landgren’s. Then there are are traditional songs which were around when he was setting out as an instrumentalist, such as the German "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" (the moon has risen) and "Morning Has Bro-ken", made famous by Cat Stevens, but in fact a hymn tune from Mull in Scotland; then two Duke Ellington songs – "In a Sentimen-tal Mood" and "Solitude" – which had once sparked his love of jazz and big band music; one of his own early compositions "A Minor"; and finally two wonderful songs by the Swedish ballad singer and national icon Evert Taube. The album ends with Taube’s lullaby "Sov på min arm" (sleep on my arm), which Landgren heard very often as a child. As Landgren hoped and predicted, “Nature Boy" has indeed become something very special, and in several respects. It shows him from a side that "is always there, but not always to be seen", as he says. Inevitably, the listener is drawn in by the depth of feeling, reinforced by the serenity of Landgren's playing and the freedom of the arrangements with which he gives new form and meaning to the songs. And there is also the magical power of the sound of the trombone in the reverberant acoustic 19th century church. Landgren had never recorded alone before. With its genesis in the circumstances of a specific time, this solo statement looks back at a 40-year career and illuminates it with sounds that are timeless.Credits: 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

Nils Landgren - Funky ABBACD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone and vocals Magnum Coltrane Price vocals, microphone poetry and additional synthesizers Henrik Janson guitar Jesper Nordenström keyboards Roberto Di Gioia keyboards Lars DK Danielsson Fender bass Wolfgang Haffner all drums & backing vocals on SOS Per Lindvall drums on #7, #11 Karl-Martin Almqvist tenor saxophone Special Guests: Till Brönner trumpet and additional horn arrangement on #2 Sharon Dyall vocals on #3, #7 Viktoria Tolstoy vocals on #6, #12 Alex Papaconstantinou bouzouki on #3 Nimo co-flow on #8 Very Special Guest: Benny Andersson piano on #12 Nils Landgren isn’t a name only to be found among “the top rank of European jazz trombonists“ (Der Spiegel). He is also one of the wide-ranging set of artists to be found on the European jazz scene today. “A musical omnivore“ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and “a marvel of flexibility“ (Jazzthetik), whose interests and output cover many bases: whether the man with the red trombone is performing one of his frenetic concerts to enthusiastic fans with his grooving Funk Unit, singing with “hypnotic charm“ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), devoting himself, in collaboration with Esbjörn Svensson, to the reworking of Swedish folk songs, or celebrating kitschy chamber music or big band jazz – all reflect the many sides of the same person. After a two-year self-imposed rest from performing funk, during which Nils Landgren has been busy producing and singing ballads on Sentimental Journey (ACT 9409-2) and on Rigmor Gustafsson’s album I Will Wait For You (ACT 9418-2), Mr Red Horn is now devoting his time once again to his Funk Unit, which ranks, quite undeniably, as “the best European funk band“ (Stereo Magazine). Now, exactly 30 years after ABBA’s international breakthrough at the Eurovision Song Contest, he has undertaken a highly personal tribute to one of the greatest pop bands ever, working together with his grooving band, which “drives young people into a frenzy and yet also is taken seriously by the snobbish jazz lovers“ (Spiegel). The new album is called FUNKY ABBA – and Nils can call it that with much justification, through his long-standing friendship with Benny Andersson. Twenty-five years ago, on the strength of his special trombone sound, Benny asked the fresh-faced Nils to join him in the studio to play on the ABBA song “Voulez-Vous“. This time it was the other way round: Benny couldn’t wait to take part on at least one track of FUNKY ABBA. We’ll leave the rest to Nils Landgren to describe in his own words: „When I first asked Benny Andersson for his blessing to make an album titled FUNKY ABBA’ he just said: ‚Is that possible?’ ‚I think yes’ I replied. ‚OK, do it!’ Benny said with a smile and so ahead I went. We booked the scene of the crime for this recording. The great Polar Studio A where all the ABBA songs were recorded to get the right vibe from that old tribe. I tell you, it´s still in those walls: all that great stuff that was once produced in there. What a challenge to dig into this treasure, it was! Thank you Björn & Benny for all the great songs! If we succeeded to make them funky, it´s up to you friends out there to decide. Credits:Recorded by Stefan Boman at Polar Studio A at Stockholm, September 1 - 4, 2003 Additional recording by Magnum Coltrane Price at Budzilla Studios Mixed by Stefan Boman with MCP, Nils Landgren and Bo Reimers at Polar Studios, October 23 - 27, November 11 and 17, 2003 Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Nils Landgren & Magnum Coltrane Price

Various Artists - Christmas in the Spirit of JazzCD / digitalJust as there are a multitude of different ways to celebrate Christmas, there is also a vast and appetising array of Christmas music. And whereas Nils Landgren's "Christmas With My Friends" series has been an integral part of the run-up to the holiday season for the past 15 years, it is far from being all that ACT has to offer: a host of other artists from the label have created their own distinctive Christmas sounds. These range from the quiet contemplations of pianist Bugge Wesseltoft or the hymn-inspired "Nordic Christmas" from saxophonist Tore Brunborg, to music from Cana-dian singer Laila Biali or “a touch of class” (The Observer) from Echoes of Swing... and even the coruscating and youth-ful energy of the Jazzrausch Bigband. All these and many more are to be found on "Christmas in the Spirit of Jazz". This is the ACT Christmas soundtrack for 2021. Tracks from all eight of the "Christmas With My Friends" albums are the thread running through this Christmas com-pilation. Nils Landgren sets the celebrations in motion with "Coming' Home for Christmas", the album opener. In the course of the album’s eighteen tracks, we hear a roster of other soloists: Jessica Pilnäs, Johan Norberg and Jonas Knut-son bring seasonal joy to Leroy Anderson’s swinging classic "Sleigh Ride"; Sharon Dyall with her blues-infused voice jingles us through the lively "Just Another Christmas Song"; Ida Sand and Jeanette Köhn sing John Rutter’s "Angel's Carol" in a gently-paced duet. As German magazine Stern has remarked of "Christmas With My Friends”, this is music which "sparkles like the starry sky of a Nordic winter night". We cross the border from Sweden into Norway for another Christmas classic: Bugge Wesseltoft recorded one of the best-selling Christmas albums in Norway with his piano solo CD "It's Snowing On My Piano": the plaintive sounds of Wes-seltoft playing "In Dulce Jubilo" have an irresistible simplicity and directness. And then on to Denmark for Janne Mark: she sings about "Vinter", a delightful hymn which brings light and warmth to Scandinavia's season of darkness. Christmas with the Jazzrausch Bigband is lively and sassy. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, the stylish sound of this big band has been superbly caught: "Fröhliche Weihnacht überall" (Merry Christmas everywhere) takes us a long way from the quieter and more contemplative vibe to be heard elsewhere on "Christmas in the Spirit of Jazz". Echoes of Swing with Rebecca Kilgore treat us to a superb "Winter Wonderland": it’s swinging and American - but with a knowing, five-four smile.A song which was not originally written with Christmas in mind, but which has nonetheless found its way into the canon is "A Child is Born" by Thad Jones: Laila Biali's version of it is released here on CD for the first time. Another which has also become a Christmas evergreen is Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Polish violinist Adam Bałdych interprets it here. And with "Happy Xmas, War is Over" from 1971, we hear Iiro Rantala paying homage to John Lennon. His solo piano interpretation is virtuosic yet has depth, and the song’s message of peace could not be more topical or important than it is today. Caecilie Norby and Lars Danielsson have made a new recording of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" especially for "Christmas in the Spirit of Jazz". We hear just the duo of voice and bass, the mood carefree yet festive. "Christmas Song" is heard in a calmly uplifting version from Viktoria Tolstoy, with Ida Sand, Ulf Wakenius and Nils Landgren. And finally Mr. Redhorn brings "Christmas in the Spirit of Jazz" to an atmospheric conclusion on solo trombone: "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" (the moon is risen) is from his recently released solo album "Nature Boy". Landgren’s trombone sound echoes weightlessly through space and time: the final mood is one of contemplation and peace.

Various Artists - Magic Moments 14 "In The Spirit Of Jazz"CD / digital"More than any other art form, music touches people directly," is ACT founder Siggi Loch's credo. For nearly 30 years, the core of what the label does has been to find and to promote the artists who can inspire the mind, reach the heart and touch the soul, and who do so in ways that have a lasting impact. Perhaps this has never been more important than now in the time of the pandemic, when culture has been silenced, when people have felt emotionally isolated and – far too often – the only “reality” has been virtual. With sixteen tracks from the current ACT release schedule, "Magic Moments 14" gathers together all of the power of "Music in the Spirit of Jazz", this world language beyond words which is understandable to everyone. It not only brings people together, it also moves and inspires them. ACT’s main mission is in the absolute foreground on this album: to be a discovery label. ACT’s main focus has always been on European jazz, to document this art form growing and developing, to show it reflecting on its own musical traditions, linking them back to jazz’s American roots and thereby opening up new paths. So, in that spirit, "Magic Moments 14" begins with a "Canzon del fuego fatuo" from the remarkable young Spanish pianist Daniel Garcia. Here is a fascinating new voice from Spanish jazz, taking up the music of his homeland in a refreshingly new way. We also mark here the ACT debut of mesmerising Austrian actor Birgit Minichmayr. Here is a voice and a personality with charismatic presence, delivering a Shakespeare Sonnet in the grand manner, together with Quadro Nuevo’s versatile world music team and the early jazz specialist Bernd Lhotzky. Other examples of new shining stars in the European musical firmament are the French-Algerian cellist and singer Nesrine and Austrian pianist David Helbock’s new trio. This focus on new and recent arrivals at the label does not mean neglecting the artists who have been with ACT since the beginning and who have made it the leading label for Swedish jazz: trombonist Nils Landgren contributes a new humdinger from his Funk Unit, a band which has been giving soul jazz a European face for over twenty-five years. Bassist/composer Lars Danielsson again celebrates the combination of classical music, jazz and Nordic sound with "Cloudland" from his new Liberetto album. Ida Sand conti-nues the tradition of Scandinavian singers who enrich the world's songbook with their pop "in the spirit of jazz". And for the final track, Jan Lundgren and Lars Danielsson, toge-ther with Emile Parisien, the French musician who has single-handedly redefined the soprano saxophone, show us Euro-pean art music with a Swedish accent at its most communicative and inspired. Last but not least, ACT was one of the first important labels to promote contemporary German jazz. There are more German artists on "Magic Moments 14" than ever before, demonstrating this important strand: violinist Florian Willeitner from Passau; guitarist Philipp Schiepek who has made a meteoric rise in the South German scene; the feisty attitude of KUU! led by singer Jelena Kuljic – like Minichmayr also primarily known for her acting and stagecraft; the Jazzrausch Bigband, whose techno jazz is attracting attention worldwide; and two rising stars who are currently harvesting all of the major awards, Johanna Summer and Vincent Meissner.Summer and Meissner - like Garcia, Lundgren and Helbock - also stand for the special place ACT has always found for the best pianists in Europe. Thus it is two German pianists of major international significance who complete the offering on "Magic Moments 14": 77-year-old Joachim Kühn is still utterly driven and a major force; his heir apparent Michael Wollny can also be heard here in his new all-star quartet with Emile Parisien, Tim Lefebvre and Christian Lillinger. The drummer was a multiple award-winner at the new German Jazz Prize, including one for KUU!. "Magic Moments 14" is a quintessence of the many directions which genre-crossing, innovative jazz is currently taking. These difficult times need remedies that are both energising and emotionally affecting: here are musicians who unfailingly show us the value and importance of trust and dialogue.Credits: Compilation by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Nils Landgren - Funk is my ReligionCD / Vinyl / digital 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 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 ur-gency 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 ex-pressed 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 open-er "Amanda", in which gentle keyboards, asoft 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 synco-pated funk to get people singing and bopping along to is there in "Doing It For The People"; we’re into a thrilling reminiscence 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 energetic 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. "Sometimes 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 Landgren 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 deve-lop. "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"!

Various Artists - Fahrt ins Blaue III - dreamin in the spirit of jazzCD / digital Esbjörn Svensson E.S.T. Symphony Youn Sun Nah, Ulf Wakenius & Lars Danielsson Wolfgang Haffner Quartet feat. Dusko Goykovich Nils Landgren Quartet Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano &Jan Lundgren Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, Tim Lefebvre & Nate Wood Viktoria Tolstoy Cæcilie Norby & Lars Danielsson Matthieu Saglio &Vincent Peirani Ulf Wakenius Norah Jones, Joel Harrison & David Binney Jan Lundgren Quartet Michael Wollny & Vincent Peirani Natalia Mateo Jens Thomas & Christof Lauer Daydreams and soothing stories...in the Spirit of Jazz "There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us. Peace and quiet and open air wait for us. Somewhere…". These words from the classic song from Leonard Bernstein's “West Side Story” set the tone for "Fahrt ins Blaue III - dreamin' in the Spirit of Jazz": this is uplifting music, to take the mind and the soul to a place of safety. The kind of quiet interlude in a day which is always restorative. Switch off and then switch back on – better focused. We find calm, intimacy, thoughtfulness here; the sixteen tracks in this compilation have a sense of flow, while also allowing the listener to wander off into all kinds of musical dream worlds....From the very first spacious piano tones of Esbjörn Svensson’s "Ajar", one feels time standing blissfully still. This little gem, and the "e.s.t. Prelude" which follows it, is our entry point into the dreamy universe which will open itself up to us over the next 67 minutes. Youn Sun Nah's bittersweet "Lento", based on the music of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, gently emerges, seamlessly followed by Dusko Goykovich’s wonderfully warm and sad muted trumpet as he contemplates the falling of "Autumn Leaves" with Wolfgang Haffner's "Kind of Cool" ensemble. Then we hear singer/trombonist Nils Landgren, gentle almost to the point of weightlessness in "Somewhere". There is poetry and the originality in Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano and Jan Lundg-ren’s Mare Nostrum Trio: we hear Swedish pianist Lundg-ren’s earwormish ballad “Aurore”. Lundgren also appears with his own quartet, with some hushed lyrical magic from Finnish saxophonist Jukka Perko in "No.9". On "Fahrt ins Blaue III", Michael Wollny and Vincent Peirani show their astonishing kinship of spirit and their serendipitous ability to move together in their duetting on "The Kiss". Accordionist Peirani is also to be heard with Ricardo Esteve’s heart-rendingly lovely flamenco guitar and cellist Matthieu Saglio on the poignantly sad but uplifting and warmly Mediterranean "Bolero triste". We then hear the Wasserfuhr brothers transport us to New York's Brooklyn Bridge with a sweeping view of the shimmering Manhattan skyline at dusk with their relaxed grooving jazz ballad "Carlo". For peace and inspiration, there’s a man and his guitar: Ulf Wakenius plays Keith Jarrett's "My Song". That is followed by the duo of Caecilie Norby and Lars Danielsson enchanting us with an intimate version of Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah”. Two more singers take us to the world of cinema: Natalia Mateo sings Wojciech Młynarski's gorgeous lyrics to Krzysztof Komeda’s “Lullaby” from "Rosemary's Baby", starting in her native Polish, and drifting into utterly beautiful wordlessness; and Viktoria Tolstoy offers that most pensive and gentle of breakup songs, "Why Should I Care". from the Clint Eastwood film "True Crime", with some stupendous guitar work from Krister Jonsson. And then there is an appearance by inimitable Norah Jones alongside guitarist Joel Harrison and saxophonist David Binney. She recorded a languid version of the country song "Tennessee Waltz" on ACT, on the album "Free Country", from the same era as her 27 million-seller "Come Away With Me". Pianist Jens Thomas and saxophonist Christof Lauer give us the quiet poise of “Green Dance”. This epilogue sums up the aesthetic of "Fahrt ins Blaue III": dreamlike music of beauty, tranquillity and calm – that it is well worth spending some time with. Credits:Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Various Artists - Romantic Freedom - Blue in GreenCD / digitalACT is a label with a clear sense of its own identity, values and mission, and these virtues find strong expression in this new compilation. ACT has been a major force since 1992 in bringing to the fore Euro-pean jazz which transcends the old genre boundaries, and has played a major part in helping this music to become far better known in its many and varied forms. This is in fact the second compilation album from the label to bear the motto “Romantic Freedom”. Back in 2006, fourteen years after the label was founded, the first album with this title focused on performances by solo pianists, a particularly strong area for ACT. Now, another fourteen years on, "Romantic Freedom - Blue in Green" brings the story and the message up to date - and does so in several fascinating ways.The ACT family continues to grow with the addition of fascinating artists from all over Europe, so it is fitting that David Helbock, a pianist who has only recently risen to prominence beyond his native Austria, and whose association with ACT started in 2016, should be given the honour of starting the album with his Random Control Trio in a moodily, atmospheric version of the modal Miles Davis/Bill Evans ballad “Blue in Green”. Another pianist who has only recently made his album is Carsten Dahl from Denmark. Dahl's “Sailing with no Wind” has calm, balance and great beauty. And for contrast there is the catchy, rock-inspired immediacy of the Stockholm-based Jacob Karl-zon Trio in “Bubbles”. The nurturing of fruitful dialogue across national borders and styles of music is a real strength at ACT, and is a key feature of "Romantic Freedom - Blue in Green". As Chris Pearson of The Times of London reflected in early 2020: “Since 1992 Act, the German label, has been building its own European union of musicians, fostering a freedom of movement between nationalities and genres.” It is worth noting that, whereas almost half of the pianists on the 2006 album were from North America, all the musicians apart from three on the new album were born in Europe. A band which epitomizes civilized conversation across borders, indeed has it at its very core is Mare Nostrum, the trio of Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu, French accordionist Richard Galliano und Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren. They play Michel Legrand’s “The Windmills of Your Mind” . Fresu’s appealing and warm flugelhorn sound is to also be heard irresistibly on Komeda’s “Sleep Safe and Warm” (also known as “Rosemary’s Lullaby”) in duo with Lars Danielsson. We also hear the very different heritages of Polish violinist Adam Bałdych and French/Israeli pianist Yaron Herman as the pair create and then release tension in “Riverendings”, the first of two tracks on this album featuring a violin.Musicians from Europe walk, quite literally, in the footsteps of the great classical composers. The young German pianist Johanna Summer, the youngest musician on this album and rapidly becoming a star of the label was born in Saxony very near Zwickau, the birthplace of Robert Schumann’s. She is heard here in her affecting “instant com-posing” version of Schumann’s “Of Foreign Lands And People” from “Scenes of Childhood”. David Helbock lived for some years in Vienna, and in “Beethoven #7, 2nd Movement”, we hear the Austrian in a delicate and thoughtful version on prepared piano. Norwegians pia-nist Bugge Wesseltoft and violinist Henning Kragerrud have a deep feeling for the melodic beauty of their compatriot Grieg’s “Våren” (Last Spring). ACT is home for pianists with a central role in European jazz in recent decades, such as Michael Wollny, Joachim Kühn, Leszek Możdżer. All three (and also Bugge Wesseltoft) were represented on the 2006 and the listener can reflect on the journey they have travelled over the decades with a label that above all help to ensure that their reputati-ons can build beyond their home countries. Michael Wollny’s “Little Person”, a cover of Jon Brion’s song from the film “Synecdoche, New York.” is quietly reflective with a gentle pulse and a deliciously open ending. We also hear Wollny on prepared piano accompanying another core member of the ACT artist family, Nils Landgren on both vocals and trombone), in Sting’s “Fragile”. We have the decisively carefree and rocky side of Joachim Kühn’s New Trio in “Sleep on it”. On this compilation we go back to the beginning and hear the very first track from “Pasodoble” Leszek_Możdżer’s 2007 debut on ACT: “Praying” in a duo with Lars Danielsson. Another massively influential figure in European jazz, and until his untimely death in 2008 a core member of the ACT label family was the late Esbjörn Svensson. He was also on the 2006 album. We hear an e.s.t. track which has become a classic, “Believe Beleft Below”, and also a homage to the Swedish visionary from another pianist who has revealed many sides of his character and his story on the ACT label, the Finn Iiro Rantala, who plays his heartfelt tribute “Tears For Esbjörn”. If we now know what European jazz is, that is at least in part because ACT has shaped an important part of its story. "Romantic Freedom - Blue in Green" shows how appealing, how approachable and how universal European jazz at its best can be. Credits: Curated by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann

Nils Landgren - Christmas With My Friends VIICD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Sharon Dyall vocals Jonas Knutsson saxophones Jeanette Köhn vocals Eva Kruse bass Jessica Pilnäs vocals Ida Sand vocals & piano Johan Norberg guitars & mandolin Christmas 2020 will be unlike the Christmases of the past, because the Covid-19 crisis and social distancing have fundamentally changed the way we live. Maybe they will also make us yearn more for the true spirit and the joys of Christmas. As we reflect and contemplate on what is important to us, we know that we want to keep hold of our sense of friendship and community. We feel a strong imperative to reach out for whatever can bring joy to the world. And with that thought in mind, there can surely be very few people who can gift-wrap the Christmas season in music for us – and do so quite as naturally, effectively and magically – as Nils Landgren. It is all of fourteen years since this risen star of the trombone, charismatic singer and established luminary of the European jazz scene first gathered together his closest companions in a studio to make a "Christmas With My Friends" album and then take the group on tour with him. The project was successful right from the start: the German magazine Stern hailed the first album as "the most beautiful Christmas CD ever." So from that point on there was no looking back, and never the slightest doubt that Landgren and his friends would go on to repeat this special way of celebrating Christmas: they have continued to do so every other year. Legions of fans have welcomed the albums and tour concerts into their own ways of celebrating Christmas. In fact, "Christmas With My Friends" has now estab-lished itself as nothing less than a Christmas tradition in its own right. In similar fashion, this project has become something very personal for Landgren and his cohort: "Ever since we did the first 'Christmas with My Friends' tour, we have seen so many beautiful churches and concert halls, we’ve met so many wonderful people, we are full of gratitude for all of this – we can hardly wait for this year’s encounters.” ACT owner Siggi Loch didn’t need any persuading to get involved in "Christmas With My Friends VII" either. He did, however, make a suggestion, that they should reach outwards and include songs from all over the world. So Landgren enlisted the help of his longtime colleague Johan Norberg to go off and do some research. Norberg is an experienced guitarist/producer, and he returned from his quest with a substantial trawl of songs. Of these, fourteen numbers from fourteen different countries have made it onto the album. In every respect, there has a been a widening of the scope of "Christmas With My Friends": alongside songs by classical composers such as Franz Schubert ("Ave Maria") and Benjamin Britten ("Hodie Christus"), there is a lullaby, the English 16th century carol "Sweet Was The Song". From Poland we hear "Gdy sliczna Panna/Listen to my Lullaby", from Russia there is the children’s song "The Forest Raised A Christmas Tree", and from South Africa the lively “Sizalelwe Indodana”. There is the Finnish song "Sylvian Joululaulu", scarcely known beyond its country of origin. By contrast, there is a hit that has travelled the world: "Feliz Navidad" by the Puerto Rican guitarist and pop singer José Feliciano. There are homages, such as one to the great Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel, and there are compositions by Johan Norberg and Eva Kruse. And the scale ranges from the purity and simplicity of a cappella (Norberg's opener "This Christmas") to "Just Another Christmas Song", in which Landgren’s group convincingly delivers the sound of a full big band. There is a very appealing variety here, but every single piece also brings out the talent of this unique cohort of musicians. Landgren’s trombone has an inimitable lightness and variety, Norberg’s guitar tone has folk resonances, the saxophone of Jonas Knutssons is imbued with wonderful lyricism, and the sound of Eva Kruse’s bass is warm and full. But above all the magic comes from the fact that the singers have voices that are so distinctive and yet so perfectly complementary: the classical vocals of Jeanette Köhn, the bittersweet soul of Ida Sand, the radiant clarity of Jessica Pilnäs, the dark, powerful blues of Sharon Dyall and – last but not least – the bright white soul sin-ging of Nils Landgren herself. "Each of us has our own way of interpreting," says Landgren of this, "and the personality of each one of us shines through on the album. Mine too - yes I have indulged myself....and every song here really does have a special meaning for us – and maybe for you too." Christmas 2020 is not just something special; with "Christmas With Your Friends VII" it's something especially wonderful.Credits: Recorded at Atlantis studio, Stockholm, December 7 - 8, 2019 Recording and sound design by Lars Nilsson Mixed and mastered by Lars Nilsson at Nilento studio, Kållered (Gothenburg) Produced by Johan Norberg & Nils Landgren

Various Artists - Magic Moments 13CD / digitalBest Jazzinfotainment: 16 tracks, 75 minutes of music in the Spirit of Jazz, including Nils Landgren & Jan Lundgren, Wolfgang Haffner,Ulf Wakenius, Solveig Slettahjell, Grégoire Maret, Vincent Peirani & Emile Parisien, Kadri Voorand, Viktoria Tolstoy, Jazzrausch Bigband.Credits: Compilation by Siggi Loch Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann