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.

The Jakob Manz Project - The AnswerCD / Vinyl /digital Jakob Manz alto saxophone & recorder Hannes Stollsteimer piano &keyboards Frieder Klein electric bass Paul Albrecht drums Karl-F. Degenhardt percussionGuests Lionel Loueke vocals & guitar on 2 Matthias Schriefl alphorn & trumpet on 5 Alexandra Stollsteimer violin on 6 “Groove jazz, that’s what we grew up with,” says alto saxophonist Jakob Manz. “Marcus Miller, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers - they’re all in our DNA. But for The Jakob Manz Project’s second album, we also wanted new inspirations which would push us further”. The main catalyst for this was a performance at the Papjazz Festival in Haiti. The band were deeply affected by the country and its music, as well as a first encounter with pianist Meddy Gerville from La Réunion. So, whereas we can hear Jakob Manz’s breathtaking virtuosity again on “The Answer”, it is always something he puts to the service of the music. Grooves and melodies are to be heard here which are clearly influenced by the more soulful and poppier sides of American jazz. But there are also new colours derived from a serious immersion and engagement with music from beyond the western world.Manz conquers these newly expanded sonic horizons with his band consisting of Hannes Stollsteimer (piano), Frieder Klein (bass) and Paul Albrecht (drums), plus additional percussion from Karl-F. Degenhardt. The guests on the album are from the most diverse directions: Lionel Loueke contributes a fascinating West African touch with vocals and guitar, Alexandra Stollsteimer contributes the sound of classical violin and Matthias Schriefl is on trumpet and alphorn – this last instrument certainly a very raresighting in a band playing groove jazz. As ever, jazz provides musicians all over the world with a vocabulary to express, share and communicate what moves and influences them, and to allow audiences to appreciate it. In its own life-affirming way, jazz definitely has “The Answer”. Credits: Produced by the artists Cover art "California Suite No.7, 2004" by Mimmo Paladino

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

Jakob Manz - Groove ConnectionCD / Vinyl / digital Jakob Manz alto saxophone & flute Roberto Di Gioia keyboards Karin Hammar trombone Bruno Müller guitar Tim Lefebvre electric bass Per Lindvall drums Guests: Paolo Fresu trumpet (on 01) Nguyên Lê guitar (on 04) Mark Harrington spoken words (on 01) "Jakob Manz will always surprise you," says pianist /keyboardist Roberto Di Gioia, who produced the young saxophonist´s new album alongside Siggi Loch. "It is widely known that Jakob can play the saxophone unbelievably well, and also that he can take it in just about every conceivable direction in modern jazz. What is less appreciated is how authentic he sounds when he plays soul, funk and rhythm'n'blues. And just when you think you've heard everything from him, he will play you a blues solo so deep and soulful, it’s incredible." The release of Manz’s jazz-rock debut "Natural Energy" in 2020 gave a good pointer to his potential. That album was followed by headline appearances at important festivals: the Leverkusener Jazztage, Jazz Baltica, and also in the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart where he was a guest soloist at the "70 Years of the SWR Big Band" concert, and then at the ACT30 anniversary concerts in the Berlin Philharmonie. 2022 saw the release of the exquisitely crafted acoustic duo album "The Gallery Concerts I" with pianist Johanna Summer.This showed a different side of Jakob Manz, as an improviser of great depth and sensitivity. Whereas Jakob Manz's debut album gave us a cross-section of his musical spectrum in all its breadth, "Groove Connection" offers a close-up of what are probably his greatest strengths: the ability to enthral and delight an audience with soulful melody, his incisive soloing and his infallible sense of rhythm. This very rare combination of qualities was the starting point for producers Roberto Di Gioia and Siggi Loch, to which they added a top international top line-up...so the sparks could really fly. Loch comments: "Jakob Manz is an unbelievable talent. For me he stands in the tradition of great saxophonists such as Lou Donaldson, David Sanborn (his hero) and also Klaus Doldinger and his band “Passport”. All of these are musicians who found their characteristic sound on a foundation of jazz, which they combined with soul and blues, and became successful worldwide with it." The bar was deliberately set high for "Groove Connection", and right from the start. It should be an album of international standard, with musicians like Jakob Manz who penetrate the vocabulary of soul, jazz and rhythm'n'blues deeply and make them their own. Roberto Di Gioia, on keys and also a songwriter, was a shoo-in from the beginning – partly because of his history with Klaus Doldingers Passport and his current groove-jazz band "Web Web", and also because of his pop and soul sensibility as a producer of German Motown artist Joy Denalane and hugely popular rapper / singer Max Herre. First choice to underpin the band from the bass was American Tim Lefebvre, another hero of Jakob Manz’s, an authority on his instrument and collaborator with artists as diverse as David Bowie, Wayne Krantz, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Michael Wollny. A stylish groove comes from the drums, and from the Swede Per Lindvall in particular. His range of credits includes membership of the first Nils Landgren Funk Unit, and also having been drummer for ABBA. Bruno Müller, one of the most sought-after German session guitarists, adds flavoursome funk. The Swedish trombonist Karin Hammar creates a gentler counterpart to Manz's brilliant alto saxophone. There are also guest appearances from guitarist Nguyên Lê, trumpeter Paolo Fresu and speaker Mark Harrington.As soon as the members of Groove Connection met in the studio, everything clicked instantly. Roberto Di Gioia remembers: "We had everything perfectly prepared, including top-level bass equipment for Tim...who arrives, plugs his €500 no-label touring bass into the amp, starts to play a bit, then Per Lindvall joins in and immediately there’s something happening. That's when I had to shout into the control room that they should start recording immediately." The vibe of those first few minutes continues over the duration of the recording. Everything just flows, everyone seems to grasp subconsciously exactly what the music really needs, which notes to play - and which ones not to. In the end, one or two takes are sufficient for most of the tracks on the album. The fact that it all succeeds so seemingly effortlessly, and that the result sounds so light and unencumbered, but at the same time so rousing, is proof of the fabulous quality of all those involved in the recording. Everyone is at the top of his or her game, and, even more importantly, everyone has deeply internalised the vocabulary and the feeling of this music, there is real communication going on, and a lot of joy in the room. And that joy is audible to listeners from the very first bar - with a mixture of originals and groove-jazz versions of Adele, Billie Eilish, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie...and many more. There are very few young jazz musicians who master their instrument with such complete and daunting virtuosity as Jakob Manz, and yet his playing always sounds so unpretentious, clear, soulful and at the service of the tune - all at the same time. His success in doing this is due on the one hand to his talent and the determination with which he works on his musical expression. On the other hand, it is also due to his will to inspire and touch the emotions of the audience with his music. He says it is important to him that he should play his particular instrument, the alto saxophone, in a way that fills the room, but at the same time reaches each individual listener with directness and immediacy. And there is no doubt: he succeeds in this with flying colours, whether it's in a club, a large concert hall, a festival stage... or indeed wherever the listener might hear his new album. Credits: Recorded by Arne Schumann at Soundfabrik Berlin, 20. - 22.11.2022 Mixed by Arne Schumann Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Roberto Di Gioia & Siggi Loch

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

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"!

Ida Sand - My Soul Kitchen Ida Sand vocals & piano Stockholm Underground Jesper Nordenström keys Henrik Janson electric guitar Lars DK Danielsson electric bass Per Lindvall drums Magnus Lindgren reeds special guests: Ola Gustafsson electric & acoustic guitar Paris Renita background vocals André Dahlbäck background vocals Nils Landgren trombone & vocals RecordingLike jazz, soul has undergone an evolution from an American-based music rooted in the blues into a form of expression that now finds itself at home anywhere in the world. This global reach of the music is visible in ACT’s artist roster where we find, among others, Nils Landgren, Knut Reiersrud, Solveig Slettahjell, Magnus Lindgren, Torsten Goods, and - above all - the Swedish singer/pianist Ida Sand. Her four previous albums have channelled jazz, pop and folk influences, but "My Soul Kitchen" is different. It is Ida Sand's clearest declaration yet of her love of "sweet soul music", and is also a demonstration of her deep affinity for it. There are songs by soul greats such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and The Meters, which are completely at one with both Ida Sand's own tunes and with her soulful interpretations of the music of artists like John Fogerty and Mike Shapiro. As Ida Sand herself says: "Soul music is such a broad genre. There’s funky soul, blue-eyed soul, neo-soul, RnB, New Orleans soul, Motown-soul and many others. This album is a blend of many of these.” The band taking care of business throughout "My Soul Kitchen" is not just tight, it grooves organically. "Stockholm Undergound" consists of the Swedish recording scene’s finest. They made a huge impression on flautist Magnus Lindgren’s debut as leader on the ACT label, and are also the same musicians who formed the basis of Nils Landgren's first "Funk Unit". As Ida Sand remembers: “When I was 17 I really wanted to go to Fasching jazz club in Stockholm to listen to Nils Landgren and his Funk Unit. At the time, the band included Henrik Janson on guitar, bassist Lars DK Danielsson (not to be confused with double bassist and cellist Lars Danielsson) and drummer Per Lindvall. A few years later, keyboard player Jesper Nordenström joined the band. I was very excited because they were the best musicians I knew about back then. But to my disappointment it turned out I was too young, and the doorman said he couldn’t let me in. I started crying, and he felt so bad for me that he did let me in. During the show, I remember saying to myself: ‘Imagine if I could play with these guys some day.’ And now I do! I don't have the words to express what a joy it is to have gathered these musicians on my album. In addition, Magnus Lindgren, who is simply one of the most inspiring musicians I know, contributed the horn arrangements." The presence of a distinguished veteran has also made its presence felt on "My Soul Kitchen". This doyen of the scene is not a musician but a recording studio, the Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, which for nearly 60 years has been a nucleus of the Swedish recording scene. Albums by jazz artists such as e.s.t., Coleman Hawkins, Jan Lundgren, Magnus Öström, Jan Johansson and Nils Landgren were produced there, but above all legendary pop recordings by ABBA, Elvis Costello, Lenny Kravitz, Roxette, The Cardigans, Fatboy Slim, Randy Crawford, Mando Diao and many more. Atlantis’ renowned sound engineer Janne Hansson has also given "My Soul Kitchen" an unmistakably warm, earthy, soft, yet crisp and extremely natural sound that inevitably evokes associations with original recordings from the heyday of American soul and legendary labels such as Motown or Stax Records. "We spent three wonderful days in the studio with the two producers Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch," recalls Ida Sand. "Everything was so incredibly smooth and natural. Most of the tracks on the album are first takes. It was such a pleasure to see this band at work and to be a part of it. Together we have cooked a hot soul casserole for our listeners. And we hope they turn up the music and enjoy it together with some good friends. They'll love the taste of it, I guarantee ya!"Credits:All songs arranged by Ida Sand Horn arrangements by Magnus Lindgren Recorded by Janne Hansson at Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, January 31 – February 2, 2018 Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann Produced by Nils Landgren and Siggi Loch Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

Nils Landgren - UnbreakableCD / Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren Funk Unit: Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Magnum Coltrane Price bass & vocals Andy Pfeiler guitar & vocals Jonas Wall saxes Petter Bergander keyboards Robert Ikiz drums Honorary Funk Unit Member - Ray Parker Jr: Guitar on Unbreakable, Rockin’ After Midnight (& vocals), Just A Kiss Away, Stars In Your Eyes & Bow Down Randy Brecker trumpet on 06 Tim Hagans trumpet on 09 Mr Redhorn, Nils Landgren would never, ever mess with a good recipe. Unbreakable opens with the title song, Nils Landgren’s own composition. It begins with an unmistakeable guitar intro by Detroit funk legend Ray Parker Jr. (for the occasion an “Honorary Funk Unit member”) a funky riff that sets the pace for what’s to follow; a nonstop funk blowout. The Funk Unit rhythm section is tighter than ever before and lays down a groove like no other band. The horn arrangements (by band member Jonas Wall) are exquisitely precise and the process of arranging, mixing and performing they have developed over the years is unique and totally their own. If you add to that an outstanding trombone player/lead vocalist you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians ever to hit the stage in Europe. Some funk, some jazz and some straight-out party music, and when the likes of Ray Parker Jr., Randy Brecker and Tim Hagans are willing to come along for the ride, it’s bound to keep the recipe going and some good music playing. The title is important to Nils and marks something of a turning point in the history of his band: “Throughout all our years together, there have been countless moments of great joy and laughter, but also times when we had to fight to stay on the right track. Remembering the highs always helped us to face the lows and to get back up on our feet. The love for the music and for each other has always won and always will. We are unbreakable”. Nils Landgren, one of the most successful European jazz musicians ever, has received a plethora of jazz awards and other honours, including the Swedish Grammy for “lifetime achievement” and the Royal Swedish medal ”Litteris et Artibus” from the hands of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, for his outstanding achievements. When ACT Music founder Siggi Loch, first heard Landgren play in 1994, the band was called Unit. ”Why don’t you call it what it is?", Loch said, and from that moment Funk Unit was born. The first album on the - then young - ACT label would be Live in Stockholm, recorded in summer 1994 with Maceo Parker as special guest, and that would soon be followed by a string of Funk Unit records released on ACT. Some of the notable highlights are the Cannonball Adderley tribute Paint It Blue (1996) featuring Bernhard Purdie, Michael and Randy Brecker. Funky Abba (2004) and Funk For Life (2010) supported, together with Doctors without Borders, a project to support children and teenagers with their music in Kibera, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Ray Parker Jr., guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. Previously lead guitarist with Stevie Wonder. Parker wrote songs and did session work for Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and many others. Parker has scored six Top 40 hits as a solo artist; including the million selling hit single Ghostbusters in 1984. Randy Brecker, trumpet player. Six-time Grammy award winner. Started his career as a member of Blood Sweat and Tears, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His collaboration with younger brother Michael led to some of the most notable albums in the fusion genre, Brecker Brothers. Tim Hagans, jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer from Dayton, Ohio. USA. Three-time Grammy Nominee. In his early years he toured with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Among other artists Tim has recorded with Steps Ahead, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano. Unbreakable was recorded in November 2016 in the legendary Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, also the recording site for artists like ABBA, Scorpions, Elvis Costello and Esbjörn Svensson.Credits: Recorded by Janne Hansson at Atlantis Studios, Stockholm, Nov 14-17, 2016 Assistant engineer: Jan Ugand. Additional recordings by Magnum Coltrane Price at Studio Monica, Skyclose and Beatbox Studios and by Sven Hodam &Sebastian Pilch at Hodam Produktion Dessau. All horns arranged by Jonas Wall Mixed by Magnum Coltrane Price Mastering by Hoffe Stannow & Magnum Coltrane Price at Cosmos Mastering, Stockholm Produced by Magnum Coltrane Price & Nils Landgren for Red Horn Music AB Executive Producer: Siggi Loch Cover art by paul Jenkins (1923-2012), Phenomena Trial By Fire, 1988

Nils Landgren - TeamworkCD / Vinyl / digital The Funk Unit: Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Magnum Coltrane Price bass & vocals Magnus Lindgren woodwinds & vocals Jonas Wall woodwinds & vocals Sebastian Studnitzky keyboards & trumpet Andy Pfeiler guitar &vocals Robert Ikiz drums Special Guests: Joe Sample rhodes solo on 05 Wilton Felder tenor sax solo on 08 Till Brönner trumpet solo on 06 This might well be the best Funk Unit that Nils Landgren has had gathered around him since 2010: technically outstanding, this is a group of team players who combine well with a great groove connection. James Brown meets Parliament meets Crusaders meets Funk Unit: that's one way you could describe the musical concept on "Teamwork". It is pure party feeling, the notes whirl coolly through the ranks, superb horn sets alternate with ecstatic solos, dance beats, smooth vocals and strong melodies, but there is also time for elegance and heartfelt blues. "Teamwork" is all that and then some, played by a dream team of sweat-inducing funk workers with soul in their blood. "I felt that Funk Unit had so much more to give," recalls team captain Landgren, whose funk formation still shows no signs of fatigue even after 8 albums. With "Teamwork", this star player puts more emphasis on the skill of the collective, and pursues the same creative strategy that made funk legends like James Brown and George Clinton's Parliament great: go with the flow, follow where the groove takes you. "Hours of jamming preceded the recording sessions. We just turned the recorder on and played. Magnum Coltrane Price and Robert Ikiz laid the groove foundation that inspired us to new melodies and horn riffs. Then we checked out what we'd recorded together: where is there potential, where is there a great melody, which riffs get under your skin? It was like panning for gold. The songs emerged bit by bit. Then we went into the Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, where ABBA once recorded their unforgettable hits." The result is an album that wasn't planned or calculable, but that was born live, so to speak. Nothing sounds deliberate, it's all organic. So "Teamwork" isn't just an empty phrase, it is the essence. You need more than just great individualists, you need a gang of conspirators with the right team spirit. It is the wisdom of the many that gives the album that something special: most of the 13 compositions emerged out of the collaboration with the entire Funk Unit, with various individual leaders. Jonas Wall showed his particular mettle in the horn arrangements and Magnum Coltrane Price gave the album the final polish at the mixing console and as producer, "I feel right at home with this Funk Unit. I'm really happy that we've been playing together in this group without interruption since 2010. The boys are all good friends." With his 7-man European team, Landgren finds the square of the circle: creating authentic-sounding "black music" and gaining top American protagonists to do so. True greats of the scene are on the new Funk Unit album, including the two Crusaders legends Joe Sample and Wilton Felder. As Landgren explains, "I've been a member of the Crusaders for some years now, and I've known Joe since the 80s. We recorded the album "Creole Love Call" together. Wilton is perhaps not that well known to some, but when you hear the amazing solo he plays on Mr Masumoto, there is no doubt at all why he is still in the top league, even at the ripe old age of 72." Till Brönner is also without doubt top class. He is Germany's number one trumpet player, as can be heard on "Rhythm Is Our Business". "He was on some of the earlier Funk Unit records too, and he's simply a member of the family.” The title "Rhythm Is Our Business" could easily serve as the sub-heading for "Teamwork". Seldom has a Funk Unit album sounded so intoxicating and fresh, right from the outset the album opener "Get Serious Get A Job" drives up the blood pressure. The monster groove of "Mr Masumoto" is sliced up time and time again, as if by a guillotine, by crisp and snappy horn riffs. And there is no stopping your feet from tapping on "Where the Funk Is At". "Papa Bull" adds Caribbean flair, and an outstanding flute solo by Magnus Lindgren makes the difference on "Tracksuit". With "Teamwork" Nils Landgren once again fulfils his never-ending mission to conquer the hearts and legs of his fans. It is an expedition that underscores his position in the Champions League of international funk, this Funk Unit enthrals, excites and is just downright fun. A real working band where every member does his bit and, as “Teamwork” proves without the shadow of a doubt, that's just what was needed.Credits: Produced by Magnum Coltrane Price & Nils Landgren Recorded by Janne Hansson, February 7 - 10, 2013 at Atlantis Studio Stockholm Mixed by Magnum Coltrane Price Mastered by Hoffe Stannow at Cosmos Mastering Stockholm Cover art: Teamgeist II, 2006, by Martin Noël (1956 - 2010), by permission of Margarete Noël

Mo' Blow brings energy to jazz with dynamic performances and club vibes. Featuring sax, trombone, guitar, and vocals in an electrifying blend.

"A groovy, danceable record with cool vocals, crisp funk rhythms and brilliant horn sections." STEREO

Experience fiery jazz-rock with Nils Landgren, Ray Parker Jr. & top musicians. A dynamic blend of vocals and instruments.

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

Nils Landgren Funk Unit with Esbjörn Svensson & Magnum Coltrane Price – award-winning funk & jazz, recorded in Stockholm in 2001.