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Nils Landgren (musician)

Swedish trombone player and singer

Summary

Swedish trombone player and singer

Field	Value
name	Nils Landgren
image	20140716-Nils-Landgren-Funk-Unit-Kulturarena-Jena-7043.jpg
image_size	250
landscape	yes
caption	Landgren in concert
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth_name	Nils Lennart Landgren
birth_date
birth_place	Degerfors, Sweden
genre	Jazz, R&B, funk
occupation	Musician
instrument	Trombone
years_active	1978–present
label	ACT
associated_acts	Ball of Fire, Nils Landgren Funk Unit
spouse
website

Nils Landgren (born 15 February, 1956) is a Swedish R&B, funk, and jazz trombone player and singer. He is known as The Man with the Red Horn because he plays a red trombone.

Early life

Nils Landgren live at [[Leverkusener Jazztage]] 2017

Landgren was born on 15 February 1956 in Degerfors.

Career

Between 1972 and 1978 he studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad, Sweden, and continued his education at the university of Arvika. After meeting the Swedish folk-jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin and trombonist Eje Thelin, Landgren was persuaded to move from his strictly classical studies to improvisation and to begin developing his own sound and approach to music.

After his graduation, Landgren moved to Stockholm to work as a professional trombone player. He was soon touring with Swedish pop star Björn Skifs. Skifs's band, Blue Swede, recorded a number one hit song in the U.S. pop charts with Hooked on a Feeling. In 1981, Thad Jones invited Landgren to join his big band, called Ball of Fire, as the lead trombonist. Landgren has worked in many genres: jazz, rock, soul, hip hop, and big band. By his own reckoning, he has contributed to at least 500 albums by such international groups and musicians as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Wyclef Jean, and Herbie Hancock.

In 1983, he recorded and released his debut album as a solo artist, Planet Rock. It was followed by Streetfighter (1984), You're My Number One (1985), Miles from Duke (1987) with Bengt-Arne Wallin, Chapter Two 1 (1987), Chapter Two 2 and Follow Your Heart (1989). Between 1985 and 1987, Landgren performed as an actor, singer, trombonist, and dancer in over 360 performances of SKÅL, the Swedish play of the year. He has also appeared in several TV-films as an actor.

In 1992, the first performances and recordings of the Nils Landgren Unit took place. Its breakthrough beyond Scandinavia occurred in 1994 at the Jazz Baltica Festival at Salzau, Germany. The group then became the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. The album Live in Stockholm was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his then nascent label ACT Music.

In 2006, Landgren organized a Christmas with My Friends concert in the Odensala Church in Stockholm which was recorded and released as an album. It became the first album in a series. Landgren has released a new Christmas with My Friends album accompanied by a Christmas season tour in Sweden or Germany every other year.

In September 2007 Landgren opened the Jazz It Up Shanghai Jazz Festival with his band Funk Unit, playing a swing party, funk jazz show at the He Luting Concert Hall of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Personal life

He married in 1979.

Awards and honors

German Jazz Award for Paint It Blue, 1997
Tore Ehrling Prize, Swedish Society of Popular Composers, 2002
Nils Landgren receives Sir George Martin Music Award, 2012
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2019

Selected discography

Solo albums

1983: Planet Rock (Frituna/ACT)
1984: Streetfighter (Frituna/ACT)
1985: You're My Number One (Frituna/ACT)
1990: Follow Your Heart (Caprice/ACT)
1992: Red Horn (Caprice/ACT)
1993: Ballads (ACT, 1993/98)
1996: Gotland (ACT)
2001: The First Unit (ACT)
2002: Sentimental Journey (ACT)
2016: Some Other Time – A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein (ACT)

Nils Landgren Funk Unit

1995: Live in Stockholm (ACT, 1994–1995), with Maceo Parker
1996: Paint It Blue (ACT)
1998: Live in Montreux (ACT)
1999: 5000 Miles (1999) (ACT)
2001: Fonk Da World (ACT)
2004: Funky ABBA (ACT)
2007: License to Funk (ACT)
2010: Funk for Life (ACT)
2013: Teamwork (ACT)
2014: Eternal Beauty (ACT)
2017: Unbreakable (ACT)
2021: Funk Is My Religion (ACT)

Collaborative works

1985: Skål! (Frituna/ACT), with Martin Ljung, Siw Malmkvist, Thomas Hellberg, Beatrice Järås, Örjan Ramberg & Sharon Dyall
1987: Miles from Duke (Phono Suecia/ACT), with Bengt-Arne Wallin
1987: Chapter Two 1 (ACT) with Johan Norberg
1989: Chapter Two 2 (ACT) with Johan Norberg
1991: Untitled Sketches (ACT), with Tomasz Stanko
1997: Swedish Folk Modern (ACT, 1997–98) with Esbjörn Svensson
2000: Layers of Light (ACT, 1999–2001), with Esbjörn Svensson
2003: I Will Wait For You (ACT), with Rigmor Gustafsson & Flæskekvartetten
2004: Close To You (ACT), with Rigmor Gustafsson & The Jacky Terrasson Trio – Celebrating Dionne Warwick
2005: Creole Love Call (ACT), with Joe Sample & Ray Parker Jr.
2005: Salzau Music on the Water (ACT), with Lars Danielsson & Christopher Dell
2006: Shapes (ATC), with Wolfgang Haffner, feat. Landgren & Lars Danielsson
2006: Christmas with My Friends (ACT) with Viktoria Tolstoy, Jeanette Köhn, Sharon Dyall, Ida Sandlund et al.
2008: Acoustic Shapes (ACT), with Wolfgang Haffner, feat. Landgren & Hubert Nuss
2008: Christmas with My Friends II (ACT), with Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Ida Sand, Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg & Eva Kruse
2009: Chapter Two (ACT), with Johan Norberg
2011: The Moon, the Stars and You (ACT), with Richard Galliano, Lars Danielsson, Joe Sample, Michael Wollny, Rasmus Kihlberg, Steve Gadd and Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
2012: Christmas with My Friends III (ACT), with Sharon Dyall, Jonas Knutsson, Jeanette Köhn, Eva Kruse, Jessica Pilnäs, Ida Sand, and Johan Norberg
2014: Christmas with My Friends IV (ACT), with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand
2016: Christmas with My Friends V (ACT), with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand
2016: Christmas with My Friends Jubilee Collection
2018: Christmas with My Friends VI (ACT), with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand
2020: Christmas with My Friends VII (ACT), with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand
2023: Christmas with My Friends VIII (ACT), with Jonas Knutsson, Johan Norberg, Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall, Eva Kruse and Ida Sand

References

"Nils Landgren (Schweden) Posaune". Wollie-Kaiser.de.
"Finding the funk in Abba".
Hansson, Dan. (2010-08-01). "Ingen blåsning". [[Svenska Dagbladet]].
Monger, James. "Nils Landgren: Biography". Allmusic.
"Nils Landgren – Esbjörn Svensson". Last.fm.
"Kampanjer – Jazz Society".
jazz, ACT Music-In the spirit of. "Christmas With My Friends VI – CD – Christmas With My Friends VI – Nils Landgren – Artists – ACT Music – In the spirit of jazz".
"Shanghai swings and sings".
Shimoda, Anna. (2021-02-15). "I dag blir jag pensionär". [[Aftonbladet]].
"Nils Landgren receives the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany… – Jazz in Europe".
Kelman, John. (22 April 2008). "Wolfgang Haffner: Acoustic Shapes Review". [[All About Jazz]].
"Nils Landgren- trombone, vocals". ACTmusic.com.

Wikipedia Source

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