Love of my Life / CD
Format:
CD
- Limited transparent red double vinyl!
- ACT x Qobuz: When you purchase a vinyl LP, you will receive a free high-resolution digital download of the album from our partner Qobuz.
Description
Nils Landgren: Love of My Life
CD / Double vinyl (2xLP, 180g) / limited red transparent double vinyl (2xLP, 180g) / digital
Nils Landgren vocals, trombone
The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ulf Forsberg concertmaster
Joel Lyssarides piano
Lars Danielsson bass
Robert Ikiz drums
Ida Sand vocals on #1, 4, 9, 10, 11, piano on #4
Nils Landgren’s 70th birthday is approaching – it will be on 15 February 2026 – and that provides a moment to reflect not only on the scale of his achievement, but also the astonishingly wide range of roles which his life in music has involved. He is one of the most successful European jazz musicians of the past few decades. He is not just a trombonist and singer but also a festival director, mentor, promoter, producer and builder of bridges. He has been awarded of the German Cross of Merit, the Sir George Martin Music Award and the Litteris et Artibus medal, the highest order for art and culture which the Swedish royal family can bestow. He is a tirelessly hard worker, playing up to 200 concerts in peak years. But perhaps most importantly, it is in his nature to be both optimistic and huge-hearted. Everything Nils Landgren does is imbued with love, whether it is for music, for his signature instrument – the red trombone – for the people alongside him on the stage or for those gathered together in front it...And also for his wife the actress Beatrice Järås to whom he has been married for 48 years. What all of this means is that the title of his latest album could not be more apt: ‘Love of My Life’.
“When I was young, I wanted to be a pop star... but one playing the trombone. Everyone told me: just forget it, take your place at the back of the orchestra. But that was something I could never have accepted.”
Recorded with a band made up of close friends, plus the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, playing opulent arrangements by seven-time Grammy winner Vince Mendoza, Nils Landgren’s new album casts its net wide, from touching original compositions to songs by Cat Stevens, Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Herbie Hancock and also colleagues with whom he has worked such as Joe Sample and Ida Sand. This wide-ranging repertoire bears testament to Landgren’s remarkable capacity to bring all kinds of people together, to unite them and make things happen.
“The most important thing in music for me is: no pigeonholing. It's always better to explore together a bit, to try to do some new things...”
As is so often the case with Nils Landgren, ‘Love of My Life’ also has something of the character of a musical family enterprise: he is accompanied by Sweden's rising piano star Joel Lyssarides, double bass icon Lars Danielsson, drummer Robert Ikiz – also a permanent member of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit – and singer and long-time companion Ida Sand. For Nils Landgren, this is a lifelong dream come true. In the liner notes to the album, he writes: “Basically, I'm still the boy from the small Swedish ironworks town of Degerfors. I still can't quite believe that I have been invited to make music with an entire symphony orchestra and some of my best friends.” Anyone who knows Nils Landgren or has seen him live will know that this statement has absolutely no false modesty about it; it is totally genuine.
“Many people say I'm down-to-earth. Even a small mount of fame can make things go completely wrong... My father told me: don't elevate yourself above others. Keep your feet on the ground. That's a very Swedish, Nordic attitude – you should never believe that you are better than others.”
Nils Landgren is exactly the same person onstage that he is away from it. After every concert, he takes the time to talk to each and every visitor, hug them, take photos, sign albums, sometimes for a few hours. He says: “I am strongly motivated to meet the audience. It gives you an incredible amount of energy.” That's why, he says, he doesn't have any hobbies. When he's at home in the small village of Skillinge in southern Sweden, right by the sea, he likes to spend time with his wife Bea and practise the trombone in a wooden hut specially set up for this purpose, where his countless awards are also displayed. He also enjoys swimming in the Baltic Sea, even when the temperature is below ten degrees.
“I have no need of bungee jumping or extreme sports – every time I go on stage, it's like free climbing. That's quite enough for me.”
And that is why the Nils70 birthday concerts are likely to feel so much like family celebrations: Kicking off on 14 February at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg with his band, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra and the ‘Love Of My Life’ programme, and then on 5 May at the Berlin Philharmonic – together with close friends such as Michael Wollny, Wolfgang Haffner, China Moses, Viktoria Tolstoy, members of the Berlin Philharmonic and many more. And actually, the whole of 2026 will be Nils Landgren Year: together with renowned regional orchestras, Nils Landgren will bring the ‘Love Of My Life’ programme to some of the most beautiful concert halls throughout Germany.
“I usually meet orchestras for rehearsals just the day before the concert. Most of the time, it's just me and my trio – there's not even a conductor. As always in jazz, it's all about communication. I hope that the orchestral musicians understand my ideas... and if not, then I'll just have to try to convince them.”
Pianist Michael Wollny once said that ‘with Nils, everything becomes easy.’ Landgren – it seems, at least in music – has no problems, no fears, there are only ever new opportunities to create something beautiful, perhaps even something magical in the moment. Behind this is a deep belief in goodness – not only the good in music, but also in people. And being convinced that the individual can be effective in a world where one can quickly feel lost and powerless. “Seeing things positively gives you so much more strength to carry on,” says Nils Landgren. “And the love which you receive as a result can then be passed on... and then you find that even more has been added when it comes back...”
Credits
All orchestra arrangements by Vince Mendoza – except Waiting (by Magnus Lindgren)
Recorded live at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm — September 2024 & August 2025
Recording engineer: Ulf Östling
FOH: Jan Ugand
Produced by Jan B. Larsson
Executive producers: Nils Landgren & Andreas Brandis
Photography: Nikola Stankovic
Cover art by Martin Noel
Design by Siggi Loch
| Artists: | Nils Landgren |
|---|---|
| Empfehlungen: | Bestseller |
| Land: | Sweden |
Manufacturer information
ACT Music + Vision GmbH & Co.KG
Hardenbergstr. 9
D-10623 Berlin
Phone: + 49 - (0) 30 310 180 10
E-Mail: info@actmusic.com
Nils Landgren
3 Generations
From
€22.00*
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
4 Wheel Drive
€25.90*
Landgren - Wollny - Danielsson - Haffner - 4 Wheel DriveCD / Vinyl / digital
Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Michael Wollny piano Lars Danielsson bass & cello Wolfgang Haffner drums It scarcely feels necessary to mention the preeminent status of all four of these artists, because that is evident from hearing the music. When Nils Landgren brings such feeling to his own melody “Le chat sur le toit”, or when Michael Wollny dazzles with the blues-infused piano solo in “Lady Madonna”; when “Polygon” opens with a bass intro from Lars Danielsson, or when Wolfgang Haffner sets up the power groove to propel “4WD”, then it’s clear what’s happening: four leading figures in European jazz who know each other well and who have appreciated each other’s work for many years have now got together. True, their paths have crossed many times before, and in all kinds of configurations. The formidable duo of Landgren and Wollny comes to mind, for example, as does Haffner’s long-term role as an anchor in the Funk Unit, or Danielsson's vivid bass presence in Haffner's trio…but here for the very first time are the four friends as a quartet. They decided to record an album together at the Nilento Studio in Gothenburg: “4 Wheel Drive”. The title of the album reflects the equal role which each of the four musicians has had in setting the direction for the quartet. They take to the road together, both as superb soloists and as team players. In addition to one original composition from each of them, Landgren, Wollny, Danielsson and Haffner also decided that they would focus on four living creative forces from the recent history of music and interpret their tunes, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Phil Collins and Sting.
"These tunes are timeless classics in their own right, but there was another idea behind the choices of the songs we’ve covered. They have strong associations with the instruments in our quartet," explains Wollny. So McCartney stands for bass, and for vocals. Singer Billy Joel is also a talented pianist, and Phil Collins first started off his career as the drummer in Genesis. The choices were also dictated by highly personal connections. Danielsson considers the Beatles musician as his favourite bass-player; McCartney is up there with Johann Sebastian Bach as the musician he reveres the most. Sting is an inescapable presence in Nils Landgren's repertoire, especially the trombonist’s interpretations of "Fragile". And finally Haffner, just like Phil Collins, feels completely at home as a drummer in both pop and jazz. The 4 Wheel Drive musicians have also used the classic songs they have chosen as starting-points for their own excursions; so McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” becomes a subtly-lit jazz ballad. Freed from everything extraneous, and transformed by Wollny’s prepared piano, Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman” is a mysterious and enraptured love song. The musicians interpret Genesis’ song “That’s All” as a collage of instrumental sound. And for Sting’s song about letting go, “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”, they find a fitting musical parallel: the freedom of jazz leads naturally to Landgren’s powerful trombone improvisation. The album is bookended with music from the fast lane: it opens with Wollny’s fast-paced showpiece “Polygon”, and closes with Danielsson’s “4WD”; he had Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in mind when he wrote this title track.
4 Wheel Drive as an ensemble is like a high-performance four-cylinder engine with all the gears meshing perfectly. And the fuel: jazz.Credits:
Recorded October (9 - 11, 2018) , mixed and mastered by Lars Nilsson at
Nilento studio, Gothenburg, Sweden Produced by Siggi Loch
The Art in Music: Cover art by Peter Krüll
4 Wheel Drive II
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€18.90*
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
4 Wheel Drive Live
€17.50*
Haffner - Wollny - Landgren - Danielsson - 4 Wheel Drive LiveCD / Vinyl / digital
Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Michael Wollny piano Lars Danielsson bass & cello Wolfgang Haffner drums "Four top-league jazz musicians who just enjoy playing and who love good pop music," was how ZDF Heute Journal (German national TV news) introduced a feature about 4 Wheel Drive. “A jazz Olympics four," wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The group’s studio album spent four months at the top of the official German jazz charts, and now a new live album is being released. Nils Landgren, Michael Wollny, Wolfgang Haffner and Lars Danielsson – any one of these four with his own band could have filled a concert hall such as the Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt or the Philharmonie in Berlin as part of an ACT JazzNights tour organized by Karsten Jahnke. So the combination of the four into a supergroup raised the kind of eager expectations that such encounters do not always fulfil, because great live performance is anything but a theoretical strategy game. Essentially, nothing is proven until it has actually happened in practice. And the extent to which this group really did come into its own in the concert hall can now be heard on "4 Wheel Drive Live", a recording of the last concert of the group’s eleven tour dates, on 19 April 2019, in front of a packed house at the Theaterhaus in Stuttgart.
Thomas Staiber of the Stuttgarter Zeitung was there and wrote: "In Stuttgart the supergroup exceeded all expectations. It was because the four were able to function so solidly with one another and to react with such instinctive understanding, that each of them had all the freedom he needed to stretch out fully as an improviser. [...] This musical four-cylinder engine with its four-wheel drive negotiated the rugged terrain of jazz and was equally at home in enjoyable pop music. They did both sensationally, and unleashed storms of genuine enthusiasm."
"The band just got better and better as it toured," says producer Siggi Loch, explaining the background to the release of this live CD as a follow-up to the original studio album. The original compositions plus cover versions of songs by Sting and Phil Collins took on a whole new identity on stage. As Oliver Hochkeppel from the Süddeutsche Zeitung stated enthusiastically after the Munich concert: "In the live context, the songs from their album gave these top-calibre jazz musicians just the right blank canvas to paint stunning pictures. […] And to witness how each musician picks up ideas from the others in a split second and creates new ones is to reach an understanding of why music is the most beautiful of all languages. Come to a concert like this feeling tired, and you will be enlivened by episodes when ferocity and sheer pace and power take over. And the special flair of these four is really evident in the rests, in the thoughts that are quietly interspersed, in filigree pianissimo tones and the gentlest of contact with the instruments." When all of this coalesces, one experiences one of those very special concert evenings. And thanks to the live recording now issued as "4 Wheel Drive Live" this fleeting and precious moment will not be forgotten.Credits:
Recorded live in concert at Theaterhaus Jazztage Stuttgart by Adrian von Ripka, April 19, 2019 Mixed and mastered by Adrian von Ripka at Bauer Studios Ludwigsburg, Germany Produced by the artists Executive Producer: Siggi Loch
ACT 1992-2007: 15 Magic Years
€4.90*
The ultimate compilation "celebrates highlights from 15
years of high-quality label history from ACT." AUDIOPHILE HIGHLIGHT -
STEREO
Bitter And Sweet
€17.50*
Jessica Pilnäs enchants with her warm, soulful voice on "Bitter And Sweet"—12 songs about love featuring top musicians from the Swedish jazz scene.
Bravissimo II
€17.50*
Experience NDR Bigband with legends like Benny Bailey, Gary Burton, and Tomasz Stanko. A jazz masterpiece with top musicians.
Chrismas With My Friends VI
From
€17.50*
Nils Landgren - Christmas With My Friends VI CD / Vinyl / digital
Nils Landgren trombone, vocals Sharon Dyall vocals Jonas Knutsson saxophon Jeanette Köhn vocals Eva Kruse bass Jessica Pilnäs vocals Ida Sandlund vocals, piano Johan Norberg guitar Christmas without the songs – it's unthinkable. And yet how can one be open to different musical styles and also strike a good balance between them? How can all the right moods for the festive season be captured? Should it be classical or soulful, gospel or pop, blues or jazz?
The result can often be just one style of singing from one person – but that’s not the case with Nils Landgren's "Christmas With My Friends". A sequence which would normally have had to be patched together from a wide range of interpreters is all there, and from just the one source. Alongside the Swedish trombonist/singer himself, there are four vocalists, Jeanette Köhn, Ida Sand, Jessica Pilnäs and Sharon Dyall, and their fundamentally different voices allow them to combine many musical genres. The way these four co-exist so harmoniously is just one of the reasons why "Christmas With My Friends" has proved to be quite so popular and successful over the past twelve years. Accompanied by Eva Kruse on bass, Johan Norberg on guitar, and saxophonist Jonas Knutsson, the ensemble reinterprets Christmas songs from all over the world and in a jazz spirit, bringing together the well-known with the less familiar, combining the cheerful with the contemplative. Soprano Jeanette Köhn sets the classical tone. She has been garlanded with all of the most important prizes in Sweden, including a Grammy. She also tends to be the singer who steps into the limelight for important official celebrations in Sweden such as the King's Birthday, the Nobel Prize Ceremony, Astrid Lindgren's funeral or the Royal Wedding in 2010. And she brings exactly that sense of occasion to "Christmas With My Friends", notably in the album's reflective conclusion with the Swedish traditional song "Den signade dag" and Mendelssohn's "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing". She is to be heard in delightful vocal duets with Nils Landgren – a medley from "Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace On Earth" – and also with Ida Sand in "Christmas Lullaby". And mentioning Ida Sand, she is not only the pianist for this little Christmas ensemble, she also brings her bitter-sweet voice to it. For many years she has been one of the outstanding white soul voices in Europe, and is the perfect singer for the bluesy "Merry Christmas Baby", and for Dave Grusin's soul song "Who Comes This Night".
Jessica Pilnäs has a clear and bright timbre, hers is a disarmingly light voice, and she has a fine understanding of how jazz should flow. She caused a sensation in 2012 with a Peggy Lee tribute. She has exactly the right voice and attitude for standards like Frank Loesser's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" and for her own composition "When This Night is Over".
The darkest vocal colour comes from Sharon Dyall. Daughter of a Swedish mother and Guyanan father, she grew up in London and Barbados and brings gospel and blues to the party. She made her name in musicals (as well as work in overdubbing, as a TV actress and as a speech teacher). Just watch the stage light up as she comes on to sing songs like Bobby Troup's "I'd Like You For Christmas" or Jonas Knutsson's "Come One, Come All".And of course one must not forget our Master of Ceremonies himself, Nils Landgren. He doesn’t only make the trombone sing, he also has that unmistakable, throaty yet bright soul voice. He sets the Christmas cavalcade in motion with the opening piece "Christmas Is", on which he welcomes all of the others to join in. "Christmas With My Friends VI" is a celebration, and everyone who enjoys exceptionally good Christmas songs from Bach to ABBA in new and characterful interpretations is most welcome to it. It is the perfect accompaniment for all situations and moods, and is to be enjoyed before, during and after the day itself. Everyone involved in it has been a part of this joyous Christmas music-making for a long time now – while the number of listeners feel who love to be part of it has kept on growing too. For all of these friends may it be a peaceful and very merry Christmas!Credits:
Produced by Nils Landgren with Johan Norberg Cover design by Siggi Loch, based on David Ortins / ACT Art Collection Recorded by Janne Hansson at Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, December 18-20, 2017 Additional recordings by Johan Norberg at Krubaston, Stockholm Mixed and mastered by Lasse Nilsson at Nilento Studios, Gothenburg (Kållered) Production team at Nilento: Michael Dahlvid, Joar Hallgren and Jenny Nilsson
Christmas in the Spirit of Jazz
€12.90*
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.
Christmas With My Friends
From
€17.50*
"One thing must be stated at this point: Christmas With
My Friends by the Swedish jazz trombonist Nils Landgren is the most beautiful
Christmas CD of the year." - STERN
Christmas With My Friends - Jubilee Collection
From
€49.00*
Nils Landgren - Christmas With My Friends - Jubilee CollectionCD Box / Vinyl Box
Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Sharon Dyall, Jeanette Köhn & Jessica Pilnäs vocalsIda Sand vocals & piano Jonas Knutsson saxophone Johan Norberg guitar Eva Kruse bass Christmas With My Friends I with Viktoria Tolstoy, Lars Danielsson, Ulf Wakenius, Bugge Wesseltoft Anders Bromander & Walter Brolund Trombone Choir
The ultimate Collectors Box for Nils Landgrens Albums "Christmas With My Friends"
Christmas With My Friends II
€17.50*
"The 15 Swedish and international Christmas songs, in
Landgren's and his friends' versions, have such a touching, almost childlike
charm that one cannot escape the pre-Christmas atmosphere they reveal." -
JAZZTHING
Christmas With My Friends III
€17.50*
Together with singers such as Sharon Dyall, Jessica Pilnäs,
Jeanette Köhn and Ida Sand as well as 1500 guests, Nils Landgren celebrated a
musical Christmas devotion in December 2011 that was as intimate as it was
joyful. "It was a magical evening for everyone involved. Our wish is to
give listeners the same feeling we had during that concert, which eventually
became this album." - Nils Landgren
Christmas With My Friends IV
€17.50*
Nils Landgren - Christmas With My Friends IVCD / digital
Nils Landgren trombone & vocals Sharon Dyall vocals & harmonica Jonas Knutsson baritone & soprano sax Jeanette Köhn vocals Eva Kruse bass Jessica Pilnäs vocals Ida Sand piano, vocals & glockenspiel Johan Norberg guitar & kanteleAnd year after year it rings out at Christmastime: Nils Landgren's "Christmas With My Friends" ensemble is a loyal companion for the most wonderful time of the year. The fourth edition again presents a diverse selection of international, Swedish, traditional and modern carols and atmospheric secular popular songs, with the familiar hushed and intimate mood we have come to know and love. "There are still so many songs that touch us and that we want to make our own," Landgren explains the reason for recording another "Christmas With My Friends".
And it is true: the ensemble's interpretations simply do not get any less fascinating. Why? Because a very special magic is inherent in this music, that goes straight to the heart and speaks from the soul of us all. Because it is not sentimentalised and kitschy, but rather exudes a peaceful and familial serenity that is highly addictive. Because this Christmas music is not artificial and calculated, but real, and because it is a special desire and need of Landgren and his family of musicians.
Ever since the "Christmas With My Friends" debut came out in 2006, many people simply can't imagine a Festive Season without this music. The "most beautiful, touching, magnificent Christmas CD of the year. […] Luminescent. Sparkling. Celebratory." said STERN magazine at the time, and it remained full of praise for the following albums as well: The music "sparkles like the clear night sky of a Nordic winter" ("Christmas With My Friends II") and the third edition it lauded as simply "splendid Christmas music". All three albums have now attained jazz platinum status in Germany. The ensemble's Advent concerts are generally sold out to the last seat, as will most certainly be the case again on the Germany tour this December, when people flock to the churches and music venues to indulge in Christmas spirit.
What makes the "Christmas With My Friends" interpretations so unique? Most of all the fact that the people who have joined up to make them are not only congenial musicians, but also true friends of many years' standing who love to make music together. You can feel the harmony and connection of the group in the results. "Christmas With My Friends" is teamwork, not a one man show.
Nils Landgren understands like few other band leaders how to put his comrades into the limelight, to give them the freedom to stamp their personalities on the music: Jessica Pilnäs shines with her mellow, crystal-clear voice, complemented by the soulful timbre of Ida Sand, who also takes charge of the piano. Soprano Jeanette Köhn lends especially the traditional Christmas carols the necessary classical emphasis, and Sharon Dyall provides the bluesy touch, like on Odetta's "If Anybody Asks You". With his tastefully reduced acoustic guitar accompaniment, Johan Norberg injects the folk-music influence and builds the harmonious foundation, perfectly supplemented by Eva Kruse with her restrained and creamy bass. The jazzy embellishments from Johan Knutsson's saxophone set the interpretations alight and give them magnitude and candour. And over and over, Nils Landgren's butter-soft trombone punctuates the atmospheric music, and his typically fragile vocals touch the soul, for example in the intimate duet with Johan Norberg on his own composition "I Wish It Was Christmas".
Nils Landgren and his friends never tire of telling their personal, musical Christmas Story. Year after year. Because it is simply such a beautiful one. Merry Christmas! Credits:
Produced by Nils Landgren Executive Producer: Siggi Loch Arranged and performed by Christmas With my Friends Recorded by Lasse Nilsson at Studio Riksmixningsverket, Stockholm, December 17 - 19, 2013. Assistant Engineer: Linn Fijal Mixed and mastered by Lasse Nilsson at Nilento Studio, Gothenburg Nilento Studio production team: M. Dahlvid, Jenny & Joakim Nilsson The Art in Music: Cover art (detail) by David Ortins / ACT Art Collection
Christmas with my Friends IX
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Nils Landgren - Christmas with my Friends IXCD / Purple Vinyl / digital Nils Landgren trombone, vocalsSharon Dyall vocalsJeanette Köhn vocals
Jessica Pilnäs vocals
Ida Sand vocals, piano
Jonas Knutsson saxophones
Johan Norberg guitars
Clas Lassbo bassTrombones from the Swedish Radio Symphony OrchestraHåkan Björkman, Mikael Oscarsson, James Kent, Martha Eikemo Andersen
What would Christmas be without songs? And without friends and family? Trombonist, singer, and producer Nils Landgren had long dreamed of celebrating a musical Christmas with good friends. In 2006, this dream became reality: Christmas With My Friends was released and quickly became one of the most popular and successful Christmas albums in European jazz — and a beloved tradition. Since then, the series has appeared every two years, accompanied by regular tours. Now, with Christmas With My Friends IX, the series enters its ninth round.“Someone once asked me: is there not an end to Christmas songs?” recalls Nils Landgren. His answer is simple: “The answer is simple: no, there is not. As long as we celebrate Christmas, there will be songs celebrating the occasion in one way or the other.” For Landgren and his fellow musicians, both the recordings and the concerts are a special joy: “There is no way I can describe the feeling when another recording session is finished. We all put our heart and soul into each and every Christmas album we make, and over the years we have become a very tight bunch of people, and we know each other quite well by now — after 8 albums and 10 long tours over the past decades.”
As in every edition, Landgren & Friends also gathered over coffee and cinnamon buns for the ninth installment of Christmas to discuss and try out a selection of classic European and American Christmas songs across styles and eras, as well as new compositions. The lineup once again features Jonas Knutsson (saxophone), Johan Norberg (guitar), Clas Lassbo (bass), and Ida Sand (piano, vocals), along with vocalists Sharon Dyall, Jessica Pilnäs, and Jeanette Köhn. Traditionally, the recordings took place at the renowned Atlantis Studios in Stockholm – under the direction of Nils Landgren and co-producer Johan Norberg. As a special treat this time, Landgren invited the trombone section of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra to perform on some particularly moving chorales.
The variety of voices, the close familiarity among all the musicians, and the warm, acoustic character – both festive and intimate – shape the unmistakable charm of this music. Christmas With My Friends IX is a celebration of friendship, peace, and joy – a musical Christmas story that Nils Landgren and his friends share with their audience.
Credits
Recorded March 3–4, 2025, at Atlantis Studios, Stockholm
Recorded by Niclas Lindström
Trombones on #1 recorded by Hans Gardemar at KMH Kungasalen Stockholm
Mixed by Johan Norberg
Mastered by Klaus ScheuermannProduced by Nils Landgren & Johan Norberg
Christmas With My Friends V
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Nils Landgren - Christmas With My Friends VCD / 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 &school organ Johan Norberg guitars & kantele When things go this well, there is no earthly reason to break with tradition. For this tenth anniversary the participants have been absolutely rearing to go, and to do it all over again. And their mission to spread a message of peace is now certainly more current and more urgent than it ever was. So, welcome “Christmas With My Friends V.”
“It is quite amazing,” says Landgren, “what buried treasures there are that can still be brought to the surface, “and for this fifth album we have definitely unearthed a few. For me it is always a joy to go out on search parties with my Christmas friends, they always come back with surprising songs - from medieval times right up to the present day.” Once again an instrumental and vocal powerhouse team has been assembled around Landgren and his trombone. First and foremost the four vocalists: Jeanette Köhn, Jessica Pilnäs, Sharon Dyall and Ida Sand, who is also on piano duty. There’s Jonas Knutsson on saxophone, Johan Norberg on guitar and Eva Kruse on bass who make up the experienced unit to back the singers. Their work together in Landgren’s group over the years has led to the point where they have now created something of a Christmas signature sound.
Each of the eight musicians was asked to put forward two pieces for possible inclusion, and thereafter the construction of the programme was a joint effort. The end-result of that process was a comprehensive, unbeatable 18-part kaleidoscope of Christmas sounds. It starts with a trombone choir playing Bach – in reality the multitracked solo sound of Nils Landgren. We move on to Christmas songs in Swedish (“Härlig Aer Jorden”), in German (“Oh Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf”/ Oh Saviour, tear the sky) and American Christmas carols (“Sleigh Ride”) followed by some original compositions to soul-humdingers such as Gary Hines “Love Is Born.” We then move on to a comedy treatment of the old Swing standard “Baby, It's Cold Outside” which is the opportunity for some stunning vocal duetting from Landgren and Pilnäs.
When all is said and done, it is once again the wealth of great voices on show that turns this album into a Christmas sleigh ride traversing all kinds of different landscapes: Jeanette Köhn has real authority with her classical singing, Sharon Dyall brings a wicked hot come-hither bluesiness, Jessica Pilnäs has an irresistibly soulful jazz timbre, and Ida Sand gets right into the gospel groove. Equally compelling is the creativity of the musical interpretations, which nonetheless leaves the essential character of every one of the songs completely intact. A footman seems to be beckoning you into an eighteenth century coach for the “Hosianna” by the musical world traveller Georg Joseph Vogler – it has an almost Caribbean feel; “Joy To The World” is even older but it is a smooth cruise through the gears of jazz changes, while Johan Norbergs “Kokles Christmas” seems to connect the listener to some kind of psychic mystery. Sometimes it is endless snowy landscapes and winter Carl Larsson scenes which unfurl before the mind’s eye, sometimes it is the gaudy colours of streets bustling with Christmas shoppers. At other moments the sorrow and the drama of the Christmas story touch the heart, sometimes one can feel oneself transported by the pure sound of hope, or of salvation and deliverance. God Jul, as they say in Sweden, and a very Merry Christmas!Credits:Recorded at Atlantis studio, Stockholm, December 20 - 22, 2015 Recording engineer: Lasse Nilsson. assisted by Janne Hansson Additional recordings by Johan Norberg at Krubaston studio Mixed and mastered by Lasse Nilsson at Nilento studios, Kållered Team Nilento Studios: Lasse Nilsson, Jenny Nilsson & Michael Dahlvid
Christmas With My friends VII
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€17.50*
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
Christmas With My Friends VIII
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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
Creole Love Call
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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