Nils Landgren Funk Unit

Nils Landgren – trombone, vocals Magnum Coltrane Price – bass, vocals Robert Ikiz – drums Magnus Lindgren – sax, flute Jonas Wall – sax, flute Sebastian Studnitzky – keyboards, trumpet Andy Pfeiler – guitar www.nilslandgren.com

Island of St. Nikola, Poreč, July 9, at 22,00

Nils Landgren (1956), started to study music at the age of six and discovered the trombone at thirteen. Having graduated classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad, he moved to Stockholm where he started the career of a professional trombone player. In 1981, the legendary Thad Jones invited him into his new big band project and from that moment on, Landgren's career took an upturn. Interested in most styles equally, Nils has so far participated at a great many projects – jazz and rock, soul and hip hop, funk – in the roles of the trombone player, singer, composer and band leader. His name can be found on more than 500 albums, including the albums of such international stars as Herbie Hanckok, ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris…

In 1983, Nils's debut album Planet Rock was released; 1992 saw the first performances of the Nils Landgren „Unit“. In 1994, the band changed name to „Funk Unit“ and released its first album Live in Stockholm, which was the foundation for the longtime collaboration with then young, and today renowned ACT label. The next „Funk Unit“ release, Paint in Blue (1997), dedicated to the legendary Julian „Cannonball“ Adderley, received German Jazz Award.

After the huge success of that album and a long tour which followed, Nils Landgren ventured into non- funky realms and recorded two duos with the late Esbjörn Svensson, an excellent Swedish pianist. With Ballads, released in 1999, this versatile musician showed his new face, this time as a ballad singer. With his voice, style and emotional interpretation he has been compared to the unforgettable Chet Baker.

In 2004, after a sabbatical of almost two years, Nils Landgren and his „Funk Unit“ went full steam ahead and produced the platinum Funky Abba album, his own personal hommage to one of the greatest pop bands in history. In 2005, Landgren recorded an album with the legendary keyboarder Joe Sample and in December 2006 with some friends from the Scandinavian music scene Christmas with my Friends, which went gold in Sweden and Germany and climbed to number 2 of the German Jazz charts.

Last spring, Nils Landgren and „Funk Unit“ recorded Funk for Life; for every record of this album sold, one Euro goes to the joint project of „Funk Unit“ and Médecins Sans Frontières organization - „Funk for Life“. By purchasing the CD, the buyer will contribute in making life for people in Kibera, one of the biggest slums in Africa (Nairobi, Kenia) just a bit easier.

Let's conclude the 2nd Valamar Jazz Festival dancing with „the best funky band in Europe“ (Stereo Magazin).