Nils Landgren
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Nils Landgren (born 1956) is a Swedish funk and jazz trombone player.
Between 1972 and 1978 he studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad and at the university in Arvika. Meeting the Swedish Folk-Jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin as well as trombonist Eje Thelin persuaded Nils to move from strict classical studies to improvisation and to begin the development of his own approach.
After his graduation, Nils moved to Stockholm to work as a professional trombone player. He was soon touring with the successful Swedish pop star, Björn Skifs' "Blue Swede" who got to number 1 in the U.S. pop charts with "Hooked on a feeling". Thad Jones in 1981 invited Landgren to join his new big band project "Ball of Fire", as the lead-trombonist. Ever since that time Nils Landren has been involved in most styles equally: jazz and rock, soul and hip hop, big band sessions, and by his own reckoning, at least 500 albums including such internationals stars as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Wyclef Jean and Herbie Hancock.
In 1983 Nils' debut album Planet Rock was released, followed by Streetfighter in 1984, You Are My Nr 1 in 1985, Miles from Duke with Bengt-Arne Wallin in 1987, Chapter Two 1 in 1987, Chapter Two 2 and Follow Your Heart in 1989. Between 1985 and 1987 Nils also performed as actor, singer, trombonist, and dancer in over 360 performances of the Swedish "play of the year", SKÅL, as well as appearing in several TV-films as an actor.
In 1992 the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren "Unit" took place. His breakthrough beyond Scandinavia occurred in 1994: it was at the Jazz Baltica Festival at Salzau in Germany that the "Unit" became the "Funk Unit". The album "Live in Stockholm" (ACT 9223-2) was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his then nascent ACT label.
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