Nils Landgren，手持一支红色炫目长号，迷倒了从斯德哥尔摩到北京的万千乐迷。早先于已故钢琴手Esbjörn Svensson的二重奏合作，把瑞典民谣提升到了艺术音乐的高度。作为2001年柏林爵士音乐节的艺术总监，Nils Landgren为广大乐迷呈现了一场活色生香的斯堪的纳维亚艺术盛宴。而在2002年5月，为了表彰Landgren为瑞典爵士在全球范围内的传播所作的卓越贡献，瑞典流行作曲家协会（Swedish Society Of Popular Composers）向Landgren授予了“Tore Ehrling”奖。
Landgren的童年一直被爵士和教堂音乐所包围。他的父亲经常会买些经典的美国爵士唱片，而他身为传教士的祖父会时常诵唱瑞典传统的赞美诗和名额。出生于1956年的Landgren从6岁起就开始学鼓，13岁时第一次接触长号，并从此专情。
1972年到1978年间，Landgren师从David Maytan和Ingemar Roos，学习古典长号演奏。在此期间，Landgren遇到了瑞典传奇式的民谣爵士先锋人物Bengt-Arne Wallin和卓越的长号手Eje Thelin。可以说这两个人改变了Landgren之后的人生走向。他从一个严格的古典演奏家慢慢向一名即兴音乐家转变，并开始思考，“演奏什么，为什么演奏”等个人对音乐的理解的问题。大学毕业后，Landgren移居到斯德哥尔摩，成为一名职业长号手。这段充满艰辛的生活也为Landgren积累了宝贵的生活阅历，而一个意外的电话也改变了Landgren的命运。他受邀和当时瑞典最成功的流行歌手Björn Skifs一起巡演，当时Björn的单曲“Hooked on a Feeling”正位居美国流行排行榜的首位。这次经历不仅给Landgren带来了不错的收入，演奏各种风格音乐的机会，也让他有机会和一些非常优秀的音乐家合作。从此之后，Landgren就开始开拓更多类型的音乐领域，包括爵士、摇滚、灵歌、嘻哈、大乐队，以及录音室作品。据他自己承认，他的长号演奏先后出现在不下500张唱片中。合作者不仅包括许多瑞典年轻音乐家，也有大量世界知名的音乐家和乐队，其中包括ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie, Herbie Hancock等。
1992年，Landgren成立了Nils Langren Unit乐队，演出并录制了首张专辑《Red Horn》。此后乐队频频出现于各大爵士音乐节，并和各地知名音乐家合作。1994年在德国Jazz Baltica音乐节上，乐队正式改名Nils Landgren Funk Unit。在这近30年的时间里，艳丽的猩红长号和奔放律动的节奏成了Nils Landgren和Funk Unit带给全球乐迷最好的礼物。
Nils Landgren自言，Funk Unit是“我加入过的最牛的乐队”。只要看过Funk Unit的现场，任何人都会有这样的感觉。台上灯光不落，乐队节奏不停，观众的舞步不息。
Landgren坚持，要让人们因为音乐而更快乐，也让生活本身更有意义。而这一信念也是Nils Landgren Funk Unit新专辑《Funk for Life》的初衷。每张CD收入中将有1欧元用于Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden在内罗毕一个慈善项目的资金。Landgren希望，乐队的这次新出击，也能成为非洲贫困的孩子们生活中的一部分。
A world-class soloist and artist with heart and soul: Nils Landgren.
With his smoking, hard-hitting "Funk Unit", the man with the Red Horn has been responsible for a bunch of successful CDs over the past years. His concerts from Stockholm to Beijing have been met with ecstatic acclamation. In duo with pianist Esbjörn Svensson, he has elevated Swedish folk music to the level of subdued works of art. As the artistic director of the 2001 Berlin Jazz Festival, designed a state of the art presentation of Scandinavian trends and moods. In May 2002 Nils was honored with the `Tore Ehrling-prize´ by the Swedish Society Of Popular Composers for "His outstanding contribution to spread swedish jazz music around the globe".
Jazz and church music shaped his childhood. As cornetist, Nils Landgren's father brought US jazz into the house. The traditional Swedish chorales and songs came from his grandfather, who was a preacher. Nils Landgren was born in 1956. He began playing drums at the age of six. At 13 he layed his hands and lips on the trombone and was hooked for life.
Between 1972 and 1978 Nils studied classical trombone at the music college in Karlstad with David Maytan and at the university in Arvika with Ingemar Roos. During this time he also met the legendary Swedish Folk-Jazz pioneer Bengt-Arne Wallin and the fantastic trombone player and proffessor of the Graz Conservatory in Austria, Eje Thelin. These two men completely changed the way for Nils to go; from a strict classical player to an improviser with his own idea of what to play and why. After his graduation Nils moved to Stockholm to work as a professional trombone player. First the life of a struggling jazz musician, making no money but gaining loads of experience. Then the call that totally changed his life: an offer to go on tour with Sweden's most successful pop star of that time Björn Skifs who at that time was at #1 in the US pop charts with `Hooked on a feeling´. The money was ok, the vibes were cool and the band was simply great! Ever since that time Nils Landgren has been involved in a variety of music styles and projects. These include jazz, rock, soul, hip hop, big band’s, studio sessions, and by his own reckoning, at least 500 albums. Mostly, for natural reasons with Swedish artists but also with such internationals stars as ABBA, The Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Bernard `Pretty´ Purdie and Herbie Hancock.
1992 saw the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren Unit; the record was called `Red Horn´, and was mixed by the legendary sound engineer Bruce Swedien. That same summer the band performed at the `Playboy Jazzfestival´ in Los Angeles, hosted by the great Bill Cosby. The final breakthrough outside of Scandinavia came first in 1994: it was at the Jazz Baltica Festival in Germany that the `Unit´ became the `Funk Unit´.
Nils Landgren calls his Funk Unit "the tightest band I've ever played with". Whoever has experienced a performance of the group knows what he means. The quintet's teamwork is extraordinary, and the group swings with an impressive, relentless rhythmic drive that pushes the music forward in a continuous powerful flow. In a word, they groove.
To make people happy with music and to make life more worthwhile is Mr. Redhorn’s credo. Which is why he is now grooving in proven Funk Unit manner for a good cause with Funk For Life. 1 euro from each sold CD will be donated to the aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden for a project in Kibera (Nairobi), one of the biggest slums in Africa. His Funk For Life project is committed to making music an important part of children’s education:
Funk For Life is a true Funk Unit album, with hard hitting riffs, drummers laying down great grooves, spitting horns and chanting vocals. All the ingredients that have made Funk Unit a name in the world of music.
Nils Landgren Funk Unit:
Nils Landgren: trombone, vocals
Ray Parker Jr.: guitar, vocals
Magnum Coltrane Price: bass, vocals
Wolfgang Haffner: drums, vocals
Magnus Lindgren: woodwinds, vocals
Useful Links:
http://www.nilslandgren.com/
http://www.funkforlife.com/
http://www.myspace.com/nilslandgren