Masters of Brass - Nils Landgren - Funk Unit - The Crusaders - NDR Big Band

Interview Film in English by Jon Welch & Son Nguyen (ca. 190 Minutes; Download Only - ca. 664 MB). Available in the Online Store at www.jonwelchmusic.com. Nils Landgren is one of the most successful and versatile solo trombone artists and bandleaders of our age. With 23 solo albums to date, he has traversed a musical landscape that reaches from Swedish folk music duos to jazz ballad recordings, from stone cold funk sets to lush symphony orchestra collaborations. He is a highly sought-after guest at many European jazz festivals such as Jazz Baltica and Montreux and has recorded and performed with such artists as Quincy Jones, Thad Jones, Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Kahn, ABBA and Wyclef Jean. His steady projects include the Nils Landgren Funk Unit, the Crusaders with Joe Sample (he is the worthy successor of Wayne Henderson), the Swedish Bohulsan Big Band and he has a long-standing relationship with the North German NDR Big Band for whom he presently serves as artistic advisor. In this film Nils traces his musical journey from his childhood in a Swedish steel town to his breaking out of Scandanavia onto the wider European stage and then beyond to the US and Asia. He recounts his vast recording experiences and his ultimate attraction to groove-oriented music. Always in hand, Nils has been playing his signature red Yamaha trombone for over twenty years now (he's the man with the "red horn") and explains in detail why this dual bore special design works so well for him. In recent years Nils has become active as a producer for his label, ACT Records, and purely on the business side, he has handled the artistic direction of the Berlin Jazz Festival since 2001. He of course also talks about music, his approach to improvisation, building embouchure endurance in the spirit of Carmine Caruso and touring and performing night after night in different venues. He also talks extensively about playing in the upper register, beautifully explains breathing for brass players and closes with a breathtakingly light folk ode composed for his mom. There's no topic that's out of bounds for this fully established, international Jazz artist and his earnest commitment to music and dedication to sharing its performance with other musicians and an audience is just one small aspect of his highly personal and open manner. You'll love getting to know Nils Landgren; he's as human and down-to-earth as they come! Purchase the film at www.jonwelchmusic.com!