Nils Landgren Funk Unit „Celebrating 30 Years“ - Landesjazzfestival Bruchsal 2025
„CELEBRATING 30 YEARS“
The year 1994 was the founding year of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. When I received the offer from Siggi Loch to become part of his new label ACT, he first changed the original band name from “Unit” to “Funk Unit.” When I asked why, he simply replied, “Because you play funk” – and he was right. The rest is history. After 30 years, eleven albums, countless tours, and everything that comes with it, I thought it would be great to record our anniversary album “Raw” in a special place. As luck would have it, my good friend Johan Lundgren, who was my trombone student many years ago, along with another friend, Fredrik Thomander, built a fantastic recording studio in Palma de Mallorca. I thought it was a great opportunity to record our new album in a relaxed environment where we could fully concentrate on our task and thus celebrate the 30-year history as a Swedish funk band.
I presented the idea to my bandmates and everyone was excited. Just like Andreas Brandis, the current head of the ACT label, under which all my albums have been released since 1994. Now I just had to book the flights and the studio, organize accommodation for all of us, and find a way to finance the stay. And then there was one small thing: We all had to write music for the album. Until the first rehearsals shortly before our departure to Mallorca, no one knew who had written which songs. I had worked hard in my spare time and brought five pieces with me. We listened to the demos together and then worked on them collectively until they sounded like us all. Each of us contributed, and it was truly wonderful to hear our compositions come to life.
When we landed in Palma on my birthday, February 15, at 2 PM, we went straight to the studio to set up the sound. We just couldn't wait. Much of the setup had already been done by the studio crew and some dedicated volunteers, and faster than anyone had thought possible, we were able to start recording, with the fantastic sound engineer Shades overseeing the entire process.
From that moment on, we knew this was going to be a special album. Everything fell into place perfectly. The atmosphere in the studio, the sound, the way the guys in the band played, the coffee on the roof during breaks, the wonderful shared dinners. To finance the recordings, we decided to hold house concerts on the last two evenings after the recordings. Although this meant longer days for everyone involved, it was a wonderful feeling to test the new pieces in front of a live audience that was almost sitting on our laps. It was so rewarding to receive direct feedback from the people who came to these shows. And a film crew led by our dear friend Dan Sermand documented the whole thing.
We all left the island on February 20 with a feeling of deep satisfaction because we knew we had given our best and that our best might be more than just good enough. Only one man remained in Palma: Magnum Coltrane Price. Aside from being a fantastic bassist and singer, he is also the only person at my side who has witnessed the entire Funk Unit journey from Live in Stockholm to today. We had decided to mix the new album in the same studio where we recorded it, but Shades was only available a week later. I believe Magnum enjoyed his free time in Mallorca and the subsequent work with the master. The result is this album: “Raw.” It represents our honest and authentic way of playing handcrafted music that touches body and soul. And I think it makes clear: We are not just any band. We are the Nils Landgren Funk Unit.
Copyright: Nils Landgren Funk Unit
Doors open at 7:00 PM