Nils Landgren Funk Unit

Funk is my Religion
Nils Landgren Funk Unit ACT 9925-2

Funk is my Religion

01 Amanda (Nils Landgren) 5:28

02 Anyway You Want It (Nils Landgren) 4:21
03 See Ya in Court (Jonas Wall) 4:23
04 Funk is my Religion (Magnum Coltrane Price) 4:49
05 ES in Memoriam (Nils Landgren) 6:22
06 Doin’ It for the People (Andy Pfeiler & Magnum Coltrane Price) 5:01
07 Brand New Funk (Nils Landgren Funk Unit) 5:12
08 Play Funk (Magnum Coltrane Price) 2:34
09 Kamala (Nils Landgren) 4:55
10 NLFU Will Never Stop (Andy Pfeiler) 4:30

Nils Landgren trombone & vocals

Magnum Coltrane Price bass, vocals & additional keyboards
Jonas Wall tenor saxophone & vocals
Andy Pfeiler guitar & vocals
Petter Bergander keyboards & vocals
Robert Ikiz drums

Produced by Magnum Coltrane Price

Cover art inspired by Andy Warhol (detail)

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NILS LANDGREN FUNK UNIT
Photo: Private
It all started like this: My father Karl-Erik played the trumpet so I wanted
to honk that horn as well but hey, let’s not get into that. ...read all about it
in the book “Red and Cool” by Rainer Placke.
”Who needs a funk band from Sweden?” was an often-heard comment
as we began spreading our music. Step by step we convinced the ones
asking that question, simply by playing and playing.
1994 – LIVE IN STOCKHOLM
Maceo Parker and myself. Photo: Axel Nickolaus
1994 did mark the beginning of Funk Unit as we know it. We got the
chance to perform at the JazzBaltica festival in Germany, thanks to the
artistic director Rainer Haarmann. Without his support, this would never
have happened. He introduced me to ACT label founder Siggi Loch. The
rest is history. Before this performance, the band was actually called Nils
Landgren Unit. Siggi said as I signed the contract: ”from now on the name
is Funk Unit.” I asked why and he answered: ”Because you play funk!”
Maceo Parker flew in from the US to perform with us on this special
occasion. He made an unforgettable appearance on this album. Thanks
Maceo. It was also the first time Magnum Coltrane Price contributed to
the sound of the band. He still does and with flying colors.
The “Live in Stockholm” album was recorded at Stockholm Jazz & Blues
Festival and at Jazzclub Fasching the very same year by Jan Ugand, who
is still mixing all our live shows.
1996 – PAINT IT BLUE
Left to right: Magnum Coltrane Price, Esbjörn Svensson, Åke Sundqvist, Henrik Janson, Randy Brecker, me, Per
Ruskträsk Johansson, Camilla. Photo: Private
1996 “Paint It Blue” came out, the album that made it possible to start
touring with the band. The late Esbjörn Svensson made a substantial
contribution to the sound on this album, which also featured the one and
only Bernard Pretty Purdie on drums, Airto Moreira on percussion and the
Brecker Brothers Randy and Michael.
We recorded at Peer Studios in Hamburg, and Siggi hired Anselm Kluge
to produce the album.
1998 – LIVE IN MONTREUX
Siggi Loch painting my face. Photo by Sebastian Hartz
1998 “Live in Montreux” was released and it really shows a band with a
hell of a lot of shows under its belt. To perform at Montreux Jazz
Festival was an almost surreal experience. Siggi Loch said: ”We had no
plans to release the tapes but the concert was so incredible that we simply
had to.” Esbjörn Svensson played a very big part in making this recording
such a memorable one. We all still miss him dearly.
1999 – 5000 MILES
Fred Wesley and me. Photo: Unknown
In 1999 “5000 Miles” saw the light of day, featuring among others Roy
Hargrove, Don Alias, Fred Wesley, Till Brönner, Viktoria Tolstoy and Tim
Hagans. The tracks where recorded at the legendary Atlantis Studio in
Stockholm.
To put some icing on the cake, me and my Swedish engineer Jan Ugand
brought the tapes to the worlds number one sound engineer and mixer Mr
Bruce Swedien, at that time living in upstate New York. Fred and Roy came
up one day to lay down some fierce solos. Bruce held his magic hands
over the mix, for which I am forever grateful. He was a dear friend and
mentor.
2001 – FONK DA WORLD
Niklas Gabrielsson, Håkan Landgren, Jesper Nordenström, Robert Östlund, Magnum Coltrane Price, me and Per
Ruskträsk Johansson in the steaming hot backroom of Le Sunset in Paris. Photo: Private
2001 and the time was ripe for another album: “Fonk da World”. By now
the band members had changed a couple of times except for
Magnum, who to this day have stayed with me. Produced by Esbjörn
Svensson and recorded at Europafilm Studio 3 in Stockholm this album
shows a slightly different approach but the funk is there for sure. We had
quite a success touring with the material but the cover caused us some
trouble as the posters with the album motif were banned in Bavaria…
2004 – FUNKY ABBA 2007 – LICENCE TO FUNK

Viktoria, Benny and myself in the studio. Photo: Siggi Loch Left to right: Magnum Coltrane Price, Wolfgang Haffner, me, Magnus Lindgren, Ida Sand and Ray Parker jr.
Photo: Mattias Edwall

2004 was a special year as the album “Funky ABBA” came out. Some
years earlier me and my boss Siggi was sitting in a hotel lobby in Cologne
after a session with Bernard Purdie and the WDR Big Band and the music
of ABBA poured out of the speakers in the bar. We joked about making
ABBA funky.
So, some time later I went to the mastermind behind the group’s music,
Benny Andersson and asked him if he would allow me to make an album
with his music. “ABBA was never funky” he said. “I know, that’s why I want
to make it funky” was my answer. Benny said “just do it”. So I did and that
album is Funk Unit’s best-selling album to this day.
2007 and it was time for the next album to be released: “Licence To Funk”.
Recorded at Atlantis Studio and featuring Wolfgang Haffner, Ida Sand and
the legendary Ray “who you gonna call” Parker jr. I had gotten to know
Ray through The Crusaders, both being members of that band.
We even went on a European tour with The Crusaders and Funk Unit -
back to back. Those were the days. Now Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and
Wayne Henderson are all gone. Sad.

We recorded at Polar Studios in Sockholm. Sharon Dyall, Viktoria Tolstoy,

Till Brönner, Wolfgang Haffner and Benny himself ap-peared on this wax,
making it very special.

We toured the shit out of the music and after the band had performed at
the Cape Town Jazz Festival 2007, I decided it was time to move on.
2010 – FUNK FOR LIFE
Left to right: Jörg Thienelt, Robert Ikiz, Magnus Lindgren, Jan Ugand, me, Sebastian Studnitzky, Jonas Wall, Andy
Pfeiler and Magnum Coltrane Price. Photo: Samuel Svensäter
2010 was a very special year in the history of the Funk Unit. “Funk For
Life” was released after we launched the project with the same name in
Kibera Nairobi Kenya, together with MSF-Doctors Without Borders, with
them aim to collect and give away as many wind instruments as we possibly
could transport and donating them to different schools in Kibera, as well
as donating money from the album sales to MSF-Doctors Without Borders.
We could never have pulled this project through without the help of Dan
Sermand, at that time head of operations in Sweden.
We recorded the album daytime five days at the famous Hansa Studio in
Berlin and played two sets at the jazzclub A-trane at night. Very intense
but also very rewarding. The title track “Funk for Life” also features all the
children in Kibera taking part in our musical endeavour.
2013 – TEAMWORK
From left to right: Magnum Coltrane Price, Johan Borgström, Robert Ikiz, Lira, Andy Pfeiler, Sebastian Studnitzky,
me. Pumeza Tisile in the center. Photo: Schiaffino Musarra
The next release was “Teamwork”. We travelled to South Africa to continue
our Funk for Life project together with MSF-Doctors Without Borders and
was joined by my old friend Lira who is a megastar in the country. We went
to Soweto in Johannesburg and Kaylitsha in Cape Town, bringing loads of
wind instruments. We visited TB-clinics and met among many others, a
young woman, Phumeza Tisile, who at the age of 22 just had lost her
hearing due to multiple resistant TB treatment, which miraculously cured
her but at the cost of her hearing. Some years later she could hear again,
thanks to generous donations making it possible to install cochlear
implants. Today she is an ambassador for breaking the stigma of Multiple
TB, and she can hear music again.
We recorded the album at Atlantis in Stockholm. Joe Sample, Wilton
Felder and Till Brönner made it complete.
 2016 – UNBREAKABLE

Me, Ray Parker jr, Magnum Coltrane Price, Robert Ikiz, Petter Bergander, Jonas Wall. Photo by me

“Unbreakable” saw the light of day in 2016 and once again it featured the
one and only Ray Parker jr on guitar. We decided to record one more time
in the legendary Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, so we had Ray flying in from
LA to join us.

We were invited to perform

at the German Grammy
awards, The ECHO and we
toured Europe as usual.
With the guys in this picture,
I have recorded and toured
all over the world for many
years. I am very grateful to
have them around me as
musicians and as friends.
Thank you guys!

A future Funk Unit member? Photo by me Photo: ECHO Official

2021 – FUNK IS MY RELIGION

This is the 11th Funk Unit album since it all started in 1994 with the release
of “Live in Stockholm”. Since then, the band has been touring all over the
world. Just keep on doin’ it.

Thank you for supporting live and recorded music. A big thank you to the
whole ACT-team: Siggi Loch, Andreas Brandis, Petra Deka, Marco
Ostrowski, Michael Gottfried, Katja Weber and Oliver Mohr.

Love, & The Funk Unit

Recorded by Gustav Lindelöw at Ingrid Studios Stockholm, November

3 - 7, 2020. Additional recordings at Retrotech Studio, Tudeludan 3, Daion
Studio, Skyclose Studio and Brottby Recording.
Photo by me
Rhythm arrangements by Funk Unit. Horn arrangements by Jonas Wall

The original idea was to record at Palma Studios on the Island of Mallorca Produced and mixed by Magnum Coltrane Price at Retrotech Studio
but, the corona pandemic put a stop to that. We then decided to record Mastered by Hoffe Stannow at Cosmos Mastering
at Redhorn district in Bad Meinberg Germany but, the pandemic got in the
way of that as well. Photo booklet cover by Nikola Stankovic

Give up? The Funk Unit? No way! So, I asked my friend Björn Yttling if we
could record in his studio, Ingrid Studio in Stockholm and he said sure, no
problem. A few days before the recordings started, the Swedish health aut-
horities decided to allow not more than 8 people to gather at the same time.

Lucky enough, the six of us and the engineer stayed right below that limit.
So, we worked our butts off for 5 days and the result is what you hear on
this album.

The songs are telling a story. Sometimes, like in the instrumentals, it can
be that the song is named after a certain person that has inspired us, or
someone we admire. Or, a story that just needed to be told. Simple as
that. The title song pretty much sums it up:
With ACT label founder and friend Siggi Loch
Funk is my Religion! at JazzBaltica 2019. Photo: ACT
ACT 9223-2 ACT 9243-2 ACT 9265-2 ACT 9271-2

ACT 9299-2 ACT 9430-2 ACT 9455-2 ACT 9500-2

ACT 9552-2 ACT 9039-2 ACT 9925-2 ACT 6013-2