some other time (vinyl) by Nils Landgren

Nils Landgren

some other time (vinyl)

Format: LP 12inch
Label: ACT music
UPC: 0614427981318
Catnr: ACTLP 98131
Release date: 25 March 2016
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Label
ACT music

UPC
0614427981318

Catalogue number
ACTLP 98131

Release date
25 March 2016

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

“Jazz is the joy of playing, and hence entertainment in the best sense of the word” (Leonard Bernstein)
Of all the great classical maestros of his generation, Leonard Bernstein was the key advocate of jazz. He was not only a profound authority on jazz music, he could also play it on the piano and used its elements when he composed. All the stranger that jazz musicians have practically never adapted Bernstein. These were the exact thoughts of ACT boss Siggi Loch who suggested to Nils Landgren that he create a tribute to the great 20th century composer. And Landgren didn’t have to think twice about it: “I have always been a fan of Bernstein, as a musician, as a conductor, as a composer and simply as a person. His music is unique, the way he writes is distinctive, emotional and always so human.”

What Landgren didn’t know yet was that “Some Other Time” was to become the most complex project of his career to date. A highlight right on time for his 60th birthday on 15 February 2016. He travelled to New York several times to do research. By the end he had managed to put together an “absolute dream team”: the outstanding sound machine of 18 members of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, an exquisite jazz band, the world-class arranger Vince Mendoza and a vocalist for the authentic New York vibe: Janis Siegel from the legendary “The Manhattan Transfer”.

The all-star trio provides the rhythmic foundation:
Wolfgang Haffner, the infallible timekeeper and “Germany’s coolest drummer” (ARD ttt); Dieter Ilg, who brings with him the perfect references for this project in the form of his classic interpretations of Verdi, Wagner and Beethoven; and last but not least Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren, who along with his Nordic “Vemod” and impressionist esprit also has roots in the American jazz piano tradition.
None other then American star arranger Vince Mendoza (six Grammys and 25 nominations!) was asked to do the orchestration and direct the Bochum Symphony Orchestra team. Mendoza, who over the years has worked with greats including the likes of Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker, and with pop stars from Björk to Robbie Williams, had already been a key part of a ground-breaking ACT production in 1992: “Jazzpaña”, which merges Flamenco with jazz. His big surprise for the Bernstein project: no strings (as one would most certainly have expected), only woodwinds and brass, arranged masterfully and with a richness of sound nuances.

The rhythm section fuses completely with the Bochum Symphony musicians and it is over this foundation that the inimitable trombone and characteristic, fragile vocals from Nils Landgren soar.
The third key person for the project, alongside Landgren and Mendoza, is Janis Siegel, who achieved international stardom with the a-cappella quartet “The Manhattan Transfer”. She was the logical choice for Nils Landgren: “Janis is the perfect singer for the project. She injects Broadway flair into the music and is very closely linked to Bernstein’s music. Janis is a good friend of Jamie Bernstein, Leonard’s daughter. I visited her in New York, we talked about the music and rehearsed a little, and it worked from the very first moment on. Janis’ contribution to “Some Other Time” is of immeasurable value.”

All of them approached the work with the greatest respect for Bernstein’s legacy. “Some Other Time” did not become a big-band project: it is symphonic in its composing and it remains symphonic. “Vince and I looked for the classical sound with a jazzy twist,” Landgren explains. He is most proud of the joint accomplishment: “Everyone put their favourites into the mix, then we cooked it all down in a big pot until what we thought were the best bits were left.” The repertoire stretches across the spectrum, starting with pieces from Bernstein’s first musical “On The Town” written in 1944, which gained worldwide acclaim through the film starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. It also provided the title “Some Other Time”, that was then and is now ambiguous in its sense: nostalgic, futuristic or a musical promise. Songs for “Wonderful Town” like “A Quiet Girl”, which have been unjustly largely forgotten over time are explored, as are “A Simple Song” from Bernstein’s 1971 “Mass”. The core element is of course “West Side Story”, from the overture “America” to “Maria” and “Cool” and on to “Somewhere”.

Melodies and music without limits or borders from a rare catalogue of timeless masterpieces. Reanimated in their very own special way by musicians who breathe life into a different Bernstein credo that is more pertinent today than ever: ““This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Artist(s)

Nils Landgren (trombone)

Tender-hearted yet tenacious, Nils Landgren is a world-class artist. His Funk Unit’s groove is irresistible, and The Man with the Red Horn himself has led the band through their highly successful run of CDs, and in rapturously received concerts everywhere from Stockholm to Beijing. 'Funk is my Religion' is the band’s eleventh album – the album title just says it all. Landgren and his Norsemen bring a passion, an intensity and a freshness to their craft which has remained undimmed since the start. For more than 25 years, jazz-funk has been the force driving Landgren. This veritable elixir of life produces the bubbling energy, groove and joy that can be heard and felt in every note of the music. The...

Tender-hearted yet tenacious, Nils Landgren is a world-class artist. His Funk Unit’s groove is irresistible, and The Man with the Red Horn himself has led the band through their highly successful run of CDs, and in rapturously received concerts everywhere from Stockholm to Beijing. "Funk is my Religion" is the band’s eleventh album – the album title just says it all. Landgren and his Norsemen bring a passion, an intensity and a freshness to their craft which has remained undimmed since the start. For more than 25 years, jazz-funk has been the force driving Landgren. This veritable elixir of life produces the bubbling energy, groove and joy that can be heard and felt in every note of the music. The band’s deliciously easy and laid-back vibe gets straight through to audiences. With the crispness of their funk rhythms, blazing brass, cool vocals and persuasive melodies, a new chapter for the Nils Landgren Funk Unit is only just beginning.

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Members of the Bochumer Symphoniker

Vince Mendoza (conductor)

Vince Mendoza has been at the forefront of the Jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 20 years. He has written scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, extended compositions for chamber and symphonic settings while his jazz composing credits read like a “who's who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today. Mendoza is the Music Director and Chief conductor of the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, the only full time symphonic Jazz orchestra in the world. He is frequently seen working with the Metropole Orchestra at concerts, festivals and recordings with the likes of Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Vicente Amigo, Joe Lovano and Ivan...

Vince Mendoza has been at the forefront of the Jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 20 years. He has written scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, extended compositions for chamber and symphonic settings while his jazz composing credits read like a “who's who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today. Mendoza is the Music Director and Chief conductor of the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, the only full time symphonic Jazz orchestra in the world. He is frequently seen working with the Metropole Orchestra at concerts, festivals and recordings with the likes of Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Vicente Amigo, Joe Lovano and Ivan Lins and with repertoire of composers as diverse as Bernstein, Stravinsky, Ellington, Josef Zawinul and Ennio Morricone. In addition, he appears frequently as a guest conductor with orchestras throughout Europe, the U.S., Japan, Scandinavia, and the U.K. He conducted the premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s “A Man Descending” with the Scottsh Chamber Orchestra. Mendoza’s performance of the music of Brazilian guitarist Guinga with the Los Angeles Philharmonic was part of a U.S. national broadcast. His early solo albums on Blue Note Records, 'Start Here' and 'Instructions Inside', were critical triumphs that featured such artists as John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Ralph Towner, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine and others. 'Start Here' was voted one of Jazziz Magazine's 'Top Picks' and Mendoza was recognized as 'Best Composer/Arranger' by Swing Journal's critics poll in Japan. His 6th solo CD, "Epiphany" features his compositions played by the London Symphony Orchestra. Mendoza's arranging has appeared on many critically acclaimed projects that include dozens of albums with song writing legends such as Björk, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin and Joni Mitchell. He has 4 Grammy awards and 16 nominations. He was the orchestral voice behind the score to Lars van Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" featuring Björk, as well as the orchestrations on her CD titled "Vespertine", and the orchestral CDs of Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides Now” and “Travelogue”. Mendoza has also written commissioned compositions and arrangements for the Turtle Island String Quartet, the Debussy Trio, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Metropole Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, West Deutsche Rundfunk and the BBC. His music was featured at the Berlin Jazz Festival . He has performed major works at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. His new CD of chamber music Blauklang (ACT 9465-2) will be released by ACT music in fall 2008. Blauklang is the final part of an ACT trilogy in collaboration with Vince Mendoza and the WDR that began in 1992 with the Grammy-nominated Jazzpaña (ACT’s very first production, ACT 9212-2) and continued with Sketches (ACT 9215-2).

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Dieter Ilg (bass)

Jazz and classic – Dieter Ilg (born 1961) knows both worlds. Although he decided to become a jazz bassist at the tender age of 16, he studied classical double bass; partly to gain a comprehensive knowledge of music history. Since then he has combined these two musical worlds with each other in various projects. With his technical mastery, Ilg lends the double bass a lyrical quality and expressiveness that are the reason for his international renown. Whether as a side man or as a leader of his own ensembles – Dieter Ilg has a rare talent to unite the art of accompaniment with the art of playing solo.

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Jan Lundgren (piano)

In his youth, Jan Lundgren was often seen as one of the greatest talents in tennis since Björn Borg. Thankfully, he has since changed allegiances. Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist. While sailing through his studies at the...

In his youth, Jan Lundgren was often seen as one of the greatest talents in tennis since Björn Borg. Thankfully, he has since changed allegiances.

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist.

While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö (where he was purportedly accepted on the condition that he occupies the piano chair in the legendary « Monday Night Big Band ») he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren.

Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003. The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, Pete Jolly or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with ACT-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times.

Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound” (with, among others, pianist Lou Levy and trombonist Andy Martin).

In 2006 Lundgren becomes part of the ACT family: Initially he was featured as a sideman on the Ida Sand album Meet Me Around Midnight (ACT 9716-2). In July 2007 he released his first ACT album Fresu – Galliano – Lundgren: Mare Nostrum (ACT 9466-2), followed by Magnum Mysterium (ACT 9457-2), which will be released in November of 2007.

In 2008 Lundgren could reap the fruits of his labour, and his Mare Nostrum was performed in front of sold out houses on prestigious stages throughout Europe (Salle Gaveau – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Victoria Hall – Geneva, Teatro Dante Aligheri – Ravenna, S. Caecilia – Rome …) as well as at Jazz Baltica, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. There are many good reasons why the band has been called “the first European super group”.

In the same year Lundgren was honoured with the Swedish Django d’Or, and began a collaboration with the classical trumpet player Hǻkan Hardenberger and the Swedish writer Jacques Werup – an exiting melange of modern classical and free music, of jazz and compositions of Jan Lundgren.

Lundgren also brought the Jan Lundgrun trio back to life in 2008, albeit with a new drummer, Zoltan Csörsz Jr. who proved to be a truly lucky catch for the trio. A new repertoire has resulted in the new ACT album European Standards (ACT 9482-2) which will be released in Mai 2009 together with the re-release of Swedish Standards (ACT 9022-2) from the ACT Jazz Classics series.

Jan Lundgren is part of a remarkable and long tradition of innovative pianists from Sweden like Jan Johansson who passed away early, and in more recent times Bobo Stenson and Esbjörn Svensson. Lundgren has never made life easy for himself, and has always tried to utilize his phenomenal technique to enhance his musicality. His ability to integrate the most disparate musical influences into a fascinating whole is unique in itself. Whether its contemporary classical music, the inexhaustible northern folk tradition or the pulsating groove of jazz, deeply rooted in Afro-American music: Lundgren has a unique way of leading the listener on a voyage of discovery – sometimes relaxed, sometimes utterly invigorating - through his highly individual soundscapes.

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Wolfgang Haffner (drums)

Wolfgang Haffner is a well known drummer & composer in the world of music. His illustrious career started at the age of 18 when he was discovered by legendary trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff. The list of musicians he played/recorded/toured with is nearly endless: Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Pat Metheny, The Brecker Brothers, Ivan Lins, Jan Garbarek, Gregory Porter, Michael Franks, Roy Ayers, Bugge Wesseltoft, The Manhattan Transfer, Nils Petter Molvaer, The JB Horns, Esbjörn Svensson, Bob James, Mezzoforte, Lee Ritenour, Till Brönner, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, Cassandra Wilson, Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin, Nils Landgren, Mike Stern, Chuck Loeb, Hildegard Knef, Konstantin Wecker, Die Fantastischen Vier, Xavier Naidoo, NDR Big Band, WDR Big Band, just to name a few. Wolfgang also collaborates...

Wolfgang Haffner can be heard on about 400 albums up to date, he played on all major Jazz Festivals around the world, toured in 100 countries, from Japan to the US, from South Africa to Brasil. He recorded 16 Solo Albums and made himself a name as a producer of Bands like Mezzoforte and german singer Max Mutzke.

In 2010 he received an ECHO award, followed by the cultural award from his hometown Nuremberg in Germany. His album “Kind of Cool“ went to #1 in the Jazz charts, and even made it into the german Pop charts for 5 weeks. His own group the Wolfgang Haffner Trio tours around the world intensively.

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Janis Siegel (vocals)

Composer(s)

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most iconic American composers and conductors of the 20th century, and was among the first American musicians who gained worldwide recognition.
He actually made his breakthrough as a conductor by chance, when he suddenly had to stand in for the ailing Bruno Walter for a concert by the New York Philharmonic in 1943. The concert, which was broadcast live on radio, received critical acclaim from the press. Bernstein would soon become a sought-after guest conductor.
From 1958 till 1969, Bernstein was principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, with which he performed amongst others the complete symphonies of Mahler, which sparked a renewed interest in the music of the Austrian composer in the United States. He was also an advocate of the music of American composers, in particular that of his close friend Aaron Copland. Bernstein recorded nearly all of his orchestral works, and paid much attention to his music in his popular television series Young People’s Concerts, in which he introduced a young audience to classical music.
As a composer, Bernstein is primarily known for his accessible theatre works such as Wonderful Town, Candide and The West Side Story, which still is his most popular work. He also composed three symphonies and several shorter chamber works. In his music he fused elements of Jewish music, theatre music and jazz with those of composers like Copland, Stravinsky and Gershwin.

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