He is a world-class soloist and artist with heart and soul: Nils Landgren.
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 tromboneplayer 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 tromboneplayer. 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. Nils even plays on the first Wyclef Jean solo album, titled "Carnival".
In 1981 Thad Jones invited the Swede into his new Bigband project "Ball of Fire", to take the lead-trombone chair. The band was built up around such great musicians as Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Tim Hagans, Bobby Burgess, Roger Kellaway, Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, and Benny. "A fantastic band, sad that it did not work out in the end", Nils says about that expreience. Two years later Nils debut album "Planet Rock" was released, followed by "Streetfighter" in 1984, "You are my Nr 1" in 1985, "Miles from Duke" with Bengt-Arne Wallin in 1987, "Chapter Two 1", in 1987, "Chapter Two 2" and "Follow your heart" in 1989. Between 1985 and 1987 Nils also performed as actor, singer, trombonist, and dancer in over 360 performances of the Swedish "play of the year", SKAEL, as well as appearing in several TV-films as an actor.
1992 saw the first performances and recording of the Nils Landgren Unit; the recording was called "Red Horn", and was mixed by the legendary sound engineer Bruce Swedien. (re-release 2001 as "The First Unit", ACT 9292-2). 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". The album "Live in Stockholm" (ACT 9223-2) with guest star Maceo Parker was released that year and was the foundation for the collaboration with Siegfried Loch and his young ACT label.
The Moon the Stars and You
Nils Landgren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
The song "When You Wish Upon A Star" by Nils Landgren is a tribute to the classic Disney song of the same name. In the song, Landgren reflects on the power of wishing upon a star, and how it can make any dream come true. He notes that stars hold mystical power and those who are born under them possess a gift, which is the power to make a wish come true. The song exudes hope and encourages dreamers to pursue their dreams no matter the difficulties they encounter.
The lyrics in the song unequivocally convey that anything is possible if you believe and hope for the best. Nils Landgren adds to the sentiment of the original song with his jazzy tones and soft melodic voice. He reminds his listeners that no matter who you are or where you started, you can make your deepest desires come true if you keep them close to your heart and persevere.
Overall, "When You Wish Upon A Star" is a timeless song about the power of hope and the triumph of human dreams. It is a reminder that we should never stop dreaming and to always believe that life can be magical.
Line by Line Meaning
When a star is born
Stars possess unique gifts, one of which is the power to make wishes come true.
They possess a gift or two
Stars have distinct and unexplainable talents.
One of them is this
One of the abilities of stars is to make wishes happen.
They have the power to make a wish come true
Stars possess the ability to grant your wishes.
When you wish upon a star
If you have a heartfelt wish and believe in the power of the stars, it will come true.
Makes no difference who you are
Everyone, regardless of their background or status, can make a wish upon a star.
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If you genuinely desire something, the star will make it happen, no matter how big or small.
If your heart is in your dream
If you possess true passion and desire towards your dream, it will come true.
No request is too extreme
There is no limit to the possibilities when making a wish upon a star.
As dreamers do
Those who have pure and unadulterated dreams have the most significant chance of achieving them.
Fate is kind
Destiny smiles upon those who believe in the power of the stars.
She brings to those who love
People who love and appreciate life will receive happiness beyond measure.
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
The joys of fulfilling your deepest desires are unparalleled.
Like a bolt out of the blue
Things tend to happen when you least expect them to.
Fate steps in and sees you through
Destiny often intervenes to ensure that you achieve what you desire most.
Your dreams come true
The fulfillment of your heart's desire will bring you immense joy and satisfaction.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Leigh Harline, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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THE perfect anniversary song!!
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Nils
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