Christmas with My Friends VIII Nils Landgren

• 1 Blue Christmas 03:19
• 2 That's How I Picture Christmas Eve 02:39
• 3 Santa Baby 02:59
• 4 Lully, Lulla, Lullay 03:33
• 5 Most of All 03:45
• 6 Soon After Christmas 06:17
• 7 Bells Are Ringing 03:32
• 8 Little Town of Bethlehem 02:50
• 9 O Tannenbaum 03:16
• 10 Julganglat 02:51
• 11 Förunderligt och nära 03:24
• 12 In Dulce Jubilo 05:55
• 13 It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 03:06
• Total Runtime 47:26

Info for Christmas with My Friends VIII

Nils Landgren's "Christmas With My Friends" is a faithful companion at Christmas time and the repertoire is almost inexhaustible. The eighth edition also presents a varied selection of international, Swedish, traditional and modern Christmas songs as well as atmospheric secular popular songs in the familiar quiet and intimate mood.

For many, they have become as much a part of Christmas as cookies or the Christmas tree: Nils Landgren's Christmas albums. 17 years ago, the trombonist, singer and fixed star of the European jazz scene gathered his closest companions for the first time to get in the mood for Christmas with them on a tour of churches in Sweden and Germany. The result was "Christmas With My Friends," the "most beautiful Christmas album ever," as one critic wrote. Since then, Landgren and his friends have repeated this special way of celebrating Christmas every two years. And so it is now again: "Christmas With My Friends VIII" is ready for the gift table.

It is the richness of color that makes these albums so special and unique. Each musician contributes his own individual touch. Landgren his unrivaled variable and velvety trombone, Jonas Knutsson his lyrical saxophone playing, Johan Norberg his folky guitar tone; as a new sound this time the sonorous bass of Clas Lassbo is added, who is present for the first time. Above all, however, it is the voices that each give the pieces their special character and together complement each other perfectly: the classical vocals of Jeanette Köhn, the bittersweet soul of Ida Sands, the radiant clarity of Jessica Pilnäs, the powerful blues of Sharon Dyall and, last but not least, the bright white soul of Nils Landgren himself.

And so the listener can associate the pieces of the album with colors as desired. Who wouldn't think of green with "O Tannenbaum", especially if it is played in the New Orleans Mardi Gras style like here. Or with the hymnal swirling around the classical singing " In Dulce Jubilo" not of gold. Everyone can imagine his own color with the floating " Lully, Lalla, Lullay", the folky " Soon After Christmas" or the jazzy-emotional " It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". Just like Johan Norberg does in his compositional contribution " That's How I Picture Christmas Eve".

Of course, the color of jazz can't be missing: "When we had recorded everything, Ida Sand said, 'What about Blue Christmas?'" says Landgren. And so the album starts with the wonderfully rolling blues of the same name by Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson, once made famous by Elvis Presley. So many colors are represented, and some more will surely be added on the German tour in December. All that remains is to wish: Merry, colorful Christmas!

Nils Landgren, trombone & vocals
Sharon Dyall, vocals
Jeanette Köhn, vocals
Jessica Pilnäs, vocals
Ida Sand, vocals & piano
Jonas Knutsson, saxophones
Johan Norberg, guitars
Clas Lassbo, bass

No biography found.

Booklet for Christmas with My Friends VIII