Nils Landgren

For many, they have become as much a part of Christmas as cookies or the Christmas tree: Nils Landgren's Christmas albums. Seventeen years ago, the trombonist, singer and fixed star of the European jazz scene gathered his closest companions for the first time to get them in the mood for the festive season on a tour of churches in Sweden and Germany. In the end, "Christmas With My Friends" was the "most beautiful Christmas CD", as one critic wrote. Since then, Landgren and his friends have repeated this special way of celebrating Christmas every two years. And now the time has come 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 their own individual touch. Landgren his unrivaled variable and velvety trombone, Jonas Knutsson his lyrical saxophone playing, Johan Norberg his folky guitar tone; a new sound this time is the sonorous bass of Clas Lassbo, who is here for the first time. Above all, however, it is the voices that give the pieces their special character and 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.

The repertoire selected by Landgren and, increasingly often, by his friends, has always been just as colorful and sometimes downright "researched". It ranges from classic Christmas carols to Christmas songs from pop and jazz, from songs that are popular all over the world to songs that are only played in their countries of origin, from evergreens to rarities.

This time, Landgren and his friends took this wealth of color quite literally. "My Christmas is orange," says Landgren and explains: "I wasn't keen on presents as a child. I was more interested in the food that was available at this time of year and that made up my Christmas: My mother Margareta brought a big bag of fresh oranges. I still remember peeling the first orange and enjoying the scent and the wonderful taste." That's why the cover of "Christmas With My Friends VIII" is now all orange.

And so listeners can associate the tracks on the album with colors as they wish. Who wouldn't think of green with "O Tannenbaum", for example, especially when it's played in the New Orleans Mardi Gras style as it is here. Or the hymn-like "In Dulce Jubilo", which swirls around the classical vocals, doesn't make you think of gold. Everyone can imagine their very own color in 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 composition "That's How I Picture Christmas Eve".

Of course, the color of jazz should not 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, which once made Elvis Presley famous. So many colors are represented, and a few more will surely be added on the German tour in December. All that remains is to wish them a Merry Christmas: Merry, colorful Christmas!