In 1989, Nils Landgren sat in the trombone section when Eje Thelin’s final work, Raggruppamento, was premiered by the Radiojazzgruppen. Thelin himself sat in the audience and gave the featured role to guitarist Göran Klinghagen. Not long after, Thelin died of cancer, aged 51.
More than three decades later, Nils Landgren was asked by Göteborg Jazz Orchestra to take on the suite again – this time with the trombone in the leading role Thelin had originally envisioned. Thelin’s son John gave the project his blessing and named Landgren as the obvious choice for the part. “There is simply no way to turn down an assignment like this,” Landgren said.
The result was the double LP A Letter to Eje Thelin, with a title track composed by Georg Riedel as a final homage – and Riedel’s last big-band composition. Lira called the album “the big-band album of the year.” Now the full suite is performed live at Fasching.
LINEUP
Nils Landgren – trombone
Göteborg Jazz Orchestra:
Pontus Pohl – alto sax
Ludvig Broman – alto sax
Andreas Hall – tenor sax
Martin Bjurek Svanström – tenor sax
Andreas Thurfjell – baritone sax
Jakob Sollerman – trombone
Fredrik Wiklund – trombone
Sebastian Petterson – trombone
Ella Wennerberg – trombone
Patrik Janson – trumpet
Samuel Olsson – trumpet
Johan Holmberg – trumpet
Mats Eklund – trumpet
Adam Ross – drums
Michael Andersson – percussion
Olli Rantala – bass
Simon Westman – piano
Erik Weissglas – guitar
