The Gothenburg duo Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren has toured around the world for 11 years with their unique music for alto saxophone and pipe organ. Their concerts reflect upon the situation in the world today and their concerts are vibrating with encouraging visions and deep emotions. The music also manifests a message of non violence. With Duke Ellington’s music as the central point of departure. Lewin and Landgren have performed for packed audiences in the US, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Croatia, Russia, Portugal and Sweden.
In 2010 The duo will tour in Sweden, take part in the Åland international organ festival, tour in China and in Russia (Jekaterinenburg, Chelyabinsk and more…
Background:
Lewin and Landgren started to perform together in 1998. Since then they have regularly toured and performed from the western parts of America to the eastern parts of Europe (and even in Asia). They have also produced several CD recordings including ”In my Solitude”, ”Freedom”, ”Freedom the Vision”, ”Live in Russia” and - smokin’ hot -”In the name of Freedom” (the last one together with Sandviken Big Band).
Some notes from previous years:
- Martin Luther King Day in New York January, 2004 Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren played in New York to celebrate the Martin Luther King Day.
- Tour in Croatia During the summer of 2004 Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren made a 2 week tour in Croatia. The duo performed in all of Croatia and the message of non violence in connection with the lyrical and emotional music by Duke Ellington made the concerts tremendous experiences. The tour was a public success with crowded churches/concert halls in several places. This also automatically rendered the duo a new invitation for a tour in Croatia and Italy during 2006.
- Ellington i n Portugal In September, 2004, the duo performed music from Ellington’s ”Sacred Concerts” in Lisboa, Portugal during the International Organ festival. The response from the audience was enormous and the concert venue was completely sold out –several people left outside without a chance to come in... This was the first perfomance in Portugal of Ellington’s sacred music.
- Tremendous success in Russia At the first ever festival for jazz and pipe organ Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren performed with great success. The festival was held in Chelyabinsk, a city of more than 1 million people situated close to the Ural mountains – in the heart of Russia. Musicians from all over the world participated and the event was covered by 25 journalists, radio and TV as well regional as domestic. The duo got great publicity and the response from the audience can only be described as a complete success. In 2005 the duo returned, but this time together with the drummer Jon-Erik Björänge and Duke Ellington's co-worker Patricia Willard. During the tour 5 completely sold out concerts were held,the last one in Samara's beautiful concert hall with thousand listeners in the audience.The duo is invited for a Russian tour in 2005 as well as participation in the same festival also next year.
Following the great Russian success the years to come were followed by more tours in Croatia, two more tours in Russia, a release of a live recording (”Live in Russia”) and more…
In 2008 the duo initiated a collaboration with Sandviken Big Band.
During the recent years Lewin and Landgren took part in a research project within the framework of the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts at the University of Gothenburg. This project also generated a ”Duke Ellington Celebration”, with a great number of musicians and performers celebrating Ellington’s 110th anniversary. A o the ”Gothenburg Wind Orchestra” and ”Sandviken Big Band” took part in this event. As a natural outcome from the collaboration with Sandviken Big Band a CD will soon be released with music for alto saxophone, organ and big band (Imogena Records).
After the enormous success during the last years, there will a.o. be tours in Scandinavia, and Russia during 2008. A live recording entitled "Ellington and more - Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren live in Russia" is released (spring 2008), and there will also be a tour together with Sandviken Big band. Read more under CD:s/Concerts and "Press".
In the fall of 2009 we offer the possibility to collaborate with Big Bands in concert projects where we use completely new arrngements of Duke Ellington's music for the unique combination Big band, alto saxophone and digital organ as well as pipe organ.
