Lewin & Landgren
The Gothenburg duo Håkan Lewin and Johannes Landgren has toured around the world for 20 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, Gaza (Palestine) and Sweden. They are also co-founders of MUSIC AGAINST VIOLENCE to promote through the arts.
Ellington’s music is deeply connected to the strive for equal rights for black and white in the American society. Ellington pursued his struggle for these values together with other civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King.
”We made our point, and I don´t think there´s been any doubt how we felt concerning prejudice. But still the best way for me to be effectiv is through music.” Duke Ellington.
Johannes’ and Håkan’s common view on the development in the society, especially the problem with violence and struggle in all ages, not least among the younger school-children, made them produce a new concert titled “Freedom the Vision”. This concert forms a musical protest against the violence in the whole society. Sep 16, 2001, they played the concert in Manhattan. The devastating experience after the WTC disaster gave this musical protest a new, stronger and even deeper meaning.
In 2004 the duo toured in Croatia, where the traces of war still were obvious. A month after the tragic events in Beslan they also played in Russia on the first international “Jazz and Pipe Organ Festival” in Chelyabinsk in the southern Ural.
Johannes Landgren/Håkan Lewin:
In our concerts and with our music we have all the time aimed to protest against the development in the society and the world today. This is why we now want to found the society “Music against Violence”
THE SOCIETY WANTS TO PROMOTE A VIEW ON MUSIC WHERE:
The music is used to appeal to all good, creative and constructive forces in the society
The music rejects all forms of violence, oppression and injustice
The music is used as a means to protest against an injust society in unfair social structures
The society also aims to build a network between musicians and performers who work in this spirit, and to spread the message both nationally and internationally. For more information – visit www.musicagainstviolence.com