On the face of it Siggi Loch’s Munich based ACT is a European art house label but their output is more diverse than one might first imagine.

Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren is not afraid to experiment with different styles. He has collaborated in a duo setting with pianist Esbjorn Svensson recording two albums based on Swedish folk music.

However his first love is funk and he has recorded several albums for the label with his acclaimed Funk Unit, some of them in tandem with high profile American guests such as the Brecker Brothers, Roy Hargrove and Joe Sample of The Crusaders.

The current edition of the Funk Unit features Landgren on trombone, Ray Parker Jr. on guitar, bassist Magnum Coltrane Price, Ida Sand on keyboards with Wolfgang Haffner on woodwinds and Magnus Lindgren at the drums. All of them sing and Price has been in the band since it’s inception in 1997.

It’s fair to say that “Licence To Funk” hardly rates as one of ACT’s more challenging releases. It isn’t meant to be; it’s pure unpretentious fun and all about the groove. This is both its strength and its weakness. Despite some fine playing I don’t think it’s the kind of album I’ll be revisiting that often. The spectres of 70’s disco are never far away and for me that’s not a recommendation.

The vocals are the kind of ersatz soul common to the disco era or the kind of slick pop that passes for r’n'b these days. Lyrically it’s mainly “let’s party”, “get down on the dance floor” kind of stuff. It’s well played, but hardly essential listening.

Landgren and friends get straight down to business with a high-octane opening combination of Fred Wesley’s “House Party” and Price’s “Freak U”. Both tunes incorporate big grooves and slick vocals and there are some decent instrumental breaks from Landgren and Haffner.

Landgren’s “24 Hours” shows that the group know how to handle a soul ballad, but it’s a bit too insipid for my personal tastes.

“Stuff Like That” is an energetic take on the Quincy Jones/Ashford & Simpson tune.  With an impressive vocal performance from Sand this is probably the most successful item this far.

I’m also rather partial to Haffner’s instrumental “Slowfoot”, an insidious slow tempo number with some quality playing from Landgren and Haffner himself.

Landgren’s own instrumental “Capetown Shuffle” mines similar territory (albeit with a vocal coda) and is equally enjoyable.

Haffner & Price’s “At Home” marks a return to party territory and features a remarkably fluent solo from Landgren. The trombonist plays a distinctive red instrument made for him by Yamaha. There’s no doubt that “Mr Red Horn” can certainly play.

Sand’s delivers another impressively soulful vocal on her own “Secret”, adding an element of blues to the funk. ACT has also released her solo album “Meet Me Around Midnight”. Her performances with Funk Unit suggest that this would also be worthy of investigation.

Parker Jr’s “SampleRayT” is an instrumental with a walloping groove and strong solos from Haffner, Landgren and Parker himself.

Parker also supplies “For Those Who Like To Party”. The title says it all.

“Brazos River Breakdown” comes from the pen of Crusaders sax man Wilton Felder. Another instrumental with a crunching groove, this features the attention grabbing sound of Landgren’s wah wah trombone. Haffner shows up well too and there is some magnificently funky bass from Price.

Finally comes “Tomomis Tune” a gently funky after hours instrumental from Price with Haffner featuring on flute. 

Landgren and his funk unit are certainly good at what they do. It’s not really to my own taste and I prefer the instrumentals to the vocal numbers. Apart from Sand I don’t find the singing particularly convincing.

I’m certain that there are others who will enjoy Funk Unit’s recorded work more than me. But I bet they’re a great live band when they occupy the late night party slot at a festival.

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