THE ARTIST
This is the artist Rigmor Gustafsson
(ENGLISH)
To date, Rigmor has no less than ten albums in her own name, all of which show an incessant desire to try new paths. This has made her one of Sweden's, in fact Europe's, leading and most popular jazz artists, with a long, varied and award-winning career behind her. To name just a few, she has been awarded the Swedish Royal Academy's Jazz Prize and Sweden's Radio Prize, Guldkatten, and has even been pinned with the Litteris et artibus medal by the hand of his Majesty the King of Sweden. In addition, she has won a Swedish Grammy for the album Alone with you, containing only her own compositions, and three of her albums have gone gold.
However, the guitar, not the song, was Rigmorâs first love. From the outset self-taught, but later schooled in both classical and jazz guitar. It wasnât until her time at the music high school that she began to sing publicly and joined a number of different bands. Attending the music colleges in Ingesund and Stockholm, interleaved with evening slots as guitarist and singer in various cover bands, made her mature enough to face three years in New York, where she joined the New School's Jazz Programme and formed the first band of her own.
Since 1997, she has been based in Stockholm, but with Europe as her wider workplace. Over the years, she has appeared in various configurations, from duos to symphony orchestras. Rigmor has made a number of appearances on Swedish TV in conjunction with both Crown Princess Victoria's wedding and birthday, at the Nobel Prize banquet, at the opening of Swedish parliament, as well as on Swedish shows PÄ SpÄret, AllsÄng pÄ Skansen, SÄ Ska Det LÄta, and more. Between 2015 and 2017 she was an adjunct professor at Ingesund College of Music, and since 2017 has been elected to the Swedish Royal Academy of Music.
First and foremost, Rigmor has travelled her own path, both on stage and on vinyl. Her first album was released in 1996 by the Swedish record company, Prophone. Since 2003, and the release of her album I Will Wait For You, she has been signed to the German record company, ACT.
On her latest album, Come Home (2019), Rigmor once again presents not only her own very personal style of music, but also music by three other female artists, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell and Tanita Tikaram. The most important factor for Rigmor, however, is not performing her own music, itâs loving the melody and the harmony and being able to identify with the lyrics. Only then does music for her feel like healing!
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By Johan Scherwin. Translated by Marie Powell.
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Detta Àr artisten Rigmor Gustafsson
(SVENSKA)â
Rigmor har till dags dato slÀppt tio skivor i eget namn, som alla visar pÄ en stÀndig lust att ta nya vÀgar. Det har gjort henne till en av Sveriges, Europas frÀmsta och populÀraste jazzartister med en lÄng, varierad och prisbelönt karriÀr bakom sig. Bland annat har hon tagit emot Kungliga Akademiens Jazzpris, Sveriges Radios pris Guldkatten och medaljen Litteris et artibus frÄn han MajestÀt Konungens hand. Hon har ocksÄ fÄtt en Grammis för albumet Alone with you som innehöll enbart hennes egna kompositioner och tre av hennes album har sÄlt Guld.
Men gitarren, inte sÄngen, var hennes första val. FrÄn början sjÀlvlÀrd, dÀrefter skolad i bÄde klassisk gitarr och jazzgitarr. Det var först pÄ musikgymnasiet hon började sjunga offentligt och kom med i olika band. Musikhögskolorna i Ingesund och Stockholm, varvat med kvÀllspass som gitarrist och sÄngerska i olika coverband, gjorde henne mogen för tre Är i New York, dÀr hon gick The New SchoolŽs Jazz Programme och bildade sitt första egna band.
Sedan 1997 Àr hon stationerad i Stockholm men med Europa som arbetsplats. Genom Ären har hon upptrÀtt i olika konstellationer frÄn duos till symfoniorkestrar. Hon har framtrÀtt i TV i samband med kronprinsessan Victorias bröllop och födelsedag, pÄ Nobelprisbanketten,pÄ Regeringens öppnande och Àven i PÄ SpÄret, AllsÄng pÄ Skansen, SÄ ska det lÄta m.m. Mellan 2015-2017 var hon adjungerad professor vi Ingesunds Musikhögskola och sedan 2017 Àr hon invald i Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien
Men först och frÀmst har hon gÄtt sina egna vÀgar, bÄde pÄ scen och pÄ skiva. Hennes första skiva slÀpptes 1996 av svenska bolaget Prophone. Sedan 2003 och albumet I Will Wait For You hör hon till det tyska skivbolaget ACT
PÄ albumet Come Home (2019) presenterar Rigmor Àn en gÄng egen musik men ocksÄ musik av tre andra kvinnor, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell och Tanita Tikaram. Det viktigaste för Rigmor Àr dock inte att framföra sin egen musik, det Àr att hon gillar melodin och harmoniken och att hon kan identifiera sig med texten. DÄ kÀnns musiken som healing!
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Av Johan Scherwin
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