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Signature Edition 6

Rigmor Gustafsson

Signature Edition 6

Format: CD
Label: ACT music
UPC: 0614427600929
Catnr: ACT 60092
Release date: 29 April 2011
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2 CD
Buy at PlatoMania
 
Label
ACT music
UPC
0614427600929
Catalogue number
ACT 60092
Release date
29 April 2011
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
EN
NL

About the album

The task: To capture the lifetime achievements, and the essential essence of the best ACT-artists. The solution: ACT Signature Editions. Much more than a usual “Best Of” album, on these double CD-sets the musicians themselves picked out 24 pieces, which they feel represent the most important, significant and personal selections from their repertoire. Remastered and given the best possible post-production. An excellent introduction for established fans as well as newcomers, who have yet to discover the musicians and their art...


Born on a small farm on the countryside of Sweden, Rigmor Gustafsson discovered early on that music and singing was her distinction. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm she quickly became a sought-after vocalist for big bands, small jazz ensembles and even for TV work. But despite this early success she chose not to take the easy route and decided to broaden her skills, and in 1993 went to New York to continue her training. Within three years she made it from a student (among her mentors were Sheila Jordan and Clark Terry) to a teacher at the renowned Mannes College of Music and worked with her own quartet, who also toured throughout Europe. Back in Sweden she soon found herself at the forefront of the second generation of Swedish jazz singers, who at that time were about to conquer the world. The collaboration with ACT star Nils Landgren on festivals and on his album Sentimental Journey (ACT 9409-2), followed by her own signing for ACT, marked her international breakthrough. Her five ACT CDs to date as a leader have been highly acclaimed by the critics and reached top chart positions in Sweden, Germany and many other countries.


Well trained and versatile, precise and powerful – all this fits for Rigmor Gustafsson’s singing, but the key to her success is not something one could just learn by rote; rather it is her innate, natural ability. Even with the most difficult vocal parts there is no ‘diva’ present – there is a human being, down to earth and in tune with the audience. As the famous German critic Werner Burkhardt once said, “Her soul speaks to the souls of others”. In accordance with this, the songs Gustafsson selected for her Signature Edition do not simply tell the chronological story of her career, but instead take the listener on a tour through reflected experiences and deep emotions.


The range of her musical expressions is as broad as the range of human feelings itself: she sings the standards, like Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, as well as several own compositions from her songwriter album Alone With You (ACT 9717-2). She transforms the soul of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick’s ingenious duets (such as “Alfie” and the title track from her album Close To You (ACT 9703-2)), enlightens the sophisticated chansons of Michel Legrand (from her album On My Way To You (ACT 9710-2)), flirts with pop (“So Bad” or Sting’s “Fragile”) and classical music (“Nocturne”) or improvises with sparkling joy on catchy jazz pieces (“Plan #46” and “Fancy Nancy”). In the same way, Gustafsson loves to work with a host of very different musicians - with the young and wild musicians of her early quintet; with illustrious pianists like Jacky Terrasson or Elise Einarsdotter; with magical drummers like Eric Harland or Wolfgang Haffner; with the genre-bending radio.string.quartet.vienna; and consistently with Nils Landgren, as a trombone player as well as a perfect matching singer – their version of James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain” became a touching tribute to Esbjörn Svensson. As a result of this open-minded musical sensitivity, players of all kinds love Rigmor Gustafsson for her spirit and her honesty - as will anyone who hears her Signature Edition.
  • De taak: om de levenslange prestaties vast te leggen en de essentiële kern van de beste ACT-kunstenaars. De oplossing: ACT Signature Editions!
  • Op deze dubbel-cd transformeert Gustafsson de ziel van Burt Bacharach’s en Dionne Warwick’s ingenieuze duetten (zoals "Alfie" en het titelnummer van haar album “Close To You”(ACT 9703-2))
  • Ze verlicht de verfijnde chansons van Michel Legrand (uit haar album “On My Way To You” (ACT 9710 tot 2))
  • Ze flirt met pop ("So Bad" of Sting's "Fragile") en klassieke muziek ("Nocturne")
  • Ze improviseert met sprankelende, pakkende jazz stukken ("Plan # 46" en "Fancy Nancy ")

Artist(s)

Rigmor Gustafsson

She has soul in her voice” (Nils Landgren about Rigmor Gustafsson) Rigmor Gustafsson was born and grew up on a small farm in Värmland, in the very heart of Sweden. She picked up the guitar at age nine, and soon discovered her passion for jazz. It soon became clear that she wished to turn this passion into a career. After her education at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, she rapidly became known in Sweden as an excellent vocalist. She worked with various big bands, led her own small groups, performed on Swedish television and made numerous recordings for radio. In 1993 she moved to New York to study at the New School and at Mannes College of Music and soon founded her first...
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She has soul in her voice” (Nils Landgren about Rigmor Gustafsson) Rigmor Gustafsson was born and grew up on a small farm in Värmland, in the very heart of Sweden. She picked up the guitar at age nine, and soon discovered her passion for jazz. It soon became clear that she wished to turn this passion into a career.
After her education at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, she rapidly became known in Sweden as an excellent vocalist. She worked with various big bands, led her own small groups, performed on Swedish television and made numerous recordings for radio.
In 1993 she moved to New York to study at the New School and at Mannes College of Music and soon founded her first quintet, which also toured all over Europe. In 1996 Rigmor returned to Stockholm, was given a teaching position at the Royal Academy of Music and has since been regarded as a star of the young and lively Swedish jazz scene.
In 2002 Rigmor was a guest star on Nils Landgren’s highly successful album “Sentimental Journey” (ACT 9409-2) and in 2003 she presented her debut on ACT “I Will Wait For You” (ACT 9418-2), which established her firmly in the tradition of great Swedish jazz singers like Monica Zetterlund, Lill Lindfors, Sylvia Vrethammer or Alice Babs. I “Will Wait For You” rocketed up to second place in the German jazz charts and No.1 in Sweden, where she took over from Norah Jones, who had held place for 74 weeks. The German Jazz Award and a Gold record in Sweden were tangible rewards for the success of this album produced by Nils Landgren.
The following year Gustafsson and the French-American pianist Jacky Terrasson released a moving and sensual tribute to one of the greatest singers of pop culture, Dionne Warwick: “Close To You” (ACT 9703-2). Rarely have pop songs looked so good in jazz clothes. The new arrangements fit the soul-classics like a glove. The songs retain their pop identity, yet they have become exciting contemporary jazz. Gustafsson was not only rewarded with the Swedish Jazz Award, she was named “Best singer of the year” by Werner Burkhardt in the end-of the-year review in the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
On her next album “On My Way to You” (ACT 9710-2), released in February 2006, Gustafsson interpreted Michel Legrand’s world famous melodies from films with great jazz feeling. Some of his songs like “Windmills of Your Mind", "Once upon a Summertime" or "You Must Believe in Spring", have become part of the world's musical heritage, and Gustafsson – directed by producer Landgren – proves to be the ideal voice for these songs. Michel Legrand himself admits: “I am honoured that Rigmor has chosen to do some of my songs. She knocks me out!” On My Way to You even placed Gustafsson 12th in the Swedish POP charts, and the album won a gold record in Sweden.
The following album ”Alone With You” (ACT 9717-2, released in fall 2007), her fourth release on ACT, ventures into uncharted (for Gustafsson) territory. Although she has been writing music and also lyrics herself for years, Gustafsson is more known to the public for her exceptional and empathic versions of other people’s songs. Now she has taken another step forward and put together a highly personal album comprised exclusively of her own songs.
In 2010 Rigmor recorded an incomparable album with the radio.string.quartet.vienna. “Calling You” (ACT 9722-2) is probably the only one among other song albums which unites vocals and strings in such a way as to form the “tapestry” of emotions found here. The tracks range from pop songs by Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, to Burt Bacharach-classics, jazz standards and intricate rarities by Joni Mitchell and Richard Bona, as well as Swedish folk songs. This great musical richness is presented in the highly distinctive, sometimes warm, sometimes dynamic but always enjoyable style of the r.s.q.v., and carried by Gustafsson’s individual and moving voice.
After five albums in seven years with ACT it was time for something special: In 2011 Rigmor’s “Signature Edition” (ACT 6009-2) was released. This double-CD album contains a selection of songs from her last five albums as well as three previously unreleased songs. The range of her musical expressions is as broad as the range of human feelings itself: she sings blues and soul, several own compositions, enlightens sophisticated chansons, flirts with pop and classical music or improves with sparkling joy on catchy jazz pieces. Gustafsson loves to work with a host of very different musicians, for example with illustrious pianists Jacky Terrasson or Elise Einarsdotter; with the magical drummers Eric Harland or Wolfgang Haffner; with the genre-bending radio.string.quartet.vienna; and consistently with Nils Landgren, as a trombone player as well as a perfect matching singer.
“Her soul speaks to other souls”, Werner Burkhardt wrote about her performance at JazzBaltica a few years back. One is hard put to find better words for her voice and her personality.

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