Rigmor Gustafsson

Hailing from Sweden, award-winning jazz vocalist Rigmor Gustafsson commands an international audience while maintaining deep connections to the United States, where her professional path first took shape, and to Germany, home of the ACT label that issued several of her recordings; she also stands as a leading figure in contemporary jazz back home. Beyond her studio work and concert appearances, she holds teaching credentials and spent several years on the faculties of both the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm until performing became her sole occupation. Born April 12, 1966, in Värmskog, Sweden, she attended the Royal College of Music in Stockholm between 1986 and 1991 as a jazz vocal major and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in music education in 1992. After graduation she launched her career as a full-time singer, relocating to New York City in 1993 to study at the New School Jazz Program while continuing to perform. In 1994 she assembled the Rigmor Gustafsson Quintet—featuring Tino Derado on piano, Gabriel Coburger on saxophones and flute, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Roland Schneider on drums—and led the group on tours of Germany in both 1995 and 1996. Once her reputation was secure, she returned to Sweden in 1996 and settled in Stockholm, where she taught first at the Royal College of Music and subsequently at the Royal Academy. Her debut releases, In the Light of Day (1996) and Plan #46 (1998), both issued by Prophone Records, spotlighted the original quintet and drew strong critical praise. In 1999 she organized a fresh quintet of Swedish players and captured her third album, Rigmor Gustafsson (2000), live at Jazzclub Mosebacke in Stockholm. Extensive worldwide touring followed, along with frequent television performances. She joined the ACT roster in 2003 for her fourth album, I Will Wait for You, and continued the association with Close to You (2004), On My Way to You (2006), and Alone with You (2007). The last of these, consisting solely of original material, reached the top of the Swedish jazz albums chart, climbed to number 15 on the national albums chart overall, and earned her the 2007 Swedish Grammy Award for Best Jazz Album.