The singer was a guitarist first — an instrument that is so often the foundation and all-in-one rhythm section of the player-singer combo for so many. Every time it is played it is in an act of creation. On its own, like the piano, it can accompany while also supporting and complementing with beautiful fills and harmonic beds, adding dramatic sound foundation, like a kind of theatrical lighting, to the melodic line.
Maybe it was with this sensibility that Rigmor Gustafsson found the creative places in, and the exciting dramas of, the voice and how it plays with harmony? It is a true strength of hers.
She is based in her homeland of Sweden, in Stockholm. From there, she asserts her view of the world of jazz and the beautiful complexities of art. She has nine recordings included in her body of work, and each spells a clear definition of her sound, artistic direction and style. She has a wide influence, including standout singers like Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush.
Gustafsson has strong vocal and artistic independence, demanding from the genre as much as it demands of its practising artists. From the early days of her playing guitar, there is a definite love of melody and harmony, and this has evolved wonderfully into a genuine respect for the lyric. She says so much with a melody and speaks with its lyric.
