Rune Gustafsson

Rune Urban Gustafsson (August 25, 1933 – June 15, 2012) was a Swedish jazz guitarist and composer,^[1][2] known in particular for the soundtrack of Swedish films The Man Who Quit Smoking (1972 ), Release the Prisoners to Spring (1975), and Sunday's Children (1992).^[3]

Life and career

Rune Gustafsson was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. He moved to Stockholm in the 1950s to work with Putte Wickman (Swedisk Jazz Kings, EP, 1957) and Arne Domnérus Radio band and Radio Jazz Group. His first published works were Young Guitar (Metronome, MLP 15 072, 1961) with Arne Domnérus, Jan Johansson, Jimmy Woode, Bjarne Nerem, Börje Fredriksson and Jan Allan.^[4]

Rune at the Top was published in 1969 and included the Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. He played in the Arne Domnérus duo (Dialog, 1972) and his various orchestras, with Jan Johansson, Georg Riedel, Cornelis Vreeswijk. Rune Gustafsson Himself Plays Gilbert O'Sullivan (1973), Killing Me Softly (1973) and Move (1977), was recorded with Egil Johansen, who was one of Gustafsson's most popular jazz partners. On a Clear Day (Sonet, SLP 2581, 1976) included Red Mitchell and Duke Ellington's drummer Ed Thigpen. He played with Zoot Sims on two recordings: The Sweetest Sounds (1979) and In a Sentimental Mood (1985), the latter was Sims last album. A duo performance with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen at Vossajazz 1980, concluded on the album Just The Way You Are on the label Sonet Gramofon, recorded half a year after this first meeting.

Rune Gustafsson died in 2012 in Stockholm after short illness.^[5]

Awards

Gustafsson received the Albin Hagstrom Memorial Price in 1997, The Thore Ehrling scholarship in 2001, and Guitar People's Prize in 2004. In 2009 he was awarded the Lars Gullin Award, for having been "the trend for young guitarists in Sweden and abroad".^[6] In 2010 he was awarded the Monica Zetterlund memorial fund scolarship.^[7]

Discography (selection)

Solo albums

• 1961: Young Guitar (Metronome)
• 1969: Rune at the Top (Metronome)
• 1972: Himself (Plays Gilbert O'Sullivan) (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1972: The Man Who Quit Smoking, soundtrack of Swedish film
• 1973: Killing Me Softly (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1974: Out of My Bag (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1975: Plays Stevie Wonder (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1975: Release the Prisoners to Spring, soundtrack of Swedish film
• 1976: On A Clear Day (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1977: Move (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1979: The Sweetest Sounds (Sonet Gramofon), with Zoot Sims
• 1980: Just The Way You Are (Sonet Gramofon), duo with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
• 1982: La Musique (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1989: String Along With Basie (Sonet Gramofon), featuring Janne Schaffer, Georg Wadenius and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
• 1992: Sunday's Children, soundtrack of Swedish film
• 1993: Rune Gustafsson (Eagle Records)

Collaborations

With Arne Domnérus

• 1972: Dialog (Megafon Records)
• 1974: Svarta Får (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1979: Jazz I Kyrkan (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1979: Vårat Gäng (Sonet Gramofon)
• 1983: Conversation (Polar Records)
• 1983: "Altihop" (Phontastic), with Visby Big Band
• 1992: Sketches of Standards (Megafon Records)
• 1992: Sketches of Standards (Megafon Records)
• 1994: Heartfelt (Proprius), including with Gustaf Sjökvist

With Zoot Sims

• 1985: In A Sentimental Mood (Sonet Gramofon)

With Jan Allan and Georg Riedel

• 1993: Sweet And Lovely (Dragon Records)

References

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