Monica Zetterlund, born
Monica Nilsson (September 20, 1937 – May 12, 2005), was a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
singer and actress.
Born in the small town of
HagforsHagfors is a locality and the seat of Hagfors Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 5,403 inhabitants in 2005.Its history is traced to 1873, when it was decided to build two blast furnaces at the location....
in
Värmland' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Its Latin name is Wermelandia; its English derivative is Wermland or similar variation. The origin of the name is...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
, Monica Zetterlund was, above all, an outstanding singer, particularly noted for her work in
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
. As a young girl she started out by listening to her favourites
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing...
,
Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as "Lady Ella", and the "First Lady of Song", was an American jazz vocalist....
and, in particular,
Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century". She had a contralto vocal range....
. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English.
Monica Zetterlund, born
Monica Nilsson (September 20, 1937 – May 12, 2005), was a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
singer and actress.
Biography
Born in the small town of
HagforsHagfors is a locality and the seat of Hagfors Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 5,403 inhabitants in 2005.Its history is traced to 1873, when it was decided to build two blast furnaces at the location....
in
Värmland' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Its Latin name is Wermelandia; its English derivative is Wermland or similar variation. The origin of the name is...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
, Monica Zetterlund was, above all, an outstanding singer, particularly noted for her work in
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
. As a young girl she started out by listening to her favourites
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing...
,
Ella FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as "Lady Ella", and the "First Lady of Song", was an American jazz vocalist....
and, in particular,
Sarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century". She had a contralto vocal range....
. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English. She went for the melody, rhythm and feeling.
Hit songs include "Sakta vi gå genom stan" (Swedish cover on "Walking My Baby Back Home"; in Swedish a tribute to
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
town), "Visa från Utanmyra", "Sista jäntan", "Trubbel", "Gröna små äpplen" ("
Little Green Apples"Little Green Apples" is a country song written by Bobby Russell. The version by O. C. Smith, from the album Hickory Holler Revisited, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and It received a gold record from the RIAA for sales of one million records...
"), "Monicas vals" ("
Waltz for Debby"Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by Bill Evans. A piano trio jazz waltz, it was first recorded on Evans's 1956 album New Jazz Conceptions and, perhaps more famously, on his 1961 live album Waltz for Debby. It has been recorded by many artists, both as an instrumental and as a vocal...
"), "Stick iväg, Jack!" ("
Hit the Road Jack"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by rhythm and blues artist Percy Mayfield and recorded by singer, pianist Ray Charles. It hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. The song was also number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, becoming...
"), "Att angöra en brygga", "Var blev ni av", "Måne över Stureplan" (cover on Sting's "Moon Over Bourbon Street") and "Under vinrankan!", among many, many others. She also interpreted the works of many Swedish national singer-songwriters such as
Evert Taubewas a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
,
Olle AdolphsonOlle Adolphson was a Swedish writer, singer and songwriter. He released a range of books , LPs and CDs .Dubbel Trubbel, a homage to Olle Adolphson, performed by various Swedish artists, such as Håkan Hellström and Eva...
and
Povel RamelBaron Powel Karl Henric Ramel was a Swedish entertainer. Ramel was a singer, pianist, vaudeville artist, author and a novelty song composer. His style was characterized by imaginative wit, both verbal and musical...
, and all through her life interpreted the works of international and American jazz musicians/song writers. She worked with some of the greatest international jazz names including
Louis ArmstrongLouis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
,
Bill EvansWilliam John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
,
Stan GetzStanley Gayetzky or Stanley Gayetsky , usually known by his stage name Stan Getz, was an American jazz saxophone player...
,
Steve KuhnSteve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under legendary Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano. At an early age...
and
Quincy JonesQuincy Delight Jones, Jr. is an American music conductor, record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991...
, and in the
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n jazz world with people like
Georg RiedelGeorg Riedel , is a Swedish double bass player and composer. Riedel migrated to Sweden at the age of four and went to school in Stockholm...
,
Egil JohansenEgil Johansen was a Norwegian-Swedish jazz drummer, teacher, composer, and arranger.-Life:...
,
Arne DomnérusSven Arne Domnérus was a Swedish jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist, popularly nicknamed Dompan....
,
Svend AsmussenSvend Asmussen is a jazz violinist from Denmark, known as "The Fiddling Viking". Asmussen grew up in a musical family, starting violin lessons at age 7. At age 16 he first heard recordings by jazz violin great Joe Venuti and began to emulate his style...
and
Jan JohanssonJan Johansson was a Swedish jazz pianist. He is little known outside Scandinavia, and his records are not widely available, though Jazz på svenska has sold more than a quarter of a million copies, and is the best selling jazz release ever in Sweden.Johansson was a native of Söderhamn, in the...
. She elicited a completely personal sound—sober, fragile, poetic—and gave a face to the epithet of the "Scandinavian jazz" sound.
In 1964 she recorded the critically acclaimed jazz album
Waltz for DebbyWaltz for Debby is a 1964 album by jazz musician Bill Evans and Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund.It was reissued by Verve Records in 2006.-Track listing:#"Come Rain or Come Shine" – 4:41...
with
Bill EvansWilliam John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
, a record she herself described as "the best I've done" and was most proud of. Her long career also included the song "En gång i Stockholm" ("Winter City"); a jazz ballad with which she represented Sweden in the
1963 Eurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest 1963 was the 8th Eurovision Song Contest. France had won the contest in 1962 but they handed the honour of hosting the event to the United Kingdom because they did not wish to host the contest again so soon after hosting the 1961 event...
. She finished last, however, (mainly because the song genre was not suitable for the competition) and scored the infamous null points, but still managed to remain successful in Sweden. She was regarded as a role model by many younger Swedish singers and had a huge
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n fan base. She is considered to be one of the greatest Swedish female vocalists ever and her jazz recordings world class.
Her collaboration with the comic duo
HasseåtageHasseåtage is the commonly used name for the popular Swedish comedy-duo featuring Hans "Hasse" Alfredson and Tage Danielsson. The term was created by the Swedish press in the 1960s, and was never used by the duo themselves...
(in the 1960s and 70s) eventually led to a stage career in revues and films. Memorable are her parts in films
Att angöra en brygga,
Äppelkriget and
Jan TroellJan Gustaf Troell is an Academy Award-nominated Swedish film director. Usually, Troell writes his own scripts and serves as his own director of photography...
's
Utvandrarna (aka
The Emigrants; with Liv Ullman and
Max von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish-born actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many movies and had supporting roles in dozens more...
in the leads) for which Zetterlund received a Guldbagge award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared in more than 20 films and television series throughout her life.
She suffered from severe
scoliosisScoliosis is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side, shaped like an "s", and may also be rotated. To adults it can be very painful. It is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine...
, and as a result was forced to retire from performing in 1999. She made her last longer official tour in 1997, and gave one of her last concerts at Sweden's
Hultsfred FestivalThe Hultsfred Festival is an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It takes place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the middle of June, from Thursday to Saturday...
(which usually is a festival for
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
and rock bands; but she participated anyway - and the young rock audience loved her). In the last years of her life she used a wheelchair because of her scoliosis. On May 12, 2005, she died following an accidental fire in her
apartmentAn apartment, or flat, is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Such a building may be called an apartment building, especially if it consists of many apartments for rent...
in
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
.
Albums
- Swedish Sensation (1958)
- Ahh! Monica (1962)
- Make Mine Swedish style (1964)
- Waltz for Debby
Waltz for Debby is a 1964 album by jazz musician Bill Evans and Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund.It was reissued by Verve Records in 2006.-Track listing:#"Come Rain or Come Shine" – 4:41...
(1964) (with Bill EvansWilliam John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
)
- Ohh! Monica (1965)
- Monica Zetterlund. (1967)
- Monica – Monica (1971)
- Chicken Feathers (1972) (with Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under legendary Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano. At an early age...
)
- Den sista jäntan (1973)
- Hej, man! (1975)
- It Only Happens Every Time
It Only Happens Every Time is a 1977 big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra with singer Monica Zetterlund in Helsinki and Stockholm and released by EMI in Europe and by Inner City Records in the US.-Track listing:...
(1977) (with the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra)
- Monica Zetterlund - Ur Svenska Ords Arkiv (1982)
- Holiday for Monica (1983)
- Monica Zetterlund sjunger Olle Adolphson (1983)
- For Lester And Billie (1983) (a tribute to Lester Young and Billie Holiday)
- Monica Z (1989)
- Varsamt (1991)
- Nu är det skönt att leva (1992)
- Topaz (1993)
- Ett lingonris som satts i cocktailglas (1995) (6 CD Collection Box)
- The Lost Tapes @ Bell Sound Studios NYC (1960/1996) (the lost American recordings from 1960)
- Det finns dagar (1997)
- Bill Remembered (2000) (tribute album to Bill Evans
William John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
)
- Z - Det bästa med Monica Zetterlund (2005) (best of-album)
Notable songs
- "Va' e' de' där" ("Dat Dere
"Dat Dere" is a jazz song with music by Bobby Timmons and lyrics by Oscar Brown, Jr.The lyrics describe a father excited visit to the zoo with his child . Timmons composed it in succession with "Dis Here" and "Which Were?"- Musical structure :It features a joint trumpet and tenor solo from measures...
" with Swedish lyrics by Beppe WolgersJohn Bertil "Beppe" Wolgers was a Swedish author, poet, translator, lyricist, actor, entertainer and artist....
.)
- "En gång i Stockholm"
- "Sakta vi gå genom stan" ("Walkin' My Baby Back Home
Walkin' My Baby Back Home may refer to:*"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" , a popular 1931 song recorded by Nat King Cole among others*Walkin' My Baby Back Home , a 2003 album, including the song of the same name, recorded by Johnnie Ray...
" with Swedish lyrics by Beppe Wolgers.)
Selected filmography
- Swedish Portraits (1964) (Svenska bilder)
- Docking the Boat
Docking the Boat is a Swedish dark comedy film from 1965 directed by Tage Danielsson. The film stars Gösta Ekman, Monica Zetterlund, Hans Alfredson, Lars Ekborg and Birgitta Andersson have acquired a mild cult following in Sweden for their acting in this film...
(1965) (Att angöra en brygga)
- Night Games (1966) (Nattlek)
- The Apple War
The Apple War is a 1971 Swedish comedy-drama film directed by Tage Danielsson, starring Gösta Ekman, Hans Alfredsson, Tage Danielsson, Monica Zetterlund and Max von Sydow...
(1971) (Äppelkriget)
- The Emigrants (1971) (Utvandrarna)
- The New Land
Nybyggarna is a 1972 Swedish film written by Bengt Forslund and directed by Jan Troell. It stars Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann and Eddie Axberg....
(1972) (Nybyggarna)
- Stubby (1974) (Fimpen
Fimpen is a 1974 Swedish family film written and directed by Bo Widerberg and starring Johan Bergman.-Plot:...
)
- Guttersnipes (1974) (Rännstensungar)
- Sweden for the Swedes (1980) (Sverige åt svenskarna)
- The Children from Blue Lake Mountain (1980) (Barnen från Blåsjöfjället)
Audio
Websites
Articles