Rune Gustafsson


Rune Urban Gustafsson was a Swedish jazz guitarist and composer, known in particular for the soundtrack of Swedish films The Man Who Quit Smoking, Release the Prisoners to Spring, and Sunday's Children.

Life and career

Rune Gustafsson was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. He moved to Stockholm in the 1950s to work with Putte Wickman and Arne Domnérus Radio band and Radio Jazz Group. His first published works were Young Guitar with Arne Domnérus, Jan Johansson, Jimmy Woode, Bjarne Nerem, Börje Fredriksson and Jan Allan.
Rune at the Top was published in 1969 and included the Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. He played in the Arne Domnérus duo and his various orchestras, with Jan Johansson, Georg Riedel, Cornelis Vreeswijk. Rune Gustafsson Himself Plays Gilbert O'Sullivan, Killing Me Softly and Move, was recorded with Egil Johansen, who was one of Gustafsson's most popular jazz partners. On a Clear Day included Red Mitchell and Duke Ellington's drummer Ed Thigpen. He played with Zoot Sims on two recordings: The Sweetest Sounds and In a Sentimental Mood, 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 Grammofon, recorded half a year after this first meeting.
Rune Gustafsson died in 2012 in Stockholm after short illness.

Awards

Gustafsson received the Albin Hagstrom Memorial Prize 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". In 2010 he was awarded the Monica Zetterlund memorial fund scholarship.

Discography

Solo albums

With Arne Domnérus
With Zoot Sims
With Jan Allan and Georg Riedel