Monica Zetterlund (born Eva Monica Nilsson; 20 September 1937 – 12 May 2005) was a Swedish singer and actress.
Zetterlund began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English. Her hit songs included “Sakta vi gå genom stan” (Swedish cover of “Walking My Baby Back Home”; in Swedish a tribute to Stockholm town), “Visa från Utanmyra”, “Sista jäntan”, “Trubbel”, “Gröna små äpplen” (“Little Green Apples”), “Monicas vals” (“Waltz for Debby”), “Stick iväg, Jack!” (“Hit the Road Jack”), “Att angöra en brygga”, “Var blev ni av”, “Måne över Stureplan” (cover of Sting’s “Moon Over Bourbon Street”) and “Under vinrankan!”, among many, many others.
She also interpreted the works of such Swedish singer-songwriters as Evert Taube, Olle Adolphson and Povel Ramel, and all through her life interpreted the works of international and American jazz musicians/songwriters. She worked with some of the greatest international jazz names including Louis Armstrong, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn and Quincy Jones, and in the Scandinavian jazz world with people like Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen, Arne Domnérus, Svend Asmussen and Jan Johansson.
In 1964, she recorded the critically acclaimed jazz album Waltz for Debby with Bill Evans, a record she herself described as “the best I’ve done”[citation needed] and was the most proud of. Her professional skill was amply demonstrated in this album in performing the challenging Harold Arlen song, “So Long, Big Time”.
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 Contest. She finished last, however (mainly because the song genre was not suitable for the competition)[citation needed] and scored the infamous nul points, but still managed to remain successful in Sweden. Her collaboration with the comic duo Hasse & Tage (in the 1960s and 1970s) eventually led to a stage career in revues and films. Memorable are her parts in films Att angöra en brygga and Äppelkriget, with her most memorable role being in Jan Troell’s Utvandrarna (aka The Emigrants; with Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow in the leads) as Ulrika, a former prostitute who together with her teenage daughter Elin (portrayed by Zetterlund’s daughter, Eva Lena Zetterlund) join the main characters in their emigration to America in the 1850s, a role 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 scoliosis which began after a childhood accident, and as a result was forced to retire from performing in 1999.
On 12 May 2005, she died following an accidental fire in her apartment in Stockholm, probably due to her habit of smoking in bed. (by wikipedia)
Originally released in 1972 on vinyl in Sweden (Sveriges Radio SR-1151), composed by jazz pianist Steve Kuhn,and sung by Swedish vocalist Monica Zetterlund, this is pure HEAVEN. Backed by the thirteen member Swedish Radio JazzGroup Big Band, which was made up of a who’s who of Sweden’s jazz stars at that time, it’s a stellar
performance by all involved.
There are eleven tunes on the recording and superbly display Kuhn’s unique, sharp
writing skills. Many of them went on to become signature tunes for Kuhn on his later classic dates on the ECM label. The stunning and gorgeous “Silver”, in particular, (which was his nickname for Zetterlund), first appeared on Kuhn’s 1968 MPS trio album, “Watch What Happens”, and would become one of his most recorded pieces on his future releases. Zetterlund and the band are in magnificent form on the entire session, which was produced by Bosse Broberg, who also plays trumpet on it. Kuhn, himself, is not the pianist on this date — Bengt Hallberg fills that role in marvelous fashion.
Along with “Silver”, three other Kuhn pieces on the cd – “Ulla”, “Thoughts Of
A Gentleman”, and “The Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers”, later appeared on Kuhn’s classic 1974 ECM solo piano album, “Ecstacy” (his second ECM release). “Ulla” is also known as “Remembering Tomorrow”, the title tune of a 1996 ECM Kuhn trio cd, while “Pearlie’s Swine”, another Kuhn piece on Zetterlund’s album, also goes by the title “The Zoo”, which is given a great, funky treatment on “Chicken Feathers”. (“Thoughts Of A Gentleman” changed later, as well, to “Gentle thoughts” on his 1979 ECM album “Playground,” with vocalist Sheila Jordan, which also included “The Zoo”).
Monica and Steve were involved together in the late 60’s, after he had moved to Sweden
from the States to further broaden himself musically. When their love affair ended, Kuhn started writing – in a later interview, he stated, “I can remember sitting in her yard in that period, with tunes just flowing out of me – some with lyrics in pure stream of consciousness, like “The Zoo”. Then after we broke up and I returned home, I was a very unhappy young man, and the things I was writing – “Tomorrow’s Son”, “Thoughts Of A Gentleman” – show it.”
Two more Kuhn compositions on the Zetterlund cd, “The Baby” (a.k.a. “Saharan”), and “Raindrops, Raindrops”, are also given superb treatment by her and the band. Bengt Hallberg, the pianist, contributes two poignant tunes dedicated to Monica and Steve – “Till Monica” (co-written with trumpeter Jan Allan and guitarist
Rune Gustafsson), and “Till Steve”.
Monica Zetterlund tragically left us at the age of 67 (1937-2005). She was not only a fabulous singer, but also a talented actress in Sweden (over twenty films and TV shows). “Chicken Feathers” is a wonderful jazz collage of writing and performance.
It’s definitely worth seeking out, especially if you’re a Steve Kuhn fan. It was also beautifully recorded. A treasure. (by James K. Stewart)
Alternate frontcover
Personnel:
Lennart Åberg (saxophone, flute)
Jan Allan (trumpet)
Bosse Broberg (trumpet)
Arne Domnérus (saxophone, clarinet)
Rune Gustafsson (guitar)
Bengt Hallberg (piano)
Sven Larsson (trombone)
Bertil Lövgren (trumpet)
Erik Nilsson (saxophone, clarinet)
Håkan Nyqvist (french horn)
Georg Riedel (bass)
Alex Riel (drums)
Claes Rosendahl (saxophone, flute)
Monica Zetterlund (vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Chicken Feathers (Kuhn) 2.23
02. The Baby (Kuhn) 2.19
03. The Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers (Kuhn) 2.49
04. Raindrops Raindrops (Kuhn) 2.45
05. Silver (Kuhn) 2.16
06. Till Monica (Hallberg/Allan/Gustafsson) 3.08
07. The Thoughts Of A Gentleman (Kuhn) 2.44
08. The Real Guitarist Is In The House (Kuhn) 3.33
09. Pearlie’s Swine (Kuhn) 3.22
10. Ulla (Kuhn) 3.43
11. Till Steve (Hallberg/Kuhn) 2.18
At one time, the concept of “European Jazz” meant very little indeed. While jazz was developing in the USA in the 1920s, there was almost no European jazz to speak of. Some Americans – Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Sidney Bechet – came to Europe and made an impact there in the 1930s but it was not until the thirties that Europeans began to develop their own jazz significantly. Perhaps the most outstanding group was the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, formed in 1934, with its two virtuosos Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.
player on track 9 of the fifth CD. However, one lesson of many tracks in this collection is that many Europeans learnt from the bebop pioneers – and from such groups as the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. As most of the tracks in this compilation come from the fifties and sixties, there is little individuality in the music from the different countries, as it was only later that they began to develop their own distinctive styles.
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