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Audiences first took notice of Kirsten Gustafson (pronounced “Kir-sten Gus-tuff-son”) with the release of her critically acclaimed CD You Taught My Heart To Sing in 1992. After years of vocal work with an assortment of musical configurations – everything from rock bands to jazz trios – the Atlantic recording put her on the map literally overnight. The late, great Sammy Cahn was so impressed with her singing that he enthusiastically agreed to write the liner notes for her disc. “Miss Gustafson will be among the greats,” he wrote, “you heard it first from me!”
In the years since her stunning debut, Kirsten has concentrated on live performance. In 1994 she joined the latin-influenced Samba Bamba! as their lead singer. The band debuted a 16-month run at Vinyl a popular Chicago nightclub at the time. The wild popularity of Samba Bamba! led to concerts in New York and Los Angeles, as well as a slew of private parties and corporate events.
Along the way, Miss Gustafson had kept her love for jazz music going and in late 1996 returned to her native Northern Michigan for a brief respite before venturing off to Paris for a season spent working the after-hours clubs along the Left Bank.
Kirsten returned to Chicago in late 1998 to continue a burgeoning voice over career and slowly began recording new material and making occasional club appearances before relocating to her home in Marquette, Michigan. In 2007 she toured with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra starring in a tribute show to Ella Fitzgerald. Her recording Live At Montreux was released in 2002 and Wait Until Dark, her eagerly anticipated new studio recording will be released in 2008.
Gustafson, described as a “singer’s singer” has a deceptively simple approach to music: “I find the essence of the song and share it with the audience.” Audiences from the famed Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, to the Parisian club scene, as well as a host of venues across America, have heartily agreed.
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