Monica Zetterlund sang with
Ib Glindeman's band in Denmark and saxophonist
Arne Domnerus' band in Stockholm in 1957, recording with
Domnerus beginning in 1958. She began performing abroad in the late '50s. In the United States,
Zetterlund's credibility as a jazz singer rests largely upon
Waltz for Debbie, a recording made in 1964 with pianist
Bill Evans' trio. In addition to several solo records, she's also recorded with the
Thad Jones-
Mel Lewis orchestra (
It Only Happens Every Time, 1977) and bassist
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (
This Is All I Ask, 1998), among others. Her repertoire also incorporated such non-jazz idioms as Swedish folk songs and classical music.
Zetterlund's celebrity transcended music; classically beautiful, she was also an actress in her native Sweden. She continued to perform until her death in May of 2005 after a fire broke out in her apartment.
–
Chris Kelsey, Rovi