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Gösta Nilsson (2)

Swedish jazz pianist, born 23 November 1940 in Helsingborg, Skåne. He grew up in a musical family in Åstorp. He started playing the piano early and ended up early in various orchestras in his home area. At first it was mostly about hits, but soon jazz came into the picture, as he was inspired by Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon and other American jazz musicians. From around 1956 to 1962 he led the orchestra Gösta Nelson's Quintet. When jazz in the 1960s got competition from pop music, it became more difficult to get gigs and Nilsson then chose to train as a church musician and graduated in 1968 from the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, where he received a diploma in organ playing. For a period, Nilsson was a music teacher at Birkagården's Folk High School in Stockholm, where he and some of the students formed the band Vildkaktus in 1970. This band became large, especially in Stockholm, and after a successful evening at Gyllene Cirkeln, the band was offered record contracts from seven or eight record companies. A few years later, Wild Cactus was transformed into the instrumental band Ibis. During this time Nilsson was also active as a church musician and music teacher in Trångsund, where he stayed until his retirement. For many years he led a youth choir and also a chamber choir. One of the driving students was Monica Borrfors, who in the mid-1970s became his second wife. In 1980 he also became one of the members of the Monica Borrfors quintet, to which he has since belonged. For 15 years he was Cyndee Peter's constant accompanist. He is married to [a=Monica Borrfors] and in a previous marriage father to [a=Lisa Nilsson].