“I’ve always been drawn to lyrics and the timeless human story of life, love and loss that they tell.” Deb Rasmussen

Deb and Keith released their duo CD “Heart Wide Open” in 2011. The disc goes straight to the heart of their musical conversation – intimate interpretations of Deb’s original songs and well loved standards, with the occasional twist. A musical journey down the path of love with all its detours, “Heart Wide Open” pairs eloquent lyrics with the rich textures of guitar.

Deb Rasmussen (vocals) has performed at the Beatniq and Piqniq, the Bear’s Den, the Calgary Jazz Festival “Party in the Park”, the “Jazz at the Lake” Festival in Sylvan Lake and the “Cliff Bungalow-Mission Jazz Concert Series”. She’s studied with Jay Clayton, Sheila Jordon, Nancy King, Roberta Gambarini, Cheryl Fisher, Dee Daniels and Viviane Cardinal.

Keith Smith (guitar) was a staple of the Calgary jazz scene since his arrival in 1997. He appeared regularly with the PrimeTime Big Band and their many guests including Hugh Fraser, Tommy Banks, Guido Basso and Oliver Jones. He is a fixture in the Amos Garrett Jazz Trio, The Lorna MacLachlin Quintet and also performs in the Keith Smith Trio, a highly interactive Bill Frisell-inspired group heavily based in improvisation on Keith’s original material. Keith released his CD, “Afterthought” in 2009.

Deb and Keith performed together from 2003 until Keith’s passing in 2016. With the Northern Lights Quartet, they performed at the Giant Steppes Festival (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) in 2006 and 2008 and at the Time Arts Jazz Series at Peking University in 2008. In 2008, Northern Lights Quartet collaborated at the Giant Steppes Festival with the traditional Mongolian group, Altai Khangai. They toured Canada in 2009 and recorded the CD “Northern Lights Altai Khangai”.