Jazzpodium 05-2011

TranslationSUSANNE ALT – Completely in the Groove At some point, she had enough. Not of jazz, but of the jazz business. Back then, Susanne Alt took a different direction. That was quite a turning point, the German saxophonist, who currently lives in Amsterdam, says today. An important one! After an excursion into funk/R&B, she immersed herself in the electro-dance world—performing as a DJ with saxophone. Meanwhile, jazz is allowed back into her life—but please, with soul-infused energy.By Arne Schumacher for Jazzthetik 07/08-2026, Germany Right now, I’m having an incredible amount of fun again. Susanne Alt does not necessarily want to talk about a comeback or a return to the jazz world. After all, she has continued to play jazz gigs. However, the impression of a recent, thoroughly fundamental change in her perspective is supported by the release of two albums. Ten years ago, Saxify was released, an album with which she confidently started a whole series of jazz productions. The funk plate of my dreams is how the Würzburg-born musician, who moved to the Netherlands at the age of 18 to study jazz, describes the album. Saxify featured legendary US funk and soul veterans. However, there had already been signs of a radical change—musically speaking. In her classically cast jazz quartet, Alt had always shown a sense of soul-jazz and a passion for grooves, which she says is in her blood. Parallel to my jazz education, I was always interested in other music: pop, funk, dance. When I brought my first band to an end, I was already appearing as a guest with house DJs. These electronic things were viewed with quite a bit of suspicion in jazz circles. For me, it felt entirely natural. Especially in a city like Amsterdam. There was always this vibrant club scene here, where instrumental electronic music was also played. That really appealed to me. This shift was preceded by a years-long struggle for recognition, gigs, appropriate payment, and ultimately, economic survival as a jazz musician. In 2003, after a three-year study phase in Berlin, she had returned to the Amstel River, bringing with her—besides her highly developed craftsmanship—an artistic maturity and an individual expression. And she knew she absolutely wanted to be independent. A year later, the saxophonist (who plays soprano as well as flute alongside alto) released her debut album on her own label, Venus Tunes. With each subsequent production, her career advanced. On the other hand, she had to realize that achieving a better status in the jazz world did not automatically translate into appropriate financial compensation for concerts. The frustration grew—in many respects. As a bandleader, always having to drag everyone along under the old model, and just trying to make it work, was extremely exhausting and ultimately really annoying. Looking back, she has to laugh, even when thinking about the sometimes lethargic band memebers. Even with all the pressure and stress, I was still in a relatively good position, despite the cultural-political conditions in the Netherlands, which have worsened since 2010. But I felt a musical stagnation. I just didn’t want to keep repeating myself. The transition with Saxify reshuffled the cards. After Alt was booked more and more as a soloist for DJ sets, people began asking her if she would like to DJ herself. She took the step. And she gradually established herself as a DJ, with her sax always a key part of it. It was just a breath of fresh air. Sometimes it’s healthy to do something else. I wanted to see how it would develop. Meanwhile, tracks from Saxify were making the rounds in remixes by respected club producers. To bring everything back to the stage, she founded her all-female trio Venus Tunes Live. Soon it became clear that all of this was also economically highly rewarding. Whether she missed jazz during those years? No, not really, she smiles. That changed slowly in the wake of the Corona crash. The result: a whole new series of compositions—and an incredibly well-cast studio production in February 2022 in New York City, featuring James Hurt (keys), Gerald Cannon (b), and Willie Jones III (dr). This session yielded enough material for two albums at once. Royalty for Real is an homage to trumpet player Roy Hargrove. With Dark Horse, she recently followed up with an album that emphasizes the groove side through a strong use of keyboards. Her alto sax sound is better than ever. You can hear that Susanne Alt feels completely comfortable in this context, which unites different aspects of her journey. She also speaks of a new focus. And she is once again leading a live band, a six-piece working band. Does she feel a new inner balance? I feel completely in motion right now! As you change, you see everything as an enrichment, because you stay active and grow. You look at things and think: What is my role in the grand scheme of things, what can I contribute? I don’t want to hear the endless complaining anymore. Part of this mindset includes her teaching activities; alongside sharing her broad experience at the University of Arts in Arnhem, she is involved in targeted cultural-political engagement. This includes strengthening the network of jazz communities to help jazz advance even in difficult times. Under the banner of a good groove! Current Albums:Susanne Alt: Dark Horse (Venus Tunes) - Thorsten MeyerLive ist ja bekanntlich immer alles besser. Da haben die Musiker das direkte Feedback des Publikums, da sind keine störenden Trennwände zwischen den Musikern und sowieso ist alles viel spontaner. Die holländische Saxophonistin Susanne Alt bestätigt dies nicht nur, sie liefert auf ihrer ersten Live-CD auch noch ein weiteres Argument: Man kann- wenn Musiker und Plattenfirma es wollen- einen kompletten Abend auf CD dokumentieren, ohne Schnitte, ohne Kompromisse. Alt tut dies mit den zwei Sets ihres Amsterdammer Konzerts vom 14. Oktober 2010. Die einzelnen Nummern sind ausnahmslos von Alt und ihren drei Mitstreitern (pianist Thijs Cuppen als Fender-Monster, Bassist Sven Schuster mit grandiosen arco-Akzenten und Schlagzeuger Philippe Lemm mit schlanken Grooves) filigran aber schnörkellos komponiert, voller eingängiger Themen und voller Stimmungswechsel- auch wenn meistens die Groove-Post abgeht. Der Konzertsituation entsprechend werden die Stücke ausgiebig solistisch erforscht. Im Zentrum bleibt die Bandleaderin. Geschmeidig schwingt sie sich durch die zwischen Smooth-Jazz und funkig angehauchten Mainstream changierenden Stücke. Alt ist dabei weniger die neue Candy Dulfer, als eine junge Barbara Thompson. Der kompakte Sound ihrer Band hält über das komplette Konzert die Spannung. Man wäre gern dabei gewesen, aber vielleicht findet Susanne Alt ja auch demnächst den Weg in hiesige Jazzstätten. Ein knackiger, funkiger Abend wäre jedenfalls gesichert.EnglishThosten MeyerAs we all know, live is alwys better. As the musicians have direct feedback from the audience, there are no interfering partitions between the musicians and anyway everything is much more spontaneous. The Dutch saxophonist Susanne Alt confirmed that not only do they deliver on their first live CD also another argument: you can-when musicians and record company want- document a full-evening on CD, with no cuts, no compromises. Alt does so with the two sets of her Amsterdam concert on 14 October 2010. The individual numbers are all written by Alt and her three colleagues (pianist Thijs Cuppen as Fender monster, bass player Sven Schuster, with great arco accents and drummer Philippe Lemm with narrow grooves) delicately but composed straightforward, full of catchy themes and full atmospheric changes, even if most of the time it's about the groove. The concert setting to match the pieces to be explored extensively as a soloist. In the center is the band leader. It swings smoothly through the between smooth jazz and funk-tinged mainstream iridescent pieces. Old is not so much the new Candy Dulfer, as a young Barbara Thompson. The compact sound of her band keeps the voltage across the entire concert. We would like to have been there, but perhaps, too soon Susanne Alt finds her way into local jazz venues. A crisp, funky evening would certainly be secured.