La Habitacion Del Jazz 26-02-2024 (ES)

(De Limburger, 05-06-2025)Translation:‘Funk and Fireworks’ with Susanne Alt at the Last Jazz aan de SjtasieAfter this coming weekend’s edition, Jazz aan de Sjtasie in Swalmen will come to an end. During the farewell weekend, among others, Susanne Alt will perform—saxophonist and DJ in one.SWALMENPAUL VAN DER STEENSaxophonist Susanne Alt (47) has been performing with DJs since the late 1990s. In 2015, a booker called her with the question whether she also DJed herself. As a joke, she answered “yes.” And if you say A, you must also say B… “I took a few lessons to learn how to DJ and then just put in the hours. It has enriched me. As a saxophonist, you’re more focused on your own solos. A DJ needs to have a much broader perspective. You have to sense the atmosphere. Then you decide what kind of music is needed. There’s also quite a bit of technical knowledge involved.”In 2016, she decided to combine playing saxophone and DJing for her tour with the funky album Saxify. That act grew into Venus Tunes Live, the formation with which she will play at Jazz aan de Sjtasie in Swalmen this coming weekend. “No matter what lineup we perform with, it’s always only women. That’s been a wish of mine for a long time. Because of the automatic way in which male bands are always booked again and again. You rarely see women even in supporting roles or only as singers.”HighlightsThe band’s lineup changes. “It also depends on the wishes of whoever books us and what else is on the program. Sometimes it’s me with one singer and one percussionist, with all three of us DJing as well, to two singers, a violinist, a percussionist, and myself on sax and as DJ. The music also varies, depending on the type of audience and the atmosphere: sometimes it stays fairly mellow, other times it’s all about funk and fireworks.”Alt, born in Germany but now living in the Netherlands longer than she ever lived in her homeland, wants performances to be more than one-way traffic. “They only become real highlights when there’s social interaction: between musicians and with the audience. You can move people with your playing, but also get them to sing and dance along.”TributeBesides Venus Tunes Live, Alt still tours with the material from her jazz album Royalty for Real, which was released early last year. The idea for that album arose during the pandemic. “With all the time to reflect, I concluded that it was time for a real jazz project and it became a hommage to trumpeter Roy Hargrove (1969–2018). I’ve always admired him. Because of his playing, with which he could say so much with so few notes. Especially his ballads have always stayed with me. Also I loved the way he approached jazz; he always was looking for jazz sessions where he could join and play, encourage other musicians.. I recorded Royalty for Real in New York with musicians Roy often played with.”Hargrove, along with Joshua Redman, was one of the musicians who first introduced the then-teenage Alt to jazz. “Both my parents worked in music. But they didn’t listen to jazz. I myself had classical saxophone lessons since I was twelve. In Bavaria, where I grew up, saxophone was mainly destined for concert bands. But I knew the saxophone was also a real jazz instrument.”VideotapesAlt went looking for the music herself. “I would record jazz concerts on videotapes that aired on TV at night. And I went to the library to read biographies of musicians and dive deeper into jazz history.”Hargrove and Redman were not only gifted instrumentalists, but also young and cool. Years later, she met them at jam sessions at festivals like North Sea Jazz.“I didn’t push myself forward there, but waited calmly for my moment. If you didn’t immediately play a five-minute solo, the famous Americans also liked getting to know the local musicians that way. I immediately had a good connection with Hargrove. A kind of friendship developed.”In the coming years, Alt wants to play many styles mixed together and provide entertainment. “For me, there’s only bad and good music. I like to contribute to good music. And in my case, it preferably has to groove.”Jazz aan de Sjtasie takes place 6th, 7th and 8th of june at the previous station in Swalmen. performing artists are a.o. Benjamin Herman, Han Bennink, Hans Dulfer, Philip Catherine, Mike Roelofs and Bart Oostindie. - La Habitacion Del JazzTranslation:The saxophonist, composer, DJ, and producer Susanne Alt was born in Würzburg, Germany, and resides in Amsterdam. She studied classical saxophone at the Meistersinger-Konservatorium in Nuremberg (1993-1996). At 18, she moved to the Netherlands to study jazz saxophone at the conservatories of Hilversum and later Amsterdam (1996-2000). She continued her studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin (2000-2003), graduating with honors. In 2004, she debuted as a producer with Nocturne on her own label, Venus Tunes, followed by several more albums. In addition to her own projects, she is a highly sought-after guest and session musician, collaborating with artists such as Fred Wesley, DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Johan S, Hardsoul, DJ Maestro, and Wicked Jazz Sounds.After many years with over a hundred performances a year as a saxophonist and DJ, COVID-19 halted all activity, a period during which Alt took the opportunity to return to her roots in jazz.On February 16th, she released her sixth studio album titled “Royalty for Real” on Venus Tunes. The album is dedicated to Roy Hargrove.Alt first encountered the music of Joshua Redman, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Hargrove at the age of 15, with Hargrove standing out as a profound influence on her musicality. Years later, Alt met Hargrove at late-night jam sessions after festival appearances in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States, and the two frequently played together. Hargrove's death in 2018 was a tremendous shock for Alt, and she embarked on composing a series of pieces in tribute to the trumpeter's legacy and the memories they shared.For this work, Alt has assembled three top-tier musicians from the American jazz scene: bassist Gerald Cannon (Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Willie Jones III, Milt Jackson, Arturo Sandoval, Roy Hargrove, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Pat Martino, Carmen Lundy, Abbey Lincoln, Gary Bartz, Joe Lovano, Cyrus Chestnut, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Steve Turre…), virtuoso keyboardist James Hurt (Abbey Lincoln, Sherman Irby, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Antonio Hart,…), and drummer Willie Jones III (Kurt Elling, Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, Wynton Marsalis, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, Houston Person, Billy Childs, Eric Reed, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones…).All the tracks are composed by Alt except for two: “Roy Allan,” a composition by Hargrove dedicated to his father, which Alt covers with a slightly funky and pop treatment, and the always beautiful “The Nearness Of You” by Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington, a song Hargrove frequently performed. Alt offers a charming and heartfelt version of this piece.Among Alt's original tracks, we find the interesting “Blue Notes & Fairy Tales,” warm and with soul undertones. In “Rue Lepic,” Alt nods to Hargrove's “Strasbourg Saint-Denis.” The song title refers to a Parisian street where many famous people lived.Another original track is “Bel Air Bop,” a tribute to the late-night sessions she and Hargrove shared at the Bel Air Hotel in The Hague after playing at the North Sea Jazz Festival. An excellent, well-oiled jazz track.In “Classy Cats” and “Royalty For Real,” the funky and energetic groove shines.Susanne Alt offers us an album with beautiful, well-performed songs (Alt's saxophone has a pleasantly warm tone) without more complexities than strictly necessary.