Mpodia 05-2012

(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. - (...) Met dit nieuwe product is (...) Susanne Alt aardig op weg zich aan de top van de nationale en internationale jazz scene te vestigen. (...)Fris en aanstekelijkOver het algemeen speelt de band bebop, maar dan wel een erg leuke en moderne variant. De muziek klinkt fris en de melodieën zijn aanstekelijk. De uitstapjes naar pop, soul, funk blijven alle binnen het bekende idioom. Dit maakt het geheel zeer consistent en boeiend. Daarnaast is er voldoende te ontdekken op deze cd, die uitblinkt in variatie: sfeervolle ballads wisselen hoekige uptempo nummers af, met van alles er tussen in. Er staan geen zwakke nummers op dit schijfje. Wat mij betreft steekt er eentje bovenuit, namelijk het licht melancholische ‘African Dream’, met meesterlijk samenspel van de band. (...) Het geluid is zeer volwassen en heeft er met het gitaarspel van Eran Har Even een dimensie bij gekregen, die zeer geslaagd is. Met name in de funky nummers en de ballads komt dit sterk tot uitdrukking. Dit houdt zeker een belofte in voor wat er nog gaat komen. Grappig is de afsluiting, een song waarop Susanne Alt behalve op sax ook vocaal te horen is, en zeker niet onverdienstelijk. Het zal me niet verbazen dat deze muziek het live ook zeker zeer goed zal doen. (Arie Slob)English(...) With this new product Susanne Alt is (...) well on the way to settle at the top of national and international jazz scene . (...) Fresh and catchy In general, the band plays bebop, but a very nice and modern variant. The music sounds fresh and the melodies are infectious. The excursions into pop, soul, funk, stay all within the familiar idiom. This makes it all very consistent and compelling. In addition, there is plenty to discover on this CD, which excels in variation: atmospheric ballads exchange angular uptempo songs, with everything in between. There are no weak tracks on this disc. For me one of them rises above it, namely the slightly melancholic African Dream, with masterly interplay of the band. (...) The sound is very mature and got a new dimension from the guitar playing of Eran Har Even , which iturns out to work. In particular, in the funky tunes and the ballads, this is highly expressed. This certainly holds a promise for what is yet to come. Funny, the last tune, a song which Susanne Alt is not only playing sax but also sings, and certainly not without merit. It will not surprise me that the live music certainly will do very well. (Arie Slob)