NRC, 19-02-2024

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) - (NRC, 19-02-2024)Translation:FocusSusanne Alt on jazz trumpeter Roy HargroveHe was the epitome of infectious jazzIn his hotel room, Roy Hargrove always played cassette tapes of pure bebop: Miles Davis, Charlie Parker. All uptempo. He constantly wanted to be in a jazz flow of playing and listening. He also enjoyed playing with soul artists like D'Angelo, funk musicians, and rappers. I learned from him that it's okay to be a dedicated jazz musician and still have an interest in other genres.Saxophonist Susanne Alt, who resides in Amsterdam (born in Würzburg, 1978), pays tribute to the early deceased, influential American jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove on her new album, Royalty For Real, with whom she was friends. It marks a return for her to acoustic jazz after Alt developed an electronic sound in recent years and established herself as a DJ and producer. The album was recorded with former band members of Hargrove.Roy was one of the first musicians I truly became a fan of. He was the epitome of infectious jazz. His sound moved between very lyrical and very exuberant, almost like gospel. He didn't play as many notes as others. Sometimes, the barrage of notes from others becomes a bit of a circus for me, so that really appealed to me. Wherever he played, he would always jam afterwards with young local musicians. That's how I got to know him when I was seventeen. A year later, I saw him again at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. Afterwards, musicians often played next door at the Hotel Bel Air in The Hague until dawn. There I was on stage with Roy, but also with drummer Questlove and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Unbelievable. I've tried to capture that atmosphere on the album in the song Bel Air Bop. We became friends, I always tried to search him up when he was in the area. For him, jamming was really the foundation, the beauty of spontaneous interaction. It's not just about musicians among themselves, but also about the audience. Jazz isn't just listening music for the elite, but about having fun and making connections. Roy made jazz more open and inclusive.I was so devastated when he passed away. I was in a hotel room in Prague in November 2018 and saw the news on Facebook. I actually thought he could go on for a long time, despite his kidney disease. He was only 49 years old.I recorded this album, dedicated to Hargrove, in 2022 in New York with musicians from his circle. I was lucky that it was still the tail end of corona, drummer Willie Jones III and bassist Gerald Cannon were just in town and were happy to participate. They both played in Roy's band for seven years. Keyboardist James Hurt is also a world-class player.I was a bit starstruck in the studio, I must admit. We're colleagues and have gotten to know each other over the years, but I was still mainly just a fan of them. Still am, actually. I had to redo a few solos because of nerves, or because I was distracted because what they played was just so beautiful.Leendert van der Valk The album Royalty For Real is out now.Concert: 24/3 Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam; 1/6 Verkadefabriek, Den Bosch