Salt Peanuts (DK) 02-24

(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. - Salt PeanutsTranslationWhen you hear the surname Alt, it might not be surprising that you become a saxophonist. Susanne Alt is a saxophonist, composer, DJ, and producer based in Amsterdam. She was born in 1978 in Würzburg, Germany, into a musical family. She studied classical saxophone at Meistersinger-Konservatorium Nürnberg (1993-1996) and won the Siemens Prize for young talents in 1996. At the age of 18, she moved to the Netherlands to study saxophone at the conservatories in Hilversum and later Amsterdam (1996-2000). She continued her studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin (2000-2003).Since 1999, she has had her own quartet, but she was also one of the first musicians to perform live with DJs in Amsterdam's nightlife. In 2004, she made her debut as a producer with the release of Nocturne on her own record label, Venus Tunes, followed by several albums. In 2015, she was asked by a booker if she could also be a DJ, and as a joke, she said yes. To her surprise, this answer had consequences, and she just received her first booking as a DJ! This led to an expansion of her career, and her DJ sets (without saxophone) also became in demand. Her experience in dance music inspired the creation of Venus Tunes Live, a live act exclusively for women featuring musicians who were also DJs.From 2016 onwards, she focused more on dance releases on her label and has since delivered a monthly guest mix on Freak31 radio. In addition to her own projects, she is a sought-after guest and session musician, collaborating with artists such as Fred Wesley, DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Johan S, Hardsoul, DJ Maestro, Wicked Jazz Sounds, and many more. As a saxophonist deeply rooted in jazz, funk, and soul, she embraces the various musical possibilities of a DJ/producer, venturing into electronic music, especially anything soulful, funky, and deep.So here we meet a saxophonist with many irons in the fire. On her new album, she plays alto and tenor saxophones plus flute, James Hurt plays Fender Rhodes and piano, Gerald Cannon plays bass, and Willie Jones III handles the drums. Additionally, Robert Glass contributes percussion on a couple of tracks. Of the seven songs, five are composed by Alt, while the opening track, Roy Allan, is written by trumpeter Roy Hargrove, to whom the album is also dedicated. The second-to-last track, The Nearest Of You, is composed by Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington.Right from the start, we understand that this is jazz music that lies on the outskirts of what we usually spend time on here at salt peanuts*. The fact that one of her previous releases was titled How To Kiss doesn't exactly suggest that this is a record for us. However, Alt has chosen to challenge us and send us the release, so we approach it with freshly cleansed ears and an open mind.The first track, Roy Allan, is a decent composition, receiving a somewhat funky and pop-oriented treatment here. However, there's something about the production that I can appreciate. With the double bass prominently featured in the sound, and with fine and creative bass playing, we accept the somewhat smooth Fender Rhodes playing, which does its best to push the music into a somewhat light landscape.And this continues through much of the release. I don't know how many remember the Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer from the 90s. But if you do and liked what she delivered, Alt will certainly be something for you.Personally, I find the music too smooth for my taste. However, Alt is a decent saxophonist within the music she performs. Especially, I think the bass playing and the production, with the bass so prominently featured in the sound, work well. And it sounds best in the tracks where Hurt plays piano (Bel Air Bop and The Nearest Of You). In these songs, I think the band sounds as it should, proving that they can play proper jazz at a very respectable level. But in the other tracks, I find the music a bit too simple, and it leans too much towards pop and slightly lightweight funk for me to fully embrace what is served.Jan GranlieSusanne Alt (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute), James Hurt (Fender Rhodes, piano), Gerald Cannon (bass), Willie Jones III (drums), Robert Glass (percussion)