REVIEW OF 'SHADES OF CAROL' from JAZZREVIEW.COM, written by Peter Westbrook
Featured Artist: Carol Sudhalter
CD Title: Shades of Carol
Year: 2005
Record Label: Alfa Music
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians:
Carol Sudhalter- tenor & baritone saxophone, flute with:
Olivier Barney - trumpet [1,3,5 & 12], Andrea Tarozzi - piano [1,3,5 & 12], Guido Giacomini - bass [1,3,5 & 12], Vittorio Sicbaldi - drums [1,3,5 & 12], Martha J - vocals [4 & 7], Myrna Lake - vocal [9], Tore Spano - piano [7], Jack Davis - trombone [9 & 11], Bill Gerhardt - piano [2,6, 9 & 11], Dave Ruffels - bass [2,6, 9 & 11] , Tootsie Bean - drums [2,6,9 & 11]
The Astoria Big Band [8 & 10]: G. Petropoulos, L. Moses, S. Gluzband, A. Bavota, G. Gongalez - trumpets; J. Davis, N. Mayland, W. Frazer - trombones; L. Caputo, S. Bielski, Sudhalter - saxophones; L. Presgrave - piano; R. Stone - guitar, W. Lin - bass, T. Bean - drums
Review:
Saxophonist and flutist Carol Sudhalter belongs to the considerable group of fine jazz artists who are well known in their local area but have not built a national following, at least in the US. Carol is unusual, however, in that she has built a considerable reputation in Italy as well as in New York where she currently resides. It has been a constant indictment of American culture that its classical music, jazz, is better understood and appreciated in Europe and Japan than it is at home. (Currently, the music division staff of the Library of Congress are busy cataloging the estate of Lucille Ball, while the archives of several fine jazz musicians, writers, and photographers languish in obscure basements.) One can hardly blame someone like Carol for eyeing Italy’s lively jazz scene, along with its beguiling climate and delectable cuisine. Should she leave our shores it will be a great loss, particularly for New York City, especially Queens, where she has tirelessly championed local artists, particularly women, and led a fine big band, while honing her skills on tenor, baritone and flute. (Carol can also be caught live at the Cajun Restaurant on 8th Avenue inn Manhattan where she plays a brunch session every Sunday.)
Sudhalter’s most recent recording, Shades of Carol, reflects her dilemma. The several tracks recorded in Italy find her in such good form it can only suggest how stimulating she must find that environment. At the same time, she sounds so comfortable among old friends in New York, and the Astoria Big Band swings so hard, that leaving New York would clearly be a wrench. Looks like the permanent jet-lag program is the only solution!
The recording itself is not perfect; the big band tracks were recorded in a church and have a slightly distant feel; there is some imprecision in the ensemble work on the quintet sessions recorded in Rome. There is never time for second takes and endless re-mixes on this kind of project, but this is as it should be; most smooth-jazz recordings are so sanitized there is no life left in them. Each of these sessions, by contrast, have a warts-and-all, day-in-the-life-of-a-working-musician feel to them which is much more appealing. There are four different sessions, two from Italy, two from New York, and Sudhalter is in good form throughout. With Coltrane surrogates stacked floor to ceiling in New York, it is refreshing to hear her brusk tenor style that owes more to Lucky Thompson. This contrasts nicely with her flute work which owes a debt to Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the late Harold McNair. (Readers who would like to know more about McNair are referred to my forthcoming book The Flute in Jazz: Window on World Music!) A little of their humming-into-the-flute technique goes a long way with me so I am glad to hear Carol apply it sparingly.
Lack of thought in selecting material is a pet peeve of mine, but I have to applaud Sudhalter for putting together a nicely balanced program. This includes several under-performed standards and some intriguing originals, two of her own, Dry and It’s Time, Firm Roots by Cedar Walton, and a couple by the often-overlooked Tadd Dameron, Soultrane and On A Misty Night. Billy Strayhorn’s Lotus Blossom, winsomely sung by Martha J., is notable for the original lyrics by Roger Schore.
For the Astoria Big Band numbers Sudhalter turns to the baritone saxophone, her gruff playing owing more to Pepper Adams and Leo Parker than Gerry Mulligan. Again, the material is fresh; how often do we hear On A Slow Boat To China?
Perhaps if plenty of people log onto www.sudhalter.com and purchase a copy of this CD Carol may decide to stay in the U.S. when she retires from her teaching position at the end of the year. After all, Italy has Venice, Florence, pasta, great ice cream, Lake Como, the Sistine Chapel . . . But Queens needs the Astoria Big Band and Carol Sudhalter.
Tracks:
Firm Roots, A Weaver of Dreams, Dry, Fast, Soultrane, Youth, Lotus Blossom, Lullaby of the Leaves, In Walked Bud, On A Slow Boat to China, It’s Time, On a Misty Night
Record Label Website: http://www.alfamusic.com/english/alfamusic.htm
Artist's Website: http://www.sudhalter.com/
Reviewed by: Peter Westbrook
CAROL SUDHALTER, AMERICAN SAXOPHONIST/FLUTIST
"A musician of the highest order..." Ayana Lowe, JazzNow
"...the fullbodied warmth of her baritone sax is...nothing less than transformational". Andrew Velez, All About Jazz New York Jan 06
"I was much impressed with Carol's lyricism ..."
"...Carol's polished skills, good taste, and exemplary ability to project her deep feeling for jazz have convinced me that she is one of the strongest players on her instruments currently on the scene". Jazz author W. Royal Stokes, in liner notes to "Shades of Carol".
Carol Sudhalter, baritone, tenor and alto saxophonist and flautist, spends 3 months each year touring Europe. She has led her own group at Villa Celimontana Festival (Rome), Aula Giulio Cesare in Campidoglio, and throughout Northern Italy with the Porsche Festival. Guest Appearances include: Perugia's Umbria Jazz (Stage Carducci) with Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters; at JazzAscona with organist Rhoda Scott, and with Mark Brooks and Henry Butler; and a Swiss TV news broadcast with Shannon Powell/Jason Marsalis Quartet (2005).
Carol's 2007 summer tour includes venues of Northern Italy, Rome, Bari, Paris, and England’s Birmingham, Swanage and Upton-upon-Severn Festivals, including appearances with well-known British saxophonists Alan Barnes and his trio, John Hallam, and American saxophonist Greg Abate.
Carol has released seven recordings (audio tapes, LPs and CDs) of her sextet and big band. Her latest CD, SHADES OF CAROL, (ALFA MUSIC & RAI TRADE, dist. EGEA) was released in Rome, and is a compilation of four Italian and U.S. recording sessions. The CD includes Carol's original compositions and jazz standards. Carol plays as guest artist on several recordings including singer
Minnie Minoprio's latest CD (Rome, 2006), "Swinging the Blues".
Carol lives in New York and performs throughout the United States. In New York she has appeared at the JVC Jazz Festival, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Trumpet's, Birdland, Cobi's Place, Pumpkin's, St. Peter's Jazz Church and more. From 1991 to 2006 she played first as sideman and then as leader, Sunday brunch at CAJUN Restaurant, reviewed in Jazz Times, Hot House, All About Jazz, and NY Post. In May 2004 Carol led her 13-piece big band at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
She is profiled at length in W.Royal Stokes' Growing Up With Jazz: Twenty-Four Musicians Talk About their Lives and Careers, Oxford Univ. Press 2005 (fifteen pages, two photos, and a description of Carol's fiery performance at a six-tenor session at Umbria Jazz's La Taverna; Leslie Gourse's classic "Madame Jazz",
(Ch. 14: 'Carol Sudhalter: A Role Model'); Joan Hamburg's "City Wedding"; Lewis Porter’s online 'Encyclopedia of Jazz'; and a mention in Peter Westbrook's forthcoming "The Flute in Jazz: Window on World Music".
Carol is from a well-known musical family. As sister of famed jazz author/cornetist Richard Sudhalter, and daughter of saxophonist/violinist Albert Sudhalter, Carol's musical roots, based in swing, are strong and tenacious. Her basic style is mainstream and the warm, rich sound of the saxophone giants of jazz history shines through. Time Out NY, February, 2006, observed of her,
"…saxophonist Carol Sudhalter's warm, gutsy sound will put
you in mind of Hawk and Ben Webster."
In a jazz flute setting Carol Sudhalter's classical training combines with her jazz chops to display percussive energy and deep jazz feeling that consistently elicit admiring audience reaction.
contact info: 718 278 5331
Italy cell: 320 1811 835
carolsudhalter@hotmail.com
www.sudhalter.com
www.myspace.com/carolsudhalter
How are you? The 7th annual NYC Musical Saw Festival in Astoria is this Saturday (July 18th). So far 56 musical saw players registered to perform. 2 are coming from Japan, 3 from Germany, 4 from Canada, 1 from Belgium, 1 from France and the rest from all over the USA. It will be wild!
Have you ever seen or heard so many musical saw players playing together? This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing on account of the Guinness World Record we are going for.
When: Saturday, July 18th, 2pm Where: Trinity Church, 31-18 37th Street (37th street at 31st Ave), Astoria Admission: $10
Hi Carol. Great to see you Thursday, even better to hear you. You played an amazing solo right before I left, the second tune you played, nothing less than awesome. I look forward to hittin with you again. Jacob
Ciao Carol, mi è dispiaciuto molto non poterti incontrare in Italia, purtroppo suonavo anch 'io in quei giorni. Ci promettiamo che la prossima volta non scapperà una suonata insieme come a New York. Ti abbraccio e ti grazie per il tuo commento.
Carolinaaaaaaa!!! Che bello suonare con te, sempre:-))) Mi sono divertito un casino, swing, swing e ancora SWIIIING!!! Bello accompagnare una sassofonista che stà sul timing con relax (gran dote che qui da noi molti non hanno) A presto e grazie Un BACIONE Carlo You Baldie!!! ah ah ah!!!
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