Melodiva 06-07-2016

Nederlands Jazz ArchiefEnglish:Saxophonist Susanne Alt hails from Germany but has long been a part of our jazz scene. Royalty For Real has the aura of a prestigious product. It is also a tribute to the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Hargrove was fond of participating in the after-hours sessions at North Sea Jazz; Alt occasionally played alongside him there – hence Bel Air Bop, one of the seven tracks. The saxophonist/flutist wrote five of the tracks herself, in addition to The Nearness of You and Roy Allan by Hargrove. The album was recorded in February 2022 in New York with pianist James Hurt, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Willie Jones III. - Thanks Melodiva!! Read the review here.English:CD Tip june 2016After 5 jazz albums and collaborations with house dj’s saxophonist Susanne Alt finally fullfilled a long-cherished dream to produce a funky dance album and released her latest album “Saxify” with 12 own compositions. For a really smashing result the Dutch - by choice - invited everybody who is anybody into the studio, from the Netherlands and USA, with Fred Wesley (trombone) leading the way, followed by Michael Hampton (guitar) and many others, more than 30 musicians. It’s is a pleasure, rich in variety, to listen to the 12 tracks; every track is sung by another singer who also (co-)wrote the lyrics. There is th hopeful “Life-is-good”-song “Open Up”, sung by Berenice van Leer, Lorrèn Rettich sings the immensely soulful title track. “The harder we fight” features the Dutch Mavis Acquah and mixed duets with Wesley&Co top it off. Appearently it is the merit of producer Susanne Alt that the album sounds as if made from one piece, despite the recording process of 9 years. On the album she plays alto and tenor saxophone (and soprano-admin) as well as flute and sounds as if she never has done anything else. “Saxify” is a must for fans of funk and wind players and is obligatory for dancing maniacs.(Mane Stelzer)