NRW Jazz 25-02-2024

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. - NRW JazzTranslation:One of the musicians Susanne Alt admired was the American trumpeter Roy Hargrove, who passed away in 2018 at the much too young age of 49. The Würzburg-born saxophonist, who now resides in Amsterdam, even played with Hargrove multiple times, including at the legendary jam sessions at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Now, she has dedicated an album to the American, starting it off with one of Hargrove's compositions, the effortlessly grooving Roy Allan. Like Hargrove, Alt is also a superb interpreter of ballads, which she demonstrates multiple times on this album. She can swing, bop, or be funky – all with a lot of soul in her expression. With keyboardist James Hurt, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Willie Jones III, the bandleader also has a dream team by her side.