Stiamo parlando di Carol Welsman, vocalist Canadese ma dal sangue e dal ritmo soprattutto latino grazie ad una voce calda accompagnata da una timbrica del suono propriamente latina. Ma non poteva essere altrimenti visto i componenti dell'ensemble jazz che la accompagnano e che andremo a conoscere tra breve.
Un sogno di Carol ( piu' di 60.000 cds venduti nel solo Canada ) era di fare un disco di musica latina cantato in diverse lingue. Ecco allora che in questo cd incontriamo canzoni cantate in Inglese, Portoghese per finire con lo Spagnolo e, chicca per il pubblico italiano, una canzone nella nostra madre lingua. Tutto questo crea nell'ascoltatore delle sensazioni diverse in quanto si tenta di accostare ad ogni ritmo la propria lingua per rendere le sonorita' piu' coinvolgente. Il repertorio non è solo jazz, ma vi sono incluse, come potrete ascoltare, anche delle canzoni pop tradizionali ( soprattutto brasiliane ). Il motivo di questa scelta era ovvio per la Welsman che ricorda come in ogni caso ognuno di noi abbia dovuto crescere con queste canzoni. Ma per lei la sfida era quelle di trasformarle in melodie jazz con un feeling latino e con un approcio il piu' acustico possibile. Ecco allora la scelta dei musicisti che l' hanno accompagnata in questo viaggio musicale. Jimmy Haslip che oltre ad essere il produttore della Welsman può essere considerato uno dei migliori bassisti al mondo cui si affiancano il batterista cubano Jimmy Branly e il chitarrista franco canadese Pierre Cotè. Carol accompagna invece ogni brano al piano. Infnine Carol stessa fa notare che nessuno dei componenti dell'ensemble è di origine sud americana ed è per questo che nel proporre i classici brasiliani non si è cercato di riprodurne i suoni in maniera fedele ma al contrario si è tentato un approcio molto personale per cercare degli arrangiamenti che potessero essere momenti di sintesi dei vari stili presenti nell'album e riflettere la propria esperienza di rielaborazione personale.
Il risultato di tutto questo lo potrete giudicare voi ascoltando questo cd e, perchè no', scrivendoci cosa ne pensate.
Come al solito buon ascolto.
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY Carol Welsman is an internationally acclaimed singer and pianist whose expressive vocal styling and dynamic stage presence have captivated audiences around the world. She has sold over 60,000 CDs in Canada alone, something few jazz artists in Canada have experienced.
Award Winner for “Pianist/Keyboardist of the Year” at the 2006 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, and nominee for “Best Female Vocalist”, “Album of the Year”, and “Best Pianist/Keyboardist” in 2007, Carol’s jazz/pop career is soaring to new heights. She has released six CDs to date, and four have received Juno Award nominations, the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy Award.
Carol has just signed an international recording contract with renowned label Justin Time Records. Jimmy Haslip, producer, and bass player/composer for the famous group “Yellowjackets”, is producing Carol’s new CD scheduled for release in June 2007.
Pierre Cossette, renowned producer of the Grammy Awards, produced Carol’s latest project, a CD/DVD “What’cha Got Cookin’, released in Japan, and Canada in 2006. It garnered a nomination for “Album of the Year”.
2004 and 2005 brought Carol tours in Japan, Italy, Brazil, the US and French Canada. She was honored to perform on "Larry King Live" for the 9/11/04 Commemoration, and closed the show with a moving rendition of her original song "This Lullaby''. Pop icon Celine Dion recorded it and has released it worldwide on her 2004 "Miracle" CD as "Baby Close Your Eyes". Throughout that year, a camera team followed Carol around the globe to capture her musical magic, and "The Language of Love" documentary showcasing her career aired across Canada on CBC in 2005. With special guests Herbie Hancock, Brazil’s Djavan, and Oscar Castro Neves (producer of Carol's Juno nominated CD, “The Language of Love"), it continues to receive rave reviews.
Fluent in French and Italian in addition to her native English, Carol blends languages and rhythms with a versatile repertoire including Latin, R & B, pop and swing. She delivers a mix of classic standards and original compositions in a style that ranges from sensuous and warm to infectiously energetic. An elegant and sophisticated performer, this six foot strawberry blonde beauty exudes charm and delights fellow musicians and audiences alike.
Music is in her soul and she is greatly influenced by the diverse musical tastes exposed by her own family. Her passion for jazz led her to Boston's Berklee College of Music in the 80s, where she majored in piano performance. She later traveled to Europe, and studied voice with Christiane Legrand (sister of Michel) and, in Paris, met Romano Musumarra (producer/songwriter for Celine Dion, Pavarotti and Garou). She became the English lyricist for Musumarra's compositions, including a two l No. 1 hit songs in France and Sweden. She also co-wrote the Ray Charles 1995 recording, “Out of my Life” and the 2006 duet, You are my Miracle” for tenor Vittorio Grigolo and “Pussy Cat Dolls” lead singer, Nicole Scherzinger.
In 1990, armed with a wealth of knowledge and experience, Carol returned to Toronto where she started her own music production company and record label (Welcar Music) and launched a serious career as a performer. Since then, she has performed around the world to adoring audiences. Carol enjoys the unique ability to tour in Quebec with a show almost entirely in French.
Carol’s first CD, “Lucky To Be Me”, received a 1996 Juno Award nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album and earned Carol the award for Best Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year (1996) by Jazz Report Magazine. Her second CD, Inclined, was so successful, it attracted Justin Time Records to sign her for Canadian license and garnered another Juno Award nomination.
In 1999 Carol released a CD “Swing Ladies Swing, A Tribute to Singers of the Swing Era”, with Pops Symphony Orchestra. The recording was a heartfelt dedication to her grandfather, Frank S. Welsman, founder and first conductor of The Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Carol showcases songs made popular by inspiring singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee. Swing Ladies Swing also earned Carol a Juno nomination for Best Female Jazz Vocalist, 2000.
Welsman made her first foray into the Smooth Jazz idiom with the release of her CD “Hold Me” on BMG Canada in June, 2001. Produced by Ronnie Foster and George Butler, this album continues to receive regular airplay on Canadian Smooth Jazz radio.
Carol has performed the music from “Swing Ladies, Swing” with many Canadian and American Pops Symphony orchestras. Co-hosting and performing at the 2000 Billboard Jazz Awards with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock on BET introduced Carol to the U.S. jazz audiences. She has also performed at events attended by the likes of President Bill Clinton, Governor Gray Davis and legendary singer/songwriters Stevie Wonder and Gordon Lightfoot.
Awarded Canadian Jazz Vocalist of the Year (2002), and 2003 Distinguished Alumni of Berklee College of Music, Carol is an extraordinarily talented musician and one of Canada's finest vocalists and pianists.
Si vuole ringrazia Carol Welsman per tutte le informazioni che ci hanno consentito di scrivere questo blog.
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