You have lost your first love; remember therefore from where you have fallen”
Revelation 2:3
Sometimes we forget why we fell in love with jazz.
For me, after listening to years to the negativity and nihilism of rock and roll, I felt renewed by the joy of jazz, particularly the feel and pulse of “swing”, and the smiles on all of the faces of the musicians. Instead of feeling tired and assaulted after a rock concert, I felt like going out and doing something with the energy emitted from a jazz gig.
During her two hour set at Catalina’s, Gunhild Carling sounded like a joyful prophet, reminding me of how far jazz has fallen from the exuberant happiness that jazz is supposed to bring. Instead of anemic and navel gazing solos, jarring rhythms and cacophonic crescendos, Carling, known as “Sweden’s Queen of Swing” created a musical fest of celebration rather than cerebration.
Her team of Laksmi Ramierez/b, Carl Leyland/p, Tsugumi Shikano/dr, Mando Dormae/ts and daughter Idun/tb-voc were all enthusiastically in on the scene, creating irresistible grooves and lyrical solos. As for Carling herself, she was like the belle of the ball, dressed in a sequin outfit and boa that looked like she just popped out of a cake.
And she might as well have, as while the band opened with a sizzling two beat “Miller Avenue”, Carling entered from the audience, blowing her horn like Gabriel while working through the audience before joining the band on stage, and not missing a lick in the process, having daughter Idun join in on the peppy vocals.
On trumpet, Carling squeezed out sweet notes like she was spitting out grapefruit seeds with a tone reminiscent of Armstrong or Hackett, with Leyland in full stride on “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”, while her trombone growled like Teagarden as she teamed with her daughter on “Meet Me Where They Play The B lues”. Mom and daughter made the ‘bones roll like they were at a chiropractor’s office on an earthy and dark “Caravan” while the youngster took the lead and was tall, tender, young and lovely on her read of “Girl From Ipanema” , with mom plunging deeper than Sydney Sweeney’s neck line.
And then there was the little matter of Carling playing more instruments than Rahsaan Roland Kirk in drag, as she took on (deep breath), recorder, bagpipes, bass, harmonica, guitar, drums, piano and even tap danced a rivulet of rhythm.
She turned the packed house into a home parlor, taking on requests and accompanying herself on piano as she gave a deep blue “St. James Infirmary”, and a hepcat medley of “Ain’t Mishbehavin’/Sing! Sin! Sing!” while giving tribute to her compatriots with a hoot of Abba’s “Dancing Queen”.
Her harp too the band down the juke joint road on ”Blues For Harmonica” as she beat eight to the bar, surf-riding her recorder on the foamy “Samba De Orfeu”, having church with a banjo on “Just A Closer Walk With Thee”, boogie-ng the bagpipes, and even playing three trumpets at once (1) during a chugalug of “Night Train”. What’s union scale for THAT?!?
And let’s not even talk about her balancing the trumpet like a trained seal and blowing her horn while also playing bass, or taking over Shikan’s drum for a mix of vaudeville and avalanche.
Joining into the festivities was pianist Jason Williams, fresh from the loins of Jerry Lee Lewis, who grabbed the piano and pounded out “Shake, Rattle and Roll” before dancers Kerry Ward and Bonnie Morgan hopped on stage for some Lindy Hopping that made the Nicholas Brothers green with envy as Carling tapped out a threesome before reaching for the sky on her trombone. Where’s the kitchen sink?
Closing as she ended, Ms. Carling paraded out through the crowd with her fellow horns to make herself part of the band. Rarely has an artist connected (literally) with an audience in so many aspects. If she can cook as well as play, I’m having her double my portions of Lutefisk! Who let her off her leash? Carling brought the joy back to jazz, and it was a needed shot in the arm.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Dave Damiani 11/11, Patrisha Thomson 11/12, Roberta Gambarini 11/14-15, Artur Zakiyan 11/21-22 and David Benoit 11/28-29
PRESS 