Natalie Scharf has got it all: amazing technical proficiency, soulful energies, and her own distinct individuality, even when she is paying tribute to tenor saxophone ancestors and recordings that we know by heart. She remains herself, elegantly gutty, never becoming a repeater pencil.
At Whitley Bay, she was asked to pay tribute to tenor saxophonists of the Thirties, but her evocations of Lester Young, Benny Carter, Bud Freeman, and Coleman Hawkins are not note-for-note copies, but remarkable dramatic creations. It’s as if she invites us to her house and says, “Yes, Benny Carter lived here for years, and I think of it as his house, but my name is on the mailbox.”
Most often Natalie is an indispensable member of Andy Schumm’s Chicago Cellar Boys or Paul Asaro and his Rhythm, but we are fortunate to have almost a half-hour of Ms. Scharf out in the open, leading a marvelous rhythm quartet of David Boeddinghaus, piano; Felix Hunot, guitar; Harry Evans, double bass; Josh Duffee, drums. The songs are (bravely) OH, LADY BE GOOD / IF I COULD ONLY READ YOUR MIND / THE EEL / YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME / BODY AND SOUL / JAMAICA SHOUT:
The excellent video was created by my friend Christer Jonsson, and many more can be seen on his YouTube channel, CANDCJ – YouTube. Hooray for these musicians, the festival, and for the chance to see such inspiring hot sounds.
And we look forward to more of Natalie, playing music associated with no one but herself.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 