Wednesday, September 3, 2003
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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 |
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Canadian songstress to jazz up "The Fred" By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Carol Welsman may not be a household name, but members of the audience at her upcoming show in Peachtree City on Saturday night will definitely know some of the songs she performs. Welsman will perform the second concert of the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater's jazz series, mixing in her original work with some covers featured on her five albums. Welsman grew up in a very musical family and decided to pursue music as a career by attending Boston's Berklee College of Music. Earlier this year the school presented her with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Welsman has certainly distinguished herself as a notable jazz artist, finding much success in her native Canada as well as around the world. She has sold 50,000 CDs in Canada, which is something many jazz artists would love to do. She is also a three-time Juno Award nominee, which is the U.S. equivalent of being a three-time Grammy Award nominee. In 2002, she was voted Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards in Toronto and now she is promoting her fifth CD, "The Language of Love." After college, Welsman traveled to Europe and began studying voice. In Paris, she started working with producer Romano Musumarra, who has worked with Celine Dion and Princess Stephanie of Monaco. Welsman began working as a lyricist, penning a number-one single for Dana Dawson, "Tell Me Bonita," and working with Georgia's own Ray Charles on his 1995 song "Out of My Life." Welsman also wrote the lyrics for the Theme for "Laser 33" a weekly TV program in Quebec, and was the lyricist for several film scores in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990 she returned to Toronto and began working on her solo career. Within six years she had nabbed her first Juno nomination and had started performing around the world. Welsman had also begun to attract interest from larger labels, which led her to larger audiences and work with some major players. Not only has she performed with several Canadian symphony orchestras including Toronto, Winnipeg and Nova Scotia, but she was also invited to perform at Carnegie Hall during the 2003-2004 season. Her first album, "Lucky to Be Me," features her original song "This Lullaby," as well as the classics "I Got Rhythm" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." "Inclined," her second album, features the songs "New Day," "Fever," and "Wings to Fly." "Swing, Ladies, Swing," which serves as a tribute to singers of the swing era has such standbys as "God Bless The Child," "Cheek to Cheek," and "Black Coffee." The album, "Hold Me," which was released in 2001, features Cole Porter's "Night and Day" and Annie Lennox's "Why." This year's release, "The Language of Love," includes the original "You Take Me Away," as well as Sting's "Every Breath You Take" and Porter's "Just One of Those Things." The audience at Saturday's concert can expect to hear some of these songs and more. Welsman has been tuning up this summer at jazz festivals in Calgary, Vancouver, Saskatoon and New Brunswick as well as performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Opening for Welsman will be the Starr's Mill Jazz Band at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35. Phone 770-631-0630 or visit www.amphitheater.org.
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