Gunhild Carling Big Band With Strings JAZZ IS MY LIFESTYLE

September 9, 2024

GUNHILD CARLING BIG BAND WITH STRINGS

JAZZ IS MY LIFESTYLE

Jazz Art Records

Gunhild Carling, vocals/trombone/trumpet/composer/arranger; Neil Fontano & , piano; Jim fox, guitar; Ken Wild, bass; Jamey Tate, drums; Johan Blome, banjo; Luke Kirley, sousaphone; REEDS: Mark Visher, Danny House, Dan Kaneyuki, Dan Boissy & Caesar Martinez. TRUMPETS: Jonathan Bradley, Mike Stever, Ray Monteiro & Jamie Hovorka. TROMBONES: Ryan Dragon, Nick Daley, Erm Navarro & Julianne Gralle. SPECIAL GUESTS: Scotty Barnhart, trumpet; Chloe Feoranzo & Nathan Tokunaga, clarinet; Viggo Blome, drums; Idun Carling, trombone; Neil Fontano, piano. STRINGS: The Prague Strings Chamber Orchestra.

Gunhild Carling is a remarkable musician, composer and singer. She headlines this band and is a multi-instrumentalist, in addition to her warm, compelling voice. The band opens with the title tune, one that Carling composed. She wrote both music and lyrics.

Known as the Swedish Queen of Jazz, she is quite the entertainer. Sparkly on stage, with sequined dresses and flowing blond hair, reminiscent of Billie Holiday with flowers pinned into her hairdo, Carling picks up a trombone or a trumpet and shows the audience that she can play these instruments as well as any of her big band members. She is the consummate entertainer, playing her instruments with the same flair and drama that she sings a song. At times, I hear the influence of the great Lady Day in Carling’s vocal presentation, especially on ballads like “I Desire You.”

In addition to all her many talents, she is an amazing composer. Her songs are well written with strong lyrical content and memorable melodies. This lady is the whole entertainment package. On this album, you will hear and enjoy eleven of her original compositions. It’s also a family affair. Joining her on this project is her daughter, Idun Carling who plays trombone, her son, Viggo Blorné plays drums, and her husband, Johan Blome plays banjo.

To fatten this project she has added to her 13-piece big band, the Prague Strings Chamber Orchestra. She also has included trumpeter, Scotty Barnhart and clarinetists, Nathan Tokunaga and Chloe Feoranzo.

Gunhild Carling started performing with her family band when she was nine years old, playing trombone. She soon mastered the trumpet. She plays the recorder, the harmonica and even the bagpipes. Carling studied tap dance and adds dancer to her biography. Always ready to expand her musical world and eager to learn more, she began to sing and learned to play banjo, ukulele and harp. It didn’t take long for her to carve out a reputation in Europe as a multi-instrumentalist and great stage performer.

In 2018, Carling moved to Northern California with her family. Although based in America, she continues touring the world. She is a social media influencer with over 5-million views on Youtube.com. Jazz is My Lifestyle is the perfect title for her album and her career.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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