Carol Welsman

By George W. Harris reviews Sara Leib, Cristina Morrison...

... And then we come to the Ringer. Carol Welsman plays piano as well as sings with a voice that mixes a bit of wisp, moxie and an inside joke twinkle-in-the-eye that you just won’t resist. She swings like the Nat Cole Trio on readings of “Route 66” and the clever “Never Make Your Move Too Soon,” and can glide like a baby in a bathtub on the slinky “You Came A long Way From St. Louis.” She has an uncanny knack for picking wonderful material as well. Who else would dare do a stark reading of vocals and piano on “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” or a French version of “Fly Me To The Moon,” and make it work? As for her delivery, she can take a lyric and hold it, clip it, gasp it, sigh it and coax in ways that will make you howl in ecstasy. If she comes to town, get a front row seat!

by Chuck Berg
TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Carol Welsman defies all expectations. A singer of uncommon musical and dramatic range, she is also a superb pianist. Moreover, in the hipster argot of the Rat Pack, she’s “a tall drink” whose glamour-gal looks would stop traffic even at Sunset and Vine.

Although she grew up in Toronto, the now L.A.-based Welsman is a jet-setting sophisticate fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and, as she demonstrated beautifully in several bossa novas, a heart-on-sleeve caresser of Portuguese.

Although it’s been six years since her last capital city visit, Welsman triumphed again on Sunday at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center’s Regency Ballroom with poignantly reframed standards that thrilled a packed house of Topeka Jazz Workshop patrons.

In her opener, “I Love Being Here with You,” artist and audience bonded as one. Although cloudy and gray outside, inside, Welsman’s multimegawatt smile, intimate vocal inflections and jaunty, bop-tinged pianistics made everything sunny and warm!

Reflecting her devotion to jazz-pop diva Peggy Lee, Welsman’s take on Lee’s first big hit — “Why Don’t You Do Right?” with Benny Goodman’s band in 1939 — was a hip swinger whose bluesy interrogations never sounded fresher.

Nudging Welsman onward was the incredible rhythm section of L.A. bassist Rene Camacho, L.A. drummer Dave Tull and K.C. guitarist Danny Embrey. With collective “Who’s Who” credits ranging from TV’s “Family Guy” to Sergio Mendez, the Pointer Sisters and Linda Ronstadt, their hand-in-glove support was supple and sure.

Welsman’s set-ups were likewise perfect. Her wonderful “sketch” of cabaret artist Blossom Dearie, the little lady with the little girl’s voice, was a flawless segue to the delicious sleuthing of Dearie’s “I’m Shadowing You,” including its tongue-in-cheek reference to J. Edgar Hoover, and Welsman’s transcendent miming. Welsman’s program was artfully varied in pace and tone. With the trio sitting out, her tender vocal-piano tracing of the life-cycle story of “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” was a you-could-hear-a-pin-drop, show-stopper. With Rodgers and Hart’s “Lover” (introduced by Jeanette MacDonald in the movie “Love Me Tonight” in 1932), Welsman, taking her cue from Peggy Lee’s dynamite version, purred — as well as roared. Welsman is a gracious leader who gave her men plenty of elbow room. In addition to featured solos, she swung the spotlight to drummer Tull whose insouciantly sung and witty novelty songs, including “The Airplane,” brought the house down.

It was Welsman’s stellar musicality that held the stage. Like Diana Krall, Welsman is very much her own woman, a musician’s musician whose art is elevated by beautifully crafted charts that keep everything moving within, as well as between, tunes.

By any and all measures — from her spotless articulation, razor-sharp intonation and jazzy phrasing to her powerful storytelling — Carol Welsman is the real deal, the complete package and a performer whose ease and joie de vivre are beyond compare!

Judging from the audience’s rapturous embrace, one hopes that Welsman won’t be a stranger and, indeed, will be back in Topeka soon!

One of the many pleasures of reviewing music is the opportunity to hear gifted performers grow and evolve in their art.  And that’s exactly the feeling I had Wednesday night, when I heard singer/pianist Carol Welsman perform at Vitello’s.

I’ve been fond of her music since the first time I heard her a few years ago.  And I admired her work so much that when she asked me to write the liner notes for her album I Like Men, a tribute to Peggy Lee, I was delighted to do so.  I found her playing and singing on that album to be immensely entertaining.  Welsman honored Lee in the best possible way – not by simulating the Lee style, but by finding within it a powerful inspiration for her own creative vision. Wednesday’s program took an entirely different tack, broadening the perspective and the repertoire of Welsman’s art.

Backed by regulars Rene Camacho on bass and Jimmy Branly on drums, with special guest Bob Sheppard on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute, she dipped into a far-ranging collection of songs, many having to do with travel.

Her opening tune, “Beyond the Sea,” happily eluded the influence of the Bobby Darin hit version, more reminiscent, instead, of the original – Charles Trenet’s “La Mer.”  Other, equally rich interpretations followed: a samba-driven take on “Come Fly With Me”; a reading of Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get To Phoenix” that utterly captured the intimacy of the lyrics; and a romp through “Fly Me To The Moon” that opened space for Welsman and Sheppard to stretch their improvisational wings in briskly swinging fashion.

In mid-set, Welsman was joined by a special guest: television star, singer and actor Peter Marshall.  At 85, Marshall sang with an impressively youthful vigor, opening with a convincing reading of “That’s All” and dueting with Welsman on Henry Mancini’s poignant “Two For the Road.”

Welsman wrapped the show with a couple of captivating originals and a jaunty romp through “I Love Being Here With You.”  And from the audience’s point of view, the feelings were clearly mutual.  As she always does, Welsman gifted her listeners with a bouquet of songs as musically adventurous as they were lyrically engaging.  She’s one of a kind, and she just keeps getting better.

Oscar's Music Steals the Show

Salute to Oscar. Carol Welsman, one of Oscar Peterson’s favourite singers, performed the vocals at a special Saturday-night concert in Toronto that kicked off a series of five performances called “Aspects of Oscar.” The concerts will honour Oscar Peterson, the world-famous Mississauga pianist. Welsman said Peterson helped launch her career with his personal and professional support of her music. Seen with Welsman are Dave Young on bass and Terry Clarke (left) in drums. Staff photo by John Stewart

Oscar Peterson's music stole the show Saturday night at the first of five concerts Toronto concerts being staged by the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) to honour the late Mississauga jazz giant.
During a chat with long-time Peterson collaborator Dave Young that opened the second half of the show, RCM Chief Executive Officer Mervon Mehta asked Young why Peterson’s skills as a composer are not better known.
“At the end he played his own music almost exclusively,” said Young, a bassist who worked with Peterson on and off over 35 years. Young put the oversight down to the fact that Peterson was so good at interpreting the music of others that his own writing was inevitably overshadowed.
Entitled Oscar’s Songbooks, the concert at Koerner Hall highlighted the series of tributes to songwriters (Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Vincent Youmans, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington) that Peterson recorded from 1951-53 after he burst onto the jazz scene in New York.
Young's quintet used memorable Peterson arrangements as they played plenty of wonderful chestnuts from those catalogues. But it was Peterson’s own music, the core of the second set, that spoke most profoundly to his legacy.
For, while his virtuosity at the keys and his flawless technique are justly celebrated, the strength of his writing continues to be significantly undervalued.
The case for the musical defence was brilliantly executed on Peterson compositions by Young on bass, Robi Botos on piano, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Terry Clarke on drums and Reg Schwager on guitar.  Wheatland, the majestic sweeping portrait of the Prairies that Peterson painted on his famous Canadiana Suite album, opened the last half of the concert. By its conclusion, you could almost close your eyes and hear the rustle of the wind through the shimmering grain.That was followed by the gentle When Summer Comes, which Young called one of Peterson’s many “memorable” works.“Some of the ballads he wrote were just wonderful,” Young said. Elvis Costello so enjoyed the tune that he put lyrics to it for his wife Diana Krall to sing to Peterson on his 80th birthday.A little-heard three-part interpolation of a Bach suite by Peterson showed how two masters — separated by hundreds of years of time — can still collaborate brilliantly.
Although the musicians all shone, special mention must be made of Botos. “Holding down the piano chair is not an easy task in this group,” Young chuckled in introducing him. Botos didn’t try to imitate Peterson — as if anyone could — but he brought the same frenzied, driven, whole-body commitment to the playing of each note that so characterized the master. Botos was deeply disappointed several years ago when he travelled to Mississauga’s Oscar Peterson Public School to play for his piano hero, only too discover Oscar was too sick to attend.
The concert series would not have been possible without the assistance of Peterson’s widow Kelly, Mehta said, explaining how she helped format the series. It will feature concerts highlighting Peterson’s solo work, his trios, his swing side and his blues streak.
Both Kelly Peterson and daughter Celine were among those who offered the performers a standing ovation.
jstewart@mississauga.net

"Other than among musicians, Carol Welsman is probably one of the most underrated jazz piano and vocal artists in the country."

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