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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