Jazz Colorado’s Carmen Sandim releases new LP “Play Doh”
Pianist-composer-bandleader-educator Carmen Sandim has a few minutes to talk. She’s on her way out the door of her Denver home to teach a music class at Metropolitan State University, but Sandim is preparing to release her accomplished second album, “Play Doh,” and wants to get the word out about the disc’s release performances this month at Denver’s Dazzle and Boulder’s Caffe Sole.
Sandim was raised in Brazil, but in recent years has made her home in Colorado. Much of the music on “Play Doh” has one foot planted in current American jazz and theotherinhernativecountry.
“I grew up listening to Tom Jobim (also known as Antonio Carlos Jobim, the massively influential Brazilian composer and performer) and his harmonic sense, a lot of those rhythms … on my first album, none of that came out. But on this one, everything came out Brazilian,” she said.
Perhaps that’s because Sandim looks back on her upbringing on some of the album’s music. Two beautifully realized tracks, “Isaura” and Aura-celia” are “female legacy songs” for her grandmother and mother.
“Those songs were heavily inspired by the people in my life. My grandmother was a big influence. I wrote that song for her when she passed away a couple of years ago.”
The compositions extend to meditations on her children,asisthecasewith“play Doh’s” good-natured opening track, “Aruru, Juju.”
“Being a single mother and being a musician is the biggest challenge of my life,” says Sandim. “‘Aruru’ was written while I was taking care of my kids. A lot of the music was written under circumstances where I didn’t sleep every Friday and Tuesday night” in order to complete the compositions.
In the years since Sandim has arrived in Colorado, she’s established professional relationships with local stalwarts Ron Miles and Art Lande, who she refers to as “jazz angels.” Lande, the veteran pianist, produced “Play Doh,” and helped introduce Sandim to several of the musicians on the album, including MVP guitarist Khabu Doug Young, who shreds on the playful track “Undergrowth.”
Sadim has learned to embrace the chaos of the multiple hats she wears as an artist and a parent.
“I think I’m starting to get the hang of it — sort of,” She says with a laugh. “I think of thenikething—‘justdoit.’ There’s an urgency to put things out there, the intensity of love that kids bring. It’s an affirmation of love to have kids — it’s hard, but it’s also so life affirming.”
Carmen Sandim will appear at Denver’s Dazzle on Oct. 24 and Caffe Sole in Boulder Oct. 25-26. Get details at carmensandim.com.
Other jazz performances: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, members of the historic Neville family and more will appear at the Lone Tree Arts Center as part of “Take Me to the River New Orleans LIVE!” on Oct. 14. … The John Pizzarelli Trio plays the Soiled Dove Underground Oct. 15. … Ben Sidran appears at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center on Oct. 24 . ...
at Nocturne Oct. 18 and 25. … The Rebirth Brass Band takes to the stage of the Gothic Theatre Oct. 26.
Bret Saunders (bretsaunders @kbco.com) can be heard from5to10 a.m.weekdays at KBCO 97.3 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @Bretontheradio.