CARL SCHULTZ

THE ROAD TO TRANTOR

Origin Records

Carl Schultz, tenor saxophone/flute; Tim Wendel, guitar; Adam Benjamin, piano/Fender Rhodes; Zack Teran, bass; Alwyn Robinson, drums.

Inside the head of woodwind player, Carl Schultz, is the soundtrack to a science fiction movie.

“When I began composing the music for this album, I noticed that the pieces sounded cinematic. They seemed to fit certain roles like music for the closing credits of a film or a love theme,” Schultz shared in his press package.

With that in mind, he began to create film scenes in his head. Next, he composed songs that fit those narratives. The movie he visualized was a science fiction thriller.

“Journey” is the opening piece that introduces us to his invisible film.  It’s sleepy, sexy, and bluesy at first. The Schultz saxophone seductively sings the melody. This composition also encompasses other themes from this movie in his mind. Journey contains multiple, distinct sections. They serve as musical introductions of scenes to come, like a medley.

Schultz is a Pennsylvania native, influenced by modern saxophonists like Ben Schachter and composer Norman David. It was their unique approach to improvisational music that Carl Schultz was drawn to, and he blended this with the sounds of the Philadelphia jazz scene.

The young, aspiring musician moved to New York to pursue a Bachelors of Music degree from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase College. Schultz also gained a Masters of Music degree at the University of the Arts.  That’s when he was leading his own quartet and playing with as many large ensembles as he could. You can hear his original music merge with the jazz tradition on this album.

For a while, Schultz toured as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He’s featured on their “Live in Tokyo” recording.  Always in search of higher education and more knowledge about music, the reed man earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado. That’s where he met his Art Lande and Brad Goode, both who Schultz would later record with.

The spotlight turns to Alwyn Robinson during a power-packed drum solo on the Schultz tune “Caves of Steel” that is full of suspense and intrigue.  The guitar of Tim Wendel calms the moment and brings light to a dark arrangement.  I find myself intrigued by his tune titled “Ecumenopolis” with a saxophone delivery that is more contemporary. The melody is one that the guitar can snag onto, improvising broadly.  Another of his original compositions I was drawn to is “Crystalline Desolation.”  It is quite ethereal, with the electronic soundscapes coloring the arrangement. The touch of Adam Benjamin’s fingers on the Fender Rhodes thickens the chords, making all those overtones ring and tease the ear.  The Schultz tenor saxophone settles the tune down, unraveling a melody that is pleasing to the senses.  Then comes an electronic addition to the sax melody line

Currently residing in Santa Clara, California, Carl Schultz serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Santa Clara University. Here is an album of music that tickles the imagination and gives the listener an intimate look into the mind and music of Carl Schultz.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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