Posted by Dudheq in
Awards:
Burghausener Jazzpreis, Staatlicher Kulturfoerderpreis Bayern, Gouvernment Grand (DAAD), Nomination for the SWF Jazzpreis for "Noisy Mama", Nomination for U.S. "Jazzrockalbum of the Year '"for "Girls Can't Hit"
Selected recordings:
Noisy Mama "Noisy Mama" 1992,
Noisy Mama "The Age Of Illusions" 1994,
Maria Excommunikata "Ocean" 1995,
Noisy Mama "Girls Can't Hit" 1996,
Grey & Marsico " Happy Music" 2000,
Steve Hooks "66 Minutes of Joy" 2001,
Deirdre Cartwright Group "Precious Things" 2001,
Deirdre Cartwright Group "Dr.Quantum Leaps" 2003,
Witchcraft ‘Live!” 2005
Noisy Mama “ Drum Attack !” 2007
Selected clubs and festivals
New York "Blue Note", "Birdland", Jak Jazzfestival (Indonesia), Thailand Jazzfestival, Jazzopen Stuttgart, Burghausen Jazzfestival, Musicfestival Madras (Indien), Jak Jazz Malaysia, Indonesia Open Jazz, London Jazzfestival, Music China, Shanghai , Krakau Jazzfestival ,just to name a few
Collaboration with:
Mike Stern, Ravi Coltrane, Lonnie Plaxico, Craig Handy, Rocco Prestia, T.M. Stevens, Stu Hamm, Wolfgang Schmid, T.V. Gopalkrishnan, Kadri Gopalnath, Gisele Jackson a.o.
Carola endorses SONOR drums, ZILDJIAN cymbals & sticks, ROLAND electronics, REMO drumheads and ROCKBAG cases.
Born in Munich, Germany Carola started out as a very motivated classical pianist at the age of 6. When she discovered the drums at 14 it put an abrupt end to those carrier plans and she decided to study Jazz at the famous college for music" in Cologne where she received her masters degree in music and music education. The next 6 years she spent in New York, where, besides working with numerous artists from all kind of musical directions, she also right away started her own band and began touring.
In the next couple of years concerts and drum clinics should lead her all over the globe. Her CDs made it into the Top Ten of the U.S. Gavin Jazz charts and she received several awards as a drummer and composer.
Recently most of her energy goes into her reactivated group ‘noisy mama’ (“desperately awaited by her many fans”, JAZZZEITUNG). To have total creative control over her art she has founded her own record label :’ noisy mama productions’ She has released her CD ‘Drum Attack!’ in march 2007.
All music written by Carola Grey except for "Black Beauty" (Craig Handy) and "Hey, New Day" (Ron McClure). Includes liner notes by Carola Grey.
NOISY MAMA is a somewhat deceptive title, because drummer/composer Carola Grey comes to her instrument with a solid grounding in classical piano, and it is precisely her sense of color and dynamics that sets her apart from most young drummers making their recording debut. She punctuates the groove in a terse, flowing manner, with a hypnotically melodic touch on the cymbals.
Modern mainstream jazz is the order of the day on NOISY MAMA, with a nod towards the Latin tinge on Grey's drum overture to "Bedsidestory" and on the lighthearted "Don't Play It Again, Sam!" On the latter, Grey uses various percussion effects with the drum kit to extend her rhythmic phrases into fresh melodic directions. And while this is a drummer's session, the lyrical nuances and rhythmic understatement of "Black Beauty" and "Nagual" again illustrate her interest in a total musical presentation, as opposed to an excuse for percussive showboating. NOISY MAMA is a promising debut.
This debut album has strong sidemen and an original compositional style. Grey wrote most of the tunes and is clearly influenced by hard bop tradition, but already shows an original style. With some humorous moments and song titles, this is one of the rare albums recorded live to two-track in 1992. ~ Alex Merck
Recorded at The Studio, New York on January 29 and July 27, 1992.
Personnel: Carola Grey (drums), Peter Epstein (soprano & alto saxophones), Craig Handy (tenor saxophone), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Mike Cain (piano), Lonnie Plaxico, Ron McClure (bass).
Down Beat (8/94) - "...The young German-born drummer keeps a solid pulse and, as a composer, shows a good-flair for post-hard bop and Latin-flavored quintet writing....An auspicious maiden voyage...."
Musician (11/93, p.92) - "...Gray's music is on target, her writing is bright and open, the vamps have real harmonic movement and she hasn't fallen too deep into anyone's bag...."
