sooz

Saxophonist Sooz distinguishes herself through an uncommon instrument while advancing the quality of music created for young listeners with her blend of jazz and pop compositions. Her fresh songs and layered orchestrations fit comfortably in everyday household settings as well as dedicated play spaces. In addition, her perceptive lyrics, written with a child’s viewpoint in mind, speak to the youthful outlook shared by listeners of any age.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Sooz spent her childhood in the New York City region throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Jazz drew her interest early, and she cited Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane as central influences. After enrolling at Rutgers University and the University of Massachusetts at Boston, she returned to the New York City jazz circuit, performing with several different ensembles. From 1975 into the early 1990s, her command of varied jazz idioms that ranged from Latin to worldbeat to pop established her reputation.

Motherhood later redirected her energies. Troubled by the limited selection of fitting material for her own children, she began a parallel career as a children’s recording artist, completing three albums across three successive years. A Song for All Sizes appeared in 1993 and received Parent’s Choice Honors. Every One of Us followed in 1994, again earning Parent’s Choice Honors. In 1995 she turned to material for younger listeners with Favorite First Songs, which brought her a Parent’s Choice Gold Award.

Among the memorable tracks on these early releases are “Joanna’s Kitchen,” featuring a full saxophone solo, and “When Daddy Plays the Drums (And Mommy Plays the Saxophone),” an energetic bedtime number that typically leaves the entire family sprawled on the sofa in playful exhaustion. Throughout these collections the inventive material is supported by detailed arrangements that rely on acoustic rather than synthesized instruments.

As her children matured, her thematic focus shifted once more. In 1997 she issued I Wanna Iguana, an album intended for older children that addressed schoolyard friendships and the pleasures of reading. Although the subject matter was more developed than in her previous work, the rich arrangements and distinctive instrumental textures remained unchanged.