The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts Center
605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457
Contact Amy Albert @ 860.347.4957
Malin Carta at The Buttonwood Tree
Middletown, CT: On Friday, July 28th at 8 PM, The Buttonwood Tree announces the musical showcase of CT-based jazz artist Malin Carta. Admission is $20.
Malin Carta is a saxophonist, woodwind doubler, vocalist, and composer based in CT.
A recent graduate of Western Connecticut State University, Malin holds her Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance where she studied under the direction of Grammy-nominated saxophonist Jimmy Greene. She is a graduate of Glastonbury High School’s award-winning music program and currently resides in Danbury, CT.
Malin is a member of the CT-based alternative band Lavender Social Club and regularly performs with big bands as well as her own self-lead trios and quartets. Big bands that Carta has played with include the Hartford Jazz Orchestra, the New London Big Band, the Elm City Big Band, and the Berkshire Jazz Orchestra. During her four years at WestConn, she played lead alto saxophone in the WCSU’s Jazz Orchestra and Frankensax, lead by Jimmy Greene, Jamie Begian, and Andrew Beals; first chair in the Wind Ensemble, lead by Dr. Luis Fernando Jiménez; and soprano saxophone in her Saxophone Quartet, lead by Dave Noland. She has over a decade of experience playing in small groups, starting with her time at Litchfield Jazz Camp with combo instructors Kris Allen and Mike DiRubbo and all throughout her undergraduate program with musicians Chris Morrison, Lee Metcalf, Jeff Siegel, Dave Ruffels, and Jimmy Greene. While playing in these groups she has had the opportunity to share the stage with masters such as Sean Jones, Josh Evans, Ron Carter, and Geoffrey Keezer. Malin has also collaborated with Hartford-based bassist Nat Reeves; she was a part of the group he put together for First Night Hartford’s Hartford Bonanza in July 2022.
Malin is also making her way as a solo artist on piano and voice, writing her own music and taking inspiration from legendary song-writers Carole King and Stevie Wonder. In July of 2022, she opened for vocalist and singer/songwriter Sasha Dobson at Cafe Nine, playing a set of original music. Carta’s latest release of A Beautiful Storm (2021) features a more personal side of Malin and her music and includes all original compositions that she sings, plays saxophone and piano on. She also appears on two tracks on Dina DiMarco, Mike Gaboardi, and Niles Spaulding’s joint album Swingin’ on a Sleigh (2020), “Christmastime is Here” and “Everybody’s Waitin’ For (The Man With A Bag)” on saxophone and voice. Both works are available for purchase and streaming on platforms such as Bandcamp, iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Malin has been featured as a guest on Jim Motavalli’s segment on WPKN, where she discussed her self-released EP A Beautiful Storm (2021). Her original song “Sleeping Song” was played on WPKN 89.5, as well as her recordings of standards “Four” and “Stars Fell On Alabama”. Lavender Social Club has been featured as part of Factory Underground Studio’s Live Session on their radio station WFUT Radio.
Notable venues that Malin has performed at include the Soapbox Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Space Ballroom (Hamden, CT), Fairfield Theatre Company (Fairfield, CT), The Buttonwood Tree (Middletown, CT), the Cellar on Treadwell (Hamden, CT), the State House (New Haven, CT), Cafe Nine (New Haven, CT), Three Sheets (New Haven, CT), Aquila’s Nest & Vineyards (Newtown, CT), Parkville Market (Hartford, CT) and Black Rock Social House (Bridgeport, CT).
Malin’s work as a band leader has involved leading her own quartet that has performed at venues such as The Best Darn Jazz Club in Danbury, CT, Three Sheets in New Haven, CT, Black Rock Social House in Bridgeport, CT, and restaurants and private events throughout the tri-state area. She has had the opportunity to perform original compositions with her group including “Malin’s Tune” and “Looking Ahead” in the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall at WCSU’s Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Some other notable opportunities Malin has had includes being an active member of the Women in Jazz Organization (WIJO), as a mentee and as an intern for the non-profit organization. She participated in the Mentorship Program for three years, where she met and worked with musicians Karolina Strassmayer, Alexa Tarantino, Sharel Cassity, Roxy Coss, and Emily Pecoraro. Carta was involved in a project and collaboration with the WCSU Art Department and the Jazz Department called ‘“Covering Blue Note”, a collaborative multi-disciplinary project, performance and exhibition simultaneously combining live music, a multi-photographer photo session and multiple graphic design stations’.
Short description: Malin Carta is an emerging young artist whose expertise, versatility, and vulnerability creates captivating performances. Join Malin for an evening of original music and arrangements that will move your body and spirit.