Candy Dulfer

This young, Dutch-born saxophonist has a long history as a sidewoman, performing alongside Dave Stewart (with whom she recorded "Lily Was Here," a hit she often performs live), Prince, Aretha Franklin, and many others since her late teens. As a bandleader, she brings influences from funk, Latin music, and other genres into the realm of smooth jazz, a move that may broaden her fan base and can be heard on her latest studio release, Candy Store (Telarc Jazz). On the original "Summertime," Dulfer handles both sax and vocals on a funky tune that celebrates the season of flip-flops and lazy afternoons. She ventures into Cuban territory on "La Cabana" and experiments with electronic sounds throughout the disc. In a live setting, she takes a more organic direction, playing energetic licks while leaving plenty of space for the members in her tight band to showcase their chops. She doesn't seem to take too much advantage of her obvious good looks (which are pushed in her music videos), thankfully focusing on the music instead.