Sara Gazarek brings home an upbeat jazz show

By GENE STOUT
P-I POP MUSIC CRITIC

Nice 'n' easy does it for Sara Gazarek.

The 25-year-old jazz singer, who started her career in the Roosevelt High School jazz program, celebrated the release of her new album, "Return to You," with a relaxed and upbeat homecoming show at Jazz Alley, the first in a two-night run at the club she has played a number of times since her Roosevelt days.

Kicking off the 90-minute set with a jazzy, uptempo version of "Nice 'n' Easy," the Frank Sinatra hit from around 1960, Gazarek and her trio entertained a hometown crowd with songs from all three of her albums: "Yours," "Live at the Jazz Bakery" and the new CD released earlier this month.

Wearing a stylish black dress, Gazarek greeted the crowd with a warm smile and enthusiastic presence, quizzing fans about her music -- and teasing them about what they didn't know -- before handing out a free copy of "Live at the Jazz Bakery."

Like so many of her songs, "Nice 'n' Easy" featured an artfully fluid arrangement by pianist and composer Josh Nelson, an integral member of the Los Angeles-based trio that includes Erik Kertes and drummer Matt Slocum. On at least a couple of songs, Gazarek accompanied herself on glockenspiel. Her occasional scatting was well-timed and understated.

"There really is something in the water here because there are so many great musicians," Gazarek, now an L.A. resident, said of the local high school jazz scene. She attributed the accomplishments of so many local student to clean water, clean air and great educational opportunities for young jazz musicians from such local musician-teachers as Clarence Acox and Scott Brown, the latter her instructor at Roosevelt.

Gazarek (pronounced Ga-ZAR-ek) was among the top recipients of all that education in the early 2000s. She won the first Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Vocalist Award in 2000 -- and later the Downbeat Student Music Award as best collegiate vocalist while a student at USC's Thornton School of Music in 2003.

Gazarek proved how deserving she was of those awards with a beautiful phrased and warmly expressive performance of jazz and pop standards, as well as personal favorites by iconic songwriters/musicians Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Harry Connick Jr. and Billy Joel. Gazarek and her band brought their unique stamp to each song.

Her beautiful, jazz-oriented interpretation of Joel's "And So It Goes" (featuring Nelson as her sole accompanist) was as tender and delicate as the a cappella versions she said she has admired. The band's take on Connick's "I've Got a Great Idea" demonstrated Gazarek's great affection for the New Orleans jazzman's upbeat, romantic recordings. And her version of Mitchell's "Carey" mimicked the singer-songwriter's unique phrasing without parody.

Gazarek teased the audience with a Norah Jones song before cutting things short and restarting with her own "Let's Try This Again," the Nelson-penned song that kicks off her new album. "Take that, Norah Jones," she sassed after closing the tune with some gentle scatting.

Among the many crowd favorites was a medley of The Beatles' "Blackbird" and the 1920s standard "Bye Bye Blackbird," a delightful "Too Darn Hot" from "Jazz Bakery" and an inspirational version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," featuring an obscure verse that brought additional meaning to the song's intertwined themes of faith and love.