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Gazarek's Star Rising With "Return to You"
Contributed by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor
If Sara Gazarek's record debut (Yours) was auspicious, her follow-up (Return to You) is audacious. Where Yours presented a prodigious talent applying fresh paint to largely well-worn standards, Return to You takes one risk after another, mixing material from such diverse sources as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Harry Connick, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney with a handful of original compositions penned by her pianist, Josh Nelson. As such the music defies easy classification as jazz versus pop-while the songs largely originate in the popular singer/songwriter vein, 25-year-old Gazarek brings a solid jazz sensibility to her original interpretation and phrasing; her band infuses each track with that "swing feel" that defines mainstream jazz. Accolades piled high following the release of Yours in 2005; Return to You validates such prophets as Christopher Loudon (Jazz Times), who noted that "Yours signals the arrival of a significant new vocal talent, who, if the gods above truly are in the know, should rapidly ascend from minor to major." Return to You marks a significant intervallic leap in that ascent.
A native of Seattle, Sara Gazarek had little exposure to jazz before high school. But band/choir director Scott Brown changed that. "Like most young people, I didn't discover jazz on my own," says Sara. "With the help of a very passionate educator at my high school [Brown], I received a great basic education early on. He gave us a strong foundation in jazz theory, history, songs and artists. After his love for the music was passed on to me, I took it from there and found inspiration in the musicians and songs." The recordings of Ella Fitzgerald were a specific source of inspiration. "I was sixteen or seventeen at the time and I memorized every lick," she recalls. And while jazz was not part of her family culture, Sara acknowledges the importance of family support, particularly from her mother who "supported me completely when I decided to pursue music, and it was her confidence in my abilities that gave me the strength to strive for whatever it was I wanted to accomplish. Not once did she suggest I have a 'back-up plan.'"
Sara's star rose quickly. In her senior year, she was awarded the first Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Outstanding Jazz Vocalist Award at the Essentially Ellington Festival in New York. In 2000, she enrolled in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, studying with John Clayton (who produced both recordings), Shelly Berg, Carmen Bradford and Tierney Sutton. "Almost everyone I have encountered, musically or extramusically, has affected me in some way or anotherthe educators I have come across (Scott Brown-high school, John Clayton and Tierney Sutton-college) have influenced the way I look at music and life, inspired me to take risks and reach beyond my goals." In 2003, Sara won the Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Vocalist, and shortly thereafter went on the road with Oleta Adams, Karrin Allyson and Diane Schuur with the Concord Jazz Festival tour; she also became a client of the prestigious William Morris Agency. Yours (Native Language), produced in 2005 by mentor John Clayton, ranked in the Top Ten on Billboard, iTunes, Jazz Week and more.
Not far beyond her student years herself, Sara Gazarek is already committed to music education. While still at USC, she helped develop JazzReach, working in an inner city elementary school as a jazz choir director. Today she is the sole ambassador for a nonprofit music and arts education organization, Music for All, through which she hopes to use clinics and performances to create public awareness of the importance of music and art education in schools. "I know I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my experiences in the public school system, so anything I can do to give back and make sure other children have similar experiences, I'll eagerly do!"
Return to You
Return to You evolved from the same musical team that created Yours-producer John Clayton, pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Erik Kertes, and drummer Matt Slocum. However, the repertoire reflects a significant turn. "We felt secure in the base we'd created with Yours and wanted to explore some of our other influences," explains Sara. The new recording also extends beyond her quartet, including guest saxophonist (and composer) Seamus Blake, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, vocalist John Proulx and the Supernova String Quartet. Adding strings, horns and a vocal duet provided "a way to get a message across that we couldn't express as a quartet," says Sara, who preferred maintaining her regular band as the core ensemble. "In this band we prefer to keep it in the familythey are an integral part of the way our sound has progressedwe are constantly learning from one another." The band provided all arrangements, and Nelson contributed four compositions, one ("Let's Try This Again") in tandem with Gazarek.
Gazarek is developing a vocal style that is as eclectic as her repertoire. With a bright alto, perfect diction, unwavering pitch and versatile phrasing, the voice has husky hints of Karrin Allyson mixed with warmer tones of Jane Monheit and Eva Cassiday; add further the emotional intimacy of Ella and the folk-rock clarity of Joni Mitchell.
The quartet wastes no time asserting itself, leading off with the Nelson/Gazarek composition "Let's Try This Again," one of the four original tracks, all reflecting themes of love lost and found. The opener has the lilt of an old fashioned show tune, Sara sounding a bit like an old folkie, yet there's a jazz sensibility to the rhythm, thanks to the band. Nelson is a swinging pianist as well as a gifted composer. As she does throughout the recording, Gazarek uses scat sparingly but effectively. "Let Me Be" is one of the standout tracks, featuring talented young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmisure. Bluesy and sassy, Sara engages Akinmisure in a delightful back and forth duel. "Makes Me Feel This Way" can be described as one of the "jazziest" tracks, readily opening the door for playful improvisation from both Gazarek (sounding more like Allyson here) and the band. "Without You" is essentially the title track ("Return to You" is the opening line) and one of three tunes featuring the understated strings of the Supernova String Quartet. The blend of Nelson and Kertes evokes two bassists, while Slocum's distant thuds add further rumbles to a perfect foundation for Gazarek's earnest tone and elastic phrases.
Original compositions always provide a means of infusing a recording with an individual personality. It can be more difficult to give such treatment to iconic popular tunes, but Gazarek and company are up to the task, going well beyond the renditions of the original singer/songwriters. Joni Mitchell's "Cary" finds the quartet intersecting bop with a calypso beat. Sara navigates the interval leaps smoothly, her clear-as-a-bell articulation and phrasing evoking a playful, sweeter Mitchell while Slocum shines on percussion and in conversation with Nelson. Paul McCartney's "Junk" provides a harmonic blending of voice and strings, but the highlight is the segment of just piano and voice, making one wish that there had been one duet track on the recording. Gazarek's tone is pleasingly wistful, and she effectively uses vocalese in tandem with the string quartet. "Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling" (Bill C. Graham) showcases Erik Kertes basswork, while Harry Connick Jr.'s "I've Got a Great Idea" introduces Nelson's prowess on the Hammond B-3. Swinging along like a songbook standard, Gazarek is sweet and sassy, her scatting in-between the organ lines worthy of a great jazz diva. "Dear Someone" (Gillian Welch) features guest vocalist John Proulx in waltzing, back country duet with Gazarek .
The great Leonard Cohen classic "Hallelujah" is one of the masterpieces of the recording, with artful arco work from Kertes and majestic piano passages from Nelson. But it's Sara's regal vocal presentation that leaves you breathless, from the start to the seldom heard final chorus. Another rare find is Seamus Blake's "Northern Lights," with a guest appearance by the gifted saxophonist (of Mingus Dynasty). Here Blake proves himself a jack of all trades, as composer, guitarist, saxman, even vocalist. The feel is folk/pop and totally charming.
Sara's treatment of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" evokes a delicacy unmatched by most of her contemporaries, her personalized phrasing and intimate dynamics recreating Joel's classic as a new version that stands on its own merits. If you erase the other dozen tracks, the recording is still worth owning for this performance.
The very short closing track, the hymnal "Original It" (Ludvig Girdland) features an extended solo piano introduction, a simple vocalized line from Gazarek, bowed bass and string quartet. Rumors of a "hidden track" could not be confirmed on the review copy!
One must remember that Return to You is only the second major release for Sara Gazarek and her band (there's also a limited online distribution release of Live at the Jazz Bakery). The debut was stunning, the follow-up exquisite, and the future? She's still far from thirty and still in ascent.
Return to You is available in retail outlets as of June 5, 2007. Most quotes from a Jazz Police electronic interview with Sara Gazarek in 2005. Itinerary and other information available at www.saragazarek.com
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