 “I
just recorded a record with my best friends. We chose and
arranged all of the music, and even wrote some of it! My
mentor produced it. We recorded it at Capitol...” from
Sara Gazarek's blog.
How can you resist a CD that is introduced in such a joyful
manner! Warm and wise are the words I would use to describe
Sara Gazarek's debut release, Yours.
She comes with an impressive list of academic credentials:
a graduate of the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music,
winner of the DownBeat award for Best Collegiate Vocalist and
the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation's Outstanding Vocalist Award.
That only makes it more remarkable that she is such an original
and completely unpretentious singer, bringing a fresh vision
to the jazz standards and the contemporary songs she chooses
to sing.
On her first release she has already moved beyond technique
and into the realm of artistry. And listening to her sing is
just flat out fun! Like Lizz Wright, Norah Jones, Cassandra
Wilson, and Diana Krall, Gazarek explores a wide range of material,
mixing standards with songs from up and coming songwriters
and covers of more recent pop classics. What separates her
from the pack is the warmth and natural beauty of her voice
and a sense spirited quirkiness that makes this set sound as
contemporary and relevant to the present as releases by young
singer/songwriters working in the realm of pop and rock. "My
Shining Hour," the effervescent opening track, establishes
the spirit of the project. She sings powerfully without sounding
like she is belting it out and combines swing with lyricism.
There are several songs on Yours that
have been performed and recorded extensively but her expressive,
individualistic delivery makes even the most overfamiliar songs
sound fresh. Listen to the way she sings the words "dancing
cheek to cheek" in that classic song, which features just
enough scatting to show off her skills without going over the
top. In "All or Nothing At All," she adds verses
from a similarly themed poem written by her brother, seamlessly
combining classic and contemporary writing. She reverses the
process with one of the highlights of her live performances,
a medley of the Beatles’ "Blackbird" and the
standard, "Bye Bye Blackbird." "Everytime We
Say Goodbye" opens with some McFerrin influenced vocalese.
In her hands "Too Young (To Go Steady)" sounds worldly
and compelling. She completely reinvents Joni Mitchell‘s "The
Circle Game." By reconfiguring the sing-songy passages
she not only updates the song, she also brings it to a new
level of maturity.
The original songs provide some of the brightest moments on Yours. Pianist
Josh Nelson is one of those writers who can bring new insight
to old themes. The title track is about facing everyday challenges
secure in the knowledge that someone is holding you in their
heart. "Amazing" is one of a kind, a simply beautiful
expression of a universal theme-seeing the value in the life
you have. "Melt away, let life flow, just give in and
let it go. Current's strong, so am I, amazing things don't
ever die." Gazarek wrote "You Got By" after
going through a breakup and captures the emptiness of those
first days on your own perfectly, offering words of encouragement
to anyone who is going through it.
The entire project was recorded with a trio. Josh Nelson on piano, Erik
Kurtez on bass, and drummer Matt Slocum. All of them have impressive resumes
as musicians and educators. Nelson's piano arrangements are breathtaking. He
provides sparse and subtle accompaniments for the ballads, then takes off on
an improvisational frenzy on "My Shining Hour," and switches modes
for "Blackbird" with an arrangement that is reminiscent of Billy
Joel's "Summer Highland Falls." Kertez is showcased on quite a few
bass and voice passages, notably on of her "Fever"-ish version of "You
Are My Sunshine." The simplicity of the production blends the musicianship
of a technically accomplished jazz trio with the warmth of singer/songwriter
classics like Carole King's "Tapestry" and James Taylor's early work.
John Clayton, one of her mentors and professors, who has also worked with Krall,
produced the CD. It was engineered by Al Schmitt, the legendary studio wizard
who was responsible for last years' equally groundbreaking and eclectic releases
from Diana Krall and Al Jarreau.
Gazarek was pursued by quite a few labels, both independent
and corporate. She held out for a smaller company that was
willing to give her the freedom to make a record that reflected
where she was both musically and emotionally, rather than a
marketer’s vision of what a twentysomething female singer
should be. What she may have sacrificed is the immediate visibility
that would come with a high budget deal that could pay for
advertising, get her prominently displayed in the "big
box" music stores, and place her CD in the listening stations
at the front of the store. What she got in return is a chance
to do a record that is authentic and timeless. In a press release
she stated "I love this music so much... I think the end
result is a record with a spirit, a sound, and a heart unlike
anything I've ever experienced. I just hope the world falls
in love with it as much as we have." I certainly did,
and I don't see how anyone couldn't find Sara Gazarek and her
music totally irresistible!
www.saragazarek.com
- Shannon West
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