Home » Jazz Musicians » Sara Gazarek

Sara Gazarek

By definition, any journey involves motion, from one point to the next. By that measure alone, Sara Gazarek’s artistic journey has been thrilling – and she’s just getting started.

That may seem like an odd assessment, since Gazarek has already tasted stardom, and since she turned 40 this past year. But in 2019, she took a giant leap in confidence and purpose with her twice GRAMMY-nominated album Thirsty Ghost, on which she unveiled previously shrouded layers of emotion and experience. Now she builds on that foundation with an arresting EP, Vanity. The title track harks back to Sarah Vaughan’s original 1951 recording, offering unusually stark nuance and introspection – qualities fit right into Gazarek’s game plan.

To put it simply, some singers concentrate on singing pretty, as Gazarek once did. Now she concentrates on singing truth.

Her hallmark craft and musicianship remain intact. “But prior to Thirsty Ghost,” says the L.A.-based singer and lyricist, “my records were beauty-focused instead of expression-focused.” In her quest for sonic perfection, she had downplayed the value of conveying her own experience and insights. She had traded consistency for the emotional connection that comes from making oneself vulnerable and taking risks. As she conceived and completed the self-produced Thirsty Ghost, however, her artistry reached a turning point. No longer afraid to fall short of predetermined standards, she had a better chance of soaring high above them.

In making this pivot into a new lane, Gazarek received vital encouragement from Kurt Elling, the preeminent male jazz singer of the 21st century. “There was something that Kurt heard in my music early on, and anytime I played New York (Elling’s home in the 2010s), he came to my shows and often shared some valuable and heartfelt insights.” In 2015, she guested on Elling’s Passion World album. This occurred in the midst of what Gazarek describes as “a five-year period of exploring new collaborations and cultivating repertoire specific to things happening in my life. Kurt encouraged me to reflect those experiences in my art. He told me, ‘Don’t be afraid to walk away from what you think people want… and to step into all of the depth, darkness, and radiance of who you really are.’ And that’s the first time I’d ever really done that.”

One such event – the near death of her mother in a horrific auto accident in 2016 – led Gazarek to face mortality on the most personal level. “My mother had to be brought back to life, then spent two weeks in the ICU and months in rehab. To have your life, your intentions – the way you’ve been existing, mirrored so vibrantly in front of you; to say, ‘Okay, who have I been, who do I want to be,’ after thinking the most primary relationship in my life was going to end: I took that with me everywhere.

“Before that, I was desperately fighting to uphold brightness and lightheartedness and happiness in my music. I saw her in the hospital the night before I had a show to do in Seattle. “My stepdad encouraged me to do the show, insisting it’s what my mother would have wanted. But singing these cheery songs, juxtaposed with the image of my mother fighting for her life just a few miles away, was traumatizing; I could barely get through it. That’s when I realized this music demands a connection, in the moment, between the song and the singer – not just sunshine and rainbows, but authenticity, if it’s going to bring people together.”

(On Vanity, she dedicates her inclusion of the song “Something Good” to her mother – who survived the surgeries and recovered – and to her enhanced appreciation for their bond.)

Taking stock of her life until then led Gazarek to end her first marriage and eventually to trust her own artistic decisions, as opposed to what her previous work had led audiences to expect. The fact that she didn’t arrive at that crossroad until her sixth album speaks to the successes she had achieved till then, all of which had reinforced the path she’d taken.

Growing up in Seattle, Gazarek found that singing in public came naturally to her: “I thought it was something everyone wanted to do.” Attending the city’s Roosevelt High, she became an assistant in the school’s renowned jazz program, which whetted her appetite for the jazz tradition. “I didn’t know what middle C was, but I could swing, and I had a really strong ear for improvisation.” When the school’s award-winning jazz orchestra entered the Essentially Ellington competition in New York, Gazarek emerged with the “Best Vocal Soloist” award. “That’s when I realized that this genre allowed you to see the human behind the music, instead of just some character in an onstage musical.”

Gazarek soon enrolled at University of Southern California, where she met and studied with her first important mentors, bassist-arranger John Clayton and vocalist Tierney Sutton. Shortly later, she won a Downbeat student music award, gaining notice that led to a tour with headliners Karrin Allyson and Diane Schuur. Soon she was recording her debut album, Yours (2005) – produced by Clayton and mixed by the legendary Al Schmitt – followed by her own two-month nationwide tour. It was heady stuff for a 23-year-old who had spent her first months in college boning up on the music theory she previously hadn’t needed to learn. (And within a few years, Gazarek herself joined the faculty at USC, where she still teaches.)

Gazarek’s subsequent studio albums – Return to You (2007), Blossom & Bee (2012), and Dream in the Blue (2016) – continued to earn critical raves and cement her reputation as an important young jazz voice. She eventually decided to strike out on her own after an 11-year musical alliance with pianist Josh Nelson, with the goal of investigating other collaborations and expanding her range of inspirations – a goal that extended into her personal life, via a fulfilling second marriage. The result of these changes, Thirsty Ghost, established Gazarek as a vital and intrepid vocal artist.

After the marathon to produce and promote Thirsty Ghost, Gazarek knew she would need time before embarking on another full-length project. Hence Vanity, a postcard from the creative frontlines – an update of her recent growth and reflection – with a snapshot of what’s to come. Perhaps the most telling performance is her cover of Fiona Apple’s “Extraordinary Machine,” where Geofrey Keezer’s arrangement elaborates on the original recording, and Alan Ferber’s horn writing adds exquisite detail to the determinedly minimalist melody. The arrangement adds big harmony and more complex rhythm, and Gazarek herself transforms the tune from a paean to self-awareness into a bold declaration of personal autonomy.

Gazarek spent much of the pandemic feeling somewhat lost in isolation. “I’m a collaborative artist,” she explains, “and on my own I definitely found it challenging to just sit at the piano” trying to create. She met the challenge in two ways. First, she teamed with three other powerhouse vocalists to form the ensemble säje (the name drawn from the initials of the women’s first names), which has garnered praise from audiences and especially other musicians. The group received a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for arranging their composition “Desert Song”.

Gazarek also used the time to sharpen her own skills. “I was busting my butt to get my singing chops together,” she explains, “focusing hard on vocal technique and sustainability and facility, and exploring a fuller spectrum of sounds in my instrument. I pushed myself to discover more freedom, the ability to access specific expressive choices that I previously hadn’t found.”

In addition to working on her instrument, Gazarek pushed herself to compose her first song, setting to music the Tennessee Williams poem “We Have Not Long to Love.” The poem provided a prototype for the music, inspiring Gazarek to create tonal colors and melodic movement to match the poem’s contours. “I’ve only ever written lyrics, and I feel very comfortable in that sphere,” she says. “I wanted to move beyond the shackles superimposed by my own projection of my lack of harmonic understanding, or my lack of pianistic versatility, and just see what might happen if I got out of my own way.” The answer here is a composition that proves haunting and uplifting at once.

In this next phase, the description “haunting and uplifting” could well become Gazarek’s family crest: one in which the light makes way for darkness, but the darkness never overwhelms.

Awards

Number 3 Best New Artist, Jazz Times Readers Poll, 2005

Show less

Take Five with Sara Gazarek

by AAJ Staff
July 25, 2023

Meet Sara Gazarek Born and raised in Seattle, WA, 3x GRAMMY nominated jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek reigns as one of the most creative voices of her generation, and one “who may well turn out to be the next important jazz singer" (Los Angeles Times). Collaborating with jazz legends Fred Hersch, Billy Childs, Kurt Elling, and more, and with 6 critically-acclaimed albums under her belt at the age of 40, Gazarek often tours internationally as a soloist/band leader, and as a ...

Radio & Podcasts

Women in Jazz: Fabulous Singing, Part 2

by Russell Perry
March 23, 2021

The past decade has been a great one for lovers of jazz singing with most of the exciting music coming from women singers. In this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!, we will complete our survey, begun in the last program, of 20 releases of 15 female vocalists performing songs from the Great American Songbook, contemporary pop tunes and their own compositions. We are celebrating Women's History Month on Jazz at 100 Today! Playlist Host Intro 0:00 Tierney ...

Album Review

Sara Gazarek: Thirsty Ghost

Read "Thirsty Ghost" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
January 8, 2020

Le vocalist emerse dopo il 2010 (Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift, Cyrille Aimée ecc...) hanno messo un po' in ombra quelle del decennio precedente come Kate McGarry, Gretchen Parlato e appunto Sara Gazarek. È piuttosto buffo che l'interprete californiana (nata a Seattle ma a losangelina dal 2000) continui a essere votata nel critics poll di Down Beat solo nella categoria emergenti, quando ha debuttato nel 2005 e giunge ora al sesto disco da leader. Quest'album ...

Radio & Podcasts

Sara Gazarek, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock and More

by Joe Dimino
November 3, 2019

This week we kick off with the modern day jazz singer who is making waves Sara Gazarek. From there, we dig some new sound from NYC cat Mike Casey as we delve into the modern jazz sounds, we profile the veteran Ray Obiedo and look into new music from the great Kevin Sun. We also explore the old world of jazz with Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra and Stan Getz. We then wrap everything up with some new ...

Album Review

Sara Gazarek: Thirsty Ghost

Read "Thirsty Ghost" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
September 4, 2019

Sara Gazarek has been working as a professional jazz singer since 2004. You can find plenty of vintage YouTube clips of her singing Great American Songbook material in a breezy, polished manner. A few years ago, things began to happen in her life. There was near-death tragedy in her family, her marriage fell apart and she began to wonder about her professional future. On this, her sixth album, her reactions to all this have resulted in a broadening and deepening ...

Album Review

Sara Gazarek and Josh Nelson: Dream in the Blue

Read "Dream in the Blue" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
November 25, 2016

Dopo anni di collaborazioni in comune (il pianista era presente nei precedenti quattro album della cantante e lei in due lavori del partner), Sara Gazarek e Josh Nelson hanno deciso di formare un duo che ha preceduto quest'incision con varie esibizioni live. La cantante, nata a Seattle ma Losangelina d'adozione, ha debuttato nel 2005 con l'album Yours ottenendo un immediato successo che s'è consolidato negli anni seguenti con eccellenti valutazioni della critica e nei referendum del pubblico. ...

Album Review

Sara Gazarek and Josh Nelson: Dream In The Blue

Read "Dream In The Blue" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 28, 2016

The success of a story often hinges on the art of the telling. Listen to vocalist Sara Gazarek with pianist Josh Nelson and you immediately see that to be true. These two use ripples of inflection to elicit tidal waves of emotion, uncover new wrinkles in the oldest of thematic fabrics, paint scenes and/or inhabit characters so deeply and convincingly that they blur or erase the lines separating true self from role, and willingly reveal all that this world has ...

Education

Eastman School Of Music Appoints Sara Gazarek To Design And Lead New Jazz Voice Program

Source: Jessica Kaufman
July 28, 2023

Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, announces the launch of a newly conceived Jazz Voice track in the undergraduate Jazz and Contemporary Media degree program. To lead and design this new program, Eastman has appointed Sara Gazarek as Associate Professor of Jazz Voice within the Jazz and Contemporary Media (JCM) department. Joining Eastman after a 12-year tenure at the Thornton School of Music, of the University of Southern California, this two-time GRAMMY nominated vocalist has performed and/or ...
read more

Recording

Internationally Acclaimed Vocalists Jane Monheit And Sara Gazarek Team Up For A New Holiday Single: "Come Spend Christmas With Me"

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
November 10, 2012

Digital Release Only (iTunes and Amazon) available Nov. 5th Palmetto Records, Sara Gazarek & Jane Monheit are proud to support the ASPCA and its mission. To learn more, visit: aspca.org. Once in a while all the stars align to make something beautiful and meaningful possible. This holiday season they have done just that by bringing internationally acclaimed vocalists Jane Monheit and Sara Gazarek together in duo to sing a new Christmas song, Come Spend Christmas With Me. With its playful ...
read more

Video / DVD

Sara Gazarek on "Jazz'n With J'Rodd"

Source: Michael Ricci
August 3, 2012

Jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek sits down for an interview on “Jazz'n With J'Rodd", the web's first (and only) live streaming jazz showcase. About Blossom & Bee Hailed as the next important jazz singer (Don Heckman, LA Times), Sara Gazarek recently recorded Blossom & Bee, her debut for the Palmetto Records label. Blessed with a beautiful, translucent voice, Gazarek is a strikingly original artist who continues to blur the line between innovation and emotional integrity. For her ...
read more

Contest

Enter the "Sara Gazarek - Blossom & Bee" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz
July 12, 2012

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Palmetto Records “Sara Gazarek - Blossom & Bee“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on August 12th. Click here to enter the contest

(Following Sara Gazarek at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)

Good luck! Your Friends at Palmetto Records About Blossom & Bee Blessed with a beautiful, translucent voice, Gazarek is a strikingly original artist who continues to blur ...
read more

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Sara Gazarek, Alan Evans Trio, Javier Mendoza, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
May 3, 2012

Though we're getting close to the end of the academic year as well as the nominal seasons of several of our local not-for-profit presenters, there's still a good amount of live jazz and creative music on tap over the next few days in St. Louis. This week's touring attractions include one of the best young female jazz singers working today, and the local debut of a new organ-driven jazz/funk trio from one of the genre's most well-regarded drummers. Let's go ...
read more

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The Song Stylings of Sara Gazarek

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
April 29, 2012

Today, we're going to look at some video clips featuring singer Sara Gazarek, who's coming to St. Louis to perform next Saturday, May 5 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Born in Seattle, Washington, Gazarek studied music at the University of Southern California, winning the Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Vocalist in 2003. She released her first album, Yours, in 2005, and made her St. Louis debut in October of that year ...
read more

Recording

Sara Gazarek's New CD, "Blossom & Bee," to be Released by Palmetto on June 19

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations
April 17, 2012

Sara Gazarek — once hailed as “the next important jazz singer" by The Los Angeles Times — is back on the scene with the recently recorded Blossom & Bee, her debut for the Palmetto label. Blessed with a beautiful, translucent voice, Gazarek is a strikingly original artist who continues to blur the line between innovation and emotional integrity. For her new project, she is joined by her all-star, LA-based trio (Josh Nelson, p; Hamilton Price, b; Zach Harmon, d) with ...
read more

Recording

Germany's Acclaimed Triosence Joins Forces with Vocalist Sara Gazarek on "Where Time Stands Still"

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations
January 25, 2012

While the instrumental group Triosence has already built a strong following over the past decade in Germany, their latest outing promises to attract Stateside attention for the first time. For Where Time Stands Still, the group reached out to Seattle-born singer Sara Gazarek, a rising star on the contemporary jazz scene in the States. The resulting collaboration is a match made in heaven, with Gazarek's crystalline vocals and evocative lyrics supplying an even more personal touch to Triosence's appealing sound. ...
read more

154

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Sara Gazarek, Gino Robair, the St. Louis Stompers, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
March 5, 2009

With warmer weather in the offing for St. Louis this weekend, it should be a good time to get out and hear some live music. Here's what's going on in jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis:We've got two touring artists of note in town this week, one of whom is the delightful singer Sara Gazarek, who's back to perform at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Gazarek is a standout in the ...
read more

103

Recording

Now Available: Sara Gazarek "Return to You"

Source: All About Jazz
June 13, 2007

Now available in stores and online... Sara Gazarek Return To You Championed by some of music's most celebrated figures, Sara Gazarek has emerged as a strikingly original artist with limitless potential. In follow up to Yours, her widely hailed 2005 debut focusing on American Songbook standards, the 25-year-old Gazarek delivers a sensational follow-up on her sophomore album Return to You, seamlessly combining the intimacy of singer/songwriter stylings with the musical and improvisational elements of jazz. Blessed with a ...
read more

“She may well turn out to be the next important jazz singer” Don Heckman – LA Times "Return To You is one of the best albums to appear in 2007." Joe Montague - jazzreview.com “…A beautiful phrased and warmly expressive performance of jazz and pop standards” Gene Stout – Seattle Times "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." Shannon West – SmoothViews “Return to You is a complete gift that should endear Gazarek's fans even closer to her easygoing, youthful sound and charisma.” Paula Edelstein –All Music Guide “Gazarek seduces, conjures and cajoles elements from her songs with the aplomb of pro's long past” Larry Sakin – blogcritics.com “iPod worthy” -Parade Picks, Parade Magazine “On Return to You, Gazarek, a mere 25-year-old lies on the threshold of becoming a jazz great