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Sarah DeLeo

Sarah DeLeo is a contemporary jazz vocalist noted for ballads and music with a mellow "Peggy Lee vibe." She has been cited in "The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide" by Scott Yanow, "The New Face of Jazz" by Cicily Janus, and the upcoming ninth edition of the "Penguin Guide to Jazz". In March 2010 Sarah was selected to compete in WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs: Manhattan Throwdown. In July 2010 she performed at the Iridium Jazz Club as part of the club's first annual Jazz Vocalist Festival. Sarah DeLeo takes the best from the masters and combines it with her own signature style to produce a sound that is both timeless and fresh. One hears her singing and is swept away to another time, and yet her powerful presence as a musical storyteller is thoroughly in the here and now: No matter the song, she delivers each lyric in such a personal way that the listener feels as if they are hearing their own stories. Her tireless exploration of many different styles of music yields fascinating results when it comes to song choices and arrangements, and her inventive melodic improvisation makes every restatement of a tune's melody thoroughly engaging - nothing's ever the same twice. Sarah DeLeo hails from Waterbury, Connecticut, a city The New York Times referred to as one of "tight-knit ethnic neighborhoods." She grew up listening to a wide range of music, from Motown to Elvis, and from Linda Ronstadt to Donna Summer, and this broad spectrum of influences has clearly found its way into DeLeo's rich musical palette. She began singing at age nine, and was singing standards before she even started high school. She began by studying all the great singers: "Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, and Aretha Franklin - they had the greatest impact on me as a young singer," says Sarah. "I spent hours with their recordings listening and experimenting with my own voice. Eventually, I went beyond mimicking them to actually presenting my own style." She further studied the jazz idiom by listening exhaustively to the classics, taking in the recordings of legends such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and Sarah Vaughan. DeLeo attended Barnard College as an American Studies major, but always maintained her love for the music and continued performing whenever possible. While many of today's jazz musicians are products of the conservatory system, Sarah ended up getting her jazz schooling the old- fashioned way: in the clubs of New York.

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Sarah DeLeo

Read "Take Five With Sarah DeLeo" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Sarah DeLeo: Jazz vocalist Sarah DeLeo takes the best from the masters and combines it with her own signature style to produce a sound that is both timeless and fresh.

One hears her singing and is swept away to another time, and yet her powerful presence as a musical storyteller is thoroughly in the here and now: No matter the song, she delivers each lyric in such a personal way that the listener feels as if they ...

217
Album Review

Sarah DeLeo: I'm In Heaven Tonight

Read "I'm In Heaven Tonight" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


On The Nearness of You (Self Produced, 2006), vocalist Sarah DeLeo exhibited her diaphanous, spherical voice on a collection of off-the-beaten path standards, all well suited to her most welcome, conservative vocal style.

She does not veer far from this approach on I'm In Heaven Tonight, again choosing songs that have not been thoroughly worn out by the constant deluge of jazz vocal releases. DeLeo's support on this disc is a quilt of instrument combinations rooted in the ...

469
Album Review

Sarah DeLeo: I'm in Heaven Tonight

Read "I'm in Heaven Tonight" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


The Great American Songbook can be--and often is--overused when emerging vocalists put together a collection. What sets one apart from another is a little deviation--picking standards that aren't covered ad nauseam, or creative arrangements. Sarah DeLeo tries both approaches with I'm in Heaven Tonight. The New York-based DeLeo began singing at the age of nine and developed a love of jazz soon afterward. She has found inspiration from a variety of jazz and non-jazz artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, ...

278
Album Review

Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You

Read "The Nearness of You" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Jazz vocalist Sarah DeLeo's debut album is bookended by two bossa nova treatments from the Great American Songbook: the Shapiro/Campbell piece “If I Had You" and Cole Porter's “So In Love." The most notable aspect of DeLeo's style is the Peggy Lee vibe that she often summons up in her delivery of these songs. Over the past year, we've seen and read a lot about singers like Madeleine Peyroux, who presents almost all of her material in a very accurate ...

289
Album Review

Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You

Read "The Nearness of You" reviewed by William Grim


Sarah DeLeo, a young New York-based singer, conjures up images of Peggy Lee and the elegant supper club years of the 1950s and 1960s. I was particularly impressed with the tune selection and arrangements on her debut, The Nearness of You. She begins the album with a bossa nova version of “If I Had You" that works wonderfully and gives a fresh lease on life to a song that doesn't get much play any more. It was also nice to ...

174
Album Review

Sarah DeLeo: The Nearness of You

Read "The Nearness of You" reviewed by Jim Santella


Sarah DeLeo's fresh voice interprets this program of standards with a knowing heart. It has an innocence that rings positive. She gives you the feeling that we're at liberty to lighten up, relax a while, and let the music take care of our worries.

Resonating with a youthful timbre, DeLeo's voice appears frail and distant on this debut recording. She's backed by a superb complement of accompanists, particularly guitarist Chris Bergson and pianist Brian Charette, whose partnership lends ...

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142

Radio

Sarah Deleo Selected to Compete in WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs

Sarah Deleo Selected to Compete in WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs

Source: Michael Ricci

Sarah DeLeo has been selected to compete in WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs: Manhattan Throwdown on Friday, April 2nd. Sarah will be singing “Rockin' Robin" from her latest CD, I'm in Heaven Tonight.

The event will take place in front of a live studio audience at The Greene Space [44 Charlton Street (on the corner of Charlton and Varick), New York City], and will also be presented as a live video webcast online at thegreenespace.org. Doors open at 7pm. Performances ...

182

Recording

Vocalist Sarah Deleo Returns with "I'm in Heaven Tonight," Another Delectable Mix of Classic and Contemporary Songs

Vocalist Sarah Deleo Returns with "I'm in Heaven Tonight," Another Delectable Mix of Classic and Contemporary Songs

Source: All About Jazz

Featuring DeLeo with Gary Wang, Jay Collins, Fabio Morgera, David Cook, Chris Bergson, Mark Bordenet and Brian Charette “DeLeo's ballad singing is truly inspired... [The Nearness of You] is a wonderful album that features a delightful voice, imaginative arrangements, and a group of musicians who perform with total musical cohesion.” --William Grim, All About Jazz “A truly gorgeous vocal album...The girl can flat out sing!” --Eric Cohen, Music Director, WAER (Syracuse, New York) New York-based vocalist Sarah DeLeo follows up ...

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Performance / Tour

Sarah DeLeo at The Triad Saturday, November 5th at 6pm (CD Release Event)

Sarah DeLeo at The Triad  Saturday, November 5th at 6pm (CD Release Event)

Source: All About Jazz

November 1, 2005 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected] Sarah DeLeo Saturday, November 5th at 6pm - Official CD Release Event with full band The Triad 158 West 72nd Street, 2nd Floor (Between Broadway & Columbus Avenue) Subway: 1, 2 & 3 and B & C to 72nd Street (212)362-2590 $10 cover/2 drink min. Chris Bergson, Guitar David Cook, Keyboards Kurt Stockdale, Sax Mark Verdino, Bass Diego Voglino, Drums Sarah DeLeo – The Nearness of ...

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Performance / Tour

Sarah DeLeo Rockwood Music Hall Sunday, October 9th at 7pm + The Triad Saturday, November 5th at 6pm

Sarah DeLeo Rockwood Music Hall Sunday, October 9th at 7pm + The Triad Saturday, November 5th at 6pm

Source: All About Jazz

September 29, 2005 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected] Sarah DeLeo Sunday, October 9th at 7pm - Trio gig Rockwood Music Hall 196 Allen Street (between E. Houston and Stanton) Subway: F and V to 2nd Ave (212)477-4155 Saturday, November 5th at 6pm - Official CD Release Event with full band The Triad 158 West 72nd Street, 2nd Floor (Between Broadway & Columbus Avenue) Subway: 1, 2 & 3 and B & C to 72nd ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

I´m in Heaven Tonight

Point of Departure, WMPG-FM
2010

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I'm in Heaven Tonight

Sweet Sassy Music
2009

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The Nearness of You

Sweet Sassy Music
2005

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You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me

From: I'm in Heaven Tonight
By Sarah DeLeo

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