“Simple, straightforward, swinging — and emotionally believable at every turn — Gazarek's the real thing.” Paul de Barros, Seattle Times

Photo by Andrea Canter

Sara Gazarek (pronounced guh-ZAHR-ick) cites a number of influences in her growth as a jazz vocalist, particularly Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Ernestine Anderson, Sarah Vaughan, and Kurt Elling, as well as Count Basie and Oscar Peterson. She began vocal studies with the great Tierney Sutton at USC in 2000. Notes Sutton, “I knew the first time I heard Sara that she was the most complete and natural jazz singer I had ever heard at her young age. Tone, time, intonation, intelligence, and that rarest of qualities in a young singer – TASTE – she’s got more than she needs to be a great success.” While at USC, Sara also studied with pianist Shelly Berg and bassist/bandleader John Clayton, and had the opportunity to teach a jazz choir of elementary school students. This sparked an interest in jazz education which Sara continues to pursue through a national awareness program for the Music for All Foundation.

Sara approached mentor John Clayton to produce her debut recording. Says Clayton in the liner notes for Yours, “She is not only a huge talent, she ‘gets’ this music thing. She understands the importance of the lyric, the message…Good vibes, plenty of joy, loads of focus and control and just enough silliness to not let us take ourselves too seriously.”

Listening to Yours, it’s hard to remember this is a debut recording of a singer barely out of her teens. The voice is near perfect in the same vein as Jane Monheit, but with a lower pitch and timbre more akin to Karrin Allyson, with less smoke and a bit more honey. As such her voice seems equally suited to jazz, folk, and pop, and all of these elements come through on Yours. Unlike many “hot” singers of her generation, however, Gazarek can take the song out of the cabaret and into the most demanding jazz club and meet the challenge. Her emotion and phrasing tell us that she has long listened to the greatest jazz vocalists, and indeed seems to be on a trajectory to reach the top of the genre.

The diversity of material on Yours gives the young vocalist plenty of opportunity to show the range of her talent, with tunes from Harold Arlen, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin, as well as originals from pianist Josh Nelson and Gazarek herself. “My Shining Hour” launches the recording with a snappy up-tempo arrangement. There’s a marvelous medley pairing “Blackbird” and “Bye Bye Blackbird” and a clever juxtapositioning of “All or Nothing at All” with poem excerpts penned by her brother. “Too Young to Go Steady” was covered beautifully by Karrin Allyson on her Coltrane tribute album (Ballads), but Gazarek may have topped it here, perhaps because, as she says in the liner notes, “It’s a message close to my heart.”

This quick review barely touches on the eleven gems that sparkle on Yours, which indeed is Sara Gazarek’s “Shining Hour.” Well, her first one. Undoubtedly there will be many more.

See Sara Gazarek in October at the following venues:

• October 5, 8 pm, The Barns at Wolf Trap (www.wolftrap.org), Vienna, VA; 1-877-WOLFTRAP.

• October 6, 7 pm, Sheraton Reading, Reading PA; 610-376-3811.

• October 9, 9:30 pm, Dakota Jazz Club (www.dakotacooks.com), Minneapolis; 612-332-1010.

• October 11, 8 pm, Schubas (www.schubas.com), Chicago; 773-525-2508

• October 13, 7:30 & 9:30 pm, Finale (www.finale-stl.com), St. Louis (Clayton, MO); 314-863-8631

• October 17, 7:30 & 9 pm. Blue Room, Kansas City, MO; 816-474-2929

• October 18, 9 pm, The Speakeasy (www.speakeasytoronto.com), Toronto, Ontario; 416-306-0388

• October 19, 8 pm, The Roxy (www.theroxyonsunset.com), West Hollywood, CA; 310-278-9457