Friday September 22, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 38 |
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Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008
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Sara Gazarek glows with golden vocals at Jazz Alley |
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| Sara Gazarek glows with golden vocals at Jazz Alley | ||
| by Lorelei Quenzer
- SGN A&E Writer
Sara Gazarek September 5 @ Jazz Alley The crowd was substantial for a Tuesday night at Jazz Alley, with the balcony at open for a brisk business. We were all there to hear local vocalist Sara Gazarek on the first of her two-night run. Dressed for the Northwest summer weather in a lightweight gold raglan sweater with black crop pants, Gazarek opened with a warm rendition of "Cheek to Cheek." She practically glowed, calling Jazz Alley her "favorite place to play." She invited the audience to sing along to the chorus of "You Are My Sunshine" before letting us know she could "take it from here." The smooth fruit parfait on Jazz Alley's dessert menu - a brandy snifter filled with berries and creamy-sweet yogurt - went well with Gazarek's luscious voice. Her excellent backing combo of Matt Slocum on drums, Erik Kertes on bass and Josh Nelson on piano were featured often, and Gazarek credited Nelson on many songs as her "favorite composer." A little less than halfway through her set Gazarek began to sing one of my favorite classics a cappella. As she hit the first notes of Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" I realized that, after hearing her impeccable tone, I'm never going to be able to sing this song in the shower again. As on her debut album, Yours, in live performance Gazarek rarely sings around notes; nothing sounds forced or is in any way show-off-y. Sigh. My bathroom diva days are clearly over. Many of Gazarek's songs this evening were from her first album. One of my favorites, a medley of the traditional "Bye, Bye Blackbird" and the Beatles' "Blackbird," was so precise that I could hardly tell the difference between live and the recording. Her bell-like alto was perfect on "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy and Bess, and "Bidin' My Time" from Crazy for You. A nice arrangement of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" reminded the entire audience of her age. She related that she'd first heard the song from her camp counselor - at Camp Sealth - when she was in the 8th grade. When she admitted that had been eleven years ago most of the audience groaned; because her vocals are so mature, I think that's the first time we simultaneously realized just how young she is. Gazarek cheerfully gave away cds for answering questions like how to pronounce her last name (Gah-ZAHR-ek) and who wrote the song "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen). She even offered the albums to those who got the answers wrong, albeit for $20. We couldn't get enough of her, as evidenced by our cheers at the end of her 90-minute set. "Come on," she quipped as she returned to the stage for an encore. "We don't come to your work at five o'clock and ask you to stay late and do more." But we don't usually get this kind of applause, Sara! |
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International Readers |
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 It's new! and live from Bumbershoot! |
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working for the freedom to
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copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006