Amongst a community teaming with startlingly gifted young singers, Sara Gazarek stands out as a particularly extravagant artist. Her first three albums introduced her singular sound and vision, steeped in the tradition of jazz but deeply informed by contemporary songwriters and performers.
With Blossom & Bee, her most recent release, Gazarek turned over an exciting, glistening new leaf. Working closely with the brilliant pianist/organist Larry Goldings, who produced the album, Gazarek and her band crafted a program of emotionally expansive standards, inspired contemporary fare, and uncommonly memorable originals, all delivered with her insouciant sense of artistry.
As the title track might suggest, an undeniable thread running through “Blossom & Bee” is the irrepressibly buoyant spirit of jazz pianist, singer and songwriter Blossom Dearie. “I’ve always seen myself more as a lyric interpreter” Sara says. Gazarek manages to evoke the tough-minded discipline behind Dearie’s appealingly girlish sound. “Blossom & Bee” is meant to reflect the working repertoire of Gazarek’s stellar Los Angeles based group, featuring pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Hamilton Price and drummer Zach Harmon.
Gazarek is now headed back to the studio to record a duo album with Josh Nelson and producer/engineer Al Schmitt. The album will feature new original compositions as well as some covers from the duo’s favorite writers, from Duke Ellington and Harold Arlen to Nick Drake and Laura Mvula.
