Customer Reviews

Return To You

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amazon.com has put Sara Gazarek's "Yours" in my face for about a year and counting. When a multinational corporation does that to me, I tend to say "no" on principle. Not a good reason for ignoring Sara Gazarek, though, so I plunked down some cash on this and gave it a listen.

Maybe I should quit being so obstinate. This is an excellent recording. There is a group of fine young singers (I'm thinking of Jacqui Naylor, Erin Bode, Judith Owen and, to a lesser extent, Jackie Allen) who are jazz singers crossing into pop, and have released some good-to-great recordings in the past few years. This is toward the top of that milieu, and Sara Gazarek definitely deserves mention in the same breath with those others.

The first thing that hits me about this c.d. is how clean it sounds. Certainly Joel Moss and Chris Hobson, the sound engineers, deserve kudos for that; but I'm also talking about Sara Gazarek's voice. Her diction, phrasing, intonation and consistency of volume throughout the ranges of her voice are first-rate. And soundwise, her voice reminds me a lot of Karrin Allyson (and that's a very good thing!).

My favorites on this c.d. are: her gorgeous duet with pianist Josh Nelson on Billy Joel's "And So It Goes"; the addition of some even more gorgeous string bass bowing by Erik Kortes with Nelson on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"; and the closing track with strings, a heartfelt tribute to a mentor, Ludvig Girdland, entitled "Original 4."

As beautiful as those are, though, that is not to slight anything else on this c.d. (including and especially "Carey", a nod to the patron sainte of this group of singers, Joni Mitchell). The whole disc will get your alpha waves in order and put you into a state of bliss. It's worth a listen. No, it's worth a bunch of listens. RC

Having seen her live at the Vic in Santa Monica on 2/22/07, The McCallum Theater in Palm Desert on 3/17/2007, and at the Catalina Jazz Club (aka Catalina Bar & Grill) in Hollywood on 4/23/07 with her previewing "most" of the songs on this album....it is just a pleasure to now have them in hand.

First off this album is in general a very mellow, mostly relective song list...with some very brightly lit exceptions ("Carey" by Joni Mitchell among others). Sara demonstrates a willing and highly competent ability to have musical expeditions beyond the safety of her very, upbeat, hopeful, easy going songs.. Her fans will appreciate all those "beyond-the-perimeter" efforts here.

The Billy Joel song "And So It Goes" trumps everything on this album IMHO ...and it translates from her live performances of this song to CD quite well...but it is obvious to see her do this piece in person that she is taken by the song almost like she was in a meditative trance....this song digs deep and you cannot avoid the cuts ....and the sequel on this album to this is probably the very aggressively sung piece written by Leonard Cohen, "Halleluah". It was surprising hearing her add this to her song list and her rendition of this with the wider acoustic capabilities of the McCallum left you stunned....it is an expansive composition..full of irony and Sara performed this flawlessly...maybe she will try Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat" as was done by Jennifer Warnes and available on Amazon ..in a new ablum which I hope Sara is starting to do RIGHT NOW! The bass play of Erik Kertes is worth the price of admission on "Halleluah". This studio created version is perfect...

You have to add again that her accompanying group is simply the best ..wow......They are a stand alone trio in their own rights...Josh Nelson (keyboards), Erik Kertes on bass, and Matt Slocum, percussion....all understated and perfectly matched to Sara Gazarek's moods and talents...and timing....so if you get a chance to go to her concerts..you are in for a night!!..and Sara is very, very generous in terms of the length of her performance play list...so do not miss her in person...her voice in person is no different than on her albums...

And yes there was a 2nd album after "Yours" and I would consider this "Return to You" Sara Gazarek's 3rd album. She really should promote and pop out a zillion of that "2nd album" as well ...think they might be available from her on her site...."Sara Gazarek Live at the Jazz Bakery"...this was not "incidental music" by any strectch of the imagination and MUST be included as a major part of her work so far..has to be...end of argument.

Buy "Return to You" ...buy "Yours" if you don't already have it...

and of course "Live at the Jazz Bakery" if you can figure out a way to do it.....

See Gazarek in person each and every time you can.see her web site....it has all the dates......


Meanwhile we will wait impatiently for her next CD....for now we will just wear these three CD's out until they are no longer silver but clear!!!

Sara is going to be THE premier jazz vocalist for then next few decades. Here in "Return to You" she has broken some of the ground rules and went to areas where you would not have anticipated.....and we have gladly followed her....slick, sophisticated, smooth, upbeat IS her bedrock style but she is capable of soaring elsewhere....this album provides ample proof of her artistic capabilities and range!!!!

....I shall be astonished. This is one of the very finest albums by a young jazz singer I have ever heard [actually, forget the qualifying adjective "young"; very finest...period]. Sara has the natural rhythms and style of one born to this music....and so few do. She has a voice of beauty and clarity that would turn many another fine singer green with envy.

The numbers here aren't as well known as some...Joni Mitchell's "Carey" and Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" are really wonderful....

Sara has the makings of a real legend...she's already one of the more accomplished singers you could ever want to hear. Let us all hope that the girl gets good management, and takes good care of her voice. We're eager for more....

Heard her version of Hallelujah on the radio and had to buy the CD. Great album; have really enjoyed it.

Sarah G. has such a light, joyful voice. You can tell that she loves what she is doing, and you can't help but love it with her. She is definitely a bright new star in the jazz universe.

Sara Gazarek is in the "next wave" of female American jazz singers. The immediately preceding one, which started about 25 years ago, were pop singers who crossed over to sing some jazz--Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, etc.--some having significant success. The "next wave" has been some quite talented young(er) jazz singers--Stacey Kent, Tierney Sutton, Sara, etc. who cross over to sing some "pop" tunes--again with some significant successes.

Now, I will admit that I generally have liked Sara's more "pure" jazz offerings from the Great American Songbook better than much of what is on this album. For example, her version of "I've Got It Bad and that Ain't Good" will stand up against anybody's cover of that tune. So, I surprised myself when I found myself loving two "pop" tunes Sara covers on this album--so much so that I give it 5-stars on that basis alone. If you don't buy this album (or MP3's) for anything else, get it for these two tunes. What are they?

Well, in "second" place is Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." We might as well talk about what makes Sara Gazarek and her band wonderful right here, because it all shows on this tune. First, is Sara's voice--pure, true, yet "experienced" beyond her years. On that latter point, I don't necessarily mean musically experienced, though she certainly is that, but she sounds quite emotionally experienced--and she is not afraid to hang that out there. That combination of singing ability and emotion should endear her to the most critical listener. She is not just singing the lyric, but "feeling" it--on this tune probably as well as Mr. Joel did when he wrote it. Here she is only accompanied by Josh Nelson on piano (by "only" I don't mean anything derogatory--he can carry things alone quite well)--where has this guy been hiding? He plays with intuition that many pianists twice his age don't possess.

In first place in my book for this album is the widely covered Larry Cohen tune, "Hallelujah." Let me just say it, I don't think anyone--and I mean ANYONE--has done better than Ms. Gazarek and her band do it here. A first rate arrangement, beautiful plucked and arcos bass, a lovely piano bridge all contribute to this tune. And, then, there is Sara. The lyrics of this tune carry with them an emotional minefield of interpretations--it is like an abstract musical painting from which both the performer and listener can pick whatever ethos they want. Sara negotiates that minefield with bold, but delicate strokes of her singing pallet, leaving you listening to it over and over to pick out each new little nuance you missed the last time.

As I said at the beggining, I don't normally gush over jazz singers performing pop tunes, but for Sara's performance on these--along with the great arrangements and performances by her bandmates, I will make a most willing exception. I certainly hope it will gain her some non-jazz followers who will then sample her other more traditional jazz offerings. Those folks will likely be as pleased with those as I am with her foray into pop tunes.

Sara Gazarek is a very good singer, smooth, mellow and right on in her interprtations. I hope she makes it but for me she may be one of a fine current group of female singers working hard to be the next breakout star. I don't think she is quite there yet. There is nothing wrong here, just no hook to make me go 'wow.' This CD is excellent, no issues but it is just one of many in my collection.

"Return To You," the second studio record by jazz singer Sara Gazarek, finds the young vocalist continuing to delight and tantalize the listener. She's a young woman who performs like an old soul.

Not that she sounds old at all. Far from it. Ms. Gazarek performs with youthful vitality and playfulness, all while singing many songs that are old enough to be her great-grandparents. She continues to sample the Great American Songbook, while peppering her records with originals and non-traditional jazz remakes. "Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling," "Carey," "Dear Someone," and "Let's Try This Again" are just a few of the great songs to be heard on this CD.

What the world needs now is more singers like Sara Gazarek who mix the old and the new into the best combination possible - the good. Looking forward to her next record.

I came to this album with no predispositions, having never heard Sara Gazarek previously. I listened to "Northern Lights" online and decided I wanted whatever this girl was selling. Having lived with the CD for about 6 months, I can say that the album really grows on you. Some of the songs had immediate impact and others I grew to like. I would buy this album alone for Sara's versions of Without You, Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling, and Northern Lights, but the other tracks also have some real things to discover in them. Ms. Gazarek really means what she sings and that comes across so clearly. While every song is not a hit and the CD has flaws, the majority of these tracks should not be missed.

What a treasure to find this warm, flexible voice deliver these songs with such sincerity. Ms. Gazarek has a great sense of phrasing and color and can choose any tool from her vocal tool box to add meaning to the lyrics. Each song is like a great short story. I look forward to hear her many albumns to come. Best wishes to her for an amazing career.