Sara Gazarek's artistic abilities display a deep appreciation and understanding for jazz music and the history that brought it where it is today. The beauty and sophistication of this young talent suggest an obvious influence of those who have come before her, while presenting a fresh, new sound all her own. As her development as a musician continues to grow, Sara has begun to gain national acclaim, awarded the 2003 DownBeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Jazz Vocalist.

Sara was born and raised in Seattle, WA in 1982. She was exposed to a variety of art forms at a very early age, ranging from theatre, art, and music, to dance and sports. Sara attended Roosevelt High School where she fell in love with its award winning jazz program instantly. Under the influence of jazz educator and trombonist, Scott Brown, Sara traveled as a soloist with the school's jazz orchestra to NYC to compete in the nationally acclaimed Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in 2000. Presented at the Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, she was awarded the first ever Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Vocalist Award.

Sara made the move to Los Angeles in the summer of 2000 to pursue music at the prestigious Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where she graduated in May of 2004 with a degree in Jazz Studies. There, Sara Gazarek studied privately with renowned Telarc recording artist Tierney Sutton, arranger and killer jazz vocalist Jennifer Barnes, and legendary jazz singer Carmen Bradford. Sara received many private scholarships to attend the school, including the John Coltrane Foundation Scholarship, the Hilton Head Jazz Society Scholarship, and the Sarasota Jazz Society Scholarship. At USC Sara performed in the Concert and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and with the Thornton Jazz Orchestra as a guest soloist for the Benny Carter Tribute in 2002.

Sara was also involved in USC's JazzReach program for two years, one of which she spent one hour a week with an inner city school developing a vocal jazz ensemble. There, she created a 15-person ensemble, made up of kindergarten through fifth graders. Through a period of 20 weeks, Sara and the kids worked on music theory, jazz feel, history, and repertoire. (Imaging 15 small children swinging "Sermonette," "Watermelon Man," and "Now's The Time"!!)
In the summer of 2003, Sara was invited to spend 10 days at the elitist Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy in Aspen, CO with Christian McBride, Cyrus Chestnut, James Carter, Grady Tate, Allan Harris, and other jazz legends. There she met with many other young talents and created beautiful music and unforgettable life lessons.

Since graduating, Sara has had the opportunity to travel the country with the Concord Jazz Festival as well as several other solo dates across the country. Her debut recording will be released in the summer of 2005. Sara is excited to start a long career in such a beautiful art form, and to spread the word of jazz through education, performance and recording, in the same way that those who have influenced her have done.
" Professional isn't the word; her performance was sublime."
- Ben Ratliff, New York Times.

For more information on Sara Gazarek, visit her website at www.saragazarek.com

Oleta Adams : Sara Gazarek : Karrin Allyson : Diane Schuur