published on
Sara Gazarek
Thirsty Ghost
2019
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“I see who you are… And it’s so much bigger, so much deeper, so much more multi-dimensional than your music is right now. Don’t be afraid to walk away from what you think people want from you – and to step into all of the depth, darkness, and radiance of who you really are. That’s what we are thirsty for. The honest, messy, beautiful YOU. -Kurt Elling
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Stumbling into a recording contract right out of college not only came with big management and an even bigger booking agency -- it also came with big responsibility. At 20 years old, I was recording, touring, receiving great press, and heartfelt feedback from fans. And, while everything in my career seemed to be moving in the right direction, I now see how this level of visibility at such a young age could create a certain amount of pressure to “be the happy girl in the dress” that everyone expected. The ultimate goal was a set of fun, light music that left people feeling happier than when they’d come in the door. And we were giving it to them.
But 15 years in, now, as a 35 year old woman processing the dissolution of a marriage, the separation of a long term musical partnership, and my mothers almost catastrophic car accident, it was my dear friend and mentor Kurt Elling who spoke those very poignant words, and sent me on an incredibly transformative path.
The resulting musical journey took three years to complete -- alongside a new relationship rife with doubts, lies, and infidelity, new collaborations (in Geoff Keezer, Larry Goldings, Stu Mindeman, Josh Johnson, and Alan Ferber), travel abroad, endless questions, explorations, new compositions, risks… In the end, internalizing the idea that “A forest never grows, higher than the depths it knows // The warmth of sunlight comes and goes, but beauty only grows, When It Rains.”
“Thirsty Ghost” explores that honest, messy, beautiful place of hunger, thirst, wanting more – more connection, more transparency, a more whole hearted experience that occurs when we address the lessons that come with taking a deep look at adulthood. Through a series of new instrumental colors (including rhythm section, rhodes/organ, bass clarinet, alto sax, and trombone, percussion, and background vocals), some very special guests (Kurt Elling, Larry Goldings), new original material, contemporary covers (Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sam Smith), and jazz standards, my hope is that my audience will see their own whole hearted experiences reflected in this music – the light AND the dark.
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Track Listing (TBD):
1. Never Will I Marry (Frank Loesser)
2. Not The Only One (Sam Smith/James Napier)
3. Easy Love (Larry Goldings/Sara Gazarek)
4. I Believe When I Fall In Love (Stevie Wonder)
5. Riverman/River (Nick Drake/Sara Teasdale)
6. Cocoon (Bjork)
7. Spinning Round (Jessie Palter/Mike Jellick)
8. Jolene (Dolly Parton)
9. Gaslight District (Larry Goldings/Sara Gazarek)
10. I Get Along Without You Very Well (Hoagy Carmichael)
11. Lonely Hours (Hy Glaser)
12. Distant Storm/When It Rains (Brad Mehldau/Sara Gazarek)
13. I’m A Fool To Want You (Frank Sinatra/Jack Wolf)
PERSONNEL:
Piano/Organ/Rhodes, Stu Mindeman
Bass, Alex Boneham
Drums, Christian Euman
Alto Sax, Josh Johnson
Trombone, Ido Meshulam
Bass Clarinet, Brian Walsh
Organ, Larry Goldings
Special guest vocalists, Kurt Elling,
Vocal Layering/Backgrounds: Erin Bentlage, Michael Mayo
CONT INFO:
Engineer: Helik Hadar
Studio: Jim Henson Recording, Los Angleles, CA
Dates: August 20, 21, 22, 23
Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman, Los Angeles, CA
If Relevant:
13k fans and 12k followers on Facebook
13.7k followers on Twitter
332k monthly listeners on Spotify
2k mailing list
- Genre
- Jazz & Blues