GRAMMY Award winning jazz vocalist, Sara Gazarek weaves a narrative of unparalleled musical integrity that is deeply-rooted in friendship with the critically acclaimed and deeply celebrated musicians that round out her quartet – Larry Koonse, Richard Lloyd Giddens Jr., and Mark Ferber.
Band Members and Instrumentation:
Sara Gazarek – Vocals
Larry Koonse – Guitar
Richard Giddens – Bass
Mark Ferber – Drums
Group Bio:
Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Grammy Award winning jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek reigns as one of the most creative voices of her generation, and one “who may well turn out to be the next important jazz singer” (LA Times). Collaborating with jazz legends Fred Hersch, Billy Childs, Kurt Elling, and more, and with 6 critically-acclaimed albums under her belt at the age of 40, Gazarek often tours internationally as a soloist/band leader, and as a co-founder of the vocal collective, säje, whose debut album earned a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals. Sara is a 2023 Chamber Music of America New Jazz Works grant recipient, serves on the LA Chapter Board of Governors for the Recording Academy, and works as an Associate Professor of Jazz Voice at the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) where she is currently designing and leading their new jazz voice program. Sara’s full length nonet project, an expansion of her critically celebrated EP Vanity, is set to release in fall of 2024.
Richard Lloyd Giddens Jr. hails from Fresno, CA. He moved to New York City at the age of 17 after receiving a full scholarship to the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program at The New School for Social Research. In 2000, he went on tour Off-Broadway show STOMP. Giddens has recorded and performed with such artists as Charlie Haden, Wadada Leo Smith, Robert Glasper, Oscar Hernandez, Mary Halvorson, Ravi Coltrane, Larry Goldings, Walter Smith III, Ralph Alessi, Gilbert Castellanos, Ideal Bread, Taylor Ho Bynum, Ben Wendel, and many others.
Born into a musical family, Larry Koonse has been playing the guitar since he was seven years old. After graduating from USC, Larry toured extensively for six years as a member of the John Dankworth quartet. He is a member of Billy Child’s landmark chamber sextet. He has received multiple Grammy nominations over the years and has been a featured player on more than 400 albums.
Drummer Mark Ferber can be heard on over 200 recordings. Ongoing projects include ECM recording artist Ralph Alessi’s ‘This Against That’, the Marc Copland Quartet, the Brad Shepik Organ Trio, and his twin brother, Alan Ferber’s Grammy-nominated big band and nonet. He has worked as a faculty member for the California Institute of the Arts, the Tavira Jazz Workshop in Portugal, the School of Improvisational Music (SIM), the City College of New York, The Maine Jazz Camp, and The Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Workshop.
Social Media Links
http://www.facebook.com/saragazarek
http://www.instagram.com/saragazarek
Proof of vaccination is no longer required for Covid-19. Masking is optional and masks are available upon request. The California Jazz Conservatory kindly requests that anyone feeling unwell refrain from attending in-person events of any kind.
This concert is sponsored by JAMBAR