Singer/songwriter Gazarek is known for seamlessly mingling her uniquely intimate style with the musical and improvisational elements of jazz while Vasandani is simply one of the hottest jazz vocalists/songwriters/bandleaders working today. Recently, Vasandani won the 2010 DownBeat Critics Poll for best Male Jazz Vocals in the Rising Star category. And Gazarek was voted one of the Best New Artists in the JazzTimes Readers Poll.

Sara Gazarek

Gazarek is a talented young artist on an amazing musical journey who has emerged as a strikingly original artist with limitless potential. In a follow up to Yours, Gazarek’s widely hailed 2005 debut focusing on American Songbook standards, she delivers a sensational sophomore effort with Return to You. Born and raised in Seattle, Gazarek grew up without much exposure to jazz.

Her preliminary jazz education started during high school and as a senior, she was awarded the first-ever Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Outstanding Jazz Vocalist Award at the Essentially Ellington Festival in New York City.

She studied at the prestigious Thornton School of Music at USC. In 2003, Gazarek was awarded the 2003 Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Vocalist. Shortly after the publication hit the press, she was asked to perform with Oleta Adams, Karrin Allyson, and Diane Schuur as the “as yet undiscovered talent” on the Concord Jazz Festival Tour. Simultaneously, Gazarek joined Barry Manilow, Allyson, and Schuur as a Stiletto Entertainment (management) client and was soon being booked by the industry giant, William Morris.

John Clayton, a mentor and teacher at USC, produced her first album, and insisted she develop the arrangements herself with the band she’d been performing with. She found musical soulmates in her group and the resulting record was a debut that was released to national and international rave reviews. It ranked in the Top 10 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Charts, Top 10 on the iTunes top Jazz Album Downloads (US, UK, Switzerland, and Belgium), No. 1 on the iTunes Top Jazz Album Downloads (Germany, France), No. 5 on the Jazz Week Radio Charts, No. 4 on the HMV (Japan) chart. In addition, Gazarek was voted the No. 3 Best New Artist in the JazzTimes Readers Poll. saragazarek.com

Sachal Vasandani

Vasandani’s sophomore CD, We Move, on Mack Avenue Records was produced with a team of top-flight studio sages (John Clayton, Doug Wamble and Al Pryor). We Move finds Vasandani (who also serves as a producer) maturing as songwriter, tune stylist and bandleader in the wake of his breakout 2007 debut, Eyes Wide Open (Mack Avenue Records).

Vasandani was born in Chicago and grew up in a household where all kinds of music was appreciated. In pursuing his love for music at the University of Michigan, he began to be recognized as a talent of the future, most notably by DownBeat magazine, which awarded him Collegiate Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 1999.

After moving to New York, Vasandani quickly became a part of the jazz scene, and made a musical home in storied clubs like the Zinc Bar. And after the release of his breakthrough debut recording, he toured extensively supporting Eyes Wide Open. He opened for such disparate artists from jazz trumpeter Chris Botti to pop singer Joan Osborne.

On We Move, Vasandani has ample support from his trio comprised of pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong and drummer Quincy Davis. The band has been a group since 2001. Vasandani notes that in addition to their instrumental support, two band members also contributed songs, including Patton’s “Horizons” that is paired with the romping, upswing “Once in a While” (by Michael Edwards and Bud Green) and Davis composed the music on “Ring Road (Back to You).”

In addition to his originals, Vasandani puts his spin on songs from the jazz songbook and canon,including Rodgers & Hart’s “There’s a Small Hotel” with a Vasandani intro (“Escape”) that gives the standard a fresh feel. Also on the CD are “No More,” the Hubert Laws/Jon Hendricks ‘70s song; the Bloom/Kohler tune “Don’t Worry About Me;” “Poinciana;” “There Are Such Things” (by Stanley Adams, Abel Baer, George W. Meyer); “The River of St. Marie” by Joe Williams; and Thelonious Monk’s “Monk’s Dream” (with lyrics by Hendricks). sachalvasandani.com

Performance Info:

Date: September 24th-25th, 2010 (7:30 pm, 9:30 pm)

Location: Orange County Performing Arts Center (Samueli Theater)

Tickets: $49 – will go on sale August 22nd. They will be available online at OCPAC.org, at the Center’s Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling 714.556.2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 15 or more, call the Group Services office at 714.755.0236. The TTY number is 714.556.2746.

Related posts:

1. Kurt Elling Among Artists Announced For OCPAC’s 2009-2010 Jazz Series
2. Jazz Bassist Esperanza Spalding To Play OCPAC November 6th-7th
3. Ten-Time Grammy Award Winner George Benson To Perform At OCPAC

Highlights & Schedule

• Thursday’s Grand Opening Night will feature a stunning tribute to Frank Sinatra with the Patrick Williams’ Orchestra conducted by Terry Woodson, in SINATRLAND. Said one reviewer of the “10-star tribute to the Chairman” album- “If you like a well-disciplined big band sound, you gotta hear the Sinatraland Orchestra. You’ll love it!” Closing the evening will be a big band tribute to Benny Goodman with clarinet virtuoso- Ken Peplowski!

• Friday evening will kick off with Ken Peplowski, Gilbert Castellanos, Bill Cunliffe, Paul Keller and Lewis Nash in swinging set of the Great American Songbook, followed by the legendary Jimmy & Tootie Heath quartet featuring Cunliffe and Bob Magnusson. Jackie Ryan and the Tamir Hendelman Trio will follow and closing this second great night of straight ahead jazz will be famed drummer Jeff Hamilton and his Trio which features Tamir Hendelman and Christoph Luty!

• Saturday night will open with one of the most recorded drummers in jazz- Lewis Nash and his Friends, followed by trumpeter and vocalist Byron Stripling who will be joined by Dan Barrett, Paul Keller, Jeff Hamilton and Bill Cunliffe. Marlena Shaw and the Bill Cunliffe Trio will be next and closing the evening will be the Holly Hofmann Quartet with Strings in a tribute to Duke Ellington! Holly will feature Mike Wofford on piano, Christoph Luty on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums, along with special guest- Byron Stripling.

• Sunday Evening will start by featuring one of the hottest young guitar players on today’s jazz scene- Graham Dechter who will be joined by veterans Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton and Tamir Hendelman. And continuing with
some comedy relief will be Dave Frishberg who is certain to perform many of his classic hits including “Peel Me a Grape”. Byron Stripling and Marlena Shaw will team up for the first time and bringing the weekend to a swinging
close will be the renowned Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

More Info

Details

Tickets are now available for the complete four night, three-day package including one Jazz Brunch. Prices are $350/375. Individual reserved seats are priced at $65/$70 for evening performances and $40/50 for the Grand Opening Sessions, $30 each for “Friday, Saturday & Sunday By the Pool” and $50 for each Jazz Brunch. For tickets to the 10th Annual Newport Beach Jazz Party, call the Jazzline at 949.759.5003 or for complete artist appearance times and an order form visit our website at newportbeachjazzparty.com.

Those wishing to have a weekend getaway may also enjoy the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa special rate of $154 per night for a standard room, $164 for Pool/Music View, $174 for Ocean Music View and $179 for Concierge. For hotel reservations call Marriott at 949.640.4000 and ask for the Newport Beach Jazz Party rate.

Free self-parking will also be available for attendees.

The Newport Beach Marriott
900 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA
newportbeachjazzparty.com

Related posts:

1. Guitarist Jim Hall To Play Birdland, Nov. 10th-14th
2. 2nd Annual “Company of Heaven Jazz Festival” At Cornelia Street Cafe: Jan. 8th-10th
3. 11th Annual Latin Culture Celebration At Berklee: A month Of jazz performances & clinics