Sarah Tolar

Sarah Tolar is a veteran of the New York music scene whose technical facility as a composer and singer has resulted in an engaging debut full of warm, masterfully written music.

A New York transplant by way of Colorado and California, Sarah brings an eclectic sensibility to her songwriting. While definitely taking cues from the mainstream of the jazz tradition, she is also influenced by folk music and talented songwriters like Carole King. The end result is music that is thoroughly American in it's aesthetic, but drawing from a wide array of influences.

The first track, "Early Morning Stillness," sets the mood for the album and conveys it's emotional landscape in a very palpable way. When the track begins, we are met with a piano, upright bass, and drums played with brushes. The constant, steady stream of quarter note chords in the piano somehow manages to impart the feeling of the title while at the same time driving the rhythm forward and balancing out the longer rhythms in the bassline.

When we arrive at the next section, and the rhythmic profile and dynamics of the whole band changes and intensifies, it leaves you with the impression of the sun breaking into the sky and pushing the darkness away. The whole effect is beautiful.

My favorite track is "Somethin'". From one point of view, it's a traditional American piano ballad; from another, it's a modern take on a traditional form of songwriting. In terms of instrumentation, the song is deceptively simple, containing only vocals, piano, and a drumset, lightly caressed with a pair of brushes. It's akin to "Early Morning Stillness," but even more simplified.

What the seeming simplicity of the arrangement affords is a space for Sarah's voice to convey the emotive content of the music with a high degree of expression. At the beginning of the track we hear the band, but sparsely. The piano isn't providing accompaniment at first so much as just underpinning the vocals with static harmonies. As the song progresses, the intuitive rhythmic interplay between piano and voice is compelling, playing with the metre in a very fluid way.

Throughout the song, Sarah performs a feat of vocal dexterity, by being simultaneously completely present and in full command while also appearing to be completely alone and in a mode of high introspection, thinking about her loved one. The song has a sense of timelessness to it.

As a singer, Sarah is also accomplished. Her technique is impeccable. She has a full, bright tone that speaks clearly throughout her whole range. Her voice is strong without being overpowering, and she expresses herself fully without any sign of force or strain. Her style is thankfully devoid of that element of excessive breathiness that sometimes creeps into the singing of some vocalists. All in all, she is a consummate professional.

"Big Blue Moon" is an album that will appeal to fans of contemporary pop/jazz who are looking for something other than yet another rehashing of standards. Solid writing combined with beautiful singing combine to produce a stellar debut by a musician who deserves a huge amount of attention. Sarah Tolar is going places.

Check her out at:

www.sarahtolar.com