WEST CHESTER, PA — Sara Michaels, an accomplished jazz vocalist, is known for her commitment to community, her dedication to Jazz and Spiritual Music and her talent as a singer and composer. And now, she is thrilled that her debut album, “Chapter One: Full Circle” is being released November 16 at a celebration party and performance at Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High Street in West Chester, PA. Joining Michaels for the performance are Aaron Graves, piano; Diane Monroe, violin; Jason Fraticelli, upright bass; Matt Scarano, drums; Victor North, saxophone; and, John Swana, trumpet and EVI.
The nine original songs on “Chapter One: Full Circle” represent two sides of Sara’s music – Jazz/Blues and Spiritual/Faith. They come together, as the title implies, in one “Full Circle”, expressing hope, healing, and joy. Sara weaves storytelling into her music, taking listeners on a “joy journey” through the genre of jazz.
The first half of the songs on the album cover topics about personal relationships. The second half are titled “Reflections of the Pandemic” demonstrating the emotional roller coaster of those years, leaving the listener with a sense of hope. The titles of the songs are: The Girl in the Front, Positively Lovely, What a Day if I Spend it with You, You’ll be Fine, Lipstick Blues, Hard Winter, Not Alone, Pandemic Haze, and When the World Gets Better. As someone who believes this world will be better one day, Sara created a community outreach program for schools, religious and community centers, senior communities, and healthcare centers – helping all age people focus on how to make the world a better place.
Sara likes to share a “joy journey” with her listeners, exploring the ups and downs of life. “This is a time to celebrate life, the joy in music and the sorrows of life with gratitude in song,” she said. “As artists, there is always the creative process that gets you there, and I like to tell the backstory of my songs with my audience even if it deals with some personal or tough topics.”
Sara continued, “My melodies and lyrics are the framework of my stories, but it is the jazz musicians on this album that take a turn with their interpretation of the music that bring my songs to life. Seventeen musicians were involved with this album, which include some swinging tunes with horns, emotional guitar riffs, piano and organ blues jams, and beautiful bass expressions. Some songs are told as ballads with soaring violins. There is even an entire string quartet playing on a piece entitled ‘Not Alone’.”
The album was produced by E. Shawn Qaissaunee who also performs on the recording as guitarist. The other musicians are: Aaron Graves – Piano, Organ, Rhodes/Organ; Adam Shumski – Drums; Barbara Jaffe – Violin; Diane Monroe – Violin; Greg Riley – Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone; Harry “Butch” Reed – Drums; Jarred Antonacci – Trombone; Jason Fraticelli – Upright Bass; John Swana – Trumpet; Matt Parrish – Upright Bass; Matt Scarano – Drums; Nick Lombardelli – Trombone; Nina Wilkerson – Viola; Talia Schiff – Cello; Victor North – Tenor Saxophone; and, Zach Brock – Violin. The majority of the nine songs were arranged by E. Shawn Qaissaunee and it was recorded at Morningstar Studios under two-time Grammy award winning engineer Glenn Barratt.
Tickets are $35/person which includes an Afterparty with catering by Double Tree Reading. For more information, visit www.uptownwestchester.org.
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