Return to You was created by the same talented team that put together Yours (including Grammy-award nominated bass master John Clayton as producer, and her equally youthful, all-star LA based band, Josh Nelson (p), Erik Kertes (b), and Matt Slocum (d)). Return to You features well-planned arrangements of more contemporary standards by songwriters Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Harry Connick Jr., and Gillian Welch. Some of the best material, however, comes from Gazarek’s acclaimed pianist, Josh Nelson, as he displays his considerable gifts as a composer and lyricist with four new songs.
In choosing the material for Return to You, Gazarek explains, “our live performances are very different from the record. We do a lot more up-tempo and swinging material. But we felt secure in the base we’d created with Yours and wanted to explore some of our other influences. We wanted this album to have a flow, and a sense of purpose, and we feel the listener will be able to pick up on the part of our souls we gave to this album.” Among the album’s stand out tracks are a playful version of Mitchell’s “Carey,” and a haunting rendition of Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” with an obscure final chorus that has rarely been recorded. Gazarek’s knack for spotting first-rate material shines brightest on “Northern Lights,” a ravishing song written by the brilliant tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake – a collaboration so poignant and engaging that no one should be surprised if the tune ends up spearheading a Norah Jones-like breakthrough.
“Return to You” also introduces a number of new textures and sounds, not explored before on the bands prior release. Strings, guitar, horns, and duet vocals are, as Gazarek puts it “a way to get a message across that we couldn’t express as a quartet.” And while the singer could have had her pick of all-star instrumentalists to feature on her sophomore album, Gazarek, who possesses an easy-going charisma that quietly commands attention, refuses to hog the limelight. “In this band we prefer to keep it in the family, and featured some of our most talented friends,” Gazarek says, humbly, always referring to “we” rather than “I” when speaking of her music, highlighting the indispensability of her band mates. “We truly are a family now, and they are an integral part of the way our sound has progressed.” The quartet works together in shaping arrangements, and each piece is the result of extended collaboration. She notes the importance of this collaboration, “we are constantly learning from one another.”
Born and raised in Seattle, Gazarek grew up without much exposure to jazz. She denotes any and all preliminary jazz education to her high school big band and choir director, Scott Brown. “He afforded us a lot of educational opportunities at festivals and competitions,” Gazarek remembers. As a senior in high school, she was awarded the first ever Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Outstanding Jazz Vocalist Award at the Essentially Ellington Festival in NYC. “I guess you could say my first gig was at Avery Fisher Hall with Wynton Marsalis,” Gazarek chuckles.
Sara made her way south to Los Angeles in 2000 and found herself at the prestigious Thornton School of Music at USC, studying under the tutelage of John Clayton, Shelly Berg, Tierney Sutton, and Carmen Bradford. While there, Sara helped develop the JazzReach program and, as a result, was able to spend 2 years working with inner city elementary school children as a jazz choir director. “I’ll never forget that experience. It is so important to me to be out there, educating young people.” Sara continues to educate young people today as the sole ambassador for the non-profit music and arts education organization, Music For All. Sara and her band give clinics at local schools while on tour, because, as Gazarek puts it, “education is such an important part of our lives, and the band and I know we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that one teacher who showed us the way. It is our duty to give back.”
In 2003, Sara was awarded the 2003 Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Collegiate Vocalist. Shortly after the publication hit the press, Sara 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 a number of a-list clientele (including Barry Manilow and Allyson) as a Stiletto Entertainment (management) client and was soon being booked by the industrious William Morris Agency. “I remember feeling very nervous about it all,” Sara recalls. “I’d had it drilled into me that a strong career at a young age was a fast track to obscurity.”
Luckily, at a time when it would have been easy for Gazarek to lose track of her artistic goals, John Clayton, a mentor and teacher at USC, provided a grounding influence. When record labels first came knocking and she started to question her place, it was Clayton who set her straight. “He said, ‘Sara, everyone has his or her own path, and there’s no path that’s any more respectable than any other,’” she recalls. “‘As long as you do your homework and keep striving to be a better musician, you’ll have a lasting career.’”
Clayton agreed to produce her first album, Yours, and insisted she develop the arrangements herself with the band she’d been performing with. She found musical soul mates 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), #1 on the iTunes Top Jazz Album Downloads (Germany, France), #5 on the Jazz Week Radio Charts, #4 on the HMV (Japan) chart. In addition, Sara was voted the #3 Best New Artist in the JazzTimes Readers Poll.
With her strong sense of gratitude, this talented, graceful, constantly evolving, emotionally direct, label-pushing vocalist will continue to “do her homework.” And judging by her second album, Sara Gazarek is going to have a lot to offer the music scene for many years to come.
Never Will I Marry
Sara Gazarek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never, never will I wed.
Born to wander solitary,
Wide my world, narrow my bed.
Never, never will I marry,
Born to wander 'til I'm dead.
No burdens to bear,
No memories to mourn,
No turning, for I was
Born to wander solitary,
Wide my world, narrow my bed.
Never never never will I marry,
Born to wander 'til I'm dead.
The lyrics of the song "Never Will I Marry" by Sara Gazarek highlight the singer's firm resolve to never get married. She sings about how she was born to be a wanderer and how she does not want to be tied down to one person for the rest of her life. The lyrics "No burdens to bear, No conscience, nor care, No memories to mourn" indicate that the singer values her freedom and independence above everything else.
The song seems to be a commentary on the pressures that society puts on people to get married and settle down. The singer rejects these societal norms and asserts her right to chart her own course in life. The lyrics "Born to wander solitary, Wide my world, narrow my bed" suggest that the singer finds joy in exploring the world on her own terms, and is content to live a life free from the constraints of marriage.
Overall, the song "Never Will I Marry" celebrates the idea of individuality, independence, and the freedom to choose one's own path in life. It is a powerful anthem for anyone who has ever felt like they did not fit into society's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Never, never will I marry,
I have no intention of ever getting married.
Never, never will I wed.
I have no desire to be committed to anyone in a formal way.
Born to wander solitary,
It's in my nature to be alone and explore the world by myself.
Wide my world, narrow my bed.
I have a large and exciting world to explore, but I don't need much space to sleep in.
No burdens to bear,
I am free from any emotional or physical obligations.
No conscience, nor care,
I don't let anyone else's opinions or needs affect me.
No memories to mourn,
I don't dwell on past experiences or nostalgia.
No turning, for I was
I am unyielding in my desire to travel and be unattached.
Born to wander solitary,
I was meant to explore the world alone.
Wide my world, narrow my bed.
I am happy with little when it comes to my sleeping arrangements.
Never never never will I marry,
I will always choose to be single and independent.
Born to wander 'til I'm dead.
I will continue to travel and explore as long as I am alive.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Frank Loesser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Miss Michelle
Never, never will I marry
Never, never will I wed
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
No burdens to bear
No conscience, no care
No memories to mourn
No turning, for I was
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
No burdens to bear
No conscience, no care
No memories to mourn
No turning, for I was
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
Native Sun
This is an amazing cover. Video is top notch. Definitely deserves millions of views.
Longhaul Blue
That's an inspired horn section. The blend is just gorgeous.
M Sharpe
According to the Wikipedia article on Frank Loesser, the composer, the song's title is actually "I will never marry" from a musical called "Greenwillow" which was not produced on Broadway. Loesser also the composer of "Guys and Dolls" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
Daniel S
Well done all of you, sounds great!
Miss Michelle
Never, never will I marry
Never, never will I wed
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
No burdens to bear
No conscience, no care
No memories to mourn
No turning, for I was
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
No burdens to bear
No conscience, no care
No memories to mourn
No turning, for I was
Born to wander solitary
Wide my world, narrow my bed
Never never never will I marry
Born to wander 'til I'm dead
Vera Battiste
Flawless!
Caspar de Jonge
wow, wonderful!!!
HajduKlaraOfficial
Great! Great! Great! ❤️
Jim Oliver
Wow!
Caspar de Jonge
Sara and band play the same feel, exactly the same, seldom seen! Whoever made this arrangement, he or she knows stuff.