Sarah Tolar
Big Blue Moon
Jazz/Pop-A cross between Norah Jones & Natasha Bedingfield, a fusion of lush vocals and warm melodies with soulful grooves and catchy lyrics.
I was raised on folk songwriters. My parents played guitar and sang – Dad sang Kris Kristofferson & Johnny Cash while Mom sang Judy Collins & Carole King. They played gigs together in northern Colorado, and I started singing with them when I was 5 years old.
We moved to southern California when I was 10, and Dad began teaching me a few chords on the piano. I started writing songs. After high school, a friend of mine gave me my first jazz record, and I soon found myself at The University of North Texas.
I studied jazz for several years at UNT and then moved to New York City. My first gig was playing piano and singing every week at a restaurant in lower Manhattan. It was there that I added my original songs to the sets and soon, people began requesting my songs. I moved from the restaurant gig to leading my own band and playing with some of the most talented and beautiful musicians in New York.
Today, I am a southwestern girl living in Brooklyn – somewhat displaced but continuously inspired by the big city – and this gives me lots to write about. Equally as inspiring are the loads of amazing musicians that keep New York the music mecca that it is.
The culmination of my journey thus far (from being born into folk-country music, studying jazz, and performing in New York City) is my first album, BIG BLUE MOON.
My partner in the project is pianist and producer David Cook. We recorded ten of my original songs written over the last six years. The album features a group of New York’s finest young musicians (David Cook, Robin Macatangay, Michael Blanco, Bill Campbell, Kurt Stockdale, Ravi Best, and Alan Ferber), and was recorded at the Systems Two in Brooklyn and mixed at Avatar Studios in Manhattan.
My songs are snapshots that share the journey of my life so far. The music I write is a little bit jazz, a little bit folk, but all original. Thank you for listening.
Folk: Jazzy folk