This post began with an email. It came from Sari Schorr, who last week sent along a music video she made of New York on lockdown. On the video, she sings Ordinary Life off of her Force of Nature album from 2016. I instantly was taken with her searing blues-rock voice and wailing backing band. [Photo above of Sari Schorr by Jean-Philippe Hugeuet, courtesy of Sari Schorr]
As readers know, I split my professional time between two music genres—jazz and rock. Studying the forms allows me to appreciate Dinah Washington and Janis Joplin, Milt Buckner and Mike Garson, and Wes Montgomery and Johnny Winter. It's never either or with me, but also.
Here's Sari singing Thank You off her new album, Never Say Never...
Last week, I caught up with singer-songwriter Sari Schorr for a lockdown JazzWax interview:
JazzWax: Where did you grow up?
Sari Schorr: In Fresh Meadows, Queens, in a nondescript duplex apartment tucked alongside the Long Island Expressway. The building was smaller than the adjacent high rises. I have great memories of birthday parties in our tiny garden and grabbing the upper bunk before my younger sister did. [Photo above of Sari Schorr by Rob Blackham, courtesy of Sari Schorr]
JW: What were you like as a kid?
SS: Very sensitive, which awakened my sense of compassion. My grandmother worried that I suffered from depression because I seemed obsessed with death. I'd bombard her with questions about why we die and why life is so short. My fascination drove my curiosity and fueled my creativity. Creativity gave me a sense of purpose. That’s when I fit in.
JW: I hear introversion and introspection in your voice. Did you spend a lot of time with yourself growing up?
SS: Actually, I’ve always been an outgoing introvert. I need to recharge with alone time, and I’d rather be an observer than the center of attention. But I’m generally enthusiastic and upbeat and enjoy the company of people in small groups. [Photo above by Laurence Harvey, courtesy of Sari Schorr]
JW: What about high school?
SS: It was one long lesson in the art of defiance. I had my own ideas about how things should work, and I thought most subjects being taught were irrelevant. I was a bundle of unfocused energy and totally boy crazy. Music and sports were my thing. Back then, I was listening to much more jazz than rock. I loved Sarah Vaughan. So much so that I wanted to be her.
JW: What were you favorite jazz albums?
SS: The vinyl records I wore out were Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan (1961) Getz/Gilberto (1964) and Today, Tomorrow, Forever (1964) by Nancy Wilson. One of the first concerts I went to see was Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall. We only saw his back. How could I know that one day in 2015 I'd stand on that stage and perform during the Lead Belly Fest? As for my favorite rock band, mine was Pink Floyd, followed by Led Zeppelin.
JW: How did you spend your spare time?
SS: Singing, banging away at the piano, studying acting, competing in dressage competitions on a horse named Misty Lady at a Long Island equestrian center, hammering tennis balls on the school team, dodging a job at my father’s plastic factory (where I worked the drill press) by working instead as a beach lifeguard, and studying modern dance.
JW: Favorite female rock singers?
SS: Annie Lenox, Medusa and Tina Turner’s early records with Ike Turner. I learned about phrasing by wearing out Turner's The Hunter. Bessie Smith’s The Complete Recordings, Vols. 1-5 gave me a deep introduction to the classic blues. I also discovered a lot of blues and jazz music at my local record store, Mr. Cheapo CD and Record Exchange, where I spent many hours and most of the money I earned at Burger King. My first job with a microphone.
JW: Did you study voice?
SS: Yes, I studied privately with Gloria Hilborn at her home in Huntington, N.Y. She taught at the Juilliard School and encouraged me to pursue opera. I was focused on songwriting.
JW: How old were you when you first realized you had a powerful blues voice?
SS: I knew early on there was something different about my voice, but I had no idea how to control what I was given. Initially, it was a burden. I had a five-octave range that dominated the music. Once I even resorted to laying flat on my back to curtail my vocals. It took many years to learn how to control all the moving parts before I could become a better singer-storyteller.
JW: Your mom and dad were encouraging?
SS: They believed in me before I believed in myself. They encouraged me to pursue my dream with a strong work ethic. My father would say, “Talent is common, execution is rare.” My dad gave up his dream of remaining in the Air Force so he could help his father in the family business. My grandfather manufactured buttons in New York's garment district.
JW: What about mom?
SS: Mom played a little jazz piano. She modeled until she became pregnant with me. Ray Charles was her man. Dad loved big-voiced singers like Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. I loved his Sérgio Mendes records. There was always music playing in the house.
JW: In college, did you study music?
SS: Yes. I graduated from Hofstra University with a BA in Liberal Arts. After graduating, I was fortunate to study percussion privately with Frank Malabé, who had worked with Tito Puente. I loved Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. I was inspired to play congas. But, I couldn’t get good enough, fast enough, to play at the level of the musicians I worked with. So I turned back to the piano after a brief encounter with the flute.
JW: You had a lot going on.
SS: It was a struggle to balance my time between the classroom and jazz gigs to make pocket money. In hindsight, I wish I had put less pressure on myself to work and focused more on my education.
JW: After college, where did you start singing?
SS: With a funk band in the Bronx. The neighborhood looked like it had been bombed, and gun shots could be heard outside our rehearsal room. I did a lot of gigs with unknown bands playing rock and blues on New York’s Lower East Side, at venues like CBGB, the Bitter End and Don Hill's. I had to learn how to sing the blues and did so by listening to records of the classic female blues artists, like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. I discovered a new home for my voice.
JW: What was the big turning point for you?
SS: I was at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2015 when a chance meeting with legendary producer Mike Vernon changed my life. Mike was there to receive a prestigious lifetime achievement award. After the ceremony, I told him how much I admired his work but dashed off so he could talk to the crowd surrounding him. I wanted to tell him I was a singer, but I didn’t want my compliment to seem self-serving. Later that night, at the New Daisy Theatre in Memphis, I was invited on stage as a special guest to sing with blues guitarist John Del Toro Richardson and his band. News about my performance reached Mike. The next day, he found me and asked if I’d send him samples of my songwriting. Days later we were planning an album. [Photo above of Mike Vernon courtesy of Manhaton Records]
JW: How did that work out?
SS: Great. He brought the recordings to Manhaton Records. They signed me to a worldwide deal.
JW: Is your latest album, Never Say Never, autobiographical?
SS: Yes, many of the songs I wrote are. They're stories about my experiences and values. They are reshaped with metaphor and irony. For example, in the song Back to LA, Los Angeles is a metaphor for the lost person I’ve become. Thank You is sarcastic with a bit of ambivalence. And Maybe I’m Fooling uses a simile to convey the doomed situation in the lyric—"I scream alone in the dark / like a desperate Joan of Arc." The lyric in Freedom—"Stand up for your rights / with a bible and gun"—is an ironic poke at the Evangelists' fight over firearms.
JW: What are you planning next?
SS: I’m hoping to get back out on the road as soon as it's safe. The talented musicians in my band are Ash Wilson on guitar, Mat Beable on bass, Roy Martin on drums and Bob Fridzema on keyboards. All the guys are from the U.K., except Bob, who lives in Copenhagen. I’ve just finished editing a new video. As I’ve been grounded at home in New York, I’ve spent time filming scenes of New York City in isolation and lockdown. The visuals are put to my song, Ordinary Life. The piece captures a moment in time where ordinary lives became anything but, and when many have learned to be grateful for everyday experiences that we may have taken for granted. It's a feeling I hope will resonate with many. I offer my condolences to the many victims of Covid-19, and offer my gratitude to the thousands of healthcare workers fighting its spread.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Sari Schorr's album Never Say Never here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Sari's video backed by Ordinary Life...
