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SACHAL VASANDANI BRINGS RICH, "DEEP-BREWED" JAZZ VOCALS TO SPA LITTLE THEATRE ON
THURSDAY, JUNE 3 at 8 P.M.
Critically Acclaimed Jazz Ensemble, Sachal Vasandani Quartet, Performs for SPAC's Extended Season
Saratoga Springs, NY (May 28, 2010) - Jazz vocalist Sachal Vasandani, hailed by many critics as one of the rising stars of the jazz world and praised for a “golden voice” enhanced by “emotion and intellect,” will perform on Thursday, June 3 at 8 p.m. at the Spa Little Theatre. Vasandani is currently touring in support of his second album, We Move, which was chosen in November as a New York Times Critic's Pick. Tickets for the performance, which is part of SPAC's Extended Season/Emerging Artists Series, are available at www.spac.org, 518-584-9330, or at the Box Office.
Vasandani, who first performed at SPAC in 2007 at the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, has emerged as a strong presence on the New York jazz scene. The Chicago-born artist first began attracting attention as a University of Michigan music major when he was named DownBeat magazine’s Collegiate Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 1999. After moving to New York and working for a time as a Wall Street investment banker, Vasandani quickly began making a name for himself through performances in storied clubs like the Zinc Bar. He was also tapped for a number of guest performances and recordings, notably by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed, T.S. Monk, and countless other peer and mentor musicians.
In addition, Vasandani was mentored by the veterans of the jazz vocal realm. He shared the stage with Jon Hendricks at a masters and mentors concert and toured Japan with Sheila Jordan. "Sheila serves as a mother figure to a lot of us singers," he says. "Like Jon, Sheila sings powerfully and with so much love. To keep your voice, spirit, energy alive, night after night, for decades – what an instruction in longevity."
After Vasandani's breakthrough debut recording Eyes Wide Open, he began touring extensively. "I played in the US as well as overseas," he said. "I played at jazz festivals as well eclectic venues, and it was humbling to see people with different backgrounds and tastes respond to what I do."
Yet, while Vasandani was riding high on the success of Eyes Wide Open, "I was hitting a low point emotionally. My relationships broke, I couldn't really face my own problems and I lost both of my role models – my grandparents. I went to India to see them when they were hospitalized, together. Although it was a thrill to be making music, I was felt like my life was falling apart. My music and the rest of my life were moving in opposite directions, further and further apart. That's when I started writing songs for We Move, in order to come to terms with myself, to select the right songs to understand myself better."
In regards to We Move, Vasandanisays, "I wanted to continue telling my own story, to write about my own, visceral experiences without force feeding. I tried to share the surface of an emotion but hint at the iceberg below, and then let the listener find their own depth."
On the album, Vasandani is supported by his trio comprising pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong and drummer Quincy Davis. Vasandani and his musicians have a longevity factor working in their favor: The band has been a group since 2001. "Those guys are like family in the best way," says Vasandani. "We've known each other and worked together for so long that they're forthcoming in feedback and are extremely confident. Yes, we like to experiment, but the four of us are also deeply indebted to the tradition; there's a respect for music that balances our wilder sides."
