Sarah Partridge (vocals), Sean Jones (trumpet & flugelhorn ), Daniel May (piano ), Tony DePaolis (bass ), Jeff Grubbs (bass), James T Johnson III (drums)
14 Tracks. Recorded at Maywood Studios, Pittsburgh, PA, June 1 - June 5 2006.
This album pays tribute to the memory of her beloved father, Lawrence Partridge, in a swinging journey through some of the classic songs of the last century that her father loved plus some songs that he would have loved to hear Sarah sing. His daughter even wrote one song especially for him. With effervescent arrangements featuring spontaneous improvisations and interplay between Partridge and her bandmates, You are There is a feel-good foray into the joys of small-group swing and classic jazz songs.
Sarah Partridge about her father, who was her greatest musical influence and the true architect of her singing career (taken from the liner notes):
Lawrence Partridge was not a musician. He wasn’t in the arts. He was an architect. Yet he was a HUGE music fan and particularly loved jazz. He was crazy about the instrumentalists and the vocalists and was a walking, talking compendium of the genre. He introduced me to a world of music that other people my age new very little about. The music that filled my teenage years was a combo platter of the influences of my peers and the music of my father. So, I gave equal time to The Beatles, Dave Brubeck, The Eagles, Stan Getz, Aerosmith and such vintage singers as June Christy, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, and of course, there was his genre-less favorite... Barbra Streisand.
My dad set the tone for what was to come. And ironically, while I was trying to recover from the devastating blow of his premature death, I didn’t yet realize that he was the true architect of my singing career.
I have talked about his influence many times. I’ve mentioned him in the liner notes of my previous CD’s. I’ve talked about him countless times at gigs. So it is fitting that he receives the full treatment; a musical tribute before I move on, but never away.
Therefore, this CD is a mix of tunes. Songs that he loved; songs that he would have loved to hear me sing, and songs that I would have wanted him to hear me sing. I even wrote one for him. It fell out of me as if he was sitting there beside me, smiling and tapping his toe.
This recording is dedicated to my wonderful father; in and out of this world.
"Sarah Partridge can unreservedly be placed alongside the best jazz-orientated singers." (L.A. Jazz Scene)