There is no half-stepping with Lucia Sarmiento. The sax phenom taps top notch players and matches them up with top notch material for all of her recordings. It’s no surprise that she’d keep the bar high as a leader considering that she frequently works as a player for international sensations like Pitbull and Karol G. As we prepare for the release of Sarmiento’s debut album Escape, I’m delighted to highlight another advance single.
Sarmiento pulled out all of the stops for a rendition of John Mayer’s “Rosie.” Ry Dill is not only holding the low end on bass but also stepping out early with some very tasty higher register work. But, make no mistake, the heart of the tune is Sarmiento’s impassioned work on the tenor. The groove is smooth and hypnotic but Sarmiento keeps the affair from falling flat thanks to her great reading of the melody and her powerful solo. The saxophone is an instrument that can retain so much of the personality of the person playing it, and Sarmiento has personality for days and it all comes through her horn. I can’t wait to see what else is on the record cause every track released in advance has been a delight!
Lucia Sarmiento will celebrate the release of her new album Escape at Berlin with shows on February 21 and February 22. Portions of the February 22 show will be broadcast live on Jazz88 during The Jazz Impulse.
Hot New Local Singles highlights new, local songs. Minnesota has a lot of great jazz, funk, soul, and jazz- adjacent music, and Jazz88 is highlighting what is fresh.
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