Sarah Jarosz

All Music Guide:

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, clawhammer banjo, and guitar) Sarah Jarosz was seemingly born a musician -- she was already a virtuoso on mandolin by the time she was ten. Born in Austin, Texas on May 23, 1991, Jarosz left no doubt where her future was going, and at 12 years old she was jamming with the likes of David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs on-stage. But she wasn’t really bluegrass so much as she was something else again, a fine and graceful songwriter with a sweet, timeless voice that gave her songs and well-chosen covers tremendous resonance. Viewed by many as a next-generation version of Gillian Welch, Jarosz signed a deal with Sugar Hill Records when she was just 16. A debut album, Song Up in Her Head, appeared from the label in 2009 and quickly garnered tremendous critical acclaim. That same year, Jarosz began work on a major in contemporary voice improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music, proving once again that she was no garden variety musician. A second album, Follow Me Down, appeared from Sugar Hill in the spring of 2011.

Wikipedia:

Sarah Jarosz (/dʒəˈoʊ/ jə-ROHZ) (born May 23, 1991) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Texas. Her first CD, Song Up in Her Head, was released in 2009 and the song "Mansinneedof" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance. Her second album, Follow Me Down, was released in 2011.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Early life and education[edit]

Jarosz was born in Austin, Texas, and raised in Wimberley, Texas. She has stated that her last name is Polish. She began learning the mandolin at age 10 and later began learning to play the guitar, clawhammer banjo, and octave mandolin. During her senior year of high school, Jarosz signed a recording contract with Sugar Hill Records and released her debut album Song Up in Her Head in June 2009; it was produced by Gary Paczosa. Guest musicians on the album included Chris Thile, Darrell Scott, Stuart Duncan, and Jerry Douglas. Jarosz enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music in 2009.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Career[edit]

In 2010 Jarosz recorded the album Follow Me Down and shared production duties with Gary Paczosa. The album was recorded in Nashville and features guest musicians Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Shawn Colvin, Darrell Scott, and bandmates Alex Hargreaves and Nathaniel Smith. A session with the Punch Brothers in New York produced a cover of the Radiohead song "The Tourist". An American Songwriter reviewer wrote that "Jarosz invites us along with her into a growing sonic space of collaboration and artistry at this the second step in what will surely be a long and productive musical journey". In 2011 Sarah performed at Jerry Douglas' the Transatlantic Sessions in Scotland. She performed Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells"Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Reception[edit]

She has been called "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom" by the Austin Chronicle. Jarosz has been interviewed by NPR and Rolling Stone and described as a contemporary-bluegrass prodigy. A New York Times reviewer wrote that Jarosz is "widely regarded as one of acoustic music's most promising young talents: a singer-songwriter and mandolin and banjo prodigy with the taste and poise to strike that rare balance of commercial and critical success."Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).