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Sarah J Hyland – Helm Bar

Australian jazz singer Sarah J Hyland marks her anticipated return to Sydney with a string of engagements at Helm Bar in Cockle Bay, playing each Sunday in December from 3-6pm. Hyland has newly returned from New York City, having brought her original debut album, "A Girl Like Me", to a roundup of prestigious jazz and live music venues around Manhattan in order to make her first inroads into the US market. Notable appearances included packed-house performances at Greenwich Village's legendary The Bitter End, the Lower East Side's Rockwood Music Hall and Washington Square's Zinc Bar. At Nolita's Eight Mile Creek, she took advantage of a visit by award-winning Australian bass player and Thirsty Merc band member Phil Stack, who joined her on stage in a unique trio, which also included The Hipstones' singer-piano player Mark Palmer. At Helm, Hyland will not only be playing songs from her album, but will also be debuting new material written in New York that will be the foundation for her follow-up album.

Sarah J Hyland: Betty Boop meets Billie Holliday

Melding traditional jazz influences with pop and blues, folk storytelling, jive and subtle R&B beats, Sarah J Hyland is bringing a new twist to jazz music with her release of “A Girl Like Me”. The album recounts Sarah’s exploration of relationships and the ups and downs that stem from each experience. The resulting songs take the listener on an emotional journey that ranges from despair to irony, frustration to self-effacing silliness.

“The album covers serious experiences, but does it in a very playful way musically,” says Sarah. The Hunter Valley native launched her professional career in Sydney and then broadened her repertoire in New York. “It’s serious fun because I wanted it to be musically light-hearted, even though some of the topics were quite painful for me at the time. The songs cover difficult topics that anyone can relate to, especially love and loss, but there’s always humour that comes out of the carnage.”

Sarah's self-penned lyrics are matched with the serious chops and composing skills of jazz guitarist David Longo. Together they have produced a collection of songs that blend honest lyrics with the serious sounds of Sarah's jazz quintet, including bassist Jonathan Brown, drummer Nic Cecire and keyboard virtuoso Gary Daley, who performs on piano, Rhodes, Hammond and accordion.

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