Sarah Sharp Quintet

Sarah Sharp plays The Elephant Room on Thursday, September 24, at 6 PM. She's an Austin jazz vocalist who's become a regular at the venue, and this is her quintet leading the night.

If you're not familiar with her work, it's a good place to start. She sings with a soft-spoken style and keeps the instrumentation quiet, and NPR's All Songs Considered put it well: it's "a living room, fireside closeness that keeps her away from the lounge-singer stereotypes of similarly jazz-influenced performers." It's the kind of set that asks you to lean in and listen rather than just have it as background music.

She's not doing this solo. The quintet brings in John Fremgen, Masumi Jones, Oliver Steck, and Mitch Watkins to fill out the sound. With four musicians backing her, there's enough room for the arrangements to breathe without losing that quiet, close-up feel she's known for. The Elephant Room has a long history of hosting her, and they've noted they've been lucky to be part of it.

It's a Thursday night, so it's an early one: 6 PM at The Elephant Room in Austin.