Biography


Hollywood loves this kind of stuff: A young musician plays in a local orchestra-for-hire backing up a famous guest artist. After the show, she finds his manager backstage and asks to audition for his full-time touring band. The manager kindly turns her away: “We’re not looking for anyone right now.” The upstart persists: “That was me playing trombone for him tonight.” The manager is astonished: A lady playing trombone! “That was you?” Two weeks later, unknown Sarah Morrow is invited to join the touring orchestra for the legendary Ray Charles.

Sarah has appeared as a headliner and as a guest performer at jazz festivals throughout the world. Her 2006 performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC prompted a standing ovation just 20 minutes into her group’s set. This recorded concert was chosen to represent live jazz music in America for the NPR World Special “Washington DC: A City of Music.”

Sarah was awarded the Guinness Jazz Festival 2005 Rising Star Award during Ireland’s stay as the cultural capital of the European Union; A Key to the City of Montmelian, France; and is a 2007 winner of the Chamber music America/FACE French American Exchange grant awarded for advancement of science in music.  In between tours, Sarah is proud to work as a clinician and guest soloist for junior high, high school and universities around the world.  She also serves as a cultural envoi for Africa Regional Services of the US State Department, visiting countries such as Madagascar, Benin and Togo. Sarah is endorsed by the Getzen Company, Inc. located and manufactured in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  She is one of Getzen’s most requested Artist in Residence clinicians and travels worldwide performing on her Getzen model 3508Y trombone.   

Sarah’s latest, most adventurous solo project—the revolutionary Elektric Air—due out in Spring 2012, is Sarah’s fourth release as a leader and features pianist Robert Glasper (Mos Def, QTip), drummer Chris Dave (Maxwell) and DJ Qmillion (Toni Braxton, E-40, Juelz Santana).   

As legendary jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller says, “Sarah Morrow IS the new voice of this Era.  Her Elektric Air cd inspires ME.”

Trombonist/composer/lyricist/producer Sarah Morrow broke into the international jazz scene in 1995 as the first female instrumentalist to join Ray Charles’ all-star orchestra. After touring with Charles for two years, she joined a three-horn section in a funk group led by former Miles Davis lead bassist Foley. She has since recorded and toured with many great artists, including Dee Dee Bridgewater, David Murray, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, organist Rhoda Scott, tenor sax legends Pee Wee Ellis and Hal “Cornbread” Singer, the American All-Stars in Paris, The Mingus Tribute featuring Mingus alumni Ted Curson and Ricky Ford, French star Anne Ducros, and currently tours with  funk legend Bootsy Collins, New Orleans R & B icon Dr. John as well as with her own band. Most recently this “SuperStar of the Trombone” collaborated with Dr. John as arranger and co-producer of his upcoming cd release.      

Born in Houston, Texas, Sarah grew up in Pickerington, Ohio (not far from the Columbus birthplace of Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Harry “Sweets” Edison), excelling on trombone in her school bands. After getting a degree in communications summa cum laude from Ohio University and working briefly in arts administration, she decided to pursue her passion for jazz. It was three years later, while backing up Ray Charles as a substitute trombonist in the Dayton Philharmonic, that she impressed the iconic pianist/singer and was soon invited to join his touring orchestra. 

After touring for two years with Charles, Sarah spent the next 12 years based in Paris, France, releasing three critically acclaimed CDs and establishing herself at the forefront of the European jazz scene—combining straight-ahead jazz with swing, blues, soul and hip-hop to create a unique voice that advances the genre as well as the possibilities of her instrument, while staying firmly rooted in tradition.