I recently caught up with Sari Schorr to talk about her new album with Robin Trower, Joyful Sky, plus her approach to songwriting and her social activism. Sari is on tour with The Sweet in the United Kingdom and was on her way to Scotland to do a gig of her own there. She was quite excited about being there.
“It’s great here,” she told me. “I love touring here because the people are just so open-hearted and they embrace the music.”
Sari was equally excited about working with Robin Trower, although she had to get over the initial fear of “recording with a living legend.” Robin has been making music since at least 1962 when he formed the Paramounts and came into prominence after joining Procol Harum in 1967. His output of albums and the artists he has played with has been almost non-stop ever since.
“I have to admit I am usually relaxed about working with different artists,” she said. “With Robin I felt the pressure of honoring his legacy.”
Robin, however, was very enthusiastic about working with Sari.
According to Sari, “Robin had heard I was working on a solo album. He reached out and said he would love to contribute a couple of songs for the record.”
The chemistry seemed to be there right from the start. After going into the studio and working on a couple of the songs Robin wrote, he took Sari aside and told her, “If you want to make a world class album together, let’s do it!”
Robin’s offer completely caught Sari by surprise. But Robin soon began to send her song lyrics and each one was better than the last. She kept waiting for a song that would disappoint her but it never came. “The fact that lyrically he could write from my perspective and allow me to be so comfortable inside those lyrics, it was like he got inside my head,” she told me. “That made it easy when I went to record the songs because Robin is a guy who likes a one take performance.”
Sari chose the song she thought was the most challenging to begin their recording session. The song she chose was “I’ll Be Moving On” because “there were so many different ways to express that song.” Robin’s one bit of advice to her was “Just do your thing!” The result was just a natural process. The result was a song that is rich in a soulful, bluesy sound.
The title track, “Joyful Sky,” sounds like a theme from a James Bond movie only a bit edgier and bluesier. “Burn” has an expressive and mournful sound to it.
All in all, the album has a very organic and natural feel to it, underscoring the depth and diversity of the collaboration. Perhaps that is due to the approach each artist takes to songwriting. Robin Trower wrote all songs on the album but his approach is not that much different from Sari Schorr’s.
“I think this is where a lot of younger artist’s kind of miss the mark,” Sari said. “They think that really impressive riffs and solos are going to be enough to make a great song. But the foundation is the song. What is the message? How are you connecting with the listener? What value are you delivering to the song? And Robin understands that.”
Sari was effusive in her praise of Robin and spoke less about her contributions to the album. She talked at length about the importance of empathy and being open to new experiences in the writing and recording process. “To truly experience life, you have to be open,” she believes. “You have to allow it to messy. You can’t hide, not even from your own personal pain.”
Sari is a powerful singer and an inspired songwriter, yet the one aspect of her persona that perhaps is not touted enough is her philanthropy and social activism. Her mother instilled the value of helping those less fortunate at an early age. As Sari told it, “From the time I was very, very young, my mother had my sisters, brother, and I volunteer in the community. We volunteered at a children’s hospital where (at Christmas time) I would dress up as Frosty the Snowman and go through the children’s wards singing Christmas Carols.”
The memories she has from her volunteer work are pleasant and important to her. In her words, those experiences and memories bring balance to her life. Creating positive energy through a smile, a pleasant word, or a brief conversation with someone who is otherwise invisible can make a difference in someone’s day.
Sari Schorr will participate in the July 2024 Empire State Ride to raise money to fund lifesaving cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY.
“I am one of the crazy cyclists who ride from Staten Island to the Canadian border at Niagara Falls,” she informed me. “I have done three of these rides. And I have ridden with riders – 540 miles – who are cancer survivors because of Roswell Park.”
We will be following up with Sari in a few months to find how she is making out with her ride. It is also worth noting Sari participated in the “Toast to Freedom” project for Amnesty International and humanitarian efforts in Haiti and India.
“I Will Always Be Your Shelter,” the final track, certainly had to resonate with Sari when Robin sent it to her for consideration. With lyrics like, “I’m your light across the water when you’re far from the shore,” it captures her views and spirit. The same can be said of “The Distance,” the first track released from the album. “Always made a brave attempt to plough my share of the land” seems to fit Sari like a glove.
Given the empathetic nature of their collaboration on Joyful Sky, is another album under consideration? “Yeah, we’re talking about it.” The excitement at the possibility was perceptible in Sari’s voice. “We had both put our solo albums on hold to do this collaborative album. So Robin is now back in the studio doing his solo album. I’m working on my solo album. So after that we just have to find a point in time where our schedules cooperate with each other.”
Finding time for collaboration is always the challenge. Still, given the experience in making Joyful Sky a future collaboration would seem to be all but a sure thing. One we all look forward to.
