Sarah Jarosz - Blue Heron Suite

Following up her most recent Grammy-winning album, World On The Ground, Jarosz has announced the release of Blue Heron Suite, a much-anticipated song cycle which she composed after being the recipient of the FreshGrass Composition Commission. Jarosz premiered the piece at the 2017 FreshGrass Festival at Mass MoCa in North Adams, MA. The commission proved to be an exciting musical challenge for Jarosz, and she ended up with a song cycle inspired by the frequent trips she and her parents made to Port Aransas, a small town on the Gulf Coast of Texas, a few hours from her hometown of Wimberley.

2017 had proven to be an emotional year for Jarosz — her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and the town of Port Aransas was severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Those two events caused Jarosz to think back to the early morning walks she and her mom would take along Mustang Island beach, and the Great Blue Herons they observed along the shore. The birds came to be a symbol of hope for her family during a difficult time, and they continue to remind her of family and home.

Thankfully, her mom is now in remission and Port Aransas is on the mend, but for Jarosz, Blue Heron Suite still encapsulates many of the feelings associated with that time and “serves as a quiet acknowledgment of life’s many uncertainties… and that you can always work to try to face the highs and lows with grace and strength.” Blue Heron Suite was recorded December 17-21, 2018 at Reservoir Studios in New York City. Jarosz is joined by Jeff Picker on bass and Jefferson Hamer on guitar and harmony vocals.