Singer-songwriter-composer-trumpeter Sarah Wilson—a Healdsburg native and Petaluma resident—celebrates her “defiantly buoyant music” from her new album “Incandescence” with a Valentine’s Day Album Release Concert on Saturday, February 14 at Della Fattoria in Petaluma.
The concert features her Bay Area ensemble Brass Tonic featuring alto saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, trombonist Mara Fox, guitarist John Schott, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and drummer Jason Levis.
Some may note that it’s perhaps unusual to see a female composer whose instrument is the trumpet but Wilson says it’s not as uncommon as one might think and that her journey started as a 10-year-old.
Wilson says, “I picked up the trumpet at Healdsburg Elementary School and continued through junior and high school playing in school bands led by Lew Sbrana, a legendary music teacher in the Healdsburg public school system. That was my first introduction to marching band music, which for me morphed later into a reverence for New Orleans street marching music.”
When asked what it was about the trumpet that excited her at this early age, she adds, “I was drawn to the trumpet because I grew up hearing live horn sections in pop music I was listening to, artists like Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire. The disco and funk eras had these incredible live horn sections and the trumpet in that music drew me right in. Most of the girls in my school headed for the flutes and clarinets, but I beelined to the trumpet” she laughs.
Wilson has certainly used her musicianship as a way to have a pretty amazing lifes journey thus far. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Anthropology, she joined Bread and Puppet Theater based in Vermont. After touring with that group for 2 years, she moved to New York City.
Wilson says, “I was living in New York City in the early 1990s and absorbed the Downtown Music scene where jazz and improvised music were flourishing. It was an incredibly dynamic, vibrant scene. I was going out to shows all the time and hearing [avant garde] Downtown Jazz artists like Henry Threadgill, Myra Melford, Steve Coleman and John Zorn but was also listening to a lot of Afro-Cuban music and even Eastern European folk music.” From there, she started studying with various trumpet teachers before landing a composing gig at Lincoln Center for the Arts. Wilson notes, “It was not a typical path of my colleagues who often came out of music conservatories.”
Also perhaps unusual is the choice of Petaluma’s fantastic bakery and café as the spot for an album release show. Wilson, who returned to the area in spring of 2024 says, “I live in Petaluma and love Della Fattoria. Not only is it a great bakery and restaurant but has such a great vibe. They’re hosting curated music concerts every so often so it’s an honor to be able to perform here. I also have childhood connections to staff so it feels like family to me.”
The choice for a Valentine’s Day Show also came together fairly naturally after Wilson was approached by Della Fattoria owners. Wilson says they “approached me about playing a gig and Valentine’s Day naturally fell to the top of our list. Why not? Let’s celebrate how much we love music on a holiday of love.” She adds “also, it’s a great activity for Valentine’s Day which is so ripe for expectation and pressure. Instead, come sit with us, escape to a magical place, go on a musical journey.”
Tickets for the event are on sale now for $49.87 and there will be beer, wine and light snacks. For more information, visit sarahwilsonmusic.com
