Sarah Saul Combo plays at the Jazz Station in Eugene
- Sarah Saul vocals
- Cliff Jetton brass
- Joel Hoffman guitar
- Oren Sreenby bass
Vocalist Sarah Saul grew up in Portland, Oregon, and is the youngest of three sisters. Sarah was fortunate to have been born into a musically talented family where music was in every corner of the house. Sarah began her vocal career at age 5. Soon after, she began tap dance lessons with Cindy Brenn so that she could accompany herself with dance as she sang. Tap dancing opened up rhythmic avenues for Sarah that would not have existed, and she attributes all of her rhythmic expression to the dance form. Sarah's first jazz combo was the The Saultry Trio formed in 2013. This trio was a formative step in Sarah's musical career and she is grateful for the lessons it has taught her. The Saultry Trio has performed all over the state of Oregon and still makes appearances today with a variety of musicians. Sarah continues to work with many artists throughout the Pacific Northwest and has spent the last few years expanding her musicianship with Wild Rose, Sarah Saul Combo, and Tin Can Alley.
Brass player Cliff Jetton has been an Oregonian for 40 years and has played in several ensembles in Portland and in the Willamette Valley - combo and big band jazz, pop, rock, blues and latin. His love and passion for music go back to having piano lessons from his mother, and switching to trumpet at age 10. The Sarah Saul Combo's newest member, he is delighted with the group's focus on the Great American Songbook, and enjoys their bringing to light some of the lesser known gems from that era. Cliff and his wife live in McMinnville. They have three grown sons, (one a recent newlywed!)
Joel Hoffman is a native of Oakland, CA, where he began playing guitar as an 8 year old in group lessons at a park recreation center. Music has always played an important role in his life, and he's always sought opportunities to collaborate with other musicians. Joel became intrigued with Jazz music as an early teen after discovering the great Bay Area jazz station KJAZ. He continued that fascination studying music theory, performing in high school and university jazz ensembles and seeking out good teachers, like Mimi Fox and Randy Vincent. Joel has performed in the SF Bay Area with funk, ska and rock and jazz groups. Living in Kansas City for 5 years was an enriching and challenging musical environment. Kansas City has a rich jazz history, and performance standards there are high. Soon after relocating to Oregon in 2018, Joel was fortunate to make contact with the musicians that now are in the Sarah Saul Combo. Joel loves exploring musical improvisation and playing the repertoire of jazz standards from the "Great American Songbook," and is happy to know and play with the musicians in the Sarah Saul Combo.
Bassist Oren Sreebny began his musical career in Bellingham, Washington, playing with the legendary punk band Art Object and local rock favorites Wet Paint before joining popular R&B outfit Eddie and the Atlantics, who toured widely across the Northwest during the 1980s. In the early ‘90s he played with Washington, DC based swing and blues singer Laurel Blaydes before returning to Seattle, where he worked steadily with jazz trio Whispering Johnson and klezmer favorites the Klez Katz. He spent 2010-2018 living in Chicago, where he played regularly as a freelance jazz bassist, played Western Swing with the Howdy Neighbors, and helped found fusion band Groove Alley. Oren currently lives in Salem, OR, where he plays with jazz singer Sarah Saul, New Orleans style R&B with the Meter Readers, and others.
