Every so often you meet someone who reminds you it’s never too late to follow the path that was waiting for you all along. For me, Sally Terrell is one of those artists.
Her story begins just a few miles from here, in nearby Youngstown, where a little girl sat beside her father at the piano. He was a classically trained pianist and a devoted jazz fan, and he introduced her to Gershwin, Erroll Garner, Sarah Vaughan, Julie London — music that quietly shaped the rest of her life. It didn’t take him long to realize his youngest daughter could play and sing by ear.
Life had other plans first. Sally spent nearly three decades as a college professor, teaching literature and writing. But music never left — it waited. And eventually she decided to embrace the calling that had been there all along.
That’s part of why her performances feel so honest. Sally isn’t trying to become a jazz singer. She simply is one. You hear it in the warmth of her vocals, the ease of her phrasing, the way she trusts a song enough to let it unfold rather than force it. That trust is the mark of someone who understands jazz from the inside.
She’s also kept growing as an artist. Her debut, Just in Time, introduced a vocalist with a real affection for the Great American Songbook — someone who could bring warmth and honesty to the standards while hinting at her own songwriting. Then came Feel Alive, written during the uncertainty of the pandemic. Instead of another set of standards, Sally chose to say something personal: the title track sits with isolation and doubt, and still chooses hope. She wove originals in among carefully chosen standards, and the record ended up feeling deeply personal while staying rooted in the language of jazz. It showed a new side of her — not just an interpreter, but a songwriter with something to say.
That willingness to keep discovering her own voice is one of the reasons people should hear her.
It shows up, too, in how she moves between languages — English, Portuguese, French — always finding the heart of the song underneath. She reminds us that jazz isn’t only about pretty melodies or clever harmony. At its best, it’s about connection between people.
And that’s part of why this performance means something. This isn’t just another stop on tour. It’s a homecoming — a return to the community where her musical journey started. There’s something moving about watching an artist perform in the place that first nurtured their dreams. It’s proof that remarkable talent can come from small towns, patient encouragement, and a lifelong love of music.
On Saturday, August 29 at 2:00 pm, Sally Terrell returns to the Lewiston Jazz Festival. Whether you’ve followed her for years or you’re hearing her for the first time tonight, I think you’ll find an artist whose music carries warmth, grace, and real joy.
You’ll hear timeless songs. You’ll hear a beautiful voice. And you’ll be reminded that the dreams we carry the longest are often the ones most worth following.
