As a singer-songwriter, Rebecca Martin enjoys a solid reputation among listeners and within the industry that is firmly built upon albums of original songs. Almost as notable as Martin’s singing and songwriting is her creative way in organizing sessions and live performances with some of the best musicians in jazz today.
So it’s no surprise that Martin’s last album, “The Growing Season” (2008, Sunnyside Records) featured notables such as guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Brian Blade. The record garnered high praise, and was selected as a critic’s pick in The New York Times. As a result of these unique abilities, Martin was invited to headline a full week at the Village Vanguard in New York City, a rare event, making her the first singer-songwriter to play in the legendary venue in more than 30 years.
But as strong as Martin is at crafting her own songs, her intimate take on standards are unmatched. The Guardian said on her singing standards, “….the young singer, Rebecca Martin, may even come to upstage Norah Jones and Madeline Peyroux…”. Subsequently, Martin’s eighth recording is a collection of a dozen standards recorded in a most refreshing and exciting way.
“This particular concept began when I had the chance to record with Paul Motian,” Martin says, recalling the genesis of her soon-to-be release record. “Suggesting that I sing standards without a chordal player would make the melody and lyrics stand out, giving the listener the song in a most authentic fashion. I could hardly wait to try it.”
In November of 2005, at eight months pregnant, Martin met up with Paul, Chris Potter and Larry Grenadier at Avatar studios in New York City to sing eight songs for what would become Paul’s fourth in a series called “On Broadway” for Winter and Winter Records. She was the first singer ever to be asked by the drummer to join him on one of his record dates. They followed it up with several weeks at the Village Vanguard as well as a premiere at Carnegie Hall.
“I wanted to do a record of standards in a similar way with my trio,” Martin explains. “Being a songwriter, my approach is always to do my best to try to relay the essence of another’s song. On this set, I searched for the first vocal performances. That way, I could be certain that the melodies, lyrics and harmony were as close as possible to the author’s original intent. It’s a true honor to sing a song that spans 75-plus years. This is very much an ancestral project and these are tunes from our elders, so to speak. Working this way created a transparency for me so that the emotion of the song would be able to resonate instantly with the listener.”
Her new recording which will be released on Sunnyside Records (USA) and Video Arts (Japan), a stellar and adventuresome album, is filled with classics that include ‘Lush Life’, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ and ‘But Not For Me’ along with some obscure gems such as ‘Cheer Up Charlie’, ‘No Moon At All’ and ‘Kentucky Babe’. The record features Tenor Saxophonist Bill McHenry (Guillermo Klein/Paul Motian) and Bassist Larry Grenadier (The Brad Mehldau Trio/Pat Metheny).
“I have wished to make a record live to two track while implementing older recording techniques.” Rebecca says. “It certainly pushes you to become a better singer and storyteller.”
Recorded by legendary engineer James Farber and done at the Clubhouse Recording Studio in Rhinebeck, New York, everything was in place for the best possible results.
“James and I first met back when I was in the group Once Blue with Jesse Harris. I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to create my last three recordings with him. James is one of my band members. I can’t imagine doing anything without him”.
The new album will be released in late summer 2010 and Rebecca will tour throughout the US, Europe, Japan and other far and away places.
