CLAIRE MARTIN - Continuing To Swing & Believin' It
With the release of Believin' It, her twentieth album for Glasgow based Linn Records, it is difficult to remember a time when Claire Martin was not an integral part of the UK jazz scene.
Over the course of her career she has made consistently impressive albums that continue the lineage of the greats and show her command of the jazz language, while also demonstrating that that she acknowledges her influences but is indebted to no-one.
Through sheer determination and hard work she has a discography that reveals constant growth as an artist, always looking to push herself and her music to new heights, and has surpassed herself one again with this new album, and I was pleased to have the chance to talk to the singer about her latest recording and her new band.
With an international reputation, Claire's stature as one of our finest singers is now firmly established. So much so that the American publication Jazz Times recently declared that "She ranks as one of the top four or five female jazz vocalists on the planet". Resisting the temptation to ask Claire who she thought might have been in second, third and fourth place, and sparing her blushes I ask her instead about the new album which has a remarkable freshness and originality that hints at a new direction in her music. "The recording is a collection of songs I’ve been singing with the band for about the last year now" replies Claire. "It’s my usual approach, a few well known standards and then a mix of everything I love with a smattering of completely new material. This is the first time in a long time I have recorded my own lyrics which is quite a bit deal for me as it’s not my strongest point. I’m grateful Pat Metheny agreed to me using them to his tune ‘Timeline’. The freshness I think is down to the fact that we are a ‘young’ band in as far as we are only a couple of years into playing together and we are exploring some nice dynamics together and I appreciate their attention to detail and form."
Over the course of her career she has made consistently impressive albums that continue the lineage of the greats and show her command of the jazz language, while also demonstrating that that she acknowledges her influences but is indebted to no-one.
Through sheer determination and hard work she has a discography that reveals constant growth as an artist, always looking to push herself and her music to new heights, and has surpassed herself one again with this new album, and I was pleased to have the chance to talk to the singer about her latest recording and her new band.
With an international reputation, Claire's stature as one of our finest singers is now firmly established. So much so that the American publication Jazz Times recently declared that "She ranks as one of the top four or five female jazz vocalists on the planet". Resisting the temptation to ask Claire who she thought might have been in second, third and fourth place, and sparing her blushes I ask her instead about the new album which has a remarkable freshness and originality that hints at a new direction in her music. "The recording is a collection of songs I’ve been singing with the band for about the last year now" replies Claire. "It’s my usual approach, a few well known standards and then a mix of everything I love with a smattering of completely new material. This is the first time in a long time I have recorded my own lyrics which is quite a bit deal for me as it’s not my strongest point. I’m grateful Pat Metheny agreed to me using them to his tune ‘Timeline’. The freshness I think is down to the fact that we are a ‘young’ band in as far as we are only a couple of years into playing together and we are exploring some nice dynamics together and I appreciate their attention to detail and form."
This attention to detail and form is immediately apparent in the meticulous arrangements by pianist, Martin Sjöstedt, who is also the perfect accompanist for Claire and a real find, so how did they meet and decide to team up? "I was asked to do a tour of Sweden with the American pianist Lynne Arriale and saxophonist Grace Kelly" explains Claire. "It was an all-female front line with Swedish bass and drums. Martin was the BASS player and Daniel Fredriksson was on drums. So we met then and did the tour with me thinking he was a great bass player, but then at Ronnie Scott’s one day during a soundcheck he started playing ‘Skylark’ on the piano and I was knocked out and surprised as I knew he was an arranger but didn’t know he played piano to such a high level. He’s supremely talented and such a wonderful pianist to sing with as he is very sensitive and subtle when required whilst being able to dig in and swing hard too. He truly is a find! As for the new band, I asked Martin and Daniel to do some gigs with me after the Lynne Arriale tour and it just grew from there. Adding Niklas Fernqvist on bass was the final cherry on the cake as they play a lot together in Sweden, so to me they sound so tight and connected and it makes the rehearsal process easier as they know each other so well. They have totally upped my game."
One of the attributes of the album is the range and diversity of the material, or as Claire elaborates, "We had too many songs when we went into the studio, so some didn’t make the record. I think it’s important to have the songs dearest to your heart at the time and also to always think about the pace for the listener. I was thrilled to have two new songs, Joe Locke’s ‘A Little More Each Day’ and Karin Krog’s ‘Cherry Tree Song’ to record, so they seemed really fresh and new me which is much better than having a dozen or so great versions by the greatest jazz singers of all time floating around your head! I must add that I do think Karin Krog is indeed one of the true greats of jazz singing and I am really inspired by her brilliant and enduring singing career."
One of the attributes of the album is the range and diversity of the material, or as Claire elaborates, "We had too many songs when we went into the studio, so some didn’t make the record. I think it’s important to have the songs dearest to your heart at the time and also to always think about the pace for the listener. I was thrilled to have two new songs, Joe Locke’s ‘A Little More Each Day’ and Karin Krog’s ‘Cherry Tree Song’ to record, so they seemed really fresh and new me which is much better than having a dozen or so great versions by the greatest jazz singers of all time floating around your head! I must add that I do think Karin Krog is indeed one of the true greats of jazz singing and I am really inspired by her brilliant and enduring singing career."
Photograph by Kenny McCracken
Two of the songs in particular, that did make it on to the record, are less than obvious choices but work brilliantly. I'm referring to a couple of chart topping songs from the seventies and eighties respectively in 'I'm Not In Love' by 10cc and 'Broken Wings' by Mr Mister, so is there a particular story behind these song choices, I ask? "I loved these songs when they first came out - especially ‘I’m Not In Love’ which I remember at the tender age of about 10 or 11 singing along to!" admits Claire "I think I’m just keen to try and make something of my personal favourite songs even if they are not in the jazz cannon. Martin really should take all the credit as his arranging skills made these two songs work."
As always when new musical relationships are formed the question is always how sustainable it is to keep the trio together as a working group, something that the singer is keen to do. "I really hope I can and I have plans to go there in February to do a tour with them in THEIR homeland! It’s just a case of expenses really as flights and instrument hire adds up and the venues are usually stretched anyway. But now they have gone, I miss them. Luckily I have the great pleasure of some with work with pianist Nikki Iles coming up and she really is one of the best in the business and a singers dream as she is very in tune with lyrics and dynamics. Nikki and I will be celebrating the music of the great Bill Evans at the Pizza Express in Soho in August, as it would be his 90th birthday. I’ve inventively called those gigs Happy Birthday Bill! Also the wonderful young arranger Callum Au has his album coming out in February which I was guest vocalist on, so that’s going to be an exciting time as he really is an awesome talent and I can’t wait to see what this album does for him. I also am very lucky to be working in duo situations with Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw - both of whom I idolise" enthuses Claire.
As always when new musical relationships are formed the question is always how sustainable it is to keep the trio together as a working group, something that the singer is keen to do. "I really hope I can and I have plans to go there in February to do a tour with them in THEIR homeland! It’s just a case of expenses really as flights and instrument hire adds up and the venues are usually stretched anyway. But now they have gone, I miss them. Luckily I have the great pleasure of some with work with pianist Nikki Iles coming up and she really is one of the best in the business and a singers dream as she is very in tune with lyrics and dynamics. Nikki and I will be celebrating the music of the great Bill Evans at the Pizza Express in Soho in August, as it would be his 90th birthday. I’ve inventively called those gigs Happy Birthday Bill! Also the wonderful young arranger Callum Au has his album coming out in February which I was guest vocalist on, so that’s going to be an exciting time as he really is an awesome talent and I can’t wait to see what this album does for him. I also am very lucky to be working in duo situations with Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw - both of whom I idolise" enthuses Claire.
As well as touring and recording, nurturing, encouraging and offering advice to up and coming musicians is another passion that is close to Claire' heart and she co-runs a company that does just that, as she explains. "Well Versed is the company that my friend Elaine Crouch and I have set up to help musicians and people in the arts. Between us we have a broad range of information to pass on and share. We work from home or go into colleges and music schools or we can do one to one consultation which Elaine is particularly brilliant on as she is a very successful business woman and also she is a singer too. We are building our brand slowly and are pleased with where it’s at right now. There’s a lot of younger musicians coming out of music colleges who need a steer!
For more information about Well Versed and Claire Martin visit
www.clairemartinjazz.co.uk
Click on the album cover to read our review of Believin' It
For more information about Well Versed and Claire Martin visit
www.clairemartinjazz.co.uk
Click on the album cover to read our review of Believin' It
