Montreal Jazz Festival: Rebecca and Larry Concert Review on Radio France.

/in /by

Alex Dutilh of Radio France had this to say about Rebecca and Larry’s performance in Montreal:

“The pleasure of creative festivals: find what is expected where not expected, and vice versa. For example on Tuesday evening July 3, after an exuberant James Carter and his organ quartet at Club Soda, I was spinning away from the Place des Arts to get to the Upstairs, to one of the warmest jazz clubs on the planet. The day before, the organist Dr. Lonnie Smith Jr. had set fire to the venue. Today, luxury and pleasure.

They are husband and wife. The singer and guitarist Rebecca Martin, accompanied by Larry Grenadier on bass. An album on Sunnyside presented the trio with sax Bill McHenry. This time, the original songs and standards (which she prefers to call ‘elders’) are presented “naked”.

With her eyes half closed, a resonant voice  and intimacy and confidence: Rebecca helps us to understand the backbone of the songs by giving then expressive dimension. Larry Grenadier, extends the guitar and hugs and rushes the voice of his companion. Total humility and elegance. However, this apparent simplicity is just a tremendous science. Inspiration without asperities, improvisation on a fragile thread of no return.

Joel, the owner of Upstairs beamed: 20 minutes walk from the heart of the festival, the club is filled to the brim with an incredibly friendly public silences and resonances. The club is in his image.”

Visit this LINK for more.

Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier Receive Rave Reviews fresh off of their Montreal Jazz Festival Peformance

/in , /by

Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier’s intimate performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival received critics picks throughout along with this glowing concert review from one of Canada’s most revered music critic Alain Brunet – revealing what is to come in 2013.

“In the circles of Jazz in New York, the singer (Rebecca Martin) has had critical success. Her approval rating has risen steadily over recent years, and for good reason. In Montreal, however, she still remains a secret … I will not keep it to myself.  Count me in!”    Alain Brunet, La Presse – Canada

For more, follow this link:  JAZZ FOR HUSBAND AND WIFE FOR THE BEST.  A husband and wife may share the stage. Sometimes for the worse: lather the weak part of the couple on an artistic level.  Sometimes for the better: two beings of equal value to extend their marital bond. For Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier unquestionably fall into the second category.

Rebecca Martin is nominated best female Jazz singer by the Jazz Journalist Association.

/in , /by


Rebecca Martin was nominated best female Jazz singer of the year by the Jazz Journalist Association. She shares the honor with singers Cassandra Wilson, Gretchen Parlato, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Roberta Gambarini. To see the complete list, click on this LINK.

New York Times: “Spare Vocals Illuminate Emotions Underneath”

/in /by

Read this recent music review of Rebecca Martin by Nate Chinen in the New York Times. Here is an excerpt:

“As jazz singers go, Rebecca Martin exudes the plainest sort of poise, almost radical in its utter lack of flash. When she wasn’t cradling an acoustic guitar on Thursday night at the Cornelia Street Café, she held her arms clasped behind her back, as if to make sure they wouldn’t be a distraction. She sang quietly, favoring slow tempos.

Her embellishments registered on the granular level, in the placement of a phrase or a light catch in her throat. She was unerringly faithful to the melodies of the songs, both standards and originals, but at her best she made them seem less like songs than like articulations of her state of mind….”

The New York Times Raves….twice in a week.

/in , , , /by

The New York Times gives enthusiastic reviews of Rebecca Martin’s new album “When I Was Long Ago”, and  in support of her next live performance in New York City on Thursday, December 16th 2010.  Showtimes are 7:30pm and 9:30pm at the JAZZ STANDARD. For tickets, visit this LINK.‎

“The jazz singer Rebecca Martin can sing slow swing with a supreme sense of centering around the pulse, re-designing melodies and making her voice crinkle at emotional points. And when the drumming goes away completely, she grows stronger…the musicians give her molasses swing and empathy and lots of empty space, and she takes care of the rest.”

 Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

“On her gorgeously intimate new album ‘When I Was Long Ago’ the singer Rebecca Martin addresses a program of jazz standards as if sifting through treasured momentos”.

 Nate Chinen, New York Times

Michel Contat Gives ‘When I Was Long Ago’ Four Stars in Telerama, France

/in /by

“When I Was Long Ago” was given a four star review by the important writer Michel Contat in Telerama Magazine  today.

You can read it by following this LINK