Rebecca’s Collaborative Group TILLERY Live in LA, CA (9/25/13)
/in Live Performances /by rebeccamartinWatch Rebecca Martin’s collaborative group TILLERY (Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens) perform live at Blue Whale in LA, CA. The three perform “Tillery” written by Becca Stevens with poetry by Jane Tyson Clement and Becca Stevens.
TILLERY will head into the studio in January, 2014. Recorded by Pete Rende.
TWAIN is chosen best of 2013 in Jazz on iTunes.
/in Notable Press /by rebeccamartinTWAIN is selected as one of the 10 best Jazz albums of 2013 by the editors of iTunes!
TWAIN Catapults to #1 in Jazz in France. Martin Featured on Art of the Song Nationwide on Public Radio. West Coast Performance in August.
/in Albums, Live Performances, Newsletters, Notable Press, Performances, Workshops /by rebeccamartinRebecca Martin’s latest recording TWAIN, a collaboration with longtime partner bassist Larry Grenadier and produced by Pete Rende was catapulted to the #1 spot in Jazz in France on iTunes and Amazon. Revered music critic MICHEL CONTAT who writes for Telerama France, one of the largest publications in the country, gives the album four stars:
“TWAIN: The miraculous alchemy between a singer and bass player”
Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier are a couple who play together and separately, as he is also known for his key role as bassist in the famous Brad Mehldau Trio. We were introduced to them together through their enchanting disc When I Was Long Ago” (2010 Sunnyside), where the famous singer totally reinterpreted standards with a spell singing verses rarely included in the reference versions. This time, the deputy is a pianist and a drummer, and the very discreet duo assert a familiar song (“Sophisticated Lady”) with others that are all original that sound old and with a unique intimate beauty. We cannot overstate the importance of sincerity, as with Rebecca Martin, it is built entirely in art. Her voice is that of the love and confidence of maternal comfort. How the bass lines support is love itself. Such a disk is something miraculous in the avalanche of vocal jazz. – Michel Contat
Earlier this year, NATE CHINEN of the New York Times featured Martin in a full page Arts & Leisure piece titled “A Voice That Leaps Between Genres” proclaiming her work as an inspiration to a generation of jazz singers.
“Ms. Martin is a vocalist with an earnest and unaffected style and a songwriter of unforced insight…the new album also highlights a shift toward original material and folky ambience by a generation of singers, some of whom see Ms. Martin as a touchstone.” – Nate Chinen
Her sensitivity through singing, songs and a long standing commitment to community organizing landed her a spot as featured artist on Art of the Song, the public radio program heard nationwide over 150 stations. This hour long program celebrates the creativity of musicians who they believe are a ‘profound agent for community and for change.’ Listen here.
Fans on the West Coast in August will have the opportunity to hear Martin and Grenadier who will both be teaching in SAN FRANCISCO, CA at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and performing in LOS ANGELES, CA at THE BLUE WHALE located at 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka Street Suite 301 LA, CA on Saturday, August 10th. Doors at 8:00pm with a showtime at 9:00pm. Tickets are $15. Visit www.bluewhalemusic.com for more information.
Rebecca Martin’s Group TILLERY with Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens Offer Workshops and Masterclasses in 2013
/in Education /by rebeccamartinTILLERY, a collaboration between Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens is pleased to announce two unique study opportunities, a mix of masterclasses and workshops being offered this year on the West coast. They are open to all musicians and creatives no matter your instrument. Please have a look below and write to Rebecca Martin at rebecca@larreccamusic.com with any questions.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Sunday, September 22th, 2013 (Workshop)
TILLERY is pleased to visit the Jazzschool in San Francisco this fall! The Jazzschool is an innovative nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and performance of jazz — America’s indigenous art form —and related styles of music from around the world. Founded in 1997, the Jazzschool is located in the historic Kress Building at Shattuck and Addison, in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District. The Jazzschool is part of a vibrant East Bay arts community that includes the Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre, East Bay Media Center and renowned Cal Performances at the University of California. Hailed as one of the nation’s most comprehensive centers for jazz studies, the Jazzschool offers instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages and skill levels a broad spectrum of performance ensembles, lectures, workshops and private instruction. Courses are designed for the professional musician, the serious student and the jazz aficionado seeking personal enrichment. A multi-faceted institution, the Jazzschool comprises several key components.
WHAT
The Jazzschool hosts a full day Workshop with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY
WHERE
JAZZSCHOOL
2087 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA. 94704
WHEN
Sunday, September 22nd, 2013
10:00am – 4:30pm
COST
$150 per participant
DETAILS
For more information, contact:
info@jazzschool.org or call 510/845-5373
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LOS ANGELES, CA: Tuesday, September 24th, 2013 (Masterclass)
We are really excited to partner up with Gretchen’s sister Heather Parlato and the space that she helps to program called ‘Betalevel’. This hip ‘rough and tumble’ venue is described as ‘part studio, part club, part stage, and part screen; Betalevel is located in a basement in Chinatown, Los Angeles, and plays host to various media events such as screenings, performances, classes, lectures, debates, dances, readings, and tournaments. Its members are artists, programmers, writers, musicians, designers, agit-propers, filmmakers, and reverse-engineers.’
It’s best to locate the space by clicking on the link to ‘directions’ below – as the door is somewhat hidden behind Hill Street. Don’t worry. We’ll give you a number to call after you register just in case (“Don’t worry, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” I’ve always wanted to use that somewhere) – so join us for an evening masterclass session!
“The Methods, Process and Practice in Singing and Songwriting“ A masterclass with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY – “The Methods, process and practice in Singing and Songwriting” will take participants on a journey through the musical paths and varied songwriting methods of Tillery’s Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. This revealing workshop will enlighten and inspire through a range of topics that include early musical experiences, writers block, breakthroughs, connecting your creative work to your daily life and finding your true voice. During the session, participants will be led through several unique songwriting processes with hands on writing and composing exercises done individually and in collective groups. Guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing!
WHAT
“The Methods, Process and Practice in Singing and Songwriting” Workshop with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY
WHERE
Betalevel
963 N. Hill Street (right behind)
in Chinatown
LA, CA
DIRECTIONS
WHEN
Tuesday, September 24th, 2013
6:00pm – 9:00pm
COST
$90 per participant
DETAILS
The workshop is open to all participants 16 or older. All levels welcome.
Be on the look out for an email from us shortly after you register.
Sponsored by Larrecca Music, Inc.
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Rebecca Martin and TWAIN Featured in New York Times. Martin a ‘touchstone’ to a generation of jazz singers for singing and songwriting.
/in Albums, Live Performances, Notable Press, Record Release /by rebeccamartinKINGSTON, N.Y. — A New York Times Sunday Arts & Leisure piece written by Nate Chinen was published this weekend on Rebecca Martin and her upcoming release TWAIN on Sunnyside Records (available nationwide on Tuesday, March 26th). “Ms. Martin is a vocalist with an earnest and unaffected style and a songwriter of unforced insight; Mr. Grenadier, her husband, is in the top tier of jazz bassists. Together they made Ms. Martin’s new album, “Twain,” due out on Sunnyside on Tuesday, in cloistered intimacy, recording a dozen of her songs with no initial accompaniment other than upright bass (his) and fingerpicked acoustic guitar (hers).”
“… the new album also highlights a shift toward original material and folky ambiance by a generation of jazz singers, some of whom see Ms. Martin as a touchstone. Among them are Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens, with whom Ms. Martin formed a collective called Tillery two years ago, after they struck an instant chemistry late one evening around her dinner table. “She’s been a great guide and mentor and sister in my songwriting,” said Ms. Parlato, who won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition in 2004 but hadn’t written her own songs before befriending Ms. Martin.”
“…And, perhaps most of all, Ms. Martin’s songs, which have long dwelled in implication, creating a vivid emotional climate without divulging many details. One reason younger songwriters admire Ms. Martin may be that she writes from a place of genuine interiority; another is that her melodies and her lyrics feel so naturally enmeshed.”
Singer and Songwriter Rebecca Martin Discusses the Lyrics on TWAIN, Community and Collaborations.
/in Albums, Live Performances, Record Release /by rebeccamartinSinger and Songwriter Rebecca Martin Discusses the Lyrics on TWAIN, Community and Collaborations.
Along with release of TWAIN on March 26, Martin looks ahead to performing with her trio TILLERY that features GRETCHEN PARLATO and BECCA STEVENS at the Kennedy Center for the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival In May
Kingston, NY – “I get all of my material for and emotional connection to the songs I write or interpret these days from hands on experiences,” says the singer and songwriter Rebecca Martin reflecting on the songs from TWAIN (Sunnyside Records). “I’ve become so active in our community that my life as an avid reader has transformed itself into one of an avid doer.”
A state of Maine native, Martin moved to New York City to pursue her musical endeavors. Throughout the 90’s, Martin co-led the influential duo Once Blue (EMI Records) with Jesse Harris. After a handful of critically acclaimed solo recordings Martin migrated North to the Hudson Valley with husband and collaborator Larry Grenadier and had a son. From that point on, in tandem with making music, she found a new way of using her organizational skills in community work. There, she tirelessly advocated for transparency and better communication between the people and government. This work eventually landed her a position as Executive Director of an Urban Land Trust in the area, where under her leadership the organization was sited as a national model for urban land trusts by the Land Trust Alliance. Known for her “dizzying array of local initiatives“, Martin and many volunteers created programs and committees for rail trails, urban agriculture, African-American cemetery preservation projects and more. “Having a child and being so far from family motivated me to get as involved as I have.” says Rebecca. “It has been an eye opening experience to say the least, and has certainly informed my music.”
Yesterday I saw it coming on.
There was little that the peasant could do.
Into their hearts fully open and aligned
for the daggers and arrows that flew.
Just beyond the hillside
back where the curtain calls to us
There the music reminds me
that the whole world is waiting to find us”
From “Beyond the Hillside” by Rebecca Martin
“There are two distinct story lines running through this particular piece, the ‘bearing witness’ to the many unpleasantries out in the field and the hopefulness in the music. It’s a very bittersweet song.”
Martin credits her friendship with GRETCHEN PARLATO and BECCA STEVENS as being her ‘touchstone to the music’ during the recent phase in her life of work, family and community. The inspiration she drew from their communion resulted in the formation of the super group TILLERY, a trio that they share. The three kindred spirits’ seamless rapport has been wowing audiences since they joined forces in 2010. These days, the threesome work together when schedules permit, including a prestigious performance at the KENNEDY CENTER in Washington, D.C. as part of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival on May 17th, 2013.
To help Martin celebrate her new release TWAIN, Parlato and Stevens will join her on stage for a song at the Rockwood Music Hall, stage 2 located at 196 Allen Street, NY on Thursday, March 28th in New York City. Tickets for the event are $15 and can be purchased online by visiting ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL.
For further information or to request a copy of Twain, please contact Patrice Fehlen at September Gurl Music: patrice@septembergurl.com or 718.768.3859