Rebecca Martin Contributes to ‘My Life is Bold’ an Arts for Life Project

Rebecca Martin along with Becca Stevens, Gretchen Parlato, Tillery, Aaron Parks, Kate McGarry, Taylor Eigsti, Harish Raghavan, Larry Grenadier and others contributed to the newly released album “My Life is Bold” an Arts for Life Project.

A release date will be scheduled soon, and all proceeds from the CD will be donated to ‘Arts for Life’.

“Music is an integral part of the vital support services the Arts for Life team offers to young patients and families. Arts for Life Music Fellow Colin Allured describes his job as “growing happy cell” where cancer cells used to be. In 2009, Becca Stevens sang at an AFL fundraiser and she and her father, William Stevens, had the idea to set some of the children’s poetry to music for the event. The response to those two songs was so strong that discussions of a CD began, including Becca’s brother Bill who is a composer and recording studio engineer.

Producer William Stevens says, “We were overwhelmed by how many composers and musicians were willing to give so much time and creative energy to this project. But it didn’t stop there. The CD was made possible by the generosity of patrons, by free time provided by recording studios in North Carolina and New York, with the encouragement and support of the AFL staff and board, and most of all by the children in Arts for Life and their families who showed us the power of art to inspire, to change, and to heal.”

Arts for Life is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people facing serious illnesses. By providing educational art programs, they enrich patients’ lives, nurture their minds and spirits, and encourage positive health care experiences for children and their families. Arts for Life helps children every day in four cities across North Carolina.

Michael’s Mind (Disaster, or Unknown)

 12 Michael’s Mind

Poem by Michael, Age 11.  Music by Rebecca Martin
Performed by:  Rebecca Martin
Child’s Voice: Charlie Grenadier
Acoustic Bass: Larry Grenadier
Background Vocals: Becca Stevens

50% Bionicles. 1% School. 25% Pizzas. 4% Video Games. 20% Whales, dolphins and marine life.

Michael’s mind, what goes on in there? Constant Parties? Nonsense and bionicles.
I have a big mind, and it is split into lots of sections. That what I feel like sometimes.

It’s gonna end up in chaos and headaches.
Sometimes the people partying in my head fight which causes headaches.

Lately they’ve been doing this really good.

Then they settle the agreement and order a pizza which goes down my throat into my stomach.

(Michael had struggled with a brain tumor and has since past).

Tillery featuring Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens performs on “The Checkout” Live at 92Y Tribeca

Watch Rebecca Martin and her group ‘Tillery’ that features Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens perform live with their recent performance on ‘The Checkout: Live from 92YTribeca” in New York City, and aired on NPR.

WATCH and LISTEN

Rebecca Reunites Songwriters from “The Independence Project” on Sunday, September 18th

Sunday, September 18th – Live at the Falcon, Marlboro, NY. Showtime 7:30pm.

Back in the late 90’s, “The Independence Project” was a platform created by Rebecca Martin who had recently exited her group ‘Once Blue’, a band that she co-led with songwriter Jesse Harris. “I wanted to organize something that would bring together others to help develop their music and sound by way of live performance” says Martin. By creating several groups of three musicians, each would share their resources with one another while touring one region of the Country at a time. The goal was to build in a new region each year until the group was touring for up to half the year. “It was a great opportunity for all of us to perform more often in and out of New York City during our down time”. A little over ten years later, Rebecca reunites members for an unforgettable evening of songs and stories with renowned singer/songwriters Amy Correia, Jim Allen, Frank Tedesso, Timothy Hill, Jane Kelly Williams, Jen Clapp and Alice Biershorst.

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


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.

Rebecca Martin Live Review

A great review of Rebecca’s recent concert at the University of Maine at Augusta. Click on the photo for full text.

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March 9th was a homecoming of sorts for Rebecca Martin. As the acclaimed vocalist and Maine native recalled that night, the last time she performed at the University of Maine Augusta she was a student there, singing Blue Monk with her vocal ensemble. Some two decades — and a professional singing career, performances at the Vanguard and Carnegie Hall, collaborations with a litany of jazz greats, several albums, etc. — later, she returned to Maine to give a free masterclass and concert (thanks to UMA) at her alma matter, with husband Larry Grenadier on the bass and his brother Phil on trumpet. (She also played our local TV program “207″ on the 8th, and a benefit concert for the Hope Association in her hometown of Rumford on the 10th.) The group — which, as Martin delightedly pointed out, was a family band — played about a dozen or more tunes, a wide spectrum of originals and standards that stretched from as far back as her days with Once Blue all the way to unrecorded originals….(click on image for the entire review)

Stanford Jazz Workshop “Songwriter Program” Led By Rebecca Martin with Special Guests Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens.

Dear Friends,

Last year, I had the privilege to begin a song writing program at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. I’m happy to continue the program in 2011 which also happens to be the SJW’s 40th Anniversary. The Songwriting Program will take place on July 31st – August 5th.

To help celebrate, I’ve invited my good friends Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens to be guests for the week.

There is only room for 12-14 students, so sign up now.

It also appears as though Gretchen, Becca and I will be performing a concert at Stanford University opening for the wonderful pianist Taylor Eigsti. Dates TBA.

Below is the tentative schedule. It’s going to be a special week.

Happy spring.

Rebecca Martin Read more

New York Times: “Spare Vocals Illuminate Emotions Underneath”

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….”