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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZMARTIN, Claire(b 6 Sep. '67, Wimbledon, London, England) Singer. One of a crop of young UK singers equally at home with jazz standards and Joni Mitchell, she has established herself with tireless gigging in recent years. Great restorer of neglected material, skilful interpreter of contemporary songs, superb purveyor of emotional lyrics. Recordings on Linn '92--3 The Waiting Game and Devil May Care feature her regular backing piano trio Jonathan Gee, Arnie Somogyi on bass, drummer Clark Tracey. There have been mutterings from the jazz police at her nonconformist taste in material; she can do Cole Porter, Patsy Cline and Tom Waits in a single set, and some of her own songs on Devil May Care were crossover-pop originals. She told Chris Inghams (for Mojo), 'Yeah, I wanted to get away from the victim things -- ''lipstick on your collar but don't explain'' -- and sing songs that I believe in ... and quirkier things. I've just found a great song -- ''Collagen Lips And Silicon Boobs''. But give me ten grand for an album of unrequited love songs and I'm there.' Old Boyfriends '94 returned to more standard material (Bacharach, Frishberg, Arlen, Tom Waits title track) and treatment (with Steve Melling replacing Gee on piano, and sidemen Jim Mullen on guitar, Mark Nightingale on trombone), while still carrying her distinctive imprint. The film Jack And Sarah used her song 'On Thin Ice'. Offbeat '96 was recorded at Ronnie Scott's '95, laid-back and assured, a superb club performance. 'Trusting the lyrics to do their work, she takes a cool, understated approach. Pyrotechnics are not part of her repertoire' (Clive Davis in The Times). Make This City Ours '97 was eclectic, with only one standard ('How Deep Is The Ocean') but incl. Suzanne Cloud's 'Collagen Lips', backing incl. Americans Antonio Hart on alto sax and Gregory Hutchinson on drums, the superb young British trumpeter Gerard Presencer. Martin Gayford wrote in the Daily Telegraph that 'In the way one thinks of a Billie Holiday song, or a Frank Sinatra song, it is now possible to define a Claire Martin song, and a Claire Martin mood -- dry, wry, tough but tender, sophisticated, understated.' |