Claire Martin (singer)
| Claire Martin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967 (age 49–50) Wimbledon, London, England |
| Genres | Jazz, vocal jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Linn |
| Website | clairemartinjazz |
Claire Martin, OBE (born 1967) is an English jazz singer.
Martin was born in Wimbledon, London. She grew up in a house "full of music" thanks to jazz-loving parents. She cites Ella Fitzgerald's Song Books as the inspiration to study singing at the Doris Holford Stage School and in New York and London. Her professional career began at the age of 19 when she sang in a hotel band in Bournemouth. For two years, she worked aboard the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth, where she sang in the piano bar.
When she was 21, she formed her own jazz quartet. In 1991, she was signed by the Scottish jazz label Linn Records, and her debut album, The Waiting Game, was released in 1992. Later that year, she opened for Tony Bennett at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival.
Martin has performed all over Europe and Asia with her trio and, until his death in 2012, with Richard Rodney Bennett in an intimate cabaret duo setting in England and in America. They played to sell-out crowds at venues including the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. She has been a featured soloist with the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the BBC Big Band, and the BBC Concert Orchestra. She has co-presented BBC Radio 3's Jazz Line Up since 2000 and has interviewed many of her musical heroes, such as Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Brad Mehldau, and André Previn. She has collaborated with Martin Taylor, John Martyn, Stéphane Grappelli, Kenny Barron, Richard Rodney Bennett, Jim Mullen and Nigel Hitchcock.
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