Rebecca Martin

Rebecca Martin possesses a distinctive talent as vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, crafting a refined fusion of folk, pop, and jazz. Raised in Rumford, Maine, she started singing near age eight and moved into local studio work while still a teenager. College brought formal jazz vocal training, followed by regular performances across New York City venues.

Early in the 1990s she connected with guitarist Jesse Harris, later a key collaborator with Norah Jones, and together they launched the jazz-inflected pop ensemble Once Blue. Fellow members included saxophonist Mark Turner, drummer Jeff Ballard, bassist Ben Street, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. EMI signed the group, yielding the 1995 self-titled debut anchored by the single “Save Me.” Corporate shifts at the label blocked release of a planned second album, prompting the band’s eventual disbandment.

Martin stepped out as a solo artist in 1998 with Thoroughfare, sustaining her creative link to Harris while drawing contributions from her husband, bassist Larry Grenadier, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry. Fresh Sound New Talent issued the well-received standards album Middlehope in 2000. Work with drummer and composer Paul Motian followed, encompassing the recording On Broadway, Vol. 4 or the Paradox of Continuity and a 2006 Carnegie Hall appearance paying tribute to Village Vanguard owner Lorraine Gordon. That experience ignited fresh momentum, leading to the 2008 release Growing Season, a progressive and poetic statement produced by guitarist and former bandmate Rosenwinkel and again featuring Grenadier alongside drummer Brian Blade.

Her second standards collection, When I Was Long Ago, appeared in 2010 and spotlighted the trio completed by Grenadier and saxophonist McHenry. Three years later came the largely original Twain, performed with Grenadier, drummer Dan Rieser, and pianist Peter Rende. She next joined vocalist Gretchen Parlato and singer/guitarist Becca Stevens for Tillery. In 2017 Martin collaborated with keyboardist/vocalist Guillermo Klein on The Upstate Project.