Claire Martin

這位在Linn唱片公司地位僅次於卡洛姬的女歌手，一直被樂迷歸類為發(fā)燒爵士女聲。她1967年生於倫敦南方，六歲開始學(xué)習(xí)音樂、戲劇，十六歲便離開學(xué)校走上職業(yè)演唱之路。除了喜歡聽Anita O’Day的歌之外，Shirley Horn、Sheila Jordan、Peggy Le、Ella Fitzgerald等女歌手對她的演唱風(fēng)格也有很深的影響。
克萊瑪婷二十一歲開始隨Ronnie Scott在倫敦登臺，1992年她與Linn簽約，1993年發(fā)行第一張專輯「等待的游戲」，同時成為該年度銷售最好的爵士專輯。時值今日回頭聽她這張將近十年前的專輯，仍然可以感到她歌聲過人之處，輕盈、飛快、精準，與她華麗嬌豔的外型并不是那樣相稱。尤其是擬聲演唱時，與吉他、鼓等樂器快速的對話，依然保有清晰的音色與咬字，演唱兼具技巧性與音樂性。
Had Claire Martin become a trumpeter instead of a singer, she would have been compared to Miles Davis and Chet Baker rather than Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, or Lee Morgan. Or as an alto saxophonist, she would have had more in common with Lee Konitz and Paul Desmond than Jackie McLean, Phil Woods, or Gene Quill. Greatly influenced by the cool-school singers of the 1950s, the young British diva clearly owes an artistic debt to such greats as Chris Connor, June Christy, and Julie London -- all of whom, like Martin, favored subtlety and restraint over aggression. But her inspirations don't stop there -- born in London in 1967 and raised in a rock & roll era, the smoky, seductive Martin has also been influenced by contemporary singers ranging from Joni Mitchell to Kate Bush.
Martin was only six when she entered theatrical school, and by her early teens, had been named Best Solo Vocalist twice by the British Arts Awards. Before debuting at Ronnie Scott's in London at 21, Martin supported herself as everything from a singing waitress to a secretary. Martin went on to become one of England's top jazz vocalists, and the British Jazz Awards exalted her as Best New Jazz Artist of 1994 and Best Jazz Singer of 1995. However, she was little known in the U.S. as of late 1996. In October 1996, she visited New York and recorded with American jazz players for the first time, including alto saxophonist Antonio Hart.