Claire Martin follows on from her Shirley Horn-inspired album from two years ago with A Modern Art featuring songs by Rodgers and Hart, and Cy Coleman which sees her build ever more strongly on her reputation as a classic jazz singer steeped in the traditions of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. Yet Martin also includes recent songs by Donald Fagen, Michael Franks and the late Esbjörn Svensson. She speaks with candour and looks back with a measured eye as she talks to Stuart Nicholson about her career so far and pulls no punches

“It’s a bloody hard way to make a living, but I love it,” says vocalist Claire Martin. With jazz an endangered species on television, radio and in the mainstream media, few would disagree with her. “There’s this whole thing about celebrity culture, sad reality shows like the X-Factor and dumbing down,” she says in an exasperated tone you don’t want to argue with. “I had all this going on in my head and all those people that seemed to be at every gig except jazz gigs, and I was just thinking, well I’m sorry. I’ve just got to stand up and be counted.”

The result was her very own protest song ‘A Modern Art’ aimed fairly and squarely at celebrity culture and the dumbing down of standards in popular music. It’s also the title track of her latest album, which she firmly believes is her best yet. “As the lyrics say ‘we’re trying to get the music heard’ and yes, we are trying, we just need a few more doors to open and people will go ‘jazz is great, it’s terrific’,” she says. There are few more passionate advocates for jazz than this fortysomething from east London. Since The Waiting Game from 1992, her critically acclaimed debut album, her star has been in steady ascendance, and on her new album Claire Martin does more than stand up and be counted, she emerges as a world class artist.

This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #134 – to read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a FREE Blue Note CD