Claire Martin

这位在Linn唱片公司地位仅次於卡洛姬的女歌手，一直被乐迷归类为发烧爵士女声。她1967年生於伦敦南方，六岁开始学习音乐、戏剧，十六岁便离开学校走上职业演唱之路。除了喜欢听Anita O’Day的歌之外，Shirley Horn、Sheila Jordan、Peggy Le、Ella Fitzgerald等女歌手对她的演唱风格也有很深的影响。
克莱玛婷二十一岁开始随Ronnie Scott在伦敦登台，1992年她与Linn签约，1993年发行第一张专辑「等待的游戏」，同时成为该年度销售最好的爵士专辑。时值今日回头听她这张将近十年前的专辑，仍然可以感到她歌声过人之处，轻盈、飞快、精准，与她华丽娇豔的外型并不是那样相称。尤其是拟声演唱时，与吉他、鼓等乐器快速的对话，依然保有清晰的音色与咬字，演唱兼具技巧性与音乐性。
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.