Claire Martin OBE has established herself as a tour de force on the UK jazz scene, gaining many awards including winning the British Jazz Awards eight times during her career which spans over three decades. In 2018, she was the proud recipient of the BASCA Gold Badge Award for her contribution to jazz.
Claire became a professional singer at 19 and two years later realised her dream of singing at Ronnie Scott’s legendary jazz club in London Soho. Signed to the prestigious Glasgow based Linn Records in 1990, Claire has since released 22 CDs with Linn Records and Danish label Stunt Records, collaborating with musical luminaries including Martin Taylor, John Martyn, Stephane Grappelli, Kenny Barron, Richard Rodney Bennett and Jim Mullen on many of these recordings.
Claire appears as a featured soloist with the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Her 2009 CD A Modern Art prompted Jazz Times USA to claim: “She ranks among the four or five finest female jazz vocalists on the planet”.
At The Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2011, Claire was delighted to be awarded an OBE for her services to jazz.
(Photo: Kenny McCracken)
Upcoming Short Courses
Tuesday 28th January 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Jazz Pedagogy - An overview of the main elements of teaching jazz voice
Claire Martin OBE
In this short course, jazz vocalist Claire Martin OBE will talk about, and demonstrate, how to approach the main elements needed to teach jazz voice.
Past Short Courses
Tuesday 16th July 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Jazz interpretation – making the song your own
Claire Martin OBE
Claire Martin OBE will deliver a short course on how to approach a jazz standard song from the Great American Songbook repertoire and put your own musical stamp on it.
Tuesday 19th March 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
(London Time)
Jazz Vocals – The Key Elements
Claire Martin OBE
Over this short course, we will discuss the key qualities that a singing student needs if they wish to delve deeper into singing jazz/improvised music. Although there are many things that go into becoming a jazz singer, the three things we will talk about first are sense of time, sense of harmony, and vocal tone and placement.