Gail Marten
JAZZ VOCALIST/SONGWRITER
ASCAPlus Award 2007-2008
Born in Philadelphia, vocalist Gail Marten has been making music, mostly jazz throughout the mid-Atlantic region for more than 20 years captivating audiences at music festivals, concert venues, jazz clubs and private social events. She has held long term music engagements at many area international hotels (Hyatt Regency, Hilton, Stouffer’s, Omni International, Renaissance), bistros and venues, including Blues Alley, Bohemian Caverns, Ethel’s, Eubie’s, Pier Six. She has sung with many jazz notables including Cyrus Chestnut, Reuben Brown and Benny Waters. Evocative overtones of Peggy Lee, Julie London and Chris Connor, she has a unique and subliminal quality all her own.
Gail met Clem Ehoff at the Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore where they worked together for the first time in the early ’90s. Soon after, they joined forces with bassist Alfonso Rondon and drummer Marty Knepp, and the quartet has been making beautiful music ever since, performing at premier jazz and concert venues. Three CDs have been recorded, with award-winning original music composed by Ehoff and Marten. Hundreds of social events have been brightened by their original music and vibrant arrangements of standards.Their unique musical style incorporates jazz and latin jazz. The music of this stellar group, which is based in the Baltimore/Washington area, is rich in color, rhythm and style. It runs the gamut from “on the edge Latino” to “caliente” and quietly percussive!
Marten and Ehoff have been declared winners in several international songwriting competitions, and their CD Pure Joy, was nominated Best Jazz CD by JPF in 2004. They have twice been first prize winners in the jazz category in the UK Songwriting Competition in 2003 for Heaven On A Tropic Shore and in 2005 for Is It Love.
Their 2005 release, Is It Love, has been nominated as Best Vocal Jazz CD of 2006 by the JPF Music Organization, and in addition the title track, Is It Love, was nominated as Best Vocal Jazz Song.
They have also received numerous songwriting awards from Billboard International, John Lennon, Broadjam and other organizations.
Discography: Foreign Affairs, Here I Go, Beyond the Rainbow, Pure Joy, Is It Love
Baltimore/Washington based vocalist.
nee Hurlbrink/Cooke/Divac