VOCALIST/SONGWRITER/PRODUCER/VOICEOVER
Winner of ASCAPlus Award 2007-2008 and 2008-2009
Born in Philadelphia, Gail Marten began her singing career in 1980 shortly after moving to Maryland. Performing throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Marten has captivated audiences at music festivals, concert venues, jazz clubs and private social events. In the '90s she held long term engagements at many premier area hotels and bistros and has since worked with dozens of jazz notables including Larry Willis, Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Waters, Reuben Brown, Steve Novocel, Abdu Rashid Yaya, Ricky Loza, Alfredo Mojica, Sr., Gary Thomas, Billy Colucci, Gary Grainger, Greg Hatza, Arnold Sterling at scores of venues including Eubie Live, Baltimore's Pier Six Concert Pavilion, Ethel's Place, Eubie's at Baltimore's Fish Market and Eubie Live!, New York's West End Club and Rita Dimitri's, Blues Alley, Bohemian Caverns, Charlie's-Georgetown in Washington, DC, the Hilton Hotel in the UK, Carli's in Puerto Rico and many other venues.
Three of her CDs were recorded with Clem Ehoff, Beyond The Rainbow 2001, Pure Joy 2003 and Is It Love? 2005, for which they received numerous awards.
In October 2009 Marten's newest CD, IN LOVE AGAIN, featuring pianist Larry Willis, was released to great acclaim. The CD was named one of The Best 20 Vocal CDs of 2009 by jazz critic and journalist W. Royal Stokes at Jazz House Diaries and is in regular rotation at radio stations world-wide.
AWARDS: Several international songwriting competitions for original compositions and lyrics: "Is It Love," "Big Girl Blues," "We Can Learn To Fly" from the CD IS IT LOVE and "Heaven On A Tropic Shore," "Always There," "One of Those Tomorrows" and "A Lovely Dream" from the CD, PURE JOY. Their CDs have been nominated "Best Jazz CD" by JPF in 2004 for PURE JOY and again in 2006 for IS IT LOVE. The title track, "Is It Love," was also nominated as "Best Vocal Jazz Song."
ASCAPlus, Women's Radio Best of the 2000's, UK International Songwriting Contest, Great American Songbook, JPF International, John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Billboard Songwriting Contest, Broadjam's Summer Music Challenge, Lyric Awards Global Contest, Song & Film, Finland’s Vantaa Jazz Heritage, Film Music Network...
DISCOGRAPHY: In Love Again, Is It Love, Pure Joy, Beyond The Rainbow, Here I Go, Foreign Affairs
Marten is currently at work in the development of a one-woman theatrical project. She is the editor/designer of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance 12-page monthly newsletter. Marten serves as a board member of The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center and is producing a compilation CD for the center that will help provide scholarships for its Summer Arts Program for Gifted Youth. She has done voiceover work for major corporations.