Claire Martin - Time & Place (2014) [Hi-Res]

Time and Place perfectly sums up Claire Martin’s jazz roots and the inventive, forward-thinking repertoire choices that have framed her enviable career.

With the connections borne of twenty-five years in the business Claire has commissioned imaginative new arrangements of songs from an eclectic group of writers including Joni Mitchell, George Gershwin, Thelonius Monk and a new commission written by the Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer.

Pianist Joe Stilgoe guests on his own track 'Lost For Words' and delivers a distinctive arrangement of Lennon & McCartney's 'She’s Leaving Home'. There are also echoes of The Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby' on a new arrangement of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World'. Providing stellar backup is Claire's rhythm section (pianist Gareth Williams, bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Ben Reynolds), plus, blending their rich tones with Claire’s, The Montpellier Cello Quartet.

From the album opener via Claire's own hugely catchy arrangement of 'Catch Me If You Can' to the wry album closer, a heartfelt tribute to mentor Richard Rodney Bennett, Time and Place sees the singer reclaim her place as The First Lady of British Jazz. Jamie Cullum summed the album up as "One of this country's greatest jazz singers once again pushing boundaries into new territory with spectacular results...It's an ace album."