Rebecca Martin & Larry Grenadier

You may have heard the wife-and-husband team Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier in previous collaborations, including on Rebecca’s albums When I Was Long Ago (Sunnyside) and The Growing Season (Sunnyside), or on the drummer Paul Motian’s On Broadway Volume 4 or the Paradox Of Continuity (Winter & Winter). But, if you’ve heard them together, you know what The Montreal Gazette means when they describe the duo as a “jewel of wife-and-husband intimacy.”

Both partners boast long records of acclaim for their artistry. A native of Maine, Rebecca moved to New York in the early nineties, where her duo project with Jesse Harris (who later penned the Norah Jones hit, “Don’t Know Why”) quickly caught the ear of executives at EMI. Before long, the singer was touring as an opening act with Shawn Colvin, Emmylou Harris, and others. Additional attention followed as Rebecca built her own catalog over the course of the next decade, releasing on Fresh Sound, MaxJazz, and Sunnyside while earning accolades from NPR, The New York Times, and many others. Nate Chinen elaborates: “As jazz singers go, Rebecca Martin exudes the plainest sort of poise, almost radical in its utter lack of flash… She was unerringly faithful to the melodies of the songs, both standards and originals, but at her best she made them seem less like songs than like articulations of her state of mind.” Martin is also part of the group TILLERY that features her collaboration with Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. The three are gearing up to release their recording in 2016 and plan to tour worldwide.

Larry was born in San Francisco, CA, and grew up immersed in the region’s strong music scene. As a teenager, the bassist cut his teeth with titans such as Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Bobby Hutcherson, and others. After graduating from Stanford with a degree in English Literature, Larry moved to Boston to join Gary Burton‘s band. Within a year, he relocated to New York, continuing to build his career in the groups of Betty Carter, Joshua Redman, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Paul Motian, and many others. During this period, Larry joined the trio of the pianist Brad Mehldau, and has been an active member of the internationally touring group for close to two decades. Besides being one of the most in-demand bassists in jazz today, Larry also co-leads the trio FLY with Mark Turner and Jeff Ballard. The group was formed, according to Larry (via The New York Times) “because of this ideal of ultimate democracy. They always say jazz is democratic music, and it is, but there are aspects of it that aren’t too. So in our desire to form a band apart from all of the side projects we do, part of the idea was, there’s not going to be a leader, and we’re all going to write for it.” (Jazz Speaks)

The two will be performing new material and arrangements on Sunday, February 21st at Rockwood Music Hall at 7:00pm. Tickets are $15.00