MUSIC

Rebecca Martin, the leader of Stanford Jazz's first-ever songwriting program, "is a fresh jazz singer set loose in folk-pop, or vice versa; you never quite know which... and both sides of the equation come out well" (-New York Times). Duke Ellington, who rejected categorization of all kinds, famously said that there are only two kinds of music: "good music, and the other kind." Although it's difficult to place it neatly in a single genre -- it's been referred to as jazz, pop, folk, rock, and just about every other label -- singer/songwriter Rebecca Martin's music is good, in the Ellingtonian sense of the word.

Beginning her recording career with the group Once Blue, Martin was quickly drawn to writing her own songs. Audiences immediately responded; her first solo release, People Behave Like Ballads, was a New York Times Critic's Pick, while her 2009 album The Growing Season won an Independent Music award for best Folk/Singer-Songwriter album.

Her voice and songwriting have been compared to Joni Mitchell, but jazz lovers will hear echoes of Billie Holliday's intimate, honest style, along with a trace of Anita O'Day's playfulness. Whether you love the sophistication and spontaneity of jazz, the earthy honesty of folk music, or the catchiness of pop -- or if, like Duke Ellington, you simply appreciate good music made with skill and sincerity, "let Martin's astute, erudite perspectives on the human condition wash over you, and you'll know you're in the company of emerging genius" (-JazzTimes).