Marty Elkins & Mike Richmond - 'Tis Autumn

On ‘TIS AUTUMN, New York jazz and blues vocalist MARTY ELKINS teams up with veteran bassist MIKE RICHMOND for a delicious duo set of jazz standards. This is Elkins’ fifth CD featuring her distinctive, authentic voice crooning modern, fresh renditions of tunes by some of the greatest jazz composers of the 20th Century. Elkins performs regularly in and around the New York area, singing in some of the hippest clubs in town. Jazz writer Paul Freeman of Pop Culture Classics has said, “There’s a captivating richness and fluidity to Marty Elkins’ vocal style. Her marvelous melding of jazz and blues has a classic feel, yet her performances are fabulously fresh-sounding. ”Richmond has performed with some of the top names in jazz, including Stan Getz, with whom he worked for 30 years, plus Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Lee Konitz, Gil Evans, Pat Metheny, and many more. 

Although the 10 songs on ‘TIS AUTUMN were all written between 1926 and 1947, they have weathered the test of time. And in the capable hands of Elkins and Richmond, the songs have a fresh, contemporary edge. According to Elkins, “Singing with just bass accompaniment gives me a lot of freedom to play with the melody and phrasing. And Mike provides such a solid, swinging, and melodic groove, you really don’t miss having other instruments.” Marty Elkins’ affinity for these gems and her straight-ahead, soulful interpretations imbue these songs with a timeless feel, while Mike Richmond conjures an entire orchestra with his bass. The spaciousness of the voice/bass pairing is intimate but resonates with a deep musicality that can only be realized in the hands of masters like Elkins and Richmond.