Writing, recording, and publishing her first album, “Verdant,” was a “Herculean effort” for jazz vocalist Ellie Martin, 37, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Music since 2015.
“But it also was a work of love,” acknowledged Martin, who completed her master’s in jazz performance at UToledo in 2010. “It’s something that I wanted to do, so it didn’t feel like it was work.”
Jazz vocalist Ellie Martin, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Music, performs at the spring Jon Hendricks Memorial Concert at UToledo with her husband, Dr. Olman Piedra, an associate professor of percussion and drum set. Photo courtesy of Jeff Dunn.
In many ways, the simple act of beginning the album proved to be the most challenging, if not daunting, she said, not unlike an author writing the first sentence to a debut novel or an artist putting a paintbrush to canvas for the first time.
“Taking that first step was terrifying,” she said. “I had a whole bunch of anxiety and suffered from impostor syndrome. I wondered, ‘Who is this lady living in Toledo who thinks she can make a jazz album? I can’t do this — this is for other people. I’m not really an artist.’ ”
And when she finally did commit to making the album, she believed the work had to be perfect, a nearly impossible standard for even the most accomplished musicians.
Then Martin remembered key advice from Kate McGarry, a Grammy-nominated jazz-folk singer who serves as her mentor: A recording is a moment of time capturing who you are at that moment.
“This is what cemented it for me,” she said. “Finally, I gave myself permission to be imperfect, which was such a sense of relief.”
Martin, who plays the piano, found her creativity flowed like a wellspring as she began to write and compose new songs and rework older material. And once in the studio, she had the support of her husband, Dr. Olman Piedra, who performed on “Verdant” along with friends Ariel Kasler, Kurt Krahnke and Grammy-nominated pianist and vocalist Peter Eldridge.
“Ellie’s compositions keep evolving and getting more rich and complex, while also being vulnerable and honest,” said Piedra, an associate professor of percussion and drum set at UToledo. “I think that’s why audiences connect with her and the music. I am very proud of her musical journey and glad I get to play a part in it.”
Jazz singer Ellie Martin sings during a club concert. Martin has July shows in Sylvania and Ann Arbor to support her debut album, “Verdant.” Photo courtesy of Jeff Dunn.
The album was recorded in August, mastered in spring and self-published in May. “Verdant” is available on Bandcamp as well as Apple Music. She is also touring the album, having performed in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus and Akron, with upcoming shows Wednesday, July 5, at Olander Park in Sylvania, and Thursday, July 13, at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor.
As much as Martin learned about herself making the album, she also learned about the publishing side of music through the exercise of making her own work available to the masses.
“I don’t use Spotify. I like to listen to entire albums and pay artists for their work,” she said, “so learning how to distribute music and find platforms like Bandcamp that are more supportive of artists was a great learning experience. That’s the great part about it, there are so many more avenues to get your music out there, you can kind of do it all yourself.”
Having firsthand experience with writing, recording, and releasing an album, she said, will be beneficial to her as an instructor — not just in the technical aspects of making a record but in the practical aspects. For example, how to market the release and how to book performances at clubs.
“It makes you a better teacher having done both sides of it,” Martin said. “And being able to tell my own story also helps me to encourage my own students in their songwriting and finding their own voice.”
