Kay Martin - "Day After Day/Dulce Amor"

Review by April Kranz

Kay Martin is a regular in the Los Angeles jazz circuit. Although she’s frequenting the local scenes of Europe these days, Martin has made her name in the States with other well-known players like Liz Kinnon and the special guest of this track, Richard Mitchell. With other band members Hussain Jiffry, Enzo Todesco, Roberto Montero, and Kirk Brundage, Martin helped bring the vision of composer Rodgers Grant to life. The outcome is a sultry, relaxed, and thoughtful homage to the late Grant that is sure to comfort all our lovers and readers out there.

The arrangement of Day After Day/Dulce Amor is tasteful and seductive, opening with a short and sweet sax/piano duo. Both make way for Martin to delve into her dreamlike vocals as the band inhales and exhales around her various inflections. On the first listen alone, it’s apparent that the band shares a bond outside of musicianship, with an incredibly tight pocket and incredible details dispersed through the track.

The song holds sentimental value for Martin as well. Commissioned to translate the piece by Rodgers Grant himself, the singer formed a friendship with the composer until his eventual passing. With the blessing of his publisher, Martin now gives us a taste of the late Grant’s music as the final track on the upcoming Four Sweets CD.

“I could see living day by day

At your side

With the workings and the ways

We can’t hide

Walking with you

Talking with you

Day after day

My love”

Day After Day/Dulce Amor is a lovely homage to bonds formed through shared experience. Whether it be companionship through love, friendship, or music, the composition is a beautiful work. Martin will be sure to find more fans across the pond as we continue to watch her career.

Listen and get more insight on the song here.

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About Kay Martin

Kay Martin has performed her eclectic jazz, Brazilian/world, soul, and rock/indie repertoire widely throughout and beyond California for over 20 years. Her highly regarded first, straight-ahead jazz CD, Softly, gets regular airplay. Critics say, “wonderful vocal!” “love her voice!” “beautiful!” The band for the Four Sweets recording series is some of LA’s finest: Liz Kinnon, Hussain Jiffry, Enzo Todesco, Roberto Montero, and Kirk Brundage, with horns by Dick Mitchell, Jeff Bunnell, and Charlie Morillas. That genre-bending Afro-Brazilian rhythms project has garnered awards and praise: “fresh new flavor— extremely engaging— captivating musical landscape," and “wide audience appeal.” A single from that project, Le saboteur, won “best single” honors from WNIR and affiliates. This same band appears on Day After Day/Dulce Amor.

In LA Kay has performed with Josh Nelson, Bruce Forman, Henry Franklin, Peter Smith, Gerald Clayton, John Storie, Bennett Brandeis, and more. In northern CA Kay has performed with Murray Low, Ricardo Peixoto, Tim Volpicella, Stan Poplin, Scott Nordgren, and many others.

Kay recently completed a series of recordings from & for the years of Covid, collaborating with Fefe Lee (of Los Pinguos), her accompanist for several years pre-shutdown: Brazilian jazz, bluesy/alt, and indie/folk/rockin. She has also begun performing “Sola—and Safe” in outdoor concerts with these and others of her stellar backing tracks, and is now in Europe developing more such concerts.

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