New Interview: Martha Burks

by Erin Rice

Last Sunday I headed down to the Brooklyn Jazz Cafe to interview their resident queen of jazz, Martha Burks.

First of all, if you've never been to the Brooklyn Jazz Cafe, you should definitely go. It's a rather large "cafe", but the soft lighting and cozy ambiance bring this multi-room venue back to its homey roots. If you can go on a night when Martha is performing, then even better. When she's on the mic, it's hard not to pay attention. She just naturally exudes charisma and her voice is so full of life that it will completely overtake you. There are so many great things I can write about her performance, but let's just say that this metal/punk lover was entranced despite jazz being a genre I'm not too familiar with. Plus, she wore some crazy high heel boots through a full night of sets. Now that's dedication!

Before Martha Burks performed, I got the chance to speak with her about various topics:

• When and how she began singing
• What it is about music that draws her to sing
• Her musical inspirations
• Her upcoming release, Finally, and it's significance to Martha at this point in her career
• Favorite memories throughout her career

Following the interview I got some video of her performing during her first set of the night.

You can catch Martha at the Brooklyn Jazz Cafe every Friday and Sunday evening, as well as at Nana on Saturday, February 17 and 24. She will also be performing at the Sara Ellen and Samuel Weisfeld Center for the unveiling of the new Black Heritage 30th Anniversary Postage Stamp on Sunday, February 25 at 3 p.m. Were that not enough, you can also catch Martha sing during the opening of the re-aired 24th Annual Black Music and Civil Rights Concert presented by The Black Academy of Arts and Letters on Saturday, February 17 at 11 p.m. on TXA 21. Phew! That Martha Burks is one hard working woman!

In the interview when Martha was talking about favorite memories and achievements, she mentioned her daughter and grandchild. Martha would also like to point out that her daughter has "got a husband!" Just so you know! Another of her inspirations is her mother who currently lives in Arkansas.