WELCOME!

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Welcome to the official website of Tillery.

“Three of the sharpest and most open-minded jazz singers in (or out of) town”
Time Out Magazine (New York)

Purchase TILLERY exclusively on Bandcamp. Click on the image to be taken there.

Tillery Releases “Corcovado” Single in US This Holiday Season.

corcovado

“Individually,  Stevens, Parlato and Martin are powerful artists with unique visions.  Together, they have created something transcendent.”    Downbeat (4 1/2 Stars)

Tillery is proud to announce their single  CORCOVADO (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960, with an English lyric crafted by Gene Lees and Buddy Kaye. The trio recorded the standard while making their debut album, and is now offering it to fans on Band Camp this holiday season.

You can listen and make a purchase by clicking on the image above or HERE.

“May this music bring moments of peace amidst troubled times.” says Tillery.

 

 

Tillery’s Self-titled Debut Digital Album “Tillery” Available July 15th, 2016

 

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Tillery is a uniquely gifted trio that combines the diverse talents of three respected vocalist-songwriters, Becca Stevens, Rebecca Martin, and Gretchen Parlato. Individually, each is well established as a distinctive creative force with an impressive body of work to her credit. Together, on Tillery’s long-awaited, self-titled first collective album, the three artists tap into a powerful collaborative chemistry that’s more than the sum of its considerable parts.

Having honed their deep musical and personal rapport by sharing stages and songs over the course of several years, Tillery has captured its organic essence on the 11 song album, with Stevens, Martin, and Parlato combining their formidable vocal and songwriting talents to create beguiling, emotionally precise new music.

“Tillery is a slow-burning kind of project,” Parlato says of the group, which began performing informally in 2010. “We waited to record an album until we felt we had a nice amount of material to share. Playing and performing together for so many years definitely helped us develop our sound and repertoire.”

Tillery’s sound incorporates three distinctive voices along with spare, mostly acoustic instrumental arrangements, while the threesome’s repertoire encompasses such unforgettable originals as Martin’s “God Is In the Details,” Parlato’s “Magnus” and Stevens’ “No More,” as well as personally charged readings of songs from such diverse sources as Prince, Father John Misty and the Jacksons. The resulting album spans the emotional spectrum, embodying the musical depth and emotional rapport that make Tillery so special.

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North Carolina bred, Brooklyn based singer/composer/multi-instrumentalist Becca Stevens has already received copious praise from the likes of The New York Times, describing her as “a best-kept secret” and “impressively absorbing.” Drawing upon elements of pop, indie-rock, jazz, and traditional Appalachian folk, Stevens has been hailed for her unique ability to craft exquisite compositions both for her own band, and for artists who run the gamut of genre from the legendary David Crosby, to singer José James to classical pianist Timo Andres. Stevens has toured the world with her band and collaborated with the likes of Brad MehldauEsperanza SpaldingBilly ChildsAmbrose AkinmusireJacob CollierVijay Iyer and many others. In April 2015, Perfect Animal, the highly anticipated follow up to Weightless(Sunnyside), produced by engineer Scott Solter was released on Universal Music Classics. Becca’s music is featured on the latest Snarky Puppy Family Dinner Vol 2 and she is currently working on her new album Regina to be released in early 2017.

Maine-born Rebecca Martin is a widely respected and critically acclaimed two-decade veteran whose wide-ranging vocal and songwriting talents have allowed her to effortlessly straddle the worlds of jazz and pop. She has recorded with some of the world’s most esteemed musicians, including Brian BladePaul MotianKurt RosenwinkelGuillermo KleinJeff BallardJesse HarrisSteve CardenasPete RendeBill McHenryKenny WollesenBen Street and Martin’s husband, bassist Larry Grenadier, releasing eight albums that showcase her indelible voice and supple guitar work. Martin’s most recent album of originals Twain reached the number one spot on both iTunes and Amazon in France and was selected as one of the best albums of 2013 by iTunes. As an activist, Martin created the platform KingstonCitizens.org a decade ago, recently driving out a national bottling company who proposed a plan to bottle and to sell the area’s municipal water source. She is currently finishing a recording of a new collaborative project with the composer Guillermo Klein called “The Upstate Project” that features Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard to be released on Sunnyside Records in February of 2017.

Native Californian Gretchen Parlato has emerged as one of the most inventive and mesmerizing vocalists of her generation. Maintaining top status and world wide critical acclaim, Parlato has lent her voice to more than 75 albums, performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne ShorterHerbie HancockKenny BarronEsperanza SpaldingTerri Lyne CarringtonTerence BlanchardMarcus Miller, and Lionel Loueke. Parlato has released four solo albums, her most recent LIVE in NYC cd/dvd received a GRAMMY nomination in 2015 for Best Vocal Jazz Album. Her 2011 release The Lost and Found received over 30 national and international awards including Jazz Critics Poll #1 Vocal Album of 2011 and iTunes Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Parlato currently teaches Jazz Voice at Manhattan School of Music.

The three kindred spirits first joined forces in 2010, when they met and instantly became fervent admirers of each other’s work, striking up a personal bond as well as a creative collaboration. The partnership was initially set in motion when a mutual friend brought Parlato to one of Martin’s performances at Manhattan’s Jazz Standard.

“Rebecca’s voice and songs brought me to tears,” Parlato recalls. “She has such a warm, loving energy, and I immediately felt like she was someone I wanted to be around and share my time and music with.”

The same friend had also been singing the praises of Becca Stevens to Parlato, inspiring her to attend one of Stevens’ shows at Manhattan’s Cornelia Street Cafe.

“I was in complete awe of her,” Gretchen notes. “She has the kind of intensity that, from the very first sound out of her mouth, you know that something deep is happening. We got to know each other better when we sang together in Taylor Eigsti’s band Free Agency. We realized that we understood and processed music in the same way, and that we laughed and joked about the same things. And knowing both Rebecca and Becca, I felt like their energies would relate and bond.”

Stevens, meanwhile, had been a longtime fan of both Martin and Parlato. “They were the women in jazz whom I could admire when I was coming up,” she says. “I felt totally humbled by the brilliance of Gretchen’s craft, so when she came to my gig, I was really flattered. I had a similar feeling when, after being aware of Rebecca for so many years, she sent me an email out of the blue introducing herself. I finally met her at Cornelia when I went to one of her shows. Gretchen was there too, and the three of us took a picture together after. I laugh when I look at that picture now, because even then, we had the same goofy, spontaneous energy that we have now.”

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When the three artists subsequently got together for an all-girl getaway weekend at Martin’s house in upstate Kingston, NY in late 2010, it seemed inevitable that they would end up making music together.

“At some point, I picked up my guitar and said ‘Let’s sing something,’ and that was it,” Martin recalls. “There wasn’t any thought put into it. It just happened, and it just made sense.”

“Rebecca taught us one of her songs, and then another,” Stevens remembers. “The three of our voices and the warm receptive energy in the room created this sound that was like…love butter. You just want to spread it all over everything.”

A week later, Gretchen and Becca joined Rebecca on stage to sing a few songs at her record-release party, and it quickly became apparent that the informal arrangement demanded further exploration. The trio made its official debut at the Cornelia Street Cafe in January 2011, initially billing the group as Girls Gone Mild before adopting Tillery (also the title of a Stevens composition) as their permanent monicker. They booked shows when their schedules allowed, including a prestigious 2013 performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“We initially gave our group a funny name, because our main intention was to have fun,” Martin notes. “The music, however, had other plans. The moment we started to sing together, we realized there was much more going on, and that it had a mysterious siren sound quality to it. It didn’t take long before we felt we needed a name that sounded beautiful, rolled off the tongue and left room for interpretation. I had loved the word ‘Tillery,’ which was the title of one of Becca’s songs.”

“Tillery,” Stevens explains, “was the last name of a dear friend of mine who inspired my music a lot. Naming this trio after her seemed like a really cool way to honor her life.”

The music that the three make together emphasizes the wide common ground, both musical and personal, that Martin, Parlato and Stevens share. Rather than rushing into the studio, the threesome allowed Tillery to develop at its own pace.

“Making a record wasn’t ever a part of our thought process when we first discovered that we could make music together,” Martin asserts. “It was initially just something that we was inspiring and fun, and an extension of our budding friendship. We are now in our sixth year of friendship and music. When we sing together, everything locks in quickly to make a single sound that moves outward in a very powerful way. That was always the case, but it’s become more effortless over the years. There are moments in almost every song where our voices meld so beautifully that I can get a little dizzy.”

“Each of us may have differing sounds and ideas in our own projects, but Tillery has always had its own specific atmosphere,” adds Parlato, who was eight months pregnant while recording Tillery. “To me, nothing about this group has never needed discussion or strategy; it just is.”

“Tillery,” Stevens continues, “is a collaboration of friendships. Three people who love one another who happen to have three separate musical identities, joining together in a unique collaboration. Each time we play together, the music feels deeper than the time before. We’ve managed, without really trying, to maintain the same energy that we felt together that first night that we sang together at Rebecca’s house. I think there’s something really refreshing about a performance where the performers love and admire each other so completely.”

“We all just take this project as it comes,” Parlato concludes. “It’s all very natural and nothing is forced, and because of this, we always approach it with open arms, open hearts. There’s no pressure to do or create anything. It just happens when it happens. It’s always magical, and it always feels like it was meant to be.”

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TILLERY (Rebecca Martin – Becca Stevens – Gretchen Parlato) offer Masterclass and Performance at The Jazz Gallery in March, 2016!

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WHO
TILLERY featuring Rebecca Martin, Becca Stevens, Gretchen Parlato

WHAT
Masterclass “Methods, Process and Practice of Songwriting and Collaboration” &
evening Performances “Jazz Gallery 20th Anniversary Concerts”

WHERE
The Jazz Gallery
1160 Broadway
NY, NY  10001

WHEN
Friday, March 18th (Concerts)
Saturday, March 19th (Masterclass and Concerts)
Masterclass: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Concert performances: 7:30pm and 9:30pm shows. 

COST  
Masterclass on Saturday 3/19  $150.00   LINK

Ticket prices for concert vary. Follow link for more information. 
Friday 3/18 @ 7:30pm  LINK
Friday, 3/18 @ 9:30pm  LINK
Saturday, 3/19 @ 7:30pm  LINK
Saturday, 3/19 @ 9:30pm  LINK

TILLERY, a collaborative project created by Rebecca MartinBecca Stevens and Gretchen Parlato will grace the stage at the Jazz Gallery located at 1160 Broadway in New York City on March 18th and 19th.  The group will perform two sets each evening (at 7:30pm and 9:30pm) as part of The Jazz Gallery’s 20th Anniversary Concert series.

In addition, Tillery will also offer a masterclass on Saturday afternoon from 2:00pm – 4:00pm titled “Methods, Process and Practice of Songwriting and Collaboration” and will take participants on a journey through the musical paths and varied songwriting methods of Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. This revealing masterclass will enlighten and inspire through a range of topics that include early musical experiences, writers block, breakthroughs, connecting your creative work to your daily life and in collaborative partnerships.

The cost of the two hour masterclass is $150. Participants must sign up by visiting this LINK.

For general questions regarding Tillery, contact Karen Kennedy, 24 Seven Artist Development at kmkennedy@mac.com

TILLERY (Rebecca Martin – Becca Stevens – Gretchen Parlato) offer Masterclass and Performance at Rockwood Music Hall on December 6th, 2015.

WHO
TILLERY featuring Rebecca Martin, Becca Stevens, Gretchen Parlato

WHAT
Masterclass “Methods, Process and Practice of Songwriting and Collaboration” and evening Performance

WHERE
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3)
185 Orchard Street New York, NY  10002

WHEN
Sunday, December 6th, 2015
Masterclass from 2 – 4pm (doors at 1:30pm).
Concert performance, 7:00pm (doors at 6:30pm)

COST  
Masterclass $100.00 (includes a ticket to the evening performance).   LINK

 

TILLERY, a collaborative project created by Rebecca MartinBecca Stevens and Gretchen Parlato will grace the stage at Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3) located at 185 Orchard Street in New York City on December 6th.

Their masterclass on Sunday afternoon from 2:00pm – 4:00pm is titled “Methods, Process and Practice of Songwriting and Collaboration” and will take participants on a journey through the musical paths and varied songwriting methods of Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. This revealing masterclass will enlighten and inspire through a range of topics that include early musical experiences, writers block, breakthroughs, connecting your creative work to your daily life and in collaborative partnerships.

The cost of the two hour masterclass is $100 and includes a ticket to their concert that evening at 7:00pm. Participants must sign up by visiting this LINK.

For more information the December 6th masterclass and performance visit www.tillerygals.com or rebecca@larreccamusic.com

For general questions regarding Tillery, contact Karen Kennedy, 24 Seven Artist Development at kmkennedy@mac.com

Tillery in California, 2013

The Tillery Workshop at the JazzSchool in San Francisco, CA.

The Tillery Workshop at the JazzSchool in San Francisco, CA.

 

We had a fantastic and very busy week in California this September, beginning in San Francisco and finishing up in Los Angeles. Here are some highlights.

A very special thanks to the Ostroff’s; The JazzSchool; BetaLevel;  Joon, Alex and everyone at the Blue Whale – and of course, all who participated and came to our performances.

Our next scheduled workshop isn’t until October of 2014 at the Falcon in Marlboro, NY –  but you can still SIGN-UP NOW. It’s going to be a beautiful day filled with songwriting, singing, performing, a special lunch created by the Falcon Arts chef and a Tillery concert – all to take place in the lower Hudson Valley (just 60 miles from NYC). You can even travel by train and be picked up and returned to the station!  It’s a great value.

We look forward to seeing you!

Rebecca, Gretchen and Becca

Working on lyrics using the best lines of each participants  free-form writing.

Working on lyrics using the best lines of each participants free-form writing (San Francisco)

 

Placing the goods in the middle.

Placing the goods in the middle (San Francisco).

Making sense of it all. A great start to a lyric - "And So It Is" (San Francisco).

Making sense of it all. A great start to a lyric – “And So It Is” (San Francisco).

The lovely Heather Parlato, one of the founders of Betalevel in LA, CA.

The lovely Heather Parlato, one of the founders of Betalevel in LA, CA.

A little blurry, but more lyrics and the start of something good! (LA, CA).

A little blurry, but more lyrics and the start of something good! (LA, CA).

Tillery at the Blue Whale in LA, CA.

Tillery at the Blue Whale in LA, CA.

West Coast: Tillery Masterclasses and Workshops in 2013

Gretchen Parlato, Rebecca Martin and Becca Stevens of TILLERY Songwriting Workshop Series

Gretchen Parlato, Rebecca Martin and Becca Stevens of TILLERY Songwriting Workshop Series

Tillery is pleased to announce several study opportunities, a mix of masterclasses and workshops being offered on the West Coast.  They are open to all musicians and creatives no matter your instrument.  Please have a look below and write to Rebecca Martin at rebecca@larreccamusic.com with any questions.

We look forward to seeing you!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA:     Sunday, September 22th, 2013  (Workshop)

TILLERY is pleased to visit the Jazzschool in San Francisco this fall!  The Jazzschool is an innovative nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and performance of jazz — America’s indigenous art form —and related styles of music from around the world. Founded in 1997, the Jazzschool is located in the historic Kress Building at Shattuck and Addison, in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District. The Jazzschool is part of a vibrant East Bay arts community that includes the Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Aurora Theatre, East Bay Media Center and renowned Cal Performances at the University of California. Hailed as one of the nation’s most comprehensive centers for jazz studies, the Jazzschool offers instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages and skill levels a broad spectrum of performance ensembles, lectures, workshops and private instruction. Courses are designed for the professional musician, the serious student and the jazz aficionado seeking personal enrichment. A multi-faceted institution, the Jazzschool comprises several key components.

WHAT
The Jazzschool hosts a full day Workshop with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY

WHERE
JAZZSCHOOL
2087 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA.  94704

WHEN
Sunday, September 22nd, 2013
10:00am – 4:30pm

COST
$150 per participant

DETAILS
For more information, contact:
info@jazzschool.org or call 510/845-5373

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LOS ANGELES, CA:     Tuesday, September 24th, 2013  (Masterclass)

We are really excited to partner up with Gretchen’s sister Heather Parlato and the space that she helps to program called ‘Betalevel’.  This hip ‘rough and tumble’ venue is described as ‘part studio, part club, part stage, and part screen;  Betalevel is located in a basement in Chinatown, Los Angeles, and plays host to various media events such as screenings, performances, classes, lectures, debates, dances, readings, and tournaments. Its members are artists, programmers, writers, musicians, designers, agit-propers, filmmakers, and reverse-engineers.’

It’s best to locate the space by clicking on the link to ‘directions’ below – as the door is somewhat hidden behind Hill Street. Don’t worry. We’ll give you a number to call after you register just in case (“Don’t worry, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” I’ve always wanted to use that somewhere) – so join us for an evening masterclass session!

The Methods, Process and Practice in Singing and Songwriting” A masterclass with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY  – “The Methods, process and practice in Singing and Songwriting” will take participants on a journey through the musical paths and varied songwriting methods of Tillery’s Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens.  This revealing workshop will enlighten and inspire through a range of topics that include early musical experiences, writers block, breakthroughs, connecting your creative work to your daily life and finding your true voice.  During the session, participants will be led through several unique songwriting processes with hands on writing and composing exercises done individually and in collective groups. Guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing!

WHAT
“The Methods, Process and Practice in Singing and Songwriting” Workshop with Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens of TILLERY

WHERE
Betalevel

 963 N. Hill Street (right behind)
in Chinatown
LA, CA
DIRECTIONS

WHEN
 Tuesday, September 24th, 2013
6:00pm – 9:00pm

COST
$90 per participant

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You must register online to participate! Click on this image to do so.


DETAILS
The workshop is open to all participants 16 or older. All levels welcome.
Be on the look out for an email from us shortly after you register.

Sponsored by Larrecca Music, Inc.

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For more information about TILLERY or for bookings CONTACT

Tillery performs as a part of the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Club in the Netherlands. Workshop also scheduled.

UnknownTILLERY, a group that features a collaboration between Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens, will bring their music overseas performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival and the North Sea Jazz Club in the Netherlands in July 2014.  A special workshop that will feature Rebecca Martin and Becca Stevens has also been scheduled.

For tickets visit:

Friday, July 12th (9:00pm)
Tillery at the North Sea Jazz Club

Saturday, July 13th  (11:00am)
Rebecca and Becca host Workshop at “We Move Mountains” in Amsterdam

Saturday, July 13th (12:30am)
Tillery at the North Sea Jazz Festival

For more information about TILLERY visit the CONTACT page.