The Emma Gilmartin Quartet

One of the most beautiful vocalists on the jazz scene, Emma Gilmartin brings her blend of swinging standards featuring some of the best players in town. Joining Emma is Mark Fitzgibbon (piano), Ben Robertson (bass) and Danny Fischer (drums).

About Emma Gilmartin:

Born in Melbourne, Emma Gilmartin has gained a reputation as one of Australia’s most talented jazz vocalists. Her voice is undeniably beautiful, with “a crystalline purity of vibrato-less tone and flawless pitch that is so perfect it is almost unsettling” (Leon Gettler, The Age Green Guide).

In 2001, Emma completed a Bachelor of Music Performance (Improvisation) at the Victorian College of the Arts. It was there that she met Tony Gould, with whom she recorded her debut album, Tomorrow, Just You Wait and See (Move Records).

Since the release of her first CD, Emma has performed regularly with her jazz quartet throughout Australia. Her second album, Songe, was released in 2005 through Move Records. The album features Will Poskitt, Ben Robertson, Rajiv Jayaweera, and Eugene Ball, and is a collection of jazz standards alongside Emma’s original compositions.

In 2005, Emma was selected as one of ten finalists in the National Jazz Awards, held at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival.

From 2006 to 2009, Emma toured extensively throughout Australia and internationally with acclaimed a cappella/percussion group Coco’s Lunch. She also recorded Blueprint with the ensemble, which was nominated for Best World Album at the 2007 ARIA Awards.

Emma’s album Home, a collection of duets with Tony Gould, was released in late 2010.

Emma is currently teaching voice at Monash University.

“Now and then, one hears a voice which instantly suggests uncommon beauty and musicality. Add to this a sensitivity to lyrics, impeccable sense of pitch, a rare control of vibrato, and you have wonderful artistry. This is what I hear in the singing of Emma Gilmartin. It all comes from her approach to both her art and her fellow human beings.”
— Tony Gould

“A crystalline purity of vibrato-less tone and flawless pitch [that] is so perfect that it is almost unsettling.”
— Leon Gettler, The Age Green Guide

“There is a lightness of being in the voice … a voice [that] must be listened to as well as heard.”
— Michael Foster, Canberra Times

“Gilmartin is a real find.”
— Andrew Ford, Australian Financial Review