Without a Net

René Marie says she cut her teeth on the songs of Ella Fitzge­rald and Sarah Vaug­han. She will perform in her own voice Sept. 30, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

By: Jim Boyle
If somebody really wants to make it in the music business, they have to be
willing to take the big risks. René Marie has never been afraid of a
challenge and has crafted a successful career as a jazz vocalist. Within three
months of its May 2000 release, her second CD, How Can I Keep From Singing?
(Max Jazz), reached number one on the national GAVIN Jazz Chart, a publication
that tracks radio play.
   "I’m willing to take a lot more risks since I started singing
late in life," says Ms. Marie, who began her professional career in her early
40s. "I have less of a tendency to listen to what other people tell me to do.
I’m willing to take the risk of being thought of as weird."
   Her music has been well-received by most critics, but there
are a few who question the direction Ms. Marie takes some of her songs.
   "I did an up-tempo version of "God Bless the Child’ on my
CD," she says. "They thought I was being sacrilegious. They complained that
I didn’t treat certain standards the right way."
   While Ms. Marie has no qualms about shaking up the jazz standards,
she does take time to recognize the influence that pioneers such as Ella Fitzgerald
and Sarah Vaughan had on her life.
   "I cut my teeth on their songs," Ms. Marie says. "I learned
how to improvise from them. People thought it was a thrill when I sounded like
Ella, but I didn’t consider it much of an accomplishment. When I rehearsed other
people’s songs, I found their voices coming into my head, and it stunted me
from finding my own voice. That’s why I like writing my own songs, because I’m
less restricted."
   Although she started her solo career later than most performers,
music has always been a part of Ms. Marie’s life.
   "Our house was always filled with music," says Ms. Marie,
who grew up in Virginia. "We were a family of seven kids and two parents that
were very poor. There was a lot of violence in the home, so music was a way
to disappear."
   There was bluegrass, folk and country-and-western music in
her house, but Ms. Marie never actually heard jazz until she was 17.
   "I went to see "Lady Sings the Blues,’ " she says. "I wouldn’t
have seen it if it didn’t star Diana Ross. The radio was playing BillieHoliday’s
songs before the movie came out, and I thought they were beautiful. I went out
and bought her songbook."
   She sang in a rhythm-and-blues band during her teens, then
got married at 18. Within three years, she had two sons and a halted music career.
   "It wasn’t so hard," says Ms. Marie. "I didn’t really miss
it because of my sons. I don’t think I need an audience. I just need to sing
on a regular basis. I did some solo work in my hometown, accompanying myself
on the piano."
   She was working for a bank, training customer representatives,
when her brother began hounding Ms. Marie about her music.
   "He kept encouraging me to quit my day job," she says. "He
kept saying, "Just jump and the net will appear.’ "
   She kept her job, but did some recording on the side. In 1998,
she was ready to release her independent CD, Renaissance. Unfortunately,
she had no way of telling people about it.
   "It was being released between September and November," she
says, "but I had no time to promote it. It was a real dilemma. My brother said,
"Just jump.’ I quit my job on a Friday and on the followingTuesday I got
a call from Richmond. I was asked to perform in this traveling show called "Songs
From the Soul.’ It was a three-person stint over three weeks."
   Ms. Marie still finds herself disappearing into her music
every time she takes the stage.
   "I do it regularly when I perform," she says. "It’s like being
in a state of suspended animation. I feel like a different person. I do things
on stage I wouldn’t do, even among my friends."
   
René Marie will perform at JazzFeast, Palmer Square, Princeton, Sept.
30, 2:30-3:30 p.m. For information, call (800) 644-3489. On the Web: www.palmersquare.com