Marshall, known for her brilliant take on French icon Edith Piaf, has once again put a singular stamp on a master – this time the late Canadian songwriter and performer, Leonard Cohen.
(New York, New York)
"There have been countless tributes to Leonard Cohen both on stage and on recording. Of them all, I cannot think of a more effective, moving, entertaining one than Gay Marshall’s Back On Boogie Street, a new and invaluable recording." - Gerry Geddes, Bistro Awards
The CD repertoire includes known masterpieces including "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "I'm Your Man" as well as the more obscure, "That Don't Make it Junk" and the title track, "Boogie Street." Marshall mixes some of Cohen's spoken word pieces with several musical tracks, and brilliantly redefines Cohen's music for those who have thought of him as a "harbinger of doom." Joyful and profound, the recording is a product of the ongoing collaboration between Marshall and pianist/arranger Ross Patterson, with bassist Don Falzone, accordionist Rachelle Garniez, cellist Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, violinist Bryan Hernandez-Luch, guitarist Gary Sieger and percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich.
Gay Marshall was named a Billboard Top World Artist with the release of her first recording, Gay Marshall Sings Piaf La Vie L'Amour. Similarly, Marshall's look at the beloved French Icon, Edith Piaf, was anything but bleak. Marshall considered Piaf's triumphs over personal tragedies proof of her life force, and brought that exuberance to her collection of nineteen stunning tracks, including several of her own translations (by permission of the composers). The album premiered as a #12 Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard World Album Chart.
"How unapologetically truthful, vulnerable, insightful and visionary are his words," wrote Gay Marshall in her self-penned liner notes, "and how beautiful and varied his musical styles."
When the Covid-19 lockdown hit, Marshall was planning a CD release show in New York City, and a campaign to promote Back on Boogie Street – Songs of Leonard Cohen. Those larger plans are slightly postponed, and you can purchase the recording on iTunes now.
Contact: Gay Marshall through her publicist: bafaiella@savoypr.com
About Gay Marshall
Gay Marshall has released 3 independent CDs, and is a Billboard Top World Artist for her recording, Gay Marshall Sings Piaf, La Vie L’Amour. For the past 10 years she has worked mainly in New York City nightclubs and great halls, building a loyal following of downtown music lovers. She has performed at Joe’s Pub and Carnegie Hall as well as Pangea and Feinstein’s. She recently turned her attention to the poet and songwriter, Leonard Cohen, and released a collection of his music and poetry, Back on Boogie Street in 2020. Gay has been a guest of NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon and Sandra Bernhard’s Sandyland. Her recording, Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night, is a collection of early 20th C. Blues and Jazz.
Marshall began her music career singing in a small French restaurant in Cleveland once a week after returning home from London, where she attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her repertoire included French music and Dixieland blues and jazz, Broadway tunes and standards. She eventually made her way to Broadway and A Chorus Line, playing Diana Morales, and singing "What I Did for Love" every night.
Marshall went to Paris to study French and fell in love with the city and her husband. She originated the role of Grizabella in the original French production of CATS, did Les Z'Années Zazous at the Folies Bergère, and created the roles of l'Autruche and the Petit Caillou in Emilie Jolie at the Cirque d'Hiver. During the day, she dubbed a lot of films and cartoons. She also performed with English theatre groups and was the voice of beauty brand, Garnier Nutrisse, for many years. Her original show, If I Were Me… . had successful runs in Paris, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it received rave reviews, and was declared by the Daily Express to be #2 on their Top Ten list of shows not to be missed. She wrote an original show about French icon, Edith Piaf, called “La Vie l’Amour” that played in Cleveland at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, in Dayton at the Victory Theatre and in Kansas City at the Missouri Rep. She now lives mainly in Paris and Biarritz with her husband, photographer Jean-Louis Blondeau.
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For more information on Gay Marshall, please visit her website.