Deborah Martin & Jill Haley
Biography Deborah Martin & Jill Haley
Deborah Martin
Deborah’s passion is to visualize and create music that takes each listener on a journey through time and space. With a vivid imagination and a deep love of historic places and peoples of the past, we see her as being blessed; for they are few, those visionaries, who can bring forth into the present, and into our hearts, the spirit of that which has been so utterly lost in antiquity.
Deborah has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the North American continent, experiencing firsthand the diversity of cultures and the historic threads that weave together connecting us all. This perspective enables her to recognize and uncover links between present and past, and to interpret the resulting panorama with a compositional style all her own.
Deborah joined Spotted Peccary Music in 1991, with musical contributions on the album “Tracks in Time.” Deborah states, “I wanted to combine visual elements of places, people and events of long ago with sound.” Her three compositions, “Tracks In Time,” “Watercolors,” and “Forgot In Stone” did just that and much more.
Continuing to be inspired by the past and by the enthusiastic response of the “Tracks in Time” compositions, Deborah created “Under The Moon”, which received extensive airplay at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. “Under The Moon” takes you on a compelling voyage, from dusk till dawn, by lunar light and shadow, to an inner realm of serenity and grace. Deborah enlisted the aid of noted bassist and friend, Tony Levin, in bringing her vision to life, creating a truly magical experience for the listener.
Following the success of “Under The Moon” Deborah began working on “Ancient Power” collaborating with Steve Gordon. “Ancient Power” was pure magic from the beginning,” states Deborah, “everything just fell into place.” Deborah worked closely with Edgar Perry, a White Mountain Apache of the Eagle Clan, to complete the project. “Edgar told us stories of the history of his people. It became the basis for the music, which comes from a very deep and ancient place within each one of us.”
Deborah joined again with guest artist and friend Tony Levin for her next solo musical vision. Both delicate and powerful, “Deep Roots, Hidden Water” provides whispery melodies and lush, haunting chordal movements that fans of Deborah’s music have come to expect and enjoy. The canvas for the dramatic coloration of this project is enriched with bowed basses, textural guitars, and Taos Drums. With Coyote Oldman contributing tracks of various Native American flutes the journey was completed. The effect is simple and sublime. Deborah explains, “I wanted to continue exploring paths of how we came to exist, to search deeper into the legacy of our past – the imprint of our footsteps through time.”
After the release of “Deep Roots, Hidden Water”, Deborah continued to work on various collaborations with other recording artists to create that elusive musical magic that seems to happen when artists combine creative ideas together. “I love working with other artists,” Deborah explains. “You never know what’s going to happen and then all of a sudden, there’s an explosion of ideas and the music just flows. It’s very stimulating and exciting.”
“Convergence” was a collaborative result of live concert performances with fellow Spotted Peccary artists Greg Klamt and Mark Rownd. “Convergence” is a magnificent contemporary album, warm and inviting, a truly unique listening adventure.
After the release of “Convergence,” Deborah embarked on a journey with artists Cheryl Gallagher and Mark Hunton. Recording the sights and sounds of the peoples of Nepal and Tibet they experienced firsthand the majesty, beauty and spirit of that ethereal part of the world so often referred to as “the land above the clouds.” Deborah and Cheryl began work on a project based upon the experiences of the trip. The resulting “Tibet” is full of richly textured and highly expressive musical impressions intended to take the listener on the same journey these artists had experienced. Critically acclaimed and embraced by all who hear it, “Tibet” remains one of the most honest and truly heartfelt albums ever to bear the name of that majestic and inspiring land.
Deborah’s most dark and mysterious release to date is “Anno Domini”, a collaboration project with Spotted Peccary artist J. Arif Verner. “Anno Domini” returns to historic themes and the connection between past and present while invoking the theme of sacred spaces. On “Anno Domini,” Martin and Verner use ambient textures of synth and guitar to set the stage and Deborah’s haunting and beautiful Latin vocal phrases and melodies act as a beacon to guide the way through the depths of the soul.
Whether collaborating with other artists or working on her own projects in the future, Deborah Martin, one of Spotted Peccary Music’s highly acclaimed top selling artists is sure to inspire listeners with visions of the past and present; and when the time comes for her to reveal the next installment of her musical saga, it is certain that it will be one for the ages. ...
Jill Haley
is an oboist, English horn player, pianist and composer who visits National Parks in the United States, often as an Artist in Residence, and composes music about the Park while living there.
Montana’s Glacier National Park was the inspiration for her 1st recording of music about a National Park. After a visit there, Jill came home and found herself creating the amazing visual scenery in a musical sense at the piano. She decided to share the visual aspect of her music in concerts, and this led to a video of the images that inspired each piece as it is presented in concert. She continues to share live concerts highlighting the different Parks with video of the images that led to the music.
After recording her 2nd album, “Zion and Bryce Canyon Soundscapes,” she decided to apply to be an Artist in Residence at a National Park. Her first residency was at Mesa Verde National Park where she lived in a hogan style building while exploring the Park during the day and creating music at night. The album resulting from this residency won the ZMR “Best Piano with Instrumentation” award in 2015.
During the National Park Centennial year, 2016, Jill released “National Park Soundscapes,” which is a collection of pieces about 12 National Parks celebrating the centennial year. The music highlights parks from Acadia to Zion including a piece written during her 2nd residency at Badlands National Park. She presented concerts of this music at National Parks and other venues throughout 2016. 4 of her pieces were arranged for English horn/oboe solo with Concert Band and were presented in concert with the Ringgold Band. The pieces have now been arranged for solo horns with orchestral accompaniment and are being presented in the summer of 2021 by the Berks Sinfonietta.
Glacier National Park invited her back in 2016 to do a month Artist in Residency. The writing was truly effortless during Jill’s time there; she found so much to write about in this amazing place. This residency led to “The Waters of Glacier,” her 5th recording about a National Park.
In 2017 Jill spent 2 weeks in Wrangell/St. Elias National Park in Alaska as an Artist in Residence. This incredibly remote location afforded her an opportunity to explore an amazing Park, but more importantly introduced her to local folks who live in such a place. The people as well as the place affected her composing style while living in Alaska.
The Winds of Badlands recording was released in 2019, and this recording gained the #1 spot on the ZMR monthly reporting for the most airplay, as did several of her previous albums. Jill’s National Park recordings also receive regular airplay on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio and numerous music services.
After spending October 2019 living in Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico, Jill spent 2020 recording her musical impressions of this place. The release date for this recording is February 2021.
Her most recent Artist in Residency was at Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida in November 2020, and afforded her the opportunity to explore and create music about yet another land/waterscape.
Jill is an artist on the Spotted Peccary label and they will be releasing her first ambient recording with founder/ artist Deborah Martin, The Silence of Grace, in April 2021.
She continues to appear as a guest artist on many recordings done at Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Roads Studio, including 2 of Will’s guitar releases. Her English horn and oboe lines are also heard on many recordings produced by Corin Nelsen.
Jill rounds out her musical career as a symphonic orchestra player, a teacher, and church musician
