MARCIA HILLMAN - WRITER

lanhillmus@msn.com

A native of New York CIty, Marcia Hillman started writing at the age of ten. Around that time, she also started music lessons. So it is no surprise that she grew up to write lyrics.

Earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, Ms. Hillman began working in and around the music industry. During a three year residence in Chicago, she was a column and article writer for Cash Box Magazine (a recording industry weekly) and also worked as a co-producer of a weekly talent show on WBBM-TV.

Returning to New York, Ms. Hillman worked for various record companies in many capacities. She wrote liner notes for different record labels and also wrote record reviews for a monthly fm/stereo magazine. In the late sixties, Ms. Hillman joined ASCAP and devoted her energies to writing lyrics with various composers, including jazz pianists Jon Mayer and Mike Longo and a lengthy collaboration with the late Joe Derise (singer/pianist/composer/arranger). She is now working with the jazz pianist Lenore Raphael, writing songs and collaborating on a number of projects aimed at educating children about jazz.

Ms. Hillman has had over forty of her songs recorded by many performers, including Nancy Wilson, Merry Clayton, Joe Derise, LaVerne Butler, Kim Marcoux and Giacomo Gates amongothers. She has a music publishing company in ASCAP and has received ASCAP writing awards. She has written book and lyrics for an off-Broadway musical and also collaborated with Joe Derise on a musical entitled "The Psychoanalysis of Mother Goose", as well as co-writing his autobiography "I Always Sing The Verse".

Ms. Hillman continues to write liner notes and is currently writing CD and performance reviews for All About Jazz, Ejazz News, Jazz Review, Jazz Improv, Jazz Police and Vinilemania. She is also a member of the Jazz Journalists Association.

MARCIA'S Reviews

review by Marcia Hillman: ROBIN McKELLE - INTRODUCING ROBIN McKELLE (2006)