Marsha Bartenetti
Award-winning vocalist Marsha Bartenetti is a Smooth Jazz, Great American Songbook & Contemporary Adult Singer who will cross any genre for a good lyric. Her style ranges from Billie Holiday to Bonnie Raitt, all sung with authenticity and rich, evocative tones. After having left the music business for many years, Marsha enjoyed a highly successful career as a Voice-Over/On-Camera artist with National credits. She still maintains a successful Voice-0ver career and records Audio Descriptions for Feature Films and Television Programs/Series. Marsha’s return to music with passion and determination is winning audiences over as she has sold out shows at some of the finest music venues, like Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Jazz Club in Los Angeles and Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco.
Since returning to the stage in 2014, she has released 5 studio albums and 2 singles. Most recently, in 2022, Marsha released “Marsha Bartenetti Sings McNealy and Khuns” and a fully orchestrated album of original songs by Jane McNealy and Alice Kuhns. The vinyl LP released in October 2022.
All of Marsha’s music can be found on Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube and can be heard on Spotify.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! If three words just aren't enough then tell us more!!
Heart first music.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?) Tell us why.
There is good news - and there is bad news. As an artist it is my job to dig deep into my life experience and, through that work, express through music the different "notes" of my experience - without judgment - encompassing a wide swath of emotional truth. Accessing these authentic places in my life run the gamut of emotions - hopefully resulting in reaching a "humanity" level with my audience where what I experience, transforms into something an audience member can relate to and come away from hearing me with a connection to their own truth. Alchemy and magic through transference! The bad news is - I have to be open to truly experiencing some of the deepest recesses of my life, often very painful, in order to use it in my art.
When weighing the 2 -I always come away with the gratitude that I have the gift and opportunity to share the healing of music through my expression -
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you?
Being in the recording studio is like "home" for me. To work with some of the finest musicians who always bring their spontaneity and chops to the sessions - I am truly blessed! I love the creative process of recording- hearing different textures, sounds, and it all coming together - sometimes in very unexpected ways. I also love the intimacy you can find when recording - it's like working with film. It doesn't lie.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love cooking, writing, painting - pen and ink - There is always a project in the works. I am also a voice-over/narrator and have had much success in this world. Currently, I do narration for Audio Description for Feature films and television. Audio Description is narration about what is happening in between dialog for the sight-impaired or blind audience. It is a great service and is becoming a huge part of film production consideration and diversity.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why?
The immense talent we can find through social media that heretofore may never have had the chance to be heard and discovered.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it?
I haven't written songs in some time. I consider myself a lyric interpreter and will cross any genre for a good lyric. I take songs from Billie Holiday to Bonnie Raitt and bring my own take to them.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year?
I've been reimagining songs from the 60' 70's and recording singles - which will end up as a CD/LP compilation when we have 12 or so songs finished. The most recent single we released was "Dust in The Wind" by Kansas. Another single we recorded was Marty Balin of the Jefferson Airplane's song "Comin' Back To Me'. A haunting melody and timeless tune.
Tell us where fans can access your music.
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