Marcia Hillman, writer and lyricist, 1933-2018

Marcia Hillman, a veteran jazz journalist and lyricist died in April. Following a period of declining health, she had been in assisted living, reports Laurence Donohue-Greene of the New York City Jazz Record.

“Marcia was born and raised in the Bronx, New York City,” according to her friend and collaborator, jazz pianist Lenore Raphael. “She attended Queens College, studying English literature and creative writing. She found her passion was jazz upon hearing Stan Kenton big band recordings at age 16 and becoming a big fan of his music. She joined a record label as a promotional writer and in addition wrote for Cashbox magazine.”

Marcia claimed she’d started writing poetry at age 10, but hadn’t been comfortable with rhyming until she turned her hand to lyrics when she was 20, simultaneously with her commercial work. Eventually, as noted on Marcia’s AllAboutJazz member page, some 40 of her songs were recorded, including a series in the early ’60s co-authored by singer-songwriter Joe Derise. Of those, “The Blues are Out of Town” was covered by Giacomo Gates (on Luminosity, 2008); another was sung by Nancy Wilson. Vocalist Trina Ferris recorded Hillman’s “Close to You” on her 2016 album Out of the Blue, having previously sung a another of her works on her 2013 debut Caught in the Moment.

Marcia also collaborated on tunes with jazz pianist Lenore Raphael. The two had met in the late 1990s at one of the latter’s NYC gigs , and several of their songs are included on Raphael’s albums released on the Swingin’ Fox label. Marcia was co-producer of “Lenore Raphael’s JazzSpot” show on Pure Jazz Radio, arranging artist interviews and overseeing aspects of production.

In 2005, Marcia began writing for both AllAboutJazz (where many of her articles are archived) and the New York City Jazz Record. She was an editor at eJazzNews and wrote a column for The Jassman. She wrote record reviews, interviews, spot news pieces and liner notes, too.

“Spent a lot of years in the recording industry, so I know both the administrative and creative sides of the business,” she wrote in her crisp, direct way in her Jazz Journalists Association member profile. “Also, met and continue to meet a lot of wonderfully talented people. Consider myself a non-performing musician. My words are pretty much my instrument.”

“Marcia Hillman,” Lenore Raphael wrote in an email, “will be missed by many in the jazz community, and other friends as well.”