Irene Hartfield

Irene Hartfield has been around: New York clubs, recording studios, cruise ships, international gigs, northern Minnesota venues, and more.

Currently based in Ely, Minnesota, Irene Hartfield is a pianist, vocalist, songwriter, accompanist, church musician, musical director, and performer whose work has filled decades and settings from Manhattan nightlife to the edge of the Boundary Waters.

Irene worked as a professional performing musician in New York during the 1970s and 1980s, when the Irene Hartfield Trio played venues including Jimmy Weston’s, Jilly’s, 8th Street Gallery, Red Onion, Buddy Rich’s club, and the Grand Finale. Her performing life also took her to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Sneaky Pete’s in Hollywood, Florida, and The Summit Club in Caracas, Venezuela.

Along the way, she also worked in the recording industry as both a player and singer, with musical colleagues including Will Lee, Steve Gadd, Steve “Fonz” Gelfand, Arnie Wise, Jay Leonhardt, Stu Woods, and others. She later spent three years performing on Holland America cruise lines, traveling to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Brazil, and spent a summer performing in Sweden.

A review from Victor Stein in The Village Voice described Irene as “basically a rock singer with jazz influences,” praising her expressive, controlled voice and her ability to move from a Janis Joplin-like growl to a soft soprano. Even more important for song lovers, Stein noted her gift for interpreting a lyric.

That matters. The nuanced performance of the singer can make or break a song. Just singing the right notes isn’t enough. Irene’s gift with vocals provides the emotional support needed to move the listener.

Irene’s album The Blue Period features original songs, with titles including “I Wish You Could Be”, “Separate Beds”, “Sailing Away” (my favorite), and “Boston, Bermuda”. The album was produced by Irene Hartfield and mastered at Darbuki Island Studio North by Robin Anders.

Her later album Play Me, released February 14, 2016, is a collection of favorite songs arranged, sung, and played by Irene, with Robin Anders on drums. The album includes covers of songs made popular by Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Joan Baez, and more, as well as one Irene Hartfield original (my favorite again), “Sailing Away”.

Irene now lives in Ely, Minnesota, near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Her current musical life includes church music, musical direction for productions and musicals, accompanying, solo gigs, and performances with friends.

She was Musical Director for Reflections Dance Company in Ely from 2017 to 2023. During the COVID era, when one performance became virtual, she added music producer and engineer to her role for the movie Home on Earth. Her website also notes home videos from that period, including “Open to the Moment”, an original song by Irene.

Irene is currently serving as musical director for the State Theater 90th birthday celebration, coming up on September 4th; and for the headliner for Northern Lakes Arts New Year's Eve Gala at the State Theater. She wrote a successful grant application for the second event, which covers the cost of 10 of her songs being orchestrated for strings in addition to the usual rhythm section.

After listening to several of Irene’s original songs, I kept coming back to this one. It’s my favorite. “Sailing Away” was written in between contracts on a cruise ship when she was back home in New York. She fell in love with a Dutch officer who was not available but became a very good friend and encouraged her to put all her pent-up emotions into songs.

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🎶 Spotlight No. 67
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About the author: Vicki Morrison Goble is a Minnesota singer-songwriter who created Songwriter Safari to introduce readers to gifted songwriters they might otherwise never discover. She believes good songs deserve an audience and that creativity has no expiration date.

Disclaimer

All biographical details and quotes, thoughts and opinions in this post come directly from the artist’s public online presence. I use AI tools to help organize information and smooth out the writing, but every spotlight is personally curated, shaped, and approved by me. Songwriter Safari isn’t responsible for the accuracy of submitted details or the availability of external links.