Home » Jazz Musicians » Billy Martin

Billy Martin

Above all else, Billy Martin believes in the power of unguarded expression to capture glimpses of the truth – sometimes only fleetingly, sometimes for extended, intoxicating stretches. He pursues the ecstatic and the insightful from a variety of vantage points: as a drummer and percussionist, as a composer, as a filmmaker, sculptor, visual artist, and even as a carpenter. To varying degrees, each endeavor is marked by Martin’s dearly held belief that unfettered improvisation and an honest commitment to the moment at hand can bring about new levels of understanding, new perspectives, new sonic textures, and a more profound emotional impact. “In any circumstance, any medium,” he reflects, “you need to be sincere with yourself and with your audience. This is who you are, and you’ve got to be trying as hard as you can to create something for the situation that’s new and fresh. There are going to be some mistakes, it may not be perfect, but you’ve got to be willing to take that chance at any given moment.”

While Billy Martin’s own creative journey has had innumerable forks and bends, he is best known to music enthusiasts as one-third of the indescribable Medeski Martin & Wood. About to enter their twentieth year as a performing and recording aggregation, Medeski Martin & Wood are an entirely unique instrumental ensemble, able to apply principles from a staggering range of traditions (from free and modern jazz to classic R&B and well beyond) while remaining eminently relatable, even accessible. Via fifteen albums, tireless touring (performing everywhere from jazz clubs to jamband festivals), and collaborations with the likes of John Scofield and John Zorn, the trio have united audiences from disparate corners of the musical universe who react with equal awe and enthusiasm to the band’s infectious grooves and undiminished exploratory zeal.

Few if any major acts are able to simultaneously function so successfully – both artistically and commercially – as both a laboratory as Medeski Martin & Wood have, and their work exemplifies many of Martin’s ideals and principles as an improvising composer/performer. Forever refining and rediscovering his own signature sound, Martin vividly explores these notions of creative identity, of surrendering to the moment, of developing one’s own artistic voice, in Life on Drums, his feature-length directorial debut, which will be released on DVD by Vongole Films on October 8th, 2010. Sumptuously filmed in a disused New Jersey radio station, the informative yet atmospheric Life on Drums combines conversations with solo and group performances (some improvised, some composed) to create an engrossing portrait of Martin’s evolving musical aesthetic.

Read more

Tags

3
Radio & Podcasts

Billy Martin (aka Illy B) On The Nature Of Art And The Art Of Nature

Read "Billy Martin (aka Illy B) On The Nature Of Art And The Art Of Nature" reviewed by Leo Sidran


Billy Martin (also known as Illy B) is many things. He's a visual artist, a filmmaker, a teacher, a builder, a composer, a record producer... But if you know his name, chances are it's from his band Medeski, Martin and Wood, a project he's had for 30 years now along with bassist Chris Wood and keyboardist John Medeski. Billy refers to his artistic approach as playful and he is committed to the idea of play and experimentation in ...

2
Album Review

Billy Martin's Wicked Knee: Heels Over Head

Read "Heels Over Head" reviewed by Doug Collette


After a long series of way under-the radar solo projects, drummer Billy Martin has chosen a more accessible route in the last couple of years, beginning with his duo collaboration with keyboardist Wil Blades, Shimmy (The Royal Potato Family, 2012).The followup to the eponymous seven-track EP, Heels Over Head is equally easy to digest, perhaps more so, even if the instrumental lineup of Wicked Knee is somewhat unconventional. Martin has enlisted longtime kindred spirit and master horn man ...

1
Album Review

Billy Martin's Wicked Knee: Heels Over Head

Read "Heels Over Head" reviewed by Mark Corroto


What if drummer Billy Martin of the late-20th, now 21st-century band Medeski Martin and Wood had been born at the end of the 19th century in New Orleans? What kind of music would he play? Certainly, it would have a brass band setting and be inflected with blues feel. Invite Buddy Bolden over tonight, because we have some funky ragtime sound with Martin's new outfit Wicked Knee. This their first full-length release, that follows the EP Wicked Knee (Amulet, 2011).

876
Extended Analysis

Medeski, Martin and Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set

Read "Medeski, Martin and Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set" reviewed by Sean Patrick Fitzell


Medeski Martin & WoodRadiolarians: The Evolutionary SetIndirecto Records2009 In an age when jazz is usually driven by individuals and fleeting lineups, the ability of Medeski, Martin and Wood (MMW) to sustain and reinvigorate their collective creativity for nearly 20 years is astounding. Never risk-averse--whether jamming with turntablists or flouting expectations with an all-acoustic record and tour--they've kept the music fresh for themselves and their listeners. So it wasn't ...

368
Film Review

Billy Martin: In Concert: Coconuts Feeding Birds

Read "Billy Martin: In Concert: Coconuts Feeding Birds" reviewed by Doug Collette


Billy Martin In Concert: Coconuts Feeding Birds Vongole Films 2009

In March 2008, drummer and percussionist Billy Martin was commissioned by The Houston Community College Department of Fine Arts in Texas to perform at the Heinen Theater. The school set the stage and documented what proved to be one of his best solo performances, in which the percussionist and founding member of Medeski Martin & Wood offered some of his Black Elk Speaks compositions ...

552
Extended Analysis

Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set

Read "Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set" reviewed by Doug Collette


Medeski Martin & WoodRadiolarians: The Evolutionary SetIndirecto Records2009 Medeski, Martin & Wood is always going a little further, whether it's in the course of a live performance, a studio recording or the aesthetics of its music. Accordingly, Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set is both metaphor for the group's restless ambition and a tangible product of it. This box set of five CDs, a double set of vinyl LPs and a ...

1,043
Extended Analysis

Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set

Read "Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set" reviewed by John Kelman


Released over the last year, Medeski, Martin & Wood's three-part Radiolarians series bucked the longstanding and conventional trend of writing > recording > touring. Touring material before documenting it on record isn't exactly new, but few if any artists have done so with such an extensive repertoire--three hours of new material, all taken on the road and honed before MMW ever set foot in a recording studio to lay the tracks down. That there's such a tremendous benefit ...

Read more articles
33

Recording

Billy Martin & Wil Blades To Release "Shimmy" May 22 on The Royal Potato Family

Billy Martin & Wil Blades To Release "Shimmy" May 22 on The Royal Potato Family

Source: Calabro Music

Billy Martin and Wil Blades wanna make you Shimmy. The organ/drums duo waste no time getting right down to it on their debut album due May 22 from The Royal Potato Family in collaboration with Martin's own Amulet Records. Martin and Blades go old school in the tradition of essential organ-groove sides by the likes of Charles Earland, Brother Jack McDuff and Groove Holmes. Martin, the drummer for the legendary Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Blades, a much buzzed about ...

335

Performance / Tour

John Medeski, Billy Martin, John Scofield, DJ Logic, DJ Olive, Sex Mob, Antibalas, Marco Benevento, Vijay Iyer, Eric Krasno + Unite in Benefit for the Scotty Hard Trust

John Medeski, Billy Martin, John Scofield, DJ Logic, DJ Olive, Sex Mob, Antibalas, Marco Benevento, Vijay Iyer, Eric Krasno + Unite in Benefit for the Scotty Hard Trust

Source: Allegro Media

DOWNTOWN NYC JAZZ LUMINARIES OFFER HEARTFELT PERFORMANCES IN BENEFIT FOR FELLOW MUSICIAN AND PRODUCER SCOTT HARDING AT HIGHLINE BALLROOM NYC ON MARCH 19, 2008 JOHN MEDESKI, BILLY MARTIN, JOHN SCOFIELD, DJ LOGIC, DJ OLIVE, SEXMOB, ANTIBALAS, MARCO BENEVENTO, VIJAY IYER, ERIC KRASNO and more UNITE TO HELP RAISE MEDICAL FUNDS FOR BELOVED RECORD PRODUCER NEW YORK, NY — Downtown NYC luminaries unite for one astonishing benefit concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, ...

149

Performance / Tour

Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood Schedules Percussion Duets Tour with Grant Calvin Weston

Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood Schedules Percussion Duets Tour with Grant Calvin Weston

Source: Allegro Media

Billy Martin / G. Calvin Weston Duo Billy Martin: drums and percussion G. Calvin Weston: drums, percussion, trumpet and vocals

Billy Martin and G. Calvin Weston met in 1988 during a rehearsal with John Lurie's legendary “downtown" band the Lounge Lizards (NYC). That day sealed the percussive rhythm section for the Lounge Lizards and the great-but-short-lived avant garde trio, The John Lurie National Orchestra. They toured Europe and Japan as well as some historic performances in ...

132

Event

Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood) and Saxophonist Daniel Bennett in Concert in Boston (12/7)

Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood) and Saxophonist Daniel Bennett in Concert in Boston (12/7)

Source: Bennett Alliance

The Bennett Alliance in Boston is very busy these days. The production company, run by “avante-folk" saxophonist Daniel Bennett, promotes the ongoing Bennett Alliance Concert Series at the restored Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On December 7, the fourth installment of the Bennett Alliance Concert Series will feature world-renowned drummer Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood) and saxophonist Daniel Bennett. The Boston jazz scene has been buzzing about this unique double-bill show. Billy Martin will be joined by master ...

142

Event

Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood), Robin Eubanks, and Daniel Bennett Group Play Boston on December 7

Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood), Robin Eubanks, and Daniel Bennett Group Play Boston on December 7

Source: Bennett Alliance

The Bennett Alliance in Boston is very busy these days. The production company, run by “avante-folk" saxophonist Daniel Bennett, promotes the ongoing Bennett Alliance Concert Series at the restored Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On December 7, the fourth installment of the Bennett Alliance Concert Series will feature world-renowned drummer Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, & Wood), trombonist Robin Eubanks (Dave Holland Band), and saxophonist Daniel Bennett. The Boston jazz scene has been buzzing about this unique show. Billy Martin ...

83

Recording

Billy Martin and John Medeski Release Duets Album on Amulet Records

Billy Martin and John Medeski Release Duets Album on Amulet Records

Source: Allegro Media

Percussion Meets Hammond as Two Thirds of Medeski Martin & Wood Take Time to Collaborate

Billy Martin and John Medeski have celebrated their almost twenty-year-long musical relationship by releasing a duets album entitled Mago.

The album, which was produced by Martin and recorded over a span of two days in July, 2006, features Martin on drums and Medeski on Hammond B3 organ. Mago's highlights include expansive free-flowing spontaneous compositions that Martin and Medeski showcase with immense grace and passion; the ...

125

Performance / Tour

Jamaaladeen Tacuma, G Calvin Weston, Billy Martin & Anthony Coleman @ TONIC NYC Dec 1st

Jamaaladeen Tacuma, G Calvin Weston, Billy Martin & Anthony Coleman @ TONIC NYC Dec 1st

Source: All About Jazz

Creative Music is alive and well at Tonic NYC, this Friday night, December 1st, as four genre-busting" musicians grace the stage.

Legendary G Calvin Weston and Billy Martin of Medeski Martin & Wood on drums and percussion, Weston & Martin have shared a history as a partnership in Lounge Lizards which has given rise to numerous collaborations over the years. Developing intense rhythmic complexities. Jamaaladeen Tacuma only adds fuel to the fire with his heavy hitting free funk bass style. ...

86

Event

Free Concerts with Campbell Brothers and Billy Martin in Philadelphia

Free Concerts with Campbell Brothers and Billy Martin in Philadelphia

Source: All About Jazz

UNIVERSITY CITY DISTRICT PRESENTS FREE AUTUMN CONCERTS IN CLARK PARK

Neighborhood improvement organization will host The Campbell Brothers and Medeski Martin & Wood's Billy Martin in Clark Park this October

Philadelphia, PA - This October, University City District (UCD), a neighborhood and business improvement organization located in West Philadelphia, will inaugurate their bi-annual free outdoor music series. It all begins on Thursday, October 5 at 6pm when UCD presents The Campbell Brothers, who will bring their soaring, moaning, and driving ...

119

Performance / Tour

Pianist Dave Burrell Celebrates 65 Years, Performs Duets with Billy Martin

Pianist Dave Burrell Celebrates 65 Years, Performs Duets with Billy Martin

Source: All About Jazz

This month, pianist/composer Dave Burrell celebrates his 65th birthday. Best known for his remarkable contributions to recordings from saxophonists Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and David Murray, Burrell’s recent accomplishments as a leader are best described by critic Francis Davis: “Burrell crams a century of jazz history into every chugging stride episode and churning dissonance. Encyclopedic as well as eccentric, he’s a living treasure." On Monday, October 10 at 8pm, Dave Burrell and percussionist Billy Martin (from Medeski, Martin and Wood) ...

176

Recording

Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood Releases Socket on Amulet Records ; Live Collaboration Featuring Eyvind Kang, Min Xiao Fen, Cyro Baptista +

Billy Martin of Medeski Martin and Wood Releases Socket on Amulet Records ; Live Collaboration Featuring Eyvind Kang, Min Xiao Fen, Cyro Baptista +

Source: All About Jazz

New York, NY: With raging distortion, polyphonic-cacophony and speaking in tongues, NYCs downtown luminaries lead by Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin and Wood) channel the mad spirits in front of a live audience. Two nights distilled and concentrated into one seriously potent mix of heaven and hell. May these sonic witchdoctors cure what ails, chase the dragons and cast spells on your world. Socket, produced by Billy Martin, was recorded live to 2 track at Tonic (NYC), January 14-15, 2005. Released ...

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Dragons Layer

Music Factory Records
2023

buy

Meeting of the Minds

Music Factory Records
2023

buy

Into the Void

Music Factory Records
2022

buy

The Garden

Music Factory Records
2022

buy

Shimmy

Victor
2012

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.