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The Mel Martin All-Star Big Band
“The Mel Martin Big Band was exciting, rewarding, and more.”
Philip Elwood - San Francisco Chronicle
The Bay Area has always been a hotbed of jazz talent. Many of itʼs brightest stars have moved on to the greener pastures of New York and beyond. Saxophonist/composer/arranger Mel Martin has chosen to maintain his permanent
residence in the green pastures of Marin County. Mel still travels quite a bit doing performances and educational clinics world-wide but has made a commitment to forming a swinging, “in-your-face”, volatile big band. The roots of the
band began in the early ʻnineties when Mel Martin was contacted by such jazz greats as Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie,
McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingusʼ Epitaph and Joe Henderson to help them put together high-level big bands for Bay Area
performances at venues such as Davies Symphony Hall, Kimballʼs, Yoshiʼs and the San Francisco Jazz Festival. These
experiences were the seeds of what has become a truly all-star ensemble. The new band features Bay Area jazz stars
Tim Armacost, and Charlie McCarthy on tenors, Andrew Speight and Jim Rothermel on altos and Howard Cespedes on
baritone saxophones, Mike Olmos, John Worley, Bill Theur and Warren Gale on trumpets, Chip Tingle, Al Bent, Dave
Eschelman and Chuck Bennett on trombones and pianist Mark Levine, bassist Rob Fisher, and drummer Akira Tana.
Mel Martin is widely known as the artistic director
and driving force of the group Bebop and Beyond, The
Tenor Conclave and his various quartets. He has lent
his extraordinary woodwind talents to many recordings and performances by artists such as Benny Carter,
Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, The Count Basie
orchestra, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Mingus
Epitaph, Kenny Barron, Mongo Santamaria, Santana,
Freddie Cole, Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, Louie Bellson, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Sarah
Vaughan, Joe Williams and many, many more. Mel
Martin is a recipient of several National Endowment
for the Arts Awards including jazz composition, jazz
fellowship, recording and jazz ensemble categories.
The repertoire of The Mel Martin All-Star Big Band consists of new arrangements of many Standards inaddition to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Jimmy Heath and Oliver Nelson favorites and Mel
Martinʼs original compositions. The emphasis is on Swing as in “it donʼt mean a thing” (if it ainʼt got it!)
Their debut performance was at the 24th annual Russian River Jazz Festival in Guerneville, California on Saturday, September 9, 2000 with special guest vocalist Jamie Davis of the legendary Count Basie Band.
Booking Contact:
Mel Martin
(415)892-5911 ph
(415)893-1114 fax
[email protected]
www.melmartin.com
Photos by Peter Buranzon (Pacific Visuals)