Billy Martin (born October 30, 1963) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

drummer, best known as a member of jazz-funk trio

Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass. The band is influenced by musical traditions including funk and hip hop and ...

Biography

Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Martin was part of the New York City Brazilian scene in the 1980s. He performed regularly with Pe De Boi, Batucada and several Bob Moses bands for over a decade. He also joined

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, voice actor, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, ...

's touring group for three years. Most notably he has developed as a percussionist for The Lounge Lizards and with the John Lurie National Orchestra, and has collaborated with artists such as

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz ...

, DJ Logic,

Dave Burrell Herman Davis "Dave" Burrell (born September 10, 1940) is an American jazz pianist. He has played with many jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown and David Murray. Biography Born in Middletown, Ohio, United Sta ...

and

Miho Hatori is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and musician. She is best known as a solo artist, co-founder of New York City band Cibo Matto, and as the first person to provide the voice of Noodle in the virtual band Gorillaz, as well as for her work with t ...

. He has also started his own record label,

Amulet Records Amulet Records is a record label based in New Jersey specialising in percussion, avant-garde, and experimental music. The label was established by the percussionist composer and visual artist Billy Martin in 1997, inspired by a percussion session ...

, specializing in eclectic percussion albums. Martin has also collaborated with

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

Eyvind Kang Eyvindur Y. Kang (born 23 June 1971) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. His primary instrument is viola, but has also performed on violin, tuba, keyboards and others. In addition to his solo work, Kang has worked extensively with ...

, Chris Whitley, DJ Olive, Ikue Mori,

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in ...

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Calvin Weston Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvin ...

Marty Ehrlich Marty Ehrlich (born May 31, 1955) is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flutes) and is considered one of the leading figures in avant-garde jazz. Biography Though born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the portion of Ehrlich's youth spent i ...

, and Min Xiao-Fen. Martin also sometimes goes by the moniker ''Illy B''. The most notable releases as Illy B include the ''Illy B Eats'' series of

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and ...

records. DJ Logic convinced Martin to record a breakbeat album for DJs and other producers to use and remix. At the last minute, Martin decided to place an insert which invited remixers to submit their mixes for a follow up compilation, ''

Drop the Needle Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowin ...

''. Along with his percussion work, Martin is a visual artist. He does printmaking, painting, pencil drawings, and pastel drawings, among other mediums. His work has been displayed in several galleries and is also on the packaging of many Medeski Martin & Wood albums, most notably the cover of ''

Shack-man ''Shack-man'' is an album by experimental jazz fusion trio Medeski Martin & Wood, released in 1996. It peaked at #7 on the ''Billboard'' Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. Production The album was recorded in an isolated shack in Hawaii, with power ...

''. 2006 was a prolific year for Martin; he created new chamber compositions for John Zorn's

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

label, he released ''

Out Louder ''Out Louder'' is an album produced as a collaboration between Medeski Martin & Wood and John Scofield. It is the first album released under the name " Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood," since 1998's '' A Go Go'' was released under Scofield's name ...

'' on MMW's new label Indirecto, he produced many new artworks, and published a drum book entitled ''Riddim: Clave of African Origin''.

on DVD

Billy Martin's LIFE ON DRUMS Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

" (VongoleFilms.com) *"

Billy Martin IN CONCERT Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a young ...

" (VongoleFilms.com)

Discography

Bob Moses

*''Visit with the Great Spirit'' (1983, Gramavision) *''Drummingbirds'' (1984, Amulet) *''The Story of Moses'' (1987, Gramavision) *''Time Stood Still'' (1993, Gramavision)

Ned Rothenberg

*''Overlays'' (1991, Moers) *''Real and Imagined Time'' (1995, Moers)

John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards

*''Live in Berlin Vol. 1 & 2'' audio and film (1991) *''The John Lurie National Orchestra – Men with Sticks'' (1993) *'' Get Shorty'' soundtrack (1995) *''Fishing with John'' soundtrack (1998) *''African Swim/Manny and Low'' soundtrack (1999) *''The Legendary Marvin Pontiac'' (1999)

Medeski Martin and Wood

*'' Notes from the Underground'' (1991, Amulet) *''

It's a Jungle in Here ''It's a Jungle in Here'' is an album by the experimental jazz funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood, released in 1993. The trio supported the album by playing shows with Bio Ritmo. "Bemsha Swing/ Lively Up Yourself" is a medley of Thelonious Monk and Bo ...

'' (1993, Gramavision/Ryko) *'' Friday Afternoon in the Universe'' (1995, Gramavision/Ryko) *'' Get Shorty'' soundtrack (1995) *''

'' (1996, Gramavision/Ryko) *'' Farmer's Reserve'' (1996, Indirecto/Amulet) *Wim Wender's ''

The End of Violence ''The End of Violence'' is a 1997 drama film by the German director Wim Wenders. The film's cast includes Bill Pullman, Andie MacDowell, Gabriel Byrne, Traci Lind, Rosalind Chao, and Loren Dean, among others. It also features a soundtrack m ...

'' soundtrack (1997) *'' Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg'' (1997, Tzadik) *''Great Jewish Music – Burt Bacharach'' (1997, Tzadik) *'' Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan'' (1998, Tzadik) *'' Combustication'' (1998, Blue Note) *'' Last Chance to Dance Trance'' (1999) *'' Tonic'' (2000, Blue Note) *''

The Dropper ''The Dropper'' is an album by avant-jazz-funk organ trio Medeski, Martin & Wood. The album peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums chart. Critical reception ''The Washington Post'' wrote: "In many ways the chaotic and funk-soul soundsc ...

'' (2000, Blue Note) *'' Uninvisible'' (2002, Blue Note) *'' End of the World Party'' (2004, Blue Note) *''

Voices in the Wilderness ''Masada Anniversary Edition Volume 2: Voices in the Wilderness'' is the second album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project. It features 24 compositions by Zorn, each performed by di ...

'' (2003, Tzadik) *''

Let's Go Everywhere ''Let's Go Everywhere'' is an album of children's music released by Medeski Martin & Wood. Track listing All tracks by Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Me ...

'' (2008) *'' Radiolarians 1'' (2008) *'' Radiolarians 2'' (2009) *'' Radiolarians 3'' (2009) *'' Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set'' (2009) *'' The Stone: Issue Four'' (2010) – CD to benefit The Stone; live in Japan *''20'' (March – December 2011) – collection of tracks (released monthly); celebrating MMW's 20 year anniversary *'' Free Magic'' (2012) – acoustic live album, recorded in 2007 *''

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such ...

'' (2014)

Iggy Pop

*''Avenue B'' (1999, Virgin)

Oren Bloedow

*''Luckiest Boy in the World'' (1998, Knitting Factory Works)

Chris Whitley

*'' Perfect Day'' (2000)

John Scofield

*'' A Go Go'' (1998, Verve) *''

'' (2006, Indirecto)

Samm Bennett and Chunk

*''Life of Crime'' (1991, Knitting Factory Works)

As soloist and chamber music composer

*''Starlings'' (2006, Tzadik) *''Black Elk Speaks'' (2001, Amulet) *''Solo Live Tonic'' (2002, Amulet)

Illy B Eats

*''Illy B Eats Vol. 1 – Groove Bang and Jive Around'' (2001, Amulet) *''Drop the Needle'' (2001, Amulet) *''Antidote'' (2002, Amulet) *''The Turntable Sessions Vol. 1'' (2002, Amulet) *''Illy B Eats Vol. 2'' (Amulet) *''Illy B Eats Vol. 3'' (Amulet)

Socket

*''January 14 & 15'' (2005, Amulet)

Dave Burrell

*''Consequences'' (2006, Amulet)

G. Calvin Weston

*''Percussion Duets'' (1996, Amulet) *''Houston Hall'' (2006, Amulet)

DJ Spooky

*''Optometry'' (2002, Thirsty Ear)

DJ Logic

*''For No One in Particular'' (2003, Amulet) *''Project Logic'' (1999, Rope-a-Dope) *''Global Noize'' (2008, Shanachie Recordings)

Healing Sound series

*''Falling Water'' (1997, Amulet)

Wil Blades

*''Shimmy'' (2012, Royal Potato Family)

Wicked Knee

*''Wicked Knee'' (2011, Amulet) *''Heels Over Head'' (2013, Amulet)

External links

Billy Martin
official website
Medeski Martin & Wood
official website
Amulet Records
website

Martin's online art exhibit

''Starlings'' on John Zorn's Tzadik imprint

Interview with Billy Martin

Knee Deep in the Groove: An Interview with Billy Martin via TheWaster.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Billy Avant-garde jazz musicians American jazz drummers Living people Modern artists American percussionists 1963 births Tzadik Records artists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Lounge Lizards members Medeski Martin & Wood members