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Barrett Martin
Barrett holds a masters degree in ethnomusicology and linguistics and has taught at several universities in the United States. He has written essays for The Huffington Post, and in 2014 he was awarded the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thompson Award for excellence in writing. His first book, The Singing Earth, was released in 2017, and his solo band, The Barrett Martin Group, has made 6 studio albums to date.
"The Singing Earth" is a collection of musical adventure stories from Barrett's long career. The book chronicles his musical work in 14 musical regions, across 6 continents, over the course of 30 years. It starts with his involvement in the 1990’s Seattle music scene, and then it explores song lines and sea trails in Australia and New Zealand; trance drumming in Central America; Griot music in West Africa; musical diplomacy in Cuba; touring with a Brazilian rock band; recording shamanic music in the Peruvian Amazon; playing the blues in the Mississippi Delta; recording in the Palestinian West Bank; the power of resistance in American music; and the influence of Asia in music and culture. There is also a companion soundtrack that comes with the book as a digital download, which contains 44 songs from Barrett’s various bands, as well as field recordings and natural soundscapes from the incredible musical environments he has visited. Those who read and listen to the musical journey that Barrett describes will find themselves transported through exotic global landscapes where they learn about the connections between ecology, community, and the music that connects us to our greater humanity.
Awards
2017 Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock or Alternative Album In The Portuguese Language 2014 ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thompson Award for Excellence In Writing
Gear
Tama Drums Endorsee since 1992; Sabian Cymbals Endorsee since 1992; Pro Mark Drumsticks Endorsee since 1992
Tags
Barrett Martin: Transcendence
by Glenn Astarita
Former Grammy Award winner Barrett Martin is a musical renaissance man. He's a busy session artist for film, TV, and has supported name acts amid his membership in several rock bands. However, Martin's compositional skills shine on this revved-up outing that is reminiscent of the burgeoning jazz fusion scene of the 1970s, when musicians integrated rock, funk and soul into the jazz vernacular. But Martin also imparts a modern sheen into these largely groove-laden works, packed with endearing hooks and ...
read moreBarrett Martin: Musical Artifacts and Seattle Punk
by Jack Gold-Molina
Barrett Martin's primary instrument is the drums, but he has also been known to play upright bass, as well as many different types of ethnic percussion instruments that he has studied formally, often traveling to their countries of origin to seek out Griots and teachers. His musical credits include Seattle bands Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, supergroups Tuatara and Mad Season, and the PBS short documentary about his drumming and Zen painting, Zenga And The Art Of Percussion, which won ...
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