MEL MARTIN
Genres: Post Bop, Jazz Education, Hard Bop • United States

Mel Martin (* 7. June 1942 in Sacramento; † November 2017) from wikipedia Martin played with many legendary artists over his 60-year career in music, backing up jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald and playing alongside stars in other genres like Frank Sinatra, James Brown and Tom Waits. Born in Sacramento, Martin fell in love with jazz at the age of 12. Though Martin’s parents loved music and played piano at home, they hoped that their only son would take over the family real estate business. But Martin never showed any interest; instead, he spent much of his time at jazz clubs watching legends like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman and Cannonball Adderly. “He discovered jazz and there was no stopping him,” Breindel said. Originally a clarinet player, Martin began playing saxophone and flute as teenager in the music program at Sacramento High School. It was around then that he landed his read more...