5th Jazz CD Rolling
Out This Month!
Out This Month!
Most artists who put a “Doc” in their name do it out of
cleverness, for marketing reasons, or as a crafty way to express their mastery
of their instrument or vibe. Since the release of his 2003 debut Saxappeal,
Phillip “Doc” Martin has all that down pat, wowing audiences everywhere from
Blues Alley in D.C. to the St. Lucia Jazz Festival and the Catalina Island
JazzTrax Festival and earning inspiring amounts of airplay (including on XM
Watercolors and The Weather Channel) for tracks like “Deep Pockets” and the
title track from his 2009 set Realization. His latest Innervision Records
release Pocket Love further establishes this powerful expertise via his dynamic
flow and tight, funky old school driven alto vibe.
While many independent artists with cool, successful “day
jobs” prefer to avoid references to them when they talk about their music,
Martin is the complete opposite, fully embracing the inspirational factor of
being a top notch practitioner in two very different professions. Beyond his
ever-expanding musical fan base, hundreds of patients in the Washington DC area
know him as “Dr. Martin,” a board certified dentist in group practice there. He
called his previous album Good Day At Work (2013) to reflect his artful balance
between the rigors of life as a dentist and the sometimes exhilarating, often
challenging grind of being an independent artist and performer. One of the
insert photos in the packaging of Pocket Love finds him enjoying the best of
both worlds, embracing his treasured alto while wearing his green scrubs and
cap.
Another aspect of Martin’s artistry that sets him apart from
other fine indie saxmen is the fact that Pocket Love isn’t just an uplifting
collection of infectious tunes. There’s a larger camaraderie based concept
going on. On another insert flap in the artwork, he explains the idea behind
the album title: “Pocket is the groove that is created when playing with a
group of musicians. The better the individuals, the better the pocket. Pocket
is only created when everyone in the ensemble is working as a cohesive unit. I
love the feeling I get when I am in a great musical situation where everyone is
listening to each other and we are creating good vibes. Now THAT is Pocket
Love!”
Working once again with producer Marvin “Tony” Hemmings -
who has worked with pop greats Montel Jordan, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez
as well as instrumental stars Jeff Lorber and Kirk Whalum – Martin makes a
fresh switch from the recording approach he took on Good Day at Work. That one
featured all live instrumentation, and this time he wanted to create a more constructed
studio album featuring a pocket created by incredible musicians working
strictly with grooves created by drum programming.
The 11-track collection puts Martin’s fresh horn melodies
front and center, surrounded by the soulful harmonies and grooves fired up by
some of his favorite South Florida based “cats” he’s known and worked with
since he was an up and coming musician there. The bright and spirited atmosphere-rich
soul ballad title track and a lush, seductive cover of the Grover Washington,
Jr. classic “Just The Two of Us” feature the distinctive tones of Grammy
winning guitarist and urban jazz star Paul Brown. Elsewhere, the percussive
mid-tempo seduction “Club Life” features exciting horn doubling textures, old
school key harmonies by Hemmings and trumpet and a flugelhorn solo by Marvin
Winder. The moody and whimsical ballad “Black Shoebox” finds Martin soaring
over an easy shuffling groove, while the spirited jam “Hip Today” blends the
best of modern and old school sensibilities (Fender Rhodes flavor, jangling
rhythm guitar) and includes a jazzy piano solo by Hemmings.
Other highlights include the mystical soul-jazz sheen and
dark guitar strumming on “Groove Love” providing a foundation for Martin’s
candlelit sax passion; the crunch-groove and wistful synth harmony driven “LA
Nights”; the swaying, sensual funk ballad “Pardon Me”; and the high octane,
brass-fired jam “REM Funk” (with Martin’s sax conversing joyfully with a snazzy
horn section). The saxophonist closes Pocket Love with a thoughtful and
hypnotic cover of John Legend’s #1 pop ballad “All of Me,” performed to
perfection as a stripped down duet by Martin and Hemmings.
Born in Indiana to Jamaican parents, Martin grew up in South
Florida and began playing music in the Broward County public school band
program. Developing his fiery performance style by age 14, he became a leading
soloist at South Plantation High School Jazz Band and was honored as a first
chair selection to Florida’s All State Jazz Band. He went on to study music at
the University of Central Florida, where he was soon invited to play as a
sideman with Grammy Award winner Sam Rivers, Grammy nominee Kirk Whalum, Sunnie
Paxton, Wes Hamrick, Davonda Simmonds and Susaundra Lewis and the Sounds of
Soul.
As Martin continued to hone his skills, he became influenced
by influential sax players from across the traditional and smooth spectrum,
including Charlie Parker, Everette Harp, Grover Washington Jr., Dave Koz and
Gerald Albright. In addition to his acclaimed discography (which includes the
2007 set Pride and Joy), his appeal as a live performer has secured him shows
at prominent venues like Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland, Philadelphia’s
Dell East and SoCal’s Spaghettini, in addition to appearances at the Bahamas
Jazz Festival, Carolina Music Festival, Trenton Jazz Festival and Berks Jazz
Fest.
Because of the financial ups and downs of being an
independent artist, Martin made an important life decision to become a dentist,
moving to the Metro DC area to attend Howard University College of Dentistry,
where he received his degree and certification. His love of music and his commitment
to dentistry were both so strong that he re-branded himself as Phillip “Doc”
Martin and relabeled his early releases under that name so new fans could find
them. With the release of Pocket Love and continuing in his thriving practice,
he is showing the world that a person who dreams big can succeed at anything
they set their mind to – even two professions at the same time!
“The truth is, as frustrating as things became for me as a
musician over the years, I couldn’t put the sax down,” he says. “My first love
was always playing the sax, and I continue to strive to be the best sounding
alto player you’ve ever heard. I wanted to quit man times, but playing brings me
so much joy, and I’m so glad I made the decision to continue. If it’s unheard
of that a saxophone artist also wants to be the best dentist you’ve ever gone
to, that’s a testament to the hard work I have put in so that I may enjoy these
two amazing careers. In both worlds, success comes from working with
incredible, dedicated people and developing inspiring, enduring relationships.”
April 10, 2016: Sunday Brunch at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC
April 23, 2016: Cd Release Party at Nighttown Jazz Club, Cleveland, OH
April 24, 2016: ViZion United Presents: A night of Jazz & Gospel w/ Phillip "Doc" Martin at The FC Pickerington, OH
May 13, 2016: CD release Party Duo Show w/ Guitarist Blake Aaron at Bethesda Blues and Jazz, Bethesda, MD
Music, booking, gigs and more info at:
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