Alex Martin: News

I just got back from Old House Recording Studio in Gastonia, NC, where I recorded Second Life with bassist Ron Brendle and drummer Thomas Garner, with the great engineer Chris Garges at the controls. What a beautiful way to celebrate the MLK weekend! Ten of my compositions, one by Wayne Shorter ("Ana Maria"), and one Breton traditional ("Silvestrig"). Thanks to these guys, this recording is both warm and sparkling. The next steps are taking this final mix to a mastering studio and working with a graphic designer on the cover. I hope to have the CDs ready for purchase in a couple of months. In the meantime, I'll be progressively overhauling the Web site, so come back whenever you can.

I received word today from the Prince Georges Arts Council that I've been awarded a grant for production of my new CD, tentatively titled "Second Life." The grant will cover about a quarter of the cost of making the record, so I need to get to work on lining up the rest of the money. Not easy, in this economy, but they say that once you've got one grant, the rest come easier. "Second Life" will include almost entirely my own compositions (with maybe one or two exceptions) and will probably be a trio recording (me with bass and percussion), a more intimate sound than Nostalgia. I expect to have it out sometime in the first half of 2010.

I was on the WPFW-FM tonight with vocalist Pam Parker (www.pamparker.com) as part of the station's May Day celebration. We did "What a Wonderful World" and "Bread and Roses." A fun and educational experience, all in all--everything calibrated down to the second since we were live.

Acoustic bassist Nathan Garrett and I went into the studio last Thursday and recorded "Sueños," which we hope will be part of a future duo project. Go to the Music page for a sample.

I'm expecting to receive a thousand copies of Nostalgia for Terra Incognita, the new CD from my "New World jazz" quartet, Amérique Latine, on December 20th. Order now and I will put your copy in the mail to you by the 21st, so that it should arrive by Christmas (depending on your location). T-shirts should arrive by the new year. Check the "buy" page and please e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns.