From the evidence to date, Peter Martin is an outstanding jazz pianist, but one who has recorded fairly rarely. These recordings suggest great skills, particularly as an accompanist. I would like to hear him more often.
My first exposure to Martin came in Joshua Redman’s 1995, 2-disc, live album, Spirit Of The Moment: Live At The Village Vanguard. In particular, I was captivated by his incisive comping behind Redman on the cut, Jig a Jig. I remember asking myself, who is this man, and why haven’t I heard of him before? His comping displays chording with a rich texture, perfectly atuned to Redman’s tenor saxophone. His solo features strong right hand runs, and meaty, two-handed blocks. This clearly is a major league pianist.
Martin also was featured in Redman’s 1996 studio album, Freedom in the Groove, where he backed not only Redman’s sax but also Peter Bernstein’s guitar. Piano-guitar combinations in groups like this can be congested, but Martin knows just when to play, and when to lay back. On two of my favorite cuts, for example, Can’t Dance and Hide & Seek, Martin plays tastefully. Energetically. With the kind of rock-edged rhythms Redman sought to highlight. Martin’s solos are spare but punctuate the air perfectly. This album is a winner, and Martin makes a winning impression.
It was exciting to learn that he had cut his own album as a leader, Something Unexpected, a live quintet recording Martin made for the Max Jazz label in 2001. This was good album with many fine moments but, overall, I was a little disappointed. But the high point, for me, is the cut that closes the album, I Wish. Ostensibly just a tune to introduce the players, the band really cooks. Really cooks!
Each band member takes a turn soloing, and what a great band, with Nicholas Peyton on trumpet and Bryce Winston on tenor, with Reginald Veal laying down some incredible bass lines. Peter plays the kind of piano that makes me hungry for me. Why, I often have wondered, could they not played more like they did on I Wish? It is 5:45 that I have played over and over again.
In 2005, Martin followed with a second album for Max Jazz, a trio album, In the PM. This is an album I have enjoyed, but which, frankly, I have returned relatively rarely. Why, I have wondered? Martin shows that he is a high calibre soloist. But I think what I miss is his work as an accompaniest.
I remain on the lookout for more of Peter Martin. A pianist that needs to be heard and needs to receive wider recognition.
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