I spent some time with a remarkable set of jazz musicians this past month, who stay busy traversing the region gigging and providing beautiful grooves wherever they go. They are all so busy, its hard to keep up with all the music and combos they are involved with, with the musicians casually splintering off into new aggregations and amalgamations at varied venues, ever regrouping into duos, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets and large scale ensembles and the like as needed. The folks I’ve met and shot video of to share here are all on the forefront of a 21st century Left Coast Bay Area jazz renaissance, one that just weeks ago I barely knew existed.
One of the many talented souls I met was Anthony Thomas Martinez, a saxophonist who was visiting from San Antonio, but won scholarships as a youth to study at Berklee College Of Music, and as of late had recently been playing steady gigs not only around his hometown, but as far south as in Baja Mexico last month. He rolled through to sit in at shows around the Bay Area and as far south as Santa Cruz, for a week or two, which is all part of his itinerant musician lifestyle he calls The Hustle. His final gig here was a sold out secret session as the band leader for the night at the rustic Stow Lake Boat House in Golden Gate Park, whose weekly concert series reservations occur online, but fill up every week, even on chilly fog laden February nights.
In the embedded video seen below, he tries out his recently bartered for 1953 Ohio made King Saxophone, that he’s now dubbed “The Silver Swan”. The tune is called “Rollin’ Right” and is some of that “pain jazz”, a longer version is featured on his most recent Black Note album “Live at the Palladium”.
You can catch up with more of Anthony’s music at his http://EyeAm1.Bandcamp.com page and via Social Media where he goes by the handle @IAmAnthonyThomas or ATM Jazz
Performing with him in the video was fellow San Antonian raised percussionist Vince DeJesus, recent Cuban emigre Yadier Noa Chamble on bass, and Dave Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet alum Javier Santiago, originally from Minneapolis on the keys.
Wrote Anthony after the show :
“Playing at The #LakeHouse Jazz show was mad fun and is always a privilege to play with such intense and inspiring musicians. It was a packed house, 70+ people in attendance, an intimate setting with attentive ears and super grateful for the special guests who came to hang. This is my 3rd year coming out to the Bay and 4th time playing this concert series. Whenever I come, the band name I go under is “The Hustle”. I chose that name because that is very much what the gigging , working musician life is, a Hustle everyday to manifest the life you want as a reality. Most us have our own projects, play in several bands(all genres of music), do studio work, compose or arrange, produce, teach and do everything else under the music umbrella. We all strive to be the best version of ourselves and play from the heart, one day at a time, one note at a time. I believe “The Hustle” is something we all can relate to, whatever dream you may be after and that’s the place we as musicians come from when we play. To try and invoke your emotions and take you out of the Hustle for a moment, to another place while relating to it at the same time. Our release is your escape for that brief period and the greatest joy for us is for you to receive it, and hopefully touch you in some way. Until we meet again my Bay Area friends & brothers.
If you’d like to find out more about the surprise secret sessions happening in Golden Gate Park on the regular and organized via BeMusical, visit this link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lakehouse-jazz-tickets-74499918261