Willie Martinez has been a familiar face in New York City’s eclectic music scene for well over thirty years. As well as being one of the most sought after drummers on the Latin Jazz scene today, Willie is also a prolific arranger and composer. He is a master percussionist with yet another secret weapon: Willie is also a highly gifted vocalist.
Willie’s considerable rhythmic and vocal talents have been featured with groups performing everything from Gothic Funk at the quintessentially New York rock club CBGB’s to Afro Cuban jazz on the venerable stage of the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. He has performed and recorded with artists as varied as the classic Cuban arranger, composer, and bandleader Chico O’Farrill, legendary jazz trombonist Benny Powell and contemporary Pop divas Jewel and Faith Hill.
His performances have been documented sharing the stage with a wide variety of artists representing a Who’s Who in the American music industry, including Latin legends Bebo Valdes, Ray Santos and Hilton Ruíz; jazz greats Steve Turre, Mulgrew Miller and George Cables; and pop veterans Leon Pendarvis and Barry Eastmond.
When not performing with his own highly acclaimed ensembles, La Familia Sextet and the Willie Martinez Quartet, Willie enjoys being involved in some of the hottest projects in town with leaders like alto sax virtuoso T.K. Blue, multitalented vibraphonist Jay Hoggard, and pianist extraordinaire Nicki Denner.
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