Benny Carter Tribute Band
Mel Martin
Remembering Mel Martin (1942-2017)
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Born in Sacramento, June 7, 1942, Martin developed his chops playing with Wes Montgomery in San Francisco.
He gigged with John Handy, Tom Harnell and Eddie Henderson and other members of the Bay Area scene.
Martin got a close up look at Benny Carter’s work while playing in Carter’s Orchestra on its 1991 and 1992 tours of Japan. Stateside, he assembled big bands for Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie and McCoy Tyner. He also composed and arranged for television and movies.
On the educational side of things, he was professor of jazz saxophone at San Jose and Sonoma State Universities and taught twelve consecutive years on the staff of The Stanford Jazz Workshop
Personnel:
Mel Martin, tenor/sorprano saxophone and flute
Bobby Watson, alto saxophone
Don Friedman, piano
Steve Kirby, bass
Jeff Marrs, drums
