Barrett Martin (drums, percussion)
Barrett, in his own words:
"I am a native of Washington state, but I consider myself to be a global citizen. And this is because music has been the vehicle which has taken me around the globe, a process which has instilled in me a great sense of purpose to the protect our planet, and particularly the indigenous peoples whose music and languages must be protected. I have always seen the process of music as a way through which I could learn from other cultures, including my own, and I have done this both as an artist, as well as through various academic channels. This has shown me, firsthand, just how important music is to all people, the world over."
"I started my professional career as a Jazz drummer in college, playing gigs around campus, and then later when I moved to Seattle in 1987. I was immediately recruited by various Rock bands at the dawn of the revolutionary Seattle music scene of the 1990s, and I was fortunate to play with some of the best bands of that era, on some of the largest stages in the world, with bands like Screaming Trees, Mad Season, REM, and Tuatara. I also tried my hand as a session musician in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, and have been a sideman or producer on over 60 albums, some of them gold and platinum records. It was a great learning experience for me, about the process of making albums, and learning the ropes of the music business in general."
"In 2002, after various stints with bands on major labels, I returned to my Jazz and World music roots again, and founded my own record label/production company. This has been my main focus up to the present - the making of independent records, both my own solo albums and group projects, as well as with other artists whom I deeply respect."
"A few years ago, I went back to graduate school to study anthropology and ethnomusicology, to achieve a higher understanding of the musical expression of world culture. Over the last ten years I have done several field trips around the world to study music in various foreign countries, and one of these trips became my master's degree fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon. That work resulted in the indigenous-owned CD, "Woven Songs Of The Amazon", which is the sacred music of the Shipibo people, who reside in the Upper Peruvian Amazon. You can buy that CD here on my website, if you wish to support these people and their music directly (all of the money goes to them directly). I am currently working with the Gwich'in people in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge on a similar project, to help them preserve their music and cultural identity in the face of exploitive oil drilling on their native lands.Other projects I have done over the years included studies with Garifuna drummers in Belize, Wolof Griots in Senegal, Ewe Drummers in Ghana, Santeria drummers in Cuba, Candomble drummers in Brazil, and various recording projects in Australia, New Zealand, and even Jerusalem. I am currently writing my first book on these experiences, which I hope to publish it in early 2010."
"It is certainly true that these real world experiences, as a professional musician combined with my academic studies, have given me a solid foundation of the artistic and cultural sides of music. It has also given me a much deeper understanding of music, the environment, and human expression in general.I see my work as being a balance between my own musical career, as well as an advocate ethnomusicologist for indigenous cultures and world music in general. I continue to work with indigenous peoples who seek a platform to express their voice, and I strongly believe that we must all strive to keep the world a diverse and culturally rich place. In order to accomplish this task we must work tt save the beauty and vitality of our planet's environments, her people, and her music., and this is because we are all inextricably linked to one another. This is the great task of living in the 21st century - everyone in it together."