About Me
"REFUGEE" REVIEW by George W. Carroll of The Musicians' Ombudsman:
"Controlled rhythmic articulation, a technique of compositional skill, & above all an intense imaginative artistic power is manifest in jazz pianist's Hector Martignon's delivery. Hector is unremitting in his projection of strict yet lavish, original, &
aesthetic art. His choice of colossal talents of the likes of Eddie Gomez & Kenny Barron insures a project that is animated, but without any nonsensical romantics. Rather, the whole project takes on a warm, 'personal' matrix of performance due to the care Hector takes in his choice of sidemen. His subtle use of lightness, phrasing, accent, nuance, et al give this disc a real-time sense of sensitiveness."
REVIEW OF "REFUGEE" ON MIDWESTRECORD.COM:
"HECTOR MARTIGNON/Refugee: Martignon is a real classic jazzbo in a good way. He respects tradition and gets some of this hippest cats around to show up for his sessions. Accordingly, he writes with them in mind and you get a very special kind of set. This outing is loaded with killer cats, like his past works, and the music is highly rewarding. Bringing in jazz pros from all tastes and generations, Martignon is no “Zeligâ€, he’s the core that holds it all together. Wonderful listening that going to take your ears to unexpected, welcome places sure to resoundingly open them wide. In fact, the music hits the ground running and you will be blown away by what a driving date this is that never let’s up. Genre splicing a fusion attitude with a post bop mentality, Martignon has something really special on the ball/ A pure killer date."
200705 (Zoho)
HECTOR MARTIGNON has performed, recorded, composed, produced, and arranged music in myriad styles and genres for his own projects and for top musicians around the world.
His first professional recording, completed at the age of 18, was of Mikis Theodorakis's epic orchestral work “Canto Generalâ€. Since then he has appeared on hundreds of Jazz, Latin Jazz, and Pop albums in addition to recording two solo albums. Hector's third major U.S. release, "Refugee" will be released this spring.
Martignon has toured North and South America, Europe, and Asia with the bands of Mongo SantamarÃa, Gato Barbieri, Steve Turre and Don Byron. He has been the featured pianist with the bands of Tito Puente, Mario Bauzá, Chico O’Farrill, Paquito D’Rivera, and Max Roach in his "Project America."
Most notably, Martignon was pianist for various ensembles led by the legendary Ray Barretto. During his eight-year association with Barretto, his contributions as pianist, arranger, and composer were fundamental in shaping the sound of the now famous New World Spirit Sextet. His last collaboration with the late Barretto, "My Summertime," was nominated for a Grammy award.
HECTORâ€S "FOREIGN AFFAIR"
In 1998 Martignon performed with his quartet “Foreign Affairâ€at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's famed annual festival "The Next Wave" on a triple bill with Tito Puente’s “Top Percussion†and Don Byron's “Music for six Musiciansâ€. This proved to be a turning point for him and his ensemble, which evolved from the strictly acoustic trio sound of the first two CDs to a more eclectic and electric quartet sound. The new configuration that evolved from that memorable concert started a series of concerts and recordings, with guitarist Mark Whitfield, Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona and Cuban drummer Horacio “Negro†Hernández.
This quartet performed and recorded live during a weeklong stint at New York’s famous Birdland. The group has also performed on BET television festivals, at jazz clubs in Manhattan, and made various appearances in clubs and open-air festivals in his native Colombia and in Europe.
Martignon's third solo project "Refugee", to be released this Spring, is not only a reflection of the group's new musical direction but also of his interaction with other world class musicians. Eddie Gomez, Jeff Watts, Mathew Garrison, John Benitez, Dafnis Prieto, Willard Dyson have all made their unique contribution to this, Martignon's new sound of Jazz.
