Born in Brussels, Belgium on July 2 1973, Zeke Martin entered the world with a pair of drumsticks in his hands. He grew up listening to various styles of music which began when his father Stu Martin, who played with some of the Jazz greats such as: Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Charles Mingus, Dave Holland and Quincy Jones, would put speakers in Zekes crib, playing him everything from Jazz to Funk, Reggae to Rock.
At the age of 12, Zeke had his first paying gig with Steve Lacy, in France. When he was 13, he moved from France to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He went to high school at Cambridge Rindge & Latin where he played in the Jazz Ensemble and Band, as well as playing with the Orchestra, Chorus, Vocal Ensemble and the Percussion Ensemble. He received the Pasquale and Mary Reale Music Award and performed the percussion solo at the CRLS Graduation.
When Zeke was 16, he joined a rock band called Small Town No Airport which performed in and around the Boston, Maine and New Hampshire rock clubs. They recorded a CD called Small Town No Airport which was sold at Tower Records and HMV in Boston. In 1994, Zeke moved to the big apple, New York City. He performed at various venues in Manhattan and on Staten Island frequently. After doing odd gigs for about a year, he joined a world music group led by Jeremy Lodeon. They performed in clubs around the New York area, recording a CD called In Between Two Worlds.
In 1996, Zeke moved back to Boston and started working with The Ed Jones Quartet. After recording a CD and performing at clubs in and around Boston, The Ed Jones Quartet changed sounds and members and became Groove 2 This. The group performed at numerous venues in and around Boston such as The Berklee Performance Center opening for Regina Bell and Steppin Out, a black tie charity gala. The group consisted of some of the top players in Boston: Antonio Jackson, Ray Archie, Aaron Spevack and Ed Jones. They recorded a CD named G2T, which was sold at record stores such as Nubian Notions in Boston.
In 1999, Zeke started playing weekly with The Ray Brown Quartet at Slades a club in Boston. Through playing in The Ray Brown Quartet, Zeke gained local recognition, and began performing with Bostons top musicians such as: Andre Ward, PJ Adamson, Valerie Stevens, Frank Wilkins, Herman Johnson, Bill Lowe and Andre Hayward.
Towards the end of 2000, while still playing with The Ray Brown Quartet, Zeke decided to start his own group called The ZMQ. The group consisted of Ray Archie, Antonio Jackson and Kevin Harris. In 2001, The ZMQ recorded their first CD, LANDSCAPES, on GigCity Records. They have performed at The Middle East, Slades, The Piano Factory, Ryles Jazz Club, The Sky Bar, Evos Arts, Northeastern University, Babson College, The Kirkland Caf and many more. In 2002, the line up for The ZMQ changed to Pat Loomis, Andy Kingston and Ray Archie. In addition, in 2002 Zeke was reviewed in the August issue of Drum! Magazine. He also received an endorsement deal with Sonor drums.
In 2005 Zeke received endorsements with Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth Drum sticks. Now The ZMQ is back in the studio with Clay Steininger, Keith Jenkins and Sean Berry. The new CD, FUNKY STUFF , came out March 17th 2006.
