Alexey said, "This is my gift to you" after adding his perfect Congas and Cajon to 'Marsha's'. The kicker is: His gift was free.
Alexey Marti also said, last July at Dockside Studio, "I know what to do" before adding more of perfect Congas to "The Band Is Bringing Everyone Home"
November 28, 2024
On this Day of Thanksgiving across the USA, let me offer a couple of Tracks that feature the exact and brilliant hand-drumming of ALEXEY MARTI.
The Tracks are ‘Marsha’s’—tribute to a magnificent mother of three in New Orleans—”Energy centers in her”—and the Instrumental for “The Bands Are Bringing Everyone Home.” I think they’ll make you happy—maybe happy enough to dance!
Born in Havana, Alexey Marti learned precision and expression in Santeria ceremonies with his family and friends, in Cuban academies, and from Oscar Valdes, the seminal percussionist and singer with Irakeré and Irakeré’s Chucho Valdes, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, and more. Oscar soon invited the student Alexey to join his post-Irakere group, Diakara. All of the above is meant to convey that Alexey’s musicianship has deep, warm, organic roots and very high capacities in “chops.”
In 2008 Alexey moved to New Orleans to pursue studies in the University of New Orleans Music program. He and his bands have been steady-busy over a decade. He won the Big Easy Award for best World Music performer in 2018. He released the much-appreciated Albums Travesia in 2017 and Mundo in 2019.
The opening rhythms for ‘Marsha’s’ come from KIRK JOSEPH’s tapping on his Sousaphone. We first tracked ‘Marsha’s’ at Rick G. Nelson’s Marigny Studio on March 11.
On April 8 added his Congas and Cajon. He said then, “This is my gift to you”—and manifested that “gift” by leaving his payment-check for the Session uncashed!
‘Marsha’s’
‘Marsha’s’ reached #3 worldwide on PlayMPE’s Chart for Jazz Releases last June, based on responses from more than 2200 Radio-Stations in North America and world-wide.
On July 30 and 31, 2024 Alexey joined us at Dockside Studio in Acadiana. He was by then one of the Rivers Answer Moons band. His friend DON VAPPIE likes to mimick Alexey’s assertive, can-do, and direct way of getting things done. Voila—as he and I and engineer JUSTIN TOCKET listened to the opening and connected two Tracks of LOUISIANA STORIES, “Louisiana Days, Louisiana Nights” and “The Bands Are Bringing Everyone Home”, seeking more coherence in rhythms and overall groove, Alexey said: “I know what to do.”
Voici, for this Day and your pleasure (we hope), eight days before our LOUISIANA STORIES Album-Release Party in the upstairs EVOLVE Space of the Angela King Gallery, the Instumentals of the two Tracks, with Alexey’s unifying percussion very present and (we think) enjoyable indeed.
“Louisaina Days, Louisiana Nights” Instrumental
“The Bands Are Bringing Everyone Home” Instrumental
See you on December 6, we hope!
What a pleasure to listen to this while taking a break from cooking. This is some cooking music, so many flavors and with such depth! Everytime I hear more aspects and get into it all the more. Vivid, "painted" in technicolor. Love it! See you at the party!