Edy Martinez

Colombian-born keyboardist, percussionist, composer and arranger of Latin, Jazz, Salsa, Funk & Soul genres. Eduardo Martínez Bastidas was born in 1942, San Juan de Pasto, Colombia, settled in New York in the early 1960s. Talented Latin jazz performer Eddy (or Edy, or Eddie, or Eduardo) Martínez was captivated by music at a young age. While studying at Colombia's National University, the artist started to get involved in jazz, even though his first song was a cha-cha performed by singer Yolima Pérez. After settling down in New York, Martínez began an impressive career as musician and producer, recording and playing along with Ray Barreto, Eddie Palmieri, Larry Harlow, and Tito Puente, participating in the Last Tango in Paris' soundtrack, forming Conjunto Libre, and touring America and Europe with Irazú and Conexión Latina and inspiring artists such as Jerry González and Paquito de Rivera. Eddy Martínez achieved three Grammy Awards and a nomination to the Diners Talent Awards in 1992. He began as a jazz drummer in the 1950s, in particular with Hernando Becerra and Don Américo Y Sus Caribes, his first recording playing piano was in 1954. Played since 1965 with all the "kings" of salsa music in USA: Ray Barretto group, Mongo Santamaría, Gato Barbieri, Tito Puente, Larry Harlow, drummer Joe Chambers, Pete “Conde” Rodríguez, Lou Pérez, Raúl Marrero, Vitín Avilés, Luis Perico Ortiz, Federico Crespo, Corina Bartra, Raulín, Manny Oquendo, Cecilia Zaid or Ray Mantilla Back in the 1990s to Colombia worked with artists such Tico Arnedo, Orlando Barreda, Luis Díaz, Edilberto Liévano, Joaquín Cuervo, Diego Valdés, Ernesto Simpson, Samuel Torres, Jorge Naranjo y José Vásquez Back to New York in mid 2000s, member of Harlem Afro-Cuban All Stars with Jerry Gonzalez and Dave Valentin. Discography: Piano (P), Arreglos (A), Compositor (C), Productor (PR). Año - Álbum/Artista - Casa disquera - Participación 1954 Yolima Pérez Vergara Record P 1955 Música internacional SV label P 1964 Señor 007/Ray Barreto United Artists P, A 1965 El Ray Criollo/Ray Barreto United Artists P, A, C 1967 Latino con Soul United Artists P, A 1970 Feeling/Mongo Santamaría Atlantic P 1971 Ray Rivera/Ray Rivera Orchestra MGM P, A, C 1971 Mongo at Montreaux/Mongo Santamaría Atlantic Records P 1972 Up From the Roots/Mongo Santamaría Atlantic Records P, A 1973 The Other Road/Ray Barreto Fania Records P, A, C 1973 Indestructible/Ray Barreto Fania Records P, A 1974 Justo Betancourt/ Justo Betancourt Fania Records P 1973 Soy hijo de Chango/Menique Cotique A 1974 En una nota/Monguito Santamaría Inca P, A, C 1974 Viva Emiliano Zapata/Gato Barbieri ABC P 1975 Chapter Four/Gato Barbieri ABC P 1975 Un retrato/Tito Rodríguez TR Records PR 1975 Barreto/Ray Barreto Fania Records A 1975 Barreto Live/Ray Barreto Atlantic Records A 1975 El jardín del amor/Larry Harlow Fania Records A 1975 Salsa/Larry Harlow Fania Records A 1975 Montara/Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note C 1975 Unfinished Masterpiece/Eddie Palmieri Musical Product. A 1976 New World/ Joe Chambers Finite Records P 1976 Cuban Roots Mark Weinstein P 1976 Introducing/La Sonora Borinquén TR Records PR 1976 Caliente/ Gato Barbieri A&M Records P, A 1976 Ruby Ruby/ Gato Barbieri A&M Records P, A 1976 Passion & Fire/Gato Barbieri A&M Records P 1977 La raza latina/Larry Harlow Fania Records A 1977 Eye of the Beholder/Ray Barreto Atlantic Records P 1977 A Touch of class/Pete Conde Rodríguez Fania Records P 1977 De todo un poco/Lou Pérez Tico P 1977 Romántico y salsero/Raúl Marrero Sony Discos P, A 1978 Con mucha salsa/Vitín Avilés and Fania Alegre Records A 1978 Homenaje a Benny More/Tito Puente Tico Records A 1978 Trópico/ Gato Barbieri A&M Records P, A 1978 My Own Image/Luis Perico Ortiz Turnstyle P, A, C 1979 Euphoria/Gato Barbieri A&M Records P 1979 Ricanstruction/Ray Barreto Fania Records A 1979 Soy la ley/Pete Conde Rodríguez Fania Records P 1979 Gracias/Ray Barreto Fania Records A 1979 Típica 73 Record in Cuba/Típica 73 Fania Records A 1979 NY para el Caribe/Federico Crespo Divemer P,A,C,PR 1979 Just Like Magic/Tito Puente LP Ventures Inc. P 1981 Para los amigos/Gato Barbieri Dr. Jazz P 1981 Libre increible/Manny Oquendo Salsoul A 1981 Típica 73…Into the 80´s/Típica Fania Records A 1982 Tiros bailables CBS P, A 1983 Apasionado/Gato Barbieri Polydor P 1984 Calorcito/Conexión Latina Enja P, A 1986 Hard Hands/Ray Mantilla Red Records P, A 1986 Mambo/La Manigua Melodie P 1986 Un poco loco Enja A 1986 Zaperoco II/Zaperoco Montuno P, A 1988 Soundtrack: Married to the Mob FILM A 1988 L´Opera Triangulaire Messidor A 1989 Dark Powers/Ray Mantilla Red Records P, A 1991 Travel Log/Corina Bartra Blue spiral P 1992 Que se cuiden los soneros/Raulín DMS P 1993 Royal T/Tito Puente Concord A, C 1993 Mejor que nunca/Manny Oquendo Milestone A 1993 Es bolero/Cecilia Zaid Sisar P, A 1993 Manhattan by Numbers/G. Barbieri FILM C 1994 Synergy/Ray Mantilla Red Records P, A, C 1994 Ritual de la salsa Discos Fuentes P, A 1994 Tiempo de carnival Atriz Music P 1995 Privilegio/Edy Martínez Orchestra Nuevo Milenio P,A,C,PR 1995 Pearls/David Sanborn Electra A 1996 Madera/Mauricio Smith Wenmar Records P 1998 More and More/Lucas Van Merwijk Tam Tam P, A, C 1998 Apuesto a todo/Gustavo Rodríguez FM Records P 1998 Su majestad el piano/Edy Martínez FM Records P,A,PR 1998 Live in the Hague/Cubop City Big Band Tam Tam P, A 2000 Edy Martínez Big Band Nariño Dept. C,A,PR 2000 Rítmico y pianístico/Gerardo Rosales A Records P, A 2001 La salsa es mi vida Javaanse Jonges A 2002 Arsenio/Cubop City Big Band Tam Tam A 2005 New York Salsa/Orquesta Universal One Soul P 2006 Good Vibrations Savant P 2008 Midnight Jazz Affair /Edy Martínez Jogal Music P,A,PR 2010 Acción de Gracias/Carlos Zagarra Disc Maker P 2012 Chico Álvarez – El Montunero: Country Roots/Urban Masters Mafimba Records P,A,C