I was completely smitten with Barrett Martin Group’s 2020
release,
Scattered Diamonds. It is such a great album. The next year, the members of Barrett Martin
Group – Barrett Martin, Dave Carter and Lisette Garcia – all played on Joy
Harjo’s
I Pray For My Enemies, another outstanding release, co-produced by Barrett Martin. Also that
year, the Barrett Martin Group released
Stillpoint,
yet another tremendous disc featuring all original material composed by Barrett
Martin. The music on this one was composed while Barrett Martin lived in a
house on a cliff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington, and it
reflects that location and his experiences there. Barrett Martin plays drums,
upright bass, piano, vibraphone, marimba, steel drum, African drums, Brazilian
drums, Cuban drums, mbira, kalimba, gamelans and gongs. David Carter is on
trumpet. Lisette Garcia plays shakers, Brazilian surdo drum and gamelans.
The album opens with “The Roaring Sea,” which eases in. You
can feel the waves crashing upon the rocks below, but the dramatic aspect of
that action is subdued somewhat by perspective, by distance, and there is in
fact a soothing feel to this music, an introspective element, as the sea can
lead one inward even in its most powerful moments. Dave Carter adds to that
sensation with his trumpet work. It also feels like there is a spiritual
element to this piece, to the approach. Just before the track ends, it feels
like it is turning a corner, leading us somewhere else, but perhaps it is up to
us where that will be, after all. Then “Juan’s Strait Swing” begins with a good
groove, taking us out of our own heads, and placing us on firmer ground, ready
to reach out to others, to dance. There is something catchy about this piece,
no question, and the trumpet work is seriously cool. The percussion opens
doors, invites us through shimmering beaded curtains to a delicious realm where
everyone is a bit cooler than usual. And aren’t we all happy to have access to
this place?
I love the way the percussion is prominent right from the
start of “Please Come Back, She Said To The Sun,” many feet moving in unison, dancing,
creating a glorious pulse. The trumpet then ushers us to a higher realm,
pushing us right through whatever barriers we’d constructed. That’s a wonderful
and exciting and empowering moment. Things relax just a bit after that, the
music like a breath, and another, until it begins to build in intensity again,
and suddenly things open up into a wider and wilder terrain, bright lights
dancing upon the air around us. A voice soon finds us, offering comfort, while
that great rhythm continues. That’s followed by “The Elegance Of Wind,” which
features another great groove, this one with a bit of a pop thing happening. The
trumpet works as a voice, expressing an excited sort of joy, and wanting to
share with us what it has discovered. We are on solid ground here, but looking up,
reaching out.
Well, it’s football season, and when I saw the title of
the fifth track, “Eagle Vs. Raven,” I couldn’t help but think, Philadelphia vs.
Baltimore. Anyway, the drumming has this beautiful weight to it at the
beginning, and there is a mysterious element, advising caution. It is not long
before we are caught up in the dramatic movement of the track, in the
excitement, while the drumming remains a constant line through it. I love the
rhythm on this track. That is followed by “Waves Of Color.” When this one kicks
in, there is a sort of mesmerizing feel to its rhythm. It washes over us and
carries us with it, both inward and outward. At moments, we feel we might be
breaking down into our various components, but we aren’t worried, for all those
pieces will ride those same waves and are accessible should we need them at
some point further along the journey.
“A Siren Calls” has a darker vibe at the start, seeming
to come from a deep past, but is alluring. We reach out to it, rather than it
coming to us. Before long, it touches something within us, and then suddenly
it’s over, this track being less than two minutes. It’s followed by “Yellow
Striped Spirit Snake.” This one moves around us, confident in its motions,
fluid and somewhat frightening. It too comes from a point in the past, and has
been involved in these motions for ages, and we are but in our youth in this
realm. This one, like the previous track, is over quite soon, it too being less
than two minutes long. Then there is excitement to “A Year On The Cliff,” and a
glorious sense of possibilities as it begins, a world opening up before our
eyes and ears. After a minute or so, it surprises us by settling into a
delightful groove, swinging and popping. It is undeniably cool. The repeated
theme seems to take on more force as the track approaches its conclusion. Then,
just before it begins to fade out, it returns to that good groove.
As “Fierce Hawk” begins, there is a strong sense of being
out in a natural world where people are secondary. The rhythm of the world
itself, and of the other creatures on it, is key. But we are able to experience
some of it through music. I especially love that moment when things get wild, thanks
in large part to Dave Carter’s work on trumpet. Nature thrives and endures and
moves and grows and pulses. Then “Pineapple Express” takes us on an interesting
journey. I have said this before, but I love music that is able to transport me
in some way, and the music on this album does that. I also love that each
person’s journey will be somewhat different. This piece establishes a strong
rhythm, and builds and breathes, and features good use of steel drum. That’s
followed by “Dance Of The Seven Sisters.” I dig that bass work at the beginning
of this track, and that great bass line remains at the track’s core while we
explore other areas. It keeps us grounded, in a sense. There is a lot of
delicious percussion work that will keep our bodies moving, even as there is a
somber tone hovering above us.
“The Beauty In Darkness” invites us to an interesting
dance as it starts, then soon adds a sense of mystery. Without that great
groove, the music could be part of the soundtrack to a horror film at moments. There
are other moments when something lighter occurs, changing our sense of where
this piece is taking us. But the track does not strip itself of that mysterious
element. “Rainshadow” takes us into darker areas too. There is a dramatic feel
to this track, and I like that we are unsure where it might take us. The album
concludes with “To The Sea We Return.” There is a somewhat somber and eerie
feel to this one at the beginning. If we are returning to the sea, it feels like
we are doing it alone, and in twilight, taking tentative steps, though perhaps
without any real fear, but rather a sense of inevitability.
CD Track List
- The Roaring Sea
- Juan’s Strait Swing
- Please Come Back, She Said To The Sun
- The Elegance Of Wind
- Eagle Vs. Raven
- Waves Of Color
- A Siren Calls
- Yellow Striped Spirit Snake
- A Year On The Cliff
- Fierce Hawk
- Pineapple Express
- Dance Of The Seven Sisters
- The Beauty In Darkness
- Rainshadow
- To The Sea We Return
Stillpoint was
released on October 8, 2021 on Sunyata Records.
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