
OnlineBound Podcast #22
James Martin on sharing your work even when it feels not good enough.
June 2, 2022
In this interview with James Martin, we talk about the source of joy and creativity, about motivation and perseverance through difficult times, and the art of sharing your work when it doesn’t feel good enough.
James shares his creative process, which he likens to a faucet that you must never turn off. He encourages us to stay open and keep generating ideas even if you don’t use them at the moment.
We also talk about the COVID pandemic, how he coped with the loss of income, and how he was able to find hope and joy in the midst of hopelessness.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher
Listen to the episode
Links and resources
- See James Martin’s COVID collages Music in the Time of Corona.
- James Martin’s performance in Café Monteleone in New Orleans.
- A bit more taste of New Orleans jazz by Trombone Shorty and Jean Batiste.
- My mini-course How to Increase your Prices for online language teachers who want more freedom.
About James
Saxophonist, singer, and songwriter James Martin is an accomplished and award-winning solo artist, band member and touring musician whose 19-year career has brought him international acclaim several times over.
Beginning his career at the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts where he became a founding member of classmate Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews’ Orleans Avenue, alongside Jon Batiste. Martin earned a full scholarship to Loyola University with a double major in Jazz Saxophone and Music Industries. During his seven-year tenure with Orleans Avenue, he and the band released three albums, some of which included original music contributed by Martin.
Most recently, his solo work with the James Martin Band has led him to performances at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival; the Copenhagen Jazz Festival; the PaP Jazz Fest in Haiti; the Spiagge Soul Festival south of Venice, Italy; the New Orleans Jazz Festival in Tel Aviv; Fort L’Ecluse Jazz Festival in southern France; the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland; as well as regular performances at renowned New Orleans venues including Tipitina’s, The Spotted Cat Music Club and Carousel Lounge. The James Martin Band’s third album, “Keep Movin’” (with the cover Rectify that you hear at the beginning and the end of our podcast), debuted at #9 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.
Martin has been an integral member of several other bands, including the award-winning Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes, the Billboard charting Glen David Andrews Band and Soul Brass Band. With the globally touring Soul Brass Band, Martin serves as a writer, arranger and singer in addition to instrumentalist. The band released Levels, produced by Galactic’s Ben Ellman, in early 2019. Along with Soul Brass Band co-founder Derrick Freeman, Martin graced the cover of OffBeat Magazine in 2018 and has been nominated Best Saxophonist at OffBeat’s Best of the Beat Music Awards several times.
In addition to performances and recordings with Ivan Neville, Flowtribe, Amanda Shaw, James Andrews and many other prominent musicians, Martin contributes original music to CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans” and has been heard on Anthony Bourdain’s “Raw Craft,” as well as on Abu Dhabi TV. On Abu Dhabi TV, Martin hosted Middle Eastern composer Faisal al Saari in New Orleans, where the pair collaborated in a recording studio and live performance. Martin appeared on the award-winning HBO series about post-Katrina New Orleans, “Treme.” He earned nationwide recognition for his 2011 appearance alongside acclaimed fiddler Amanda Shaw during the intro segment for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”
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Other ways to support me
- Buy my books.
- Check out my mini-courses.
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OnlineBound is created and produced by Elena Mutonono and edited by Hanna James. Podcast notes, branding, graphic design, and tech support by Veronika Palovska. Podcast music by James Martin.