Tom Martin

Solid, feel, pocket and ears. These are the words Tom recalls hearing most from other musicians about his playing.

Over the last 15 years his solid pocket, strong ears, and strong work ethic has earned his reputation as a premier bassist and first call sideman.

Residing in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, and (currently) Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Tom has toured regionally and nationally as a member of a number of bands, freelancing for dozens of artists, and working with hundreds of musicians. Having put well beyond 2,000 performances under his belt in bars, clubs, theaters, arenas, and festivals, to audiences as large as 25,000, Tom has worked with many different levels of production and has experience working in ensembles ranging from acoustic duos and power trios to bands with horn sections and ensembles with multiple bassists and drummers, performing in many styles such as blues, R&B, rock, country, folk/bluegrass, hip-hop, jazz, world and metal.

While no purist, Tom has performed heavily in the New England Blues Scene with artists such as "Monster" Mike Welch in The Soul Band, Rounder Records artist Michelle Willson, and James Montgomery. He has also worked with touring rock bands such as Peter Prince & Moon Boot Lover, Spookie Daly Pride (Funzalo Records), and The Chad Hollister Band, opening for such artists as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and The Derek Trucks Band. Tom has also had the pleasure of performing with punk jazz vibraphonist Mike Dillon (Primus, Garage-A-Trois).

Tom is currently bassist of the world fusion unit Esthema, helping to blend jazz, progressive rock, and Eastern European rhythms with Middle Eastern tonality. Tom's solid foundation and strong harmonic support has given flight to The Chris Fitz Band's hard driving blues style as well as the swinging and stomping blues of 2015 New England Music Award "Best Blues Band" winners, Mr. Nick & The Dirty Tricks. His syncopation and smooth groove helped bring the dancers in every week for several years to cut a rug with Mr. Nick & Friends and The Queen City Kings and Tom's work with the R&B outfit Rhythm Method helped extend the band's ability to improvise and merge with the vibe of the room.

For complete list, at least as complete as Tom can remember, click here.

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