Ricardo Martinez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ricardo Martinez | |
|---|---|
 Playing with Elsten Torres. Miami, Florida.
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 6, 1969 |
| Origin | Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela |
| Genre(s) | Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Latin |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist, Songwriter, Producer |
| Instrument(s) | Bass guitar, Guitar, Drums, Piano |
| Years active | 1986 - present |
| Website | www.ricardomartinez.com |
Ricardo José Martinez (born March 06, 1969 in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela) is an electric bass guitar player. He has been in the music industry for more than two decades, working as a session bassist, performer, arranger, song-writer, music producer, music director, banjo player (this one in the Florida Grand Opera), among other things.
He is highly regarded by his colleagues for his music knowledge, rhythmic awareness, improviational skills and versatility.
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[edit] Life
Ricardo started flirting with music since he was a little kid. When he was eight, the Swedish phenomenon ABBA ignited the spark inside of him. Soon after that, he found himself singing not only the vocal parts but all the instrument parts of every song of every record of the Swedish band. His father apparently took advantage of that fresh interest and taught him his first music lesson. A couple of years later, the British band Queen conquered his soul. The British band helped him to decide for the drums as his way of expression. A few years after that, the guitar got in his way and was taken as his main instrument. Around that time, started his music studies. During those years, the super Canadian trio Rush appeared in Ricardo's life and his way to understand music changed forever. No longer after that, another powerful trio, Police, made his way into the ears of the novice musician. But still, life and music itself have something more for the aspiring musician. A few years after the discovery of the Canadian trio, Chick Corea showed up and life would never be the same for Ricardo. After Chick Corea, came Jaco Pastorius, and all the great jazz players of all time.
He studied harmony, arrangement, music theory, sight-reading, composition, ear training, for two years with the late Aldo Balestrini (Berklee College of Music graduate). After that, he heard about an audition of the most popular Top-Forty band of his town, that happened to be one of his clients as a music copyist, he was seventeen at the time. The only problem was that the vacancy was for a bass player. He took the bass for a month and won the audition. After that, he started a career as a bass player until now.
He has played with hundreds of artists, recorded in 50+ records and currently working in his solo project.
Now, Ricardo lives in Miami, Florida and has an interesting career as a session player with the most famous producers and artists, and as a side-man, playing with many artists renown nationally and internationally.
[edit] Techniques
Among the techniques Ricardo uses, you can point out his guitar-like lines when he improvises in jazz. Given the fact that he started as a drummer, his slap technique resembles a drum pattern. His knowledge of theory, harmony and guitar, allows him to approach the chords on the bass smoothly and musically, whether is a four string bass or a seven string bass. He also loves the fretless feel and sound.
In order to compose and write songs, Ricardo uses the guitar and the piano. Contrary to other colleagues, he rarely uses the electric bass as a tool for compose. However, the guitar and the piano are extremely useful not only for his compositions but for his arrangements as well. Even for improvisation studies, very often Ricardo tries new and different ideas first on the guitar or the piano and then, he translates them to the bass fingering, color and intention.
[edit] Instruments
Ricardo is proud to own seven electric basses. Each one of them is a particular combination of woods, hardware, construction and pickups, in order to offer to the producer or artist, the exact sound needed for their music. He also has an assortment of instruments such as a steel string guitar, two electric guitars and a nylon guitar. Korg N364 keyboard. Also, a home-studio loaded with Pro-Tools and several preamps, mics and outboard gear.
Electric basses:
- Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 5, original pickup, poplar body and rosewood fretboard.
- Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 4 fretless, original pickup, alder body and pau ferro fretboard.
- Fender Precision 4 strings, P/J EMG's, maple fretboard and BadAss bridge.
- Fender Jazz bass 4 strings, DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups, rosewood fretboard and BadAss bridge.
- Tune TWB 4 strings, Tune pickups, neck-through, bubinga body and ebony fretboard.
- Conklin GT 7 strings, Bartolini P/U, ash body, wenge and maple neck, purpleheart fretboard.
- Lakland Skyline 55-02, 5 strings, Lakland P/U and electronics, light ash body, maple neck.
[edit] Selected Discography
- Elsten Torres - Individual - 2004 / two-time Grammy nominated.
- Nino Segarra -De Nino a Nino - 2007 / Grammy nominated.
- Franco de Vita -Mil y una historias - 2006 / Grammy nominated.
- Olga Tañón -Una nueva mujer - 2005 / Grammy winner 2006
- Lina Luna -Lina Luna - 2005 / Grammy winner 2005
- Chayanne -Cautivo - 2005 / two-time Grammy nominated.
- Rey Ruiz -Corazón arrepentido - 2006
