Jim Martinez Bio

Pianist Jim Martinez began his musical career at the age of four. In a short amount of time, he has amassed a list of musical accomplishments encompassing nearly all styles of music.

Martinez, 39, is scheduled to open All-Star Night for the ninth year in a row at the 2005 
Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Headliners include Lou Rawls, Jane Moheit, Roy Hargrove and many others. The L.A. Times calls this festival "...the number one festival in the world."

His first major professional gig was with legendary jazz trombonist, Sy Zentner. Jim has 
since performed or recorded with notables like Lionel Hampton, the Stan Kenton Alumni, 
Bucky Pizzarelli, Russell Malone, Jeff Hamilton, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Benny Golson, Harold Jones and Ed Thigpen, the first drummer for the famous Oscar Peterson Trio. Jim has performed with the Sacramento Symphony and toured as a featured guest with the U.S. Air Force Jazz Band.

Martinez gained international exposure through his 'Echoes of Oscar Peterson', which 
featured Martinez playing his own transcriptions of Peterson's performances. In November 1998, Ed Thigpen traveled from Denmark to join Jim in a tribute to Art Tatum & Oscar Peterson. They also did a similar tribute together in 1991.

Jim has nine CD's to his credit. "Music For Your Soul" is Jim's most recent of three Gospel Jazz CD's which contain his arrangements of church hymns as Jazz. In this trilogy, some of Jim's musical guests have included Lionel Hampton, Carla Cook, and many others. Jim's recordings are available through his own music label, Invisible Touch Music and can be found online at: www.jimmartinez.com.

While in High School, Martinez spent 4 years as the pianist for the St. Philamene's Church Adult Choir. Jim then spent 10 years as pianist for the Youth Choir at Fair Oaks Presbyterian. It was there that Jim answered the call to follow Jesus Christ. Martinez now appears with his own groups for outreach concerts at churches nationwide, from the Crystal Cathedral & Saddleback Church in Southern California to St. Peters Church in NYC.

Martinez received eighteen years of classical training, most of those years under his Ukrainian teacher, Yuriy Oliynyk. Jim won numerous awards that include the Camellia Symphony and the Chico Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competitions, the Music Teacher's Association Junior Bach Festival (two times), just to name a few.

Jim is the owner of Invisible Touch Music Software, which arranges and records MIDI files (music on floppy disks) for all digital and acoustic player-pianos. Founded in 1989, he recently completed a three year agreement giving exclusive international distribution 
rights to Warner Brothers Publications.

Martinez is a recording artist for PianoDisc Player Systems, QRS Music, as well as an artist for Kawai Pianos. Jim lives in Rocklin, CA (near Sacramento) with his wife, Suzy, and two sons, James and Benjamin. They currently attend Adventure Christian Church 
(non-denominational) in Rocklin, CA. ***