Blues Family Tree Project

Martin Banks

Name: Martin Banks
Date of Birth: June 21, 1936
Location of Birth: Austin, Texas
Profession: Touring and Austin-area musician
Instrument: Trumpet, flugelhorn
Vocalist: no
Bands: Performed and recorded with many renowned jazz and pop musicians, original 1960s Motown Records session players, Motortown Revue, Creative Opportunity Orchestra
Collaborators: Dexter Gordon, Sun Ra, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Sam Rivers, James Polk, Alex Coke, Rich Harney, Hank Crawford
Discography: The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon (1960), Worldwide (1998);
Education: BA Music, City College of San Francisco
Influences: Kenny Dorham
Styles: Jazz, Blues, R&B
Venues: Toured internationally and recorded with various artists, New York and West Coast scenes, Apollo Theater

Banks grew up in Austin and left immediately after high school to study music in San Francisco. While there, he met many musicians who would go on to become jazz stars. His first recording gig was with Dexter Gordon and others. He then went to New York, where he had steady gigs at the Apollo Theater. From the mid-1950s onward, Banks recorded and toured with various well-known artists, including Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Sun Ra, Count Basie and Sam Rivers. He was also one of the original Motown session players, and toured with the Motortown Revue in the 1960s.

Despite these credentials, Banks has a hard time getting work in Austin. He returned here in the late1980s, and most often works with James Polk, Alex Coke, and Rich Harney. Banks is unique in that he his able to discuss his roots in Austin's musical family in light of his experiences in the broader national scene, which cannot be said of most local players, and which also makes Banks an important historical source. Despite being fairly bitter about today's Austin scene, he is looked upon as a hometown source of inspiration for players of all ages and levels, and enjoys his role as a griot of sorts for neighborhood school children in workshops designed for them. He currently plays with Creative Opportunity Orchestra.

Banks discusses his roots in Austin's musical family in light of his experiences in the broader national scene.