This month we take an acid-jazz deep-dive into the work of Billy Martin with Medeski, Martin & Wood. The song “Chubb Sub” comes from the recording Friday Afternoon in the Universe. For me, two things immediately stand out in Billy Martin’s playing and they are definitely worth studying. Firstly, Martin’s pocket is so deep you could use it to drill for oil. I absolutely love how the groove perfectly complements what is happening musically and drives everything forward. Secondly is Billy Martin’s incredibly funky phrasing, particularly found in how and where he accents the snare against his papery ghost notes. A distinct New Orleans influence permeates Billy’s feel, which you can hear in much of his playing, and which becomes strikingly clear within this tune and the transcription. You can see (and hear) how he manipulates time — subtly shifting the beat forward or pulling it back by a sixteenth note to create […]

July 2026 Issue