Barrett Martin – författare

The Singing Earth is a collection of musical adventure stories from Grammy-winning producer, composer, and writer Barrett Martin. The book chronicles Martin''s musical work in 14 different musical regions, across 6 continents, over the course of 30 years. It starts with his involvement in the 1990''s Seattle music scene, and then explores song lines and sea trails in Australia and New Zealand; Garifuna trance drumming in Central America; Wolof Griot music in West Africa; musical diplomacy in Cuba; touring with a Brazilian rock band; recording the Shipibo Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon; recording in the Palestinian West Bank; playing the blues in the Mississippi Delta; the power of American resistance music; and the ancient influence of Asia in music and culture. There is also a companion soundtrack that comes with the book, which contains rare, unreleased songs from Martin''s various bands, as well as field recordings from the incredible musical environments he has visited. Those who read and listen to the musical journey that Martin recounts will find themselves transported through exotic global landscapes where they learn about the links between ecology, community, and the music that connects us to our greater humanity.

The Way Of The Zen Cowboy: Fireside Stories From A Globetrotting Rhythmatist is a new collection of 35 short stories from Grammy-winning percussionist, composer, and storyteller Barrett Martin. These stories are based on personal experiences around the world, as well as wisdom tales heard from indigenous people, grandparents, and some of the cowboys and veterans he was mentored by. The stories are built around themes important to the development of a human being, particularly as we become wiser stewards of the Earth and each other, those being: the cultivation of a spiritual practice; the development of one’s character; the appreciation of music; a deep reverence for the environment; the importance of an astute political mind; the honoring of ancient wisdom; and the beautiful, ephemeral essence of the human soul. The book also comes with a digital download of the new double album from the Barrett Martin Group, “Songs Of The Firebird,” which are 20 instrumental songs that serve as a soundtrack to the stories.             

Dr. Lisette Garcia is an experimental psychologist, human rights activist, Buddhist scholar, and Latina percussionist. Her first book, "Poderosas: Conversations with Extraordinary Women," is a series of stories that take place between Dr. Garcia, her husband Barrett Martin, and 12 extraordinary women. Each woman is highly accomplished in her field, none have sought fame, yet all have made an indelible mark on their respective communities. 

These conversations take place in unusual and sometimes exotic locations, as these women describe their work and life experiences: A Latina pediatrician at a Texas barbeque, a Cherokee healer during a sweat lodge ceremony, two Shipibo shamans in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, an anthropologist in a noisy New York restaurant, a Tlingit professor in her cozy Alaskan home, a Zen master in her Los Angeles Zendo, two mothers in their homes near the Mexico border and the Pacific Northwest, an African American dancer in a New York studio, and an artist in her pick up truck, speeding across the New Mexico desert.

Each of these stories show how powerful a woman can when she embraces her circumstances, envisions her life, and then transforms herself into a "Poderosa" - a powerful woman, who affects real change in her corner of the world. 

Stillpoint: Reflections From A Year On The Cliff is the third book of short stories from Grammy-winning producer and award-winning writer, Barrett Martin. Building on his previous books, The Singing Earth (2017) and The Way Of The Zen Cowboy (2019), Martin delivers Stillpoint, a collection of 18 short stories penned in a remote cliff house inside a wildlife refuge overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between Washington State and British Columbia. As a local who grew up here, Martin refers to this magical area as Cascadia, a wild and dramatic place with fierce storms, enchanting forests, and magical animals: bald eagles, ravens, hawks, screech owls, coyotes, raccoons, deer, bats, and the odd multicolored snake are just some of the many creatures that reside here and inspire the stories in this book. Stillpoint is also a Buddhist term for the moment between thoughts, when all mental chatter ceases and the clarity of Absolute Mind emerges from within. Drawing from his 25 years of Zen Buddhism, Martin recounts childhood memories, amusing animal stories, and environmental lessons learned from his decades of travel and ethnomusicology fieldwork with indigenous people around the world, including observations on the political and environmental turmoil that has enveloped the world.

Like his previous books, Stillpoint also comes with an album of original music that serves as the soundtrack to Martin''s stories. This soundtrack can be downloaded from a link inside the book, and features 15 original compositions that Martin wrote, performed, and recorded inside the same remote cliff house where these stories were written. Stillpoint is both a written philosophy as well as a sonic adventure. Both take the reader/listener on an extended journey into the wilderness of the great Pacific Northwest-and beyond.