In 2001, Billy Martin launched a series of live performances called Turntable Sessions. The basic idea of the program, which was held at various clubs in Lower Manhattan, was for a hip-hop DJ to interact with different musicians, including Martin himself — and those in attendance have been treated to what is basically a series of unorthodox, experimental jam sessions. Recorded from 2001-2003, The Turntable Sessions, Vol. 1 offers some of the highlights of the drummer’s series and includes appearances by keyboardist John Medeski (as in Medeski, Martin & Wood), tenor saxophonist Marty Ehrlich, and other improvisers. Essentially, this is a jazz CD, but it certainly doesn’t conform to the rigid, dogmatic view of jazz that one expects from the Stanley Crouch/Wynton Marsalis crowd — this is trippy, eccentric, risk-taking avant-garde jazz that is mindful of hip-hop, funk, rock, world music, electronica, and even country. One of the selections, in fact, is an unlikely performance of Hank Williams Sr.’s “Ramblin’ Man,” which finds guitarist Mike Ill singing Williams’ lyrics while Scotty Hard (one of the DJs) makes some hip-hop moves on the turntables. And that sort of open-mindedness is what makes The Turntable Sessions, Vol. 1 exciting; clearly, Martin and his colleagues aren’t trying to please jazz purists and bop snobs, who wouldn’t listen to a Hank Williams classic any more than they would listen to something by Anthony Braxton or Jay-Z. At times, the performances on this 46-minute CD become a little too self-indulgent for their own good, but then, a certain amount of self-indulgence is to be expected (and even enjoyed) in the avant-garde realm — and overall, this 2004 release paints a rewarding (if brief) picture of Martin’s Turntable Sessions series. – Alex Henderson
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