Exciting all-original, New Orleans flavored, piano-based music, delivered with hard-hitting band plus vocals and horns, brimming with Louisiana influences ranging from Roots Rock n Roll to zydeco to R&B.

17 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Boogie Rock, BLUES: New Orleans Blues

Show all album songs: Alligator Ball Songs


Details:
ARMAND ST. MARTIN is a native New Orleanian whose sizzling New Orleans piano style and Louisiana oriented original songwriting captures the imagination of his listening audience with ease as well as zest. He has been performing his popular original show regularly at the Ritz Library Lounge since its renovations were completed for the elegant reopening in December, 2006.

St. Martin became a lead singer in 1984, after having performed as a band member since age 14. He studied Music Theory at Tulane and Loyola Universities and studied Music for Dance at Wolftrap Academy for the Arts in Washington, D.C. St. Martin took the Master Class in Film-Scoring at UCLA on an ASCAP Scholarship. He also toured in a band backing up songwriter Micheal Smotherman for Epic Records. They toured the US, including St. Martin being filmed with the other band members in Smotherman's classic pre-MTV HBO-video "Crazy In Love" which can currently be viewed on YOUTUBE! This Epic Records tour also involved performing for Andy Warhol at the famous Bottom Line in NYC.

A true Southern Gentleman, St. Martin has performed in New Orleans (either with his 8-piece band, The Bayou Bohemians, or solo on piano) in venues ranging from the outdoor entrance of the Superdome before a Saint's game, to Mardi Gras World for a free birthday party for Al "Carnival Time" Johnson (1200 people attended). St. Martin has frequently played Tipitina's - both uptown and downtown.

Since Katrina, St. Martin has also sizzled on piano at Rosy's Jazz Hall, Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar, Ernst Cafe, Tujaques, St. Anna's Musicians Helping Musicians, and the Ogden Museum where he played keyboards with legendary rockabilly artist, Jay Chevalier, and also with New Orleans music icon Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.

St. Martin has also performed at Rock ânâ Bowl, including also guesting on keyboards for Marva Wright at her very first "Welcome Back Home" show there. He has entertained at Cafe Reconcile for the âChefs to Watchâ fundraiser, and at UNO, various private parties for carnival organizations during Mardi Gras, the Fairgrinds, at LSU for their Mardi Gras special event, and also at the New Orleans Country Club. St. Martin also headlined at the Broadmoor Fest (with Fats Domino's drummer, Ernest âBoxâ Fontenot).

On keyboards, St. Martin helped spearhead a Midnight Jam every Saturday (midnight-3 am) at Antoinette and Ernie K-Doe's Mother In Law Lounge last fall '06, which featured many New Orleans luminaries and legends. Armand was a featured artist at the New Orleans Blues Festival (with guest players in his band of Guitar Slim, Jr. and Ernest "Box" Fontenot of Fats Domino), funded by the Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

Among other engagements, St. Martin has packed The Pontchartrain Hotel's Bayou Bar, and played for the ACE program for Alzheimer's at the JCC, along with shows at the Columns Hotel Jazz Brunches, the ARC, the Parkway Bakery and Tavern, the Cabildo, the Presbytere, Basin Street Station, and Jazz Fest.

St. Martin was honored to open for Irma Thomas' show on her birthday at Generations Hall - just a week before she won her Grammy - where he also played solo for Irma's Patron's Party at a fundraiser for Grace House at Generations Hall prior to her birthday party.

Along with performing at various other New Orleans music venues, St. Martin has played in-store shows at the Louisiana Music Factory and the now-closed Tower Records, especially during past Jazz Fests. He has also been a return guest on many local shows, and his music has been featured in entertainment circles including WWL-TV's "Morning Show" (where he occasionally guests as a one-man-house-band), WDSU's "Six on Your Side" with Norman Robinson, WDSU-TV with Alec Gifford, WYES with Peggy Laborde, the Preservation Channel (internet), WWOZ and WWNO, to list a few.

St. Martin's special event entertainment activities include but are not limited to such shows as "Katrina Kapers" (a fundraiser for Tipitina's Foundation), Jazz Fest at McGehee School, the New Orleans Press Club's Grid Iron Show of 2007, the Holiday Tour of Homes for the Preservation Resource Center (he played grand piano in the Vinson Mansion).

St. Martin and Patty Lee (a busy husband and wife team) also have created and produced many other various special event entertainment projects including their "Dyin' To Get In" music series fundraiser for the Musicians Tomb Fund; their annual "Katrina Artistically Revisited" memorial event created in honor of those lives lost or changed by Katrina and presented at The Landmark Canal Place Theatre in New Orleans every Katrina anniversary eve; their legislative attempts to help musicians receive airplay called AIR (Access In Radio); their fundraising efforts for "Musicians For Other Musicians", established in the 1980's to help fellow musicians in need.

St. Martin shares his music where people want it and need it - which has also includes Post Katrina appearances ranging from soup kitchens in Chalmette to nursing homes around New Orleans. He has also entertained at many private parties on St. Charles Avenue and in uptown New Orleans. No booking is too large or too small for him.

When the Ritz reopened, Armand St. Martin and his Bayou Bohemians played Thursdays in the French Quarter Bar, and he performed in the Library Lounge every Friday and Saturday nights. He also performed in the Melange and the On Trois several times solo, and he played piano with one of Marva Wrightâs shows in the Melange. After the French Quarter Bar closed, St. Martin began his regular Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the Library Lounge, with several Ritz Sunday Brunches occasionally added into his musical gumbo.

St. Martin has performed many out of town shows not mentioned above, including Pittsburgh, NYC and Upstate NY, Los Angeles and Hollywood, San Francisco and Northern California, Oregon, and Vermont, Chicago, to list a few. See his website at www.ArmandSt.Martin.com for more information regarding details of St. Martin's music career or check out www.PattyLeeRecords.com.

With two released CDs, "Alligator Ball" and "Sizzlin'", St. Martin's music and his music career information can be found locally and internationally at the following:

PattyLeeRecords.com
Amazon.com
The Ritz Signature Gift Shop in New Orleans
JimRussellRecords.com
MushroomRecords.com
LouisianaMusicFactory.com
Borders Music Books Cafe in Metairie/New Orleans

St. Martin currently co-released a brand new CD of Al "Carnival Time" Johnson's, with Al Johnson and Patty Lee, titled, "Lower Ninth Ward Blues" by Al Johnson. This Enchanced CD project was released during Jazz Fest time, 2007 in New Orleans. St. Martin and Patty Lee also own an analog recording studio, Bayou Bohemia, and have several on-going music projects always in the works.

The Los Angeles Times calls Armand St. Martin, "Non-stop Entertainment!"

Check out PattyLeeRecords.com to learn more about Armand St. Martin and his music, and his illustrious list of famous-named players who have made his recordings and live band- shows a huge sucess!

These great names include Kenny Gradney, bass for Little Feat; Dony Wynn, drummer for Robert Palmer; Kirk Bruner, drummer for Melissa Manchester; Stephen Allen, sax for Rita Coolidge; Lon Price, sax; Stanley Behrens, harmonica, sax (lead singer, Canned Heat); Hedy Mayer, backups; Marabina Jaimes, backups (won an Emmy); Samantha Newark, backups (one of youngest - Annie on Broadway); Danny Federici, on accordion (keyboards, Bruce Springsteen); Paul DeVilliers, special appearance on electric guitar (producer of YES and Mr. Mister), to list a few.

Also check out Google - Armand St. Martin, New Orleans music or Google - Armand St. Martin, New Orleans piano. Check out PattyLeeRecords.com for Armand St. Martin's bio which also includes nationwide music credits as well as those in New Orleans.