Chink Martin

Chink Martin (actually Martin Abraham Sr., born June 10, 1889 in New Orleans, † January 7, 1981 there ) was an American musician (bass, tuba) of the New Orleans and Chicago jazz.

Life and work

Chink Martin played eleven years old first guitar, then switched to violin and mandolin. He began his career as a tuba player in 1910 in the Reliance Brass Band of Papa Jack Laine. As a second instrument, the double bass was added. 1923 first recordings were made in Chicago with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. In 1924 he returned to New Orleans and worked with John Bayer Dorffer and Freddie Newman, before 1925 a member of the reformed group New Orleans Rhythm Kings was. Then he played with the Halfway House Orchestra and the New Orleans Harmony Kings, led by drummer Tom Earley, and later with the New Orleans Swing Kings. In the 1930s he also worked as a studio musician for radio station WSMB; in the next few decades he worked in New Orleans as a freelancer ( inter alia with Sharkey Bonano, Santo Pecora, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt and Doc Souchon 1969). Since the 1960s, he was playing bass at the Crawford -Ferguson Night Owls; In 1963 he presented an album under his own name.

Chink Martin is the father of bassist Martin "Little Chink " Abraham, Jr. and brother of musician Willie Abraham.