Life Member. Drum Set
8/13/1931 – 12/7/2023

by Robbie Hioki

Nicholas Louis Martinis was born on August 13, 1931 in Philadelphia, PA.

As a young aspiring drummer in Philly, Max Roach let Nick sit in with his band, and there he got to play with Charlie Parker.

Nick went on tour with a band from Philly and settled in Los Angeles. Some of his favorite jobs include working with Frank Rosolino, The Lighthouse All Stars, and the Pete Jolly Trio. He played with Pete for over 30 years.

Some of the jazz legends he worked with include Art Pepper, Conte Candoli, George Shearing, Chet Baker, Victor Feldman, Vince Guaraldi and many others.

In 1980 we played in Normy Faye’s show band on the Azure Seas cruise ship with Bob Corwin on piano, Lou Shapiro on sax and Tom Hill (Clarke-Hill) on bass.

On the ship Nick was the master of his many funny poetic sayings. He continued to do that his whole life.

When Nick was practicing at home, he had his drums set up between two, four foot speakers blasting out the classic bebop cuts. He would play the drum solos note for note transcribed by ear. That was fun for him. It kept him energized for his 92 years on this earth. Nick passed away on December 7, 2023.

Rest in peace Mr. Nick.