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RIP Shaun Martin


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Many insiders within the gospel community are posting about Shaun's passing, but there is still no official statement from his social media channels (which isn't surprising given how private he & his family kept his health issues over the past 15 months or so).

 

Shaun was one of my favorite current players, and I greatly enjoyed his work both as a sideman and a solo artist.

 

Also, if Greg Philliganes was the king of the humorous Keyscape demo video, Shaun was definitely the prince!

 

Rest easy, Shaun - you will be greatly missed.

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Oh no!! I loved him in Snarky Puppy but was first blown away by him in his playing in Kirk Franklin's band.

 

What a tragedy. Sounds like he was sick?

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

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Damn...the hits keep coming.  Somehow, I'd missed that Shaun was sick--and just found out about it in passing as I was scrolling through comments/tributes to Quennel Gaskin when he passed.  Two gospel (and beyond) giants gone way too soon 😔 RIP

 

...believe they'd been planning a big tribute/benefit concert for Shaun in September...with Erykah Badu, Norah Jones, Cory Henry and many others...

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Big fan of Shaun his work with Snarky Puppy,  Kirk Franklin and his own groups.    He was so funny in interviews.     This one hurts  RIP Shaun and thank you for sharing yourself with us.

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No! He’s too young! 
 

First Quennel Gaskin and now this, what is going on?!

 

RIP Maestro, and thank you for the music

 

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Sean was so much fun to watch live as he was always having the best time of his life when on stage.

Blowing solo's on his Moog Little Phatty running through a talkbox became a high point during Snarky Puppy concerts for me.

Guess I was blessed to have seen him so often over the years, he was so much younger than me I would have never expected this.

RIP, and thanks for the music

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-QMJbjq0j2/?hl=en

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D8mn. Father Time ain't BSing.

 

Chops and his joy for playing music made him one helluva musician. RIP Mr. Shaun Martin.😎

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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So sad to hear this.  
 

I had the privilege of interviewing him for Keyboard mag in 2017, and was grateful for the opportunity to hang and chat with him.  

 

What a monster talent, and a really nice guy.  He will be sorely missed.

 

dB

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Just saw the news on instagram. Genuinely shouted and swore out loud. I had no idea he was ill.

 

I’m one of the younger folks here, and Shaun was probably one of the first contemporary guys who I could say genuinely influenced me. 
 

His first solo album came out at a time when I was still trying to find my voice as a player, and it was probably the first modern album I listened to where I thought “that’s how I want to sound”. Funky, soulful, filled with gospel charm, but not afraid to go out there either (there’s a video on YouTube of him shredding along to Butterfly while looking at his phone. He could play like a monster when he wanted to). And probably most importantly to me, it was a fun album. We did a lot of driving that summer, and I think even my daughter was able to sing every track by the end of it.
 

I learned most of the solos and riffs on that album, have transcribed more of his stuff than any other gospel/Snarky player, I dived into his Kirk Franklin stuff to pick up some of the tasty little things he and Franklin did together, and I even took some things from his straighter jazz album, Focus - and I’m not a straight jazz guy. He was my favourite - more than Cory, and for a lot of folks in my circles, Cory was the big one. Not for me. 
 

You know when a musician’s vocabulary becomes a part of your own? For a lot of folks that’s Herbie, Jimmy Smith, Peterson, etc. For me that guy was Shaun. A lot of my most often used phrases are his. They fit in almost anywhere. He was just so soulful. 
 

And was the only one of the Pups I never got to see live. 
 

A massive loss to the music and gospel world. So young, too. This one hurts. 

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Oh shit! This is such sad news, he was a fantastic player and so much fun. I met him playing a trio show to 30 people in the tiny back room of a pub near me and he was just the best, there was so much joy and fun in every note. Going to give 7 Summers a spin tomorrow.

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I was very sorry to hear this today. I was aware he was having health issues (I think I recall reading some where earlier this year that he had a stroke?) but did not expect that he would pass so soon.

 

I've had the pleasure of seeing him perform with Snarky Puppy a few times here in Pittsburgh. As others have noted, he always brought much joy with his playing. May he rest in peace!

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