Martín Perna


Martin Perna is an educator, and multidisciplinary artist living in Houston, Texas.

Music

Perna, who is of Mexican American descent, founded the musical groups Antibalas and Ocote Soul Sounds, and has written for and/or recorded with Sharon Jones, Scarlett Johansson, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, David Byrne, the Whitefield Brothers, the Daktaris, No Surrender, Apsci, Architecture in Helsinki, and many other groups.

Education

Perna began his educational work in 1992 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia as an overnight docent during the Camp-In Program. From 1998-2000, he taught at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in Brooklyn, New York. He has integrated education into his work as a musician, conducting musical workshops at Yale, McGill, Haverford, New York University, Concordia, University of Texas-Austin, and University of St. Denis.

Multidisciplinary Art

He is author of the children's book BLACKOUT! about the 2003 blackout in the Northeastern United States and Canada, published in 2006 by Magic Propaganda Mill and illustrated by Ricardo Cortes.
An apprentice of earth architecture master Nader Khalili Perna also practices superadobe architecture and has created works in Michoacán, Mexico, and Austin, Texas.

Partial Discography

"untitled" Flute, baritone saxophone

Daktaris "Soul Explosion" Flute, tenor saxophone.

Mike Jackson and the Soul Providers "Revenge of Mr. Mopoji"

Nino Nardini "Rotonde Musique" Flute, saxophone

Lee Fields "Let's Get a Groove On" Baritone saxophone

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings "Dap Dippin'" Baritone saxophone

Antibalas "Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1" Baritone saxophone, percussion

Antibalas "Talkatif" Baritone saxophone

Antibalas "Who Is This America" Baritone saxophone

Antibalas "Government Magic" Baritone saxophone

Antibalas "Security" Baritone Sax

Antibalas "Antibalas" Baritone Sax

TV on the Radio "Satellite" Flutes

TV on the Radio "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes" Flutes, saxophones

TV on the Radio "Return to Cookie Mountain" Flute, saxophones, percussion

TV on the Radio "Dear Science," Flutes, saxophones

Ocote Soul Sounds "El Niño y El Sol" Flutes, saxophones, guitars, percussion

Ocote Soul Sounds "The Alchemist Manifesto" Vocals, flutes, saxophones, guitars, percussion

Ocote Soul Sounds "Coconut Rock" Vocals, flutes, saxophones, guitars, percussion

Ocote Soul Sounds "Taurus" Vocals, flutes, saxophones, guitars, percussion

Elvis Costello and The Roots "Walk Us Uptown" Chico Mann Antibalas rework. Saxophones
DJ Sun "Heart Seed featuring Leah Alvarez and Martin Perna", flute