Martino shares return to form with jazz enthusiasts

Spencer Patterson

Monday, May 10, 2004 | 8:23 a.m.

By his 40th birthday, Pat Martino had already forgotten more about jazz than most musicians learn in a lifetime.

Beset by near-complete amnesia following surgery to correct a brain aneurysm, the guitar great nearly gave up his instrument entirely after his 1980 operation.

But in time Martino soldiered on, relearning his guitar skills and mounting a comeback that continues today.

Saturday night, knowledgeable local jazz fans celebrated Martino's return to town. A crowd of about 1,750 showed up for the first installment of Clark Country's annual "Jazz in the Park" summer series at the Government Center Amphitheater.

The concert -- Martino's first Southern Nevada appearance since a March 2002 date at the now-defuct Blue Note Las Vegas -- showcased the 59-year-old backed by the superb rhythm section of David Kikoski (piano), Essiet Okon Essiet (bass) and Scott Robinson (drums).

The quartet performed without a saxophonist, a trumpeter or a vocalist, but they were hardly without musical firepower.

Showing off the nimble fingers and emotive phrasing that established him as one of his instrument's giants during the late 1960s, Martino took the lead for most of the night.

Looking professorial in wire-rimmed glasses, a flowing white shirt and black slacks, the grey-haired guitarist bobbed in time with the beat, nodded his head during up-tempo moments and went up on tip-toes while hitting his highest notes.

Martino's set list was well devised, bringing together original material from his pre- and post-surgery careers.

Moving ballad "Welcome to a Prayer," culled from 2001's Grammy-nominated "Live at Yoshi's" CD, sounded quite at home alongside the hypnotic "The Great Stream" from Martino's beloved 1972 disc "Live!."

The group also presented several well-known jazz standards. Early in the show, the foursome played John Coltrane's "Impressions," Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" and Miles Davis' "Blue in Green" in succession.

Though all three tunes were easily identifiable, each contained new ideas, as Martino and Kikoski took original approaches to solo passages.

After a mellow journey through the introspective "Blue in Green," the quartet picked up the tempo with a grooving cover of Bobby Hebb's 1966 pop single "Sunny" and a spirited take on "The Phineas Trane," off Martino's latest album, "Think Tank."

Robinson and the Nigerian-born Essiet haven't played many gigs together, but you'd never know it listening to the two men drive the music forward in tandem.

Apart from dedicating "The Great Stream" to his cousin Joey, who was in attendance Saturday, Martino said little to the crowd.

That's a shame, considering how knowledgeable and eloquent Martino was during a recent interview with the Sun. A few song introductions or short stories about his pieces could have gone a long way toward establishing a closer connection with the audience.

Otherwise, jazz devotees who turned out for the free concert had no room for complaint on a night that proved Pat Martino has indeed returned to glorious form.