Friday, Sept. 17, 2004 | 8:29 a.m.
The slightly built native of Albuquerque calls himself "El Gato" ("The Cat").
When Ricardo Griego is on a large stage, he moves around like a restless cat, pacing from one end to the other, all the while his nimble fingers flying over his guitar strings, playing flamenco, Latin and classical music.
But at the Hyatt Regency at Lake Las Vegas he is confined to a small, circular platform that overlooks the lounge, and so he must rein in some of his natural energy as he performs for fans who gather around to listen to his amazing instrumentals.
"I don't play in the traditional way," the 35-year-old Griego said. "In classical music, and even flamenco, the tradition is to sit down and be stoic, kind of posed."
But Griego, who appears at the Hyatt at 5:30 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, comes from a different school of thought.
"When I perform standing up I let the music move me, and I move with the music," he said. "It isn't choreographed, it's about feeling the rhythm. If you don't move to Latin rhythm, there's something wrong with you."
You can see Griego move and hear him and his band, ZORRO!, play at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Clark County Library Theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Road -- east of Maryland Parkway.
Admission to "Mi Guitarra! Fire and Soul" is free. It may be one of the most exciting free shows in town, especially if you're a fan of Griego's style of music.
The music will include flamenco, some classical and a variety of Latin. There will be flamenco and salsa dancers. Matthew Martinez, a vocalist from Albuquerque, will sing some of Griego's original songs.
Griego has been passionate about the guitar since the age of 12.
"My father's a mathematician and they alway say math and music go well together," Griego said. "I believe it has to do with perceiving and analyzing patterns."
When Griego demonstrated a talent for the guitar the first time he picked one up, his father hired a private teacher for him. The lessons lasted until he graduated from high school.
One of his instructors was a classical guitar master from Cuba, Hector Garcia.
"He recognized my talents and insisted that I attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music," Griego said. "So I was under orders to go there, in a way."
In 1986 he auditioned for the prestigious school and won a scholarship. He spent four years there.
"I wanted to be the best performer I could be, the best guitarist I could be," Griego said. "Classical was a way for me to solidify technique. It made sense to study in a classical way, to learn theory."
He didn't perform any after-school gigs.
"The conservatory is a classical music school," Griego said. "We were trained to be classical musicians, so we didn't really gig much. We performed concerts."
While attending the conservatory he became interested in flamenco music when he frequented a flamenco nightclub on Broadway.
"I learned the flamenco tradition of the Spanish guitar," he said.
After graduation he attended the University of Southern California and received a master's degree in music.
"My goal was to become a concert guitarist," Griego said. "Which I did after I graduated, but then I realized there was more on my palette than just classical."
He wanted to perform all kinds of Latin music, and got the opportunity to do so when he joined Latin vocalist Michelle Green (also an actor with the TV series "L.A. Law").
"What a great thing," he said. "I learned so much more variety than just classical and flamenco."
Eventually he grew tired of the smog and the traffic of Los Angeles and moved back to Albuquerque, where he formed two Latin bands (Destino and Guajira) and taught guitar for five years.
During that time he produced an album of original songs, "Sombras" ("Shadows").
Then a year ago he grew restless.
"Inside, I felt that I wanted to do something different," Griego said. "Albuquerque isn't really a music town.
"I wanted to go the city of entertainment, Las Vegas."
He had a friend who performed here, Lou Martinez, a popular lounge entertainer.
"Lou was my only contact in Vegas," Griego said. "He's a very enthusiastic guy. He said I really should move here."
He found work almost immediately, first at the Ortanique restaurant at Paris Las Vegas and then at the Hyatt, where he has been for almost 10 months.
With Griego's talent, it is only a matter of time before he steps off the raised, circular platform at the Hyatt onto a stage large enough to let El Gato roam.
Lounging around
Teddy Daginis, owner of the Greek restaurant Romy's Cafe (aka Teddy's Bistro) says his business got a boost with the recent Olympics, held in his native Greece.
Daginis doesn't disappoint anyone looking for fine Greek cuisine and Greek entertainment (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). Greek vocalists, musicians and belly dancers keep the venue at 8565 W. Sahara Ave. jumping till 5 a.m. or later.
Evenings, Mondays through Thursdays, he features vocalist Maggie Albisani.
John Earl & The Boogie Man Band have become featured performers at "The Saloon," located on Fremont Street inside Neonopolis. The group jams from 9:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Saturdays. John Earl and his band also will be featured at the sixth annual Blues & Brews Festival, to be held Sept. 24-26 in Laughlin at the Colorado Belle. For more information call (800) 458-9500.
Blues musician John Lee Hooker Jr., son of the legendary John Lee Hooker, will perform a free concert starting at the Cannery's The Club on Oct. 15. There will be two shows, one at 8 p.m. and one at 10 p.m.
Check out Vegas' latest ultralounge, I-Bar, which opened recently at The Rio. The venue is patterned after its namesake, Ipanema, in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to the amazing decor, music and signature cocktails, 10 I-Girls enhance the scene.
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