While he may have had a medical condition decades ago where he had complete amnesia, legendary guitarist Pat Martino was shown that his fans have never forgotten his past and present greatness, welcoming him on stage with a standing ovation, as well as closing the evening in kind.
And kindness was in the air, as the gentlemanly guitarist brought his smoking trio of Pat Bianchi/B3 and Carmen Intorre/dr into the Moss Theatre with a 90 minute set that was as hot and steamy as the high pressure zone in the outside environment.
Martino opened the evening going back to his vintage R&B days with a bluesy bopper of “Lean Years” that mixed intensely intricate unison guitar-B3 lines with an irresistible backbeat. Likewise, the soul jazzer “Full House” and the high octane “Mac Tough” had the guitarist sear through the avalanche of drums and visceral thunder of low Hammond hums with a torrential downpour of notes that landed like hail on an Air Stream. Intorre delivered snappy interludes and solos on a highly kinetic “Oleo” while Martino fed him quickly strummed chords like red meat to a ravenous lion.
Martino also displayed his deft touch at lyricism, as the team created a delicate sound on “Duke Ellington’s Sound Of Love” as Bianchi’s B3 and Intorre’s brushes created a light and misty morning fog with Martino supplying the dew drops, and “In Your Own Sweet Way” was relaxed and laid back as Intorre sauntered the beat and Martino treated the crowd to a lovely display of gorgeous octaves that were as sweet as a Krispy Kreme.
Veering towards the close, the team dug in deep with Intorre’s hummingbird wing of a cymbal relentlessly rode the groove while Martino leaned over his Benedetto and chiseled away like Geppetto, crafting and creating a living Pinocchio of sounds with his creative hands on the strings. The closing song summed up Martino’s approach and master of his axe, as even though he has been intermittently sidelined, he still knows his guitar “Inside Out.”
Upcoming shows include Alan Broadbent August 16