Pat Martino in Philly on March 17th

[Ron S]

I caught Pat Martino's first set at Zanzibar Blue in Philly this past Friday night--phenomenal! He's promoting his upcoming CD on Blue Note, "Remember: A Tribute To Wes Montgomery," and dedicated the show to Wes. He played several of Wes' tunes from the CD, including "Four on Six," "Grooveyard," and "Full House." He also played a couple of other tunes, including one of his own that's dedicated to Brother Jack McDuff (with whom he played), "Mac Tough".

His rhythm section was also great, and I believe is the same one on the new CD. The pianist's playing reminded me of Harold Mabern's, and the group really captured the feel of Wes' mid-60's quartet. But don't take my word for it: 3 full tracks from the new CD can be heard here.

Pat (and I assume the same quartet) will be appearing in Indy, LA, NYC, DC, and other locations over the next 3-4 months (full schedule here), and I highly recommend that you see him if you can, especially if you're any kind of Pat and/or Wes fan.

Incidentally, I met Pat after the show (he came out and mingled with the crowd), and he seems to be a very friendly and gracious guy.

[jazzmessenger]

He will be playing in Indy next week. I can't wait to see him play Wes' songs in Indy!