The overwhelmingly compelling aspect beyond the musicians’ tremendous respective virtuosity was the cohesiveness - this musical unit wasn’t just “tight,” there was an almost cosmic connection between the trio members. The filled-to-capacity audience was already spellbound and this was only the “warm up” tune. There were some volume problems the sound people were working out with the organ during this first tune, so Defrancesco may have been a little distracted, but his solo was still sufficiently cooking and a statement of portent of what we could expect later. While swinging along during his Oleo solo, the beautiful sound was quite evident in his Kessel-like descending sweep picking passages and lower strings-only partial chord comping behind Defrancesco’s solo. The sound he is getting from the Pat Martino Signature Gibson hollow body is warmer and a little brighter that the dark sound he previously used with the solid body ax he played for so many years.
Like a master martial arts expert who evolves to the point of almost defying gravity, Martino, the veteran innovator, still steeped in his mainstay 16th note flurries, makes this style work like never before, and incorporates many new touches as well. At this point in his storied career, Martino seems to be rising to yet another level. The palette from which he was drawing though was larger and more overflowing than ever. Rather than launching immediately into his trademark long machinegun-like lines, he started by creating some nice bop motifs which he then thoughtfully built on and then intermixed with some of the expected linear onslaught. Martino in particular looked really refreshed and in the mood to create something special. All members of the trio seemed to have a single-minded urgency to swing, and it came off effortlessly. Landham was facilitating the groove right off the bat with an energetic rhythmic drive and tasty interplay with the soloists.
Martino and his trio erupted in bebop combustion from the moment the first tune, Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo” was counted off. Jazz guitar legend Pat Martino brought his trio featuring organ giant Joey Defrancesco and swinging drummer Byron Landham to the world-class jazz club/Japanese restaurant venue, and the Ahi tuna wasn’t the only thing getting seared. Pat Martino Trio Scorched Yoshi’s By Rick Knoblaugh On Thursday night, November 15, much of the Bay Area may not have been aware of it, but there was some serious “burnin” going on up at Yoshi’s in Oakland’s Jack London Square.
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