Music Review: The Tino Martinez Quintette
[Written by Dale Butler]
Since the loss of major shows and bands in our hotels in the 1990s, tourists and locals have had to wait until the weekend to enjoy live music.
BMDS took on a major challenge Tuesday, July 5th when it held an-other jazz evening using The Bermudian magazine award winner and leader of the band Tino Martinez, to perform. Silenced by Covid, the band were eager to demonstrate that they were fresh and ready after keeping their skills up and ready at home. An eager audience of about 30 enjoyed their fresh sound and a few people got up to dance.
“The Bermudian Magazine in selecting the best musician stated: “The judges felt passionately about Tino Martinez and his saxophone for best musician, infusing the culture of jazz back into the Bermuda music scene. Look out for his signature Soul Sessions with the Tino Martinez Quintet, to catch the powerfully smooth sound of his saxophone. A true master of his craft, Tino’s passionate playing can get anyone up off their feet! To ensure you don’t miss any upcoming performances, check out @tinomartinezsax.”
No doubt the band will celebrate this well deserved award based on many live performances held at The Blue Waters Anglers’ Club.They all deserve recognition for being outstanding.
On Tuesday evening they came to perform and by all accounts they cemented their designation and did not stand on their past. The members have not changed and this will guarantee their continued success because they work so smoothly as a team and while each member can easily become a soloist, they have attempted to harmonize and only allow a few solos. The band consisted of:
- Tino Martinez – band leader on tenor saxophone
- Troy Washington – drums . Raymond George – keyboards
- Torrey Tacklyn – bass
- Dino Ritchie – guitar
They could easily headline any effort made to revise the Bermuda Jazz Festival. This time around lead guitarist Dino was allowed to step out and really show us his Wes Montgomery licks. Shorty hit you right between the eyes and lured you in and will likely become one of their standards.
The bands version of Lift Every Voice and Sing was by far the best version I have ever heard moving a long way from the standard we usually hear as the Black National anthem. This creativity became the pat-tern for the night with the remaining repertoire with songs like:
- Say Yes
- Been so long
- Knucklehead
- Caught up in the rapture of love
- Just the two of us: to name but a few
They did 3 sets giving us much more than the entrance fee. BMDS service and hospitality were first class. The band was introduced by Lisa Maul. With Tom Ray and Friends setting the standard, a few weeks be-fore, and Tino right there beside them, this bodes well for jazz and future events. Stay tuned. They broke the ice for Tuesday nights and proved once more that Bermuda musicians are working hard to stay on top of their game and bring us the best.
So if you want to see a superstar performance with such talented and gifted musicians who love what they are doing you need to be at their next event. Date and venue coming soon. Thank you BMDS for the venue and service.
- Dale Butler is the Professor of Local Music and also writes restaurant, book and dance reviews for Bernews.
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Category: All, Entertainment, Music
