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Keith Martini: Sedona Virtuoso
By A.M. Melfa
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Sedona.biz
Virtuoso
is partly defined by The Merriam‑Webster Online Dictionary as "one who
excels in the technique of an art; especially a highly skilled
musical performer," and "an experimenter or investigator especially
in the arts and sciences: Savant."
In
getting to know local musician, Keith Martini, the word virtuoso came to mind
with consistent regularity.
Keith began taking private guitar lessons at the age
of 12. His love for the instrument carried through to his late teens when he
made the decision to embark upon the music business and theory as an academic
major.
Receiving
his degree from State University of New York, Keith schooled under the world renowned classical guitarists, The
Castellani‑Andriaccio Duo.
In addition to his training with Castellani and
Andriaccio, Keith studied Music Business at Syracuse University as well as
Pottsdam College in upstate New York. While pursuing his degree he somehow found
the time to privately study jazz guitar.
This early training established the
solid foundation upon which he has built his career.
Towards the end of
1993, Keith moved from New York to Seattle, Washington intent upon
entering the ever expanding Grunge music scene that was gaining world
wide recognition generally credited to the band Nirvana. Grunge
music was originated in the Pacific Northwest and is a form of
alternative rock inspired by hardcore punk and heavy metal.
Keith’s creativity and musicianship found
fertile ground in the foggy landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Soon he found
himself playing gigs with members of
Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians
as well as participating in the party circuit which was currently
experiencing Tribal Grove, a form of dance movement and music known as
African Body Percussion.
Keith’s muse flourished
in Seattle. Soon he entered in to a collaboration with master pianist and
composer, Gregory Nissen, to open a 100 seat theater in down town Seattle dubbed
“The Parlor Room.” The theater, combined with the external creative
life of Seattle in the 90's, served as and inspiration and outlet for
Keith and Gregory’s own internal creativity.
For the next three years The Parlor Room
offered three shows per week covering a remarkable variety of genres. On any
given night the denizens of Seattle were treated to an eclectic cornucopia of
artistic offerings. Performance art, independent films, full blown theater
productions, installation art, theme and swing parties made up a small portion
of the Parlor Room’s event list. Keith and Gregory handled all aspects
of business and production, and performed.
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Keith
Martini |
One must wonder, with all this activity going on for Keith in Seattle, how he ever
ended up in Sedona. According to Keith, some time in 1999 while engaged in the
music scene as well as working for IBM as a computer programmer, a friend called
him from a cell phone atop Cathedral Rock with the instructions: “Leave IBM
and come to Sedona!” Three months later Keith took an extended vacation from
Seattle and IBM, and headed for the desert.Reflecting on his initial experience in Sedona, Keith
smiles and says “I met all the crazy people here and didn’t want to leave.”
To Keith the word “crazy" whimsically conveys his love and kinship towards the
people in Sedona who, like himself, are always “pushing the
envelope” creatively.
Seattle
obligations soon called him back to the land of rain and Redwood trees. He
recounts the story of a container of fresh Sedona spring water he took back
with him to the North Coast. Keith told himself once this water,
fraught with the energies of the desert, was empty, he knew it would be time to
return to Sedona. Six months later the Sedona water supply ran dry as did his
position with IBM. He divested himself of all material goods that he could not
fit in to the Conversion Van hed recently traded in for his sports car and set off
once again for Sedona.
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Keith in
the recording studio |
Upon arriving Keith hooked in to the local music
scene, got to know the fellow musicians in the area and began writing music. One
more brief stint back in Seattle where he completed Microsoft Engineering School
taught him that he did not want to develop software for a living, he wanted to
develop music for a living. All roads lead Keith back once more to Sedona.
On returning to Sedona Keith made a serendipitous connection with
world famous jazz guitarist, Stanley Jordan. Stanley, a Sedona resident who, when he’s not on
a globe trotting concert series, owns and operates Sedona Books
and Music,
was immediately impressed with Keith’s virtuosity. The two formed a bond of like minds. Keith now
gives guitar lessons and runs the recording studio at Sedona
Books and Music.
Keith says Jordan’s talents are legendary, and he acknowledges his great
fortune in becoming associated with Stanley on a personal and professional
level.
Writer's Note: I have been blessed in being allowed to sit in on a session with
Keith and Stanley. Getting lost within the ethereal flow of their music, I felt
rather like Fred Flintstone being tutored on the Theory of Relativity by Albert Eienstein. I apprehended the greatness I was witnessing while simultaneously
feeling as though my cave man like sensibilities were not on par with the task.
Ah well, at least the beauty of the experience was not lost on me. I have
witnessed Keith’s fluid virtuosity while listening to him practice his classical
pieces, rocking out with him at Open Mic Night and in the aforementioned
transcendental experience of his jam with Stanley Jordan. Exposure to a talent
such as this is a blessing and an honor. We “crazy” people of Sedona, loved so
well by Keith, are lucky to have him. Be sure not to miss out on your
opportunity to see him in action.
Listen to two guitar solos by Keith Martini:
Carcassi
Valsa Sem Nome
Event List: The virtuosity of Keith Martini can be
experienced in Sedona at the following venues:
Mondays: Keith hosts Open Mic from 7:30 pm to 2 am
at the Oak Creek Brewing Company, 2050 Yavapai Drive in West Sedona
(928-204-1300).Fridays: Keith plays classical guitar on the patio
from 6 pm to 9 pm at Enchantment Resort 525 Boynton Canyon Road in Sedona
(928-282-2900).
Contact: Keith can be reached for guitar lessons,
recording services and solo performances through Sedona Books and Music located
in Bashas’ Shopping Center at 162 Coffee Pot Drive in West Sedona
(928-203-0711).Keith can also be contacted at his email address:
K_Martini@yahoo.com.
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