Martino Unstrung Premiere NY Screening Draws Overflow Crowd

The documentary Martino Unstrung offers an in-depth study of guitarist Pat Martino and the brain disorder that required life-saving emergency surgery which left him with total amnesia that would have ended his career were it not for his persistence and courage in relearning his craft anew.

In 2008, this writer reviewed the film and interviewed Martino, the director, Ian Knox, and the neurologist, Paul Broks for All About Jazz. The film was released on DVD and has been shown at several film and jazz festivals, but never in the Big Apple, the epicenter of both jazz and the cinema.

The first public New York screening took place on Sunday, March 15th at the Rubin Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, and was followed by a panel discussion led by yours truly and consisting of Martino, Knox, Martinos neurosugeon, Dr. Fred Simeone, and the sound track composer, Milton Merikides. Knox and Merikides flew in from London for the occasion. Broks was also invited but unfortunately could not attend.

In effect, this was the official premiere of the film, and it had all the flair of a big film event, with an overflow standing-room-only audience, an air of excitement, musicians and friends congratulating Martino and Knox in the lobby, and a she-she crowd of New Yorkers viewing the film with rapt attention.

The film received enthusiastic applause, and the discussion focused primarily on the medical aspects as well as the dynamics of Martinos miraculous recovery and renewal, which all the discussants, including neurogeon Simeone, agreed was due in large measure to Martinos courage, self-honesty, and creative impulse. Martino emphasized the importance of living fully in the here-and-now, for all of us, but especially for someone who totally forgot his name and identity, who his parents were, and his record albums, all of which drew blanks after the surgery. Martinos reflections on life and Dr. Simeone’s comments on the medical aspects seemed to draw the most interest from the audience.

The impetus and inspiration for the event was Jaya Dargan, a businessperson, administrator, and avid jazz fan from the New Brunswick, NJ area. Dargan worked her magic in getting all the parties on the same wavelength, locating an excellent venue, and arranging every detail. She had initially approached Martino at one of his performances about doing a book with him, which is still being negotiated, and then got the additional idea for the screening. Her contacts at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and the Smithsonian, namely Tim Mc Henry and Joann Stevens, were enthusiastic due to the fact that the Rubin has been running an ongoing series on jazz and another on neuroscience, so the film was a perfect match for the museum.

Director Ian Knox hopes the event will give the film a big jump start. Documentaries, in this case a labor of love funded by the Wellcome Trust, do not reach the public as readily as the standard Hollywood- type full-length features do. This superbly conceived and constructed film, with its message about healing, friendship, and the power of music, should interest an audience well beyond those into jazz and/or brain science. Its enthusiastic reception at the Rubin bodes well for its future visibility.