Brother Taps Jazz Connection

What’s a brother for but to do favors? So thought Allan Martin, youth minister of Central Filipino Church of Seventh-day Adventists, when he needed a really hot concert draw for his summer program.

He tapped saxophone-playing younger brother Bob Martin and his jazz group, the Empty Vessels Band. They will play Saturday night at Glendale Adventist Academy Auditorium, with the local a cappella group Resolution opening the concert.

But the favor was not as simple as it seems. Bob Martin, 23, lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he works as a health consultant. The guitar player, Tommy Pasada-Rao, lives in Washington. Four other band members live in Orlando, Fla.

“All of us are full-time others,” said Martin, meaning they all have careers outside the music world. Somehow, they’ve managed to get together over the years to play. “It was really hard at first to do a concert. We’d have a lot of cram sessions, but we’ve built up a repertoire.”

Saturday’s concert will feature several secular numbers, as well as Christian jazz. Both brothers describe the sound as somewhere between Kenny G and David Sanborn. “It definitely has an edge,” Allan Martin said. “It’s very East Coast-oriented.”

Glendale Adventist Academy is at 700 Kimlin Drive. The concert starts at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices, intended to encourage young people to attend, are $8.50 for adults over 30, and $4 for 30 and under.