EVER since Scott LaFaro freed his playing from the tedium of endless walking lines nearly 50 years ago, jazz bassists have been shedding their role as mere supporting players. But relatively few have led groups, and even fewer have done so with the kind of success John Patitucci is enjoying.
Mr. Patitucci--who lives in Hastings with his wife, Sachi (his manager and a cellist), and two daughters, ages 10 and 8--is attracting big crowds with his trio, which packed Dizzys Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center for six nights in August before heading west for a well-received series of appearances last month at major clubs from Seattle to Los Angeles and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California.
Not only has Mr. Patitucci, 49, gained public recognition that is rare for a bassist he is a three-time Grammy Award winner he has also garnered the kind of testimonials from his peers that mark him as a player of extraordinary range.
Mr. Patitucci--who lives in Hastings with his wife, Sachi (his manager and a cellist), and two daughters, ages 10 and 8--is attracting big crowds with his trio, which packed Dizzys Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center for six nights in August before heading west for a well-received series of appearances last month at major clubs from Seattle to Los Angeles and at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California.
Not only has Mr. Patitucci, 49, gained public recognition that is rare for a bassist he is a three-time Grammy Award winner he has also garnered the kind of testimonials from his peers that mark him as a player of extraordinary range.
