June 05, 2001

Jazz guitarist films video in area

By Ruth Friedberg
Photo by Gary Payne
Odessa American

Jazz guitarist Pat Thomi and the music video TV show “Latino Generation“ are not two things you would generally put together. But Thomi was in Odessa May 17-19 to shoot a video for “Time,” a tune from his latest CD, “Pyramids.” He was also here to co-host “Latino Generation,” taped at Permian Music on May 17. “Time” was to be shot in part at the Monahans sand hills, said Danny Barrera, who co-founded DanBec Video Entertainment in Odessa with Becky Norris a year ago. A native of Basel, Switzerland, Thomi plays electric, acoustic and gut-string guitar. “Believe me, it doesn’t come easy,” he said.

Thomi, 45, has been a professional musician since 1977. Before pursuing a solo career, he was a back-up musician and played in the studio with artists such as Gino Vannelli, Jean Luc Ponty and Gary Wright, to name a few. He also had his own band, Ramayana, which played at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Zurich Jazz Festival and numerous clubs throughout Europe. Around 1993, Thomi went solo playing mainly ambient guitar music. “Something in me pushed me. (I wanted) to see my original music realized. … You have no choice at some point,” Thomi said. “I still enjoy working with other people. Eventually, your own music, your own voice, needs to come out. It becomes very important,” he added. When he writes music, inspiration can come from “anywhere.” “It can be from a life situation, it can be a tune in your head,” Thomi said. Once you get into the production/arrangement phase, you decide if it will be voice or instrumental. Sound sources can lead you in other directions, he said.

Except for two songs on his first album, Thomi has written everything on his four CDs — Pyramids, Remote Control, Fairytales and Night of the Coral. Thomi said there are two covers on his first recording — “I Am the Walrus” by the Beatles and “Rocket Man” by Elton John. The musical influence in Thomi’s life comes from his family. “The music they were listening to was pop, as well as big band, jazz and classical music,” Thomi said. Also, his grandfather was an “excellent” self-taught musician.

“In terms of influences, he was definitely in the genes somewhere,” Thomi said. “My dad has a wonderful classical music collection. It makes me jealous every time I see it,” he said. Thomi also studied the classics, including Mozart, Wagner, Debussy and Berlioz, according to his Web site. At age 7, Thomi first went for the drums. He later studied piano and guitar, spending two years learning harmony and classical composition at the Basel Conservatory of Music. Thomi went on to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston, his Web site said. After that, he moved to Los Angeles, where he now lives. There, Thomi studied with jazz guitar players Pat Martino and Joe Diorio.

Thomi doesn’t see himself as a mainstream artist, although he is doing a mainstream thing by making videos. “It can be tricky, (but) very satisfying if it comes out OK. If it comes out great, then it totally enhances the song,” Thomi said. He added that he would be “very interested” in doing short films to go with his songs. His guitar performances have been featured in TV commercials for Kawasaki, Mitsubishi and Chevrolet, “The Final Cut,” starring Sam Elliott, and the “Knight Rider” series. Thomi has also scored projects such as the PBS documentary “Speed” and “Dry Long So,” an independent film featured at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. “Video is just another marketing tool. I try to combine a musical and visual element,” Thomi said.

“Latino Generation” airs at 12:30 a.m. Fridays on FOX 24, said Norris, who is FOX promotions manager. Norris said that while showcasing Latin music, the show also spotlights other types of music such as rock ‘n roll and jazz. DanBec has previously shot “Lady M,” another video for Thomi. The company has also shot parts of a video for a Latino band Barrera produces, but that’s not finished yet. Barrera first heard Thomi’s music while trying to get videos from Vannelli’s record company, Norris said. Although Norris and Barrera, who is production manager at FOX, have kept their day jobs, DanBec has done well so far. “We’ve managed to hook up with some people who have managed to help us a lot, and that’s really cool,” Norris said.