Pat Martino

One of the most distinctive guitarists to emerge during the post-bop period, Pat Martino earned acclaim for his intricate command of harmony and unusually exacting right-hand technique, qualities that continued to define his playing after he recovered from 1980 brain surgery to correct an aneurysm and essentially had to master the instrument again. After first gaining notice in the 1960s while working alongside organists such as Don Patterson and Richard “Groove” Holmes, he drew wider recognition through his own Prestige releases, among them 1967’s El Hombre and 1968’s Baiyina (The Clear Evidence). A radio-friendly reading of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny,” taken from 1972’s Pat Martino/Live!, became a notable success, while subsequent LPs found him linking the swinging approach of Wes Montgomery with the electric, groove-driven investigations pursued by fusion figures like John McLaughlin. Following his long recuperation, Martino experienced renewed visibility, issuing increasingly refined recordings such as 1997’s All Sides Now, 2001’s Grammy-nominated Live at Yoshi’s, and 2006’s Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery, each of which entered the Top 20 of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. In 2017 he returned to the same ranking with Formidable.

Born Patrick Carmen Azzara in 1944, Martino was raised in Philadelphia, where his father, a tailor who also played jazz part-time, first exposed him to the music. Displaying precocious facility on guitar, he developed improvisational skills through local band work. As a teenager he met guitar pioneer Les Paul, an introduction arranged by his father that led to an important early mentorship. By age 15 Martino had relocated to New York, briefly sharing quarters with Paul while performing regularly at Smalls Paradise. He soon appeared with Willis Jackson, Red Holloway, and organ masters including Don Patterson, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Richard “Groove” Holmes, and Jimmy McGriff. After a 1966 stint with John Handy, he began leading his own ensembles, making his recorded debut with 1967’s El Hombre on Prestige. Additional well-regarded sessions for the label followed, among them East!, Baiyina (The Clear Evidence), and 1970’s Desperado.

During the 1970s Martino continued directing his own groups and produced a sequence of expansive, widely influential Muse albums that began with Pat Martino/Live!. That collection featured his memorable, rhythmically buoyant treatment of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny,” which received substantial airplay and remains among his best-known performances. Consciousness appeared in 1974, showcasing Martino’s singular approach applied to material by Joni Mitchell, Benny Carter, and John Coltrane. With 1977’s Joyous Lake he extended his palette further, incorporating fusion rhythms and adding synthesizer to his guitar work. Other wide-ranging Muse dates included the reflective 1976 album We’ll Be Together Again, recorded with pianist Gil Goldstein, and 1977’s Exit.

Although Martino maintained an active schedule of touring and recording through the middle and later 1970s, he had begun experiencing occasional seizures. The problem intensified until performing became nearly impossible, leaving him primarily engaged in teaching at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles. Diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, he underwent surgery in 1980 to excise a sizable tumor. Upon waking, he suffered amnesia and retained no recollection of his earlier life. While memories gradually returned, years passed before he could again play guitar, a process that culminated in 1984. His return to recording came with 1987’s The Return, confirming that his technical command had been fully restored.

After joining Blue Note, Martino reached number 11 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart with All Sides Now, sharing the date with a roster of guitarists that included longtime mentor Les Paul, Tuck Andress, Kevin Eubanks, and additional guests. Stone Blue arrived two years later, revisiting the fusion textures of Joyous Lake with saxophonist Eric Alexander, keyboardist Delmar Brown, bassist James Genus, and drummer Kenwood Dennard.

In 2001 Martino issued the live document Live at Yoshi’s, captured at the Oakland, California venue with an all-star trio featuring organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Billy Hart. The set again placed inside the jazz Top 20 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Two years later he collaborated with saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Lewis Nash on Think Tank, earning further Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo on his reading of John Coltrane’s “Africa.” He saluted his idol once more with 2006’s Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

Martino sustained a busy concert calendar through the 2000s, releasing Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley in 2011, a recording of his 2009 appearance at the historic Washington, D.C. club with organist Tony Monaco, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Additional live projects followed, including 2012’s Alone Together with Bobby Rose. Three decades after their initial partnership, Martino rejoined pianist Gil Goldstein for 2013’s We Are Together Again, a sequel to their acclaimed 1976 album. The HighNote label mined the archives for 2014’s Young Guns: Gene Ludwig-Pat Martino Trio from 1969. A 2015 live duet performance with keyboardist Jim Ridl appeared as Nexus. In 2017 Martino returned to the studio for the quintet date Formidable, which reached number 12 on the jazz chart. It marked his final studio recording; he ceased performing the next year after developing a respiratory condition. Martino died on November 1, 2021 at the age of 77.