Pat Martino: 25/08/1944 - 01/02/2021

The late guitarist had an extraordinary career, divided in half by a potentially fatal aneurysm in 1980 and an emergency brain operation that deprived him of his factual and muscle memory. That his recovery also led to a gradual rebirth of his musical ability was a testament to his remarkable dedication. His approach went through several different phases, but he was noted for the freshness and clarity of his execution, with an ability to be creative at high speed. And there was a distinct soulfulness to his work, whatever the style, which reflected his early work in top r-and-b bands.

As a child, he picked up uninvited the instrument of his father, singer-guitarist Carmen Azzara (aka Mickey Martino), who had briefly studied with the famous Eddie Lang. By early teens, he was a pupil of legendary Philadelphia guitarist-composer-educator Dennis Sandole, soon gigging with fellow student, organist Charles Earland. At age 15, he went on tour with singer-bandleader Lloyd Price, moving to Harlem and playing regularly at the original Small’s Paradise. He made his recording debut at 18 with the band of r-and-b saxist Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson (appearing as Pat Azzara before adopting his father’s stage surname) and in 1966 moved on to the organ trio of Jack McDuff, where he replaced George Benson who later referred to him as “the king”.

These sessions for Prestige led to the label signing him in 1967 (when he was working briefly with saxist John Handy), and his first album El Hombre featured organ and flute as well as Latin percussion. His fourth Prestige set (Baiyina) included tabla and tambura while, in the 1970s, his titles and his playing reflected an interest in Miles Davis’s current work and John McLaughlin, for instance on Consciousness (Muse, 1974) and Joyous Lake (Warner Bros, 1976). But then the frequent seizures he was experiencing, thanks to an undiagnosed congenital problem, led to his 1980 near-death experience, from which it took him several years to fully emerge.

He finally recorded again in 1987 (The Return, Muse) but soon took another break, following the death of both parents, after which he lived in the terrace house he grew up in. In the late 90s, he signed with Blue Note, making several albums including the excellent Live At Yoshi’s (2001, with Billy Hart and Joey DeFrancesco). He only retired in 2018, due to severe emphysema resulting from having been a smoker since the age of 8. As well as his albums, he is remembered for his tutor books, and was celebrated in a documentary movie (Open Road) and an autobiography (Here And Now!). While his name is perhaps not as well-known as he deserved, he is universally revered by fellow guitarists.