Pat Martino is one of the few jazz guitar giants who continues to perform and record today in a pure jazz setting. His most recent recordings are just as exciting and compelling as his recordings from the 60's and 70's, and if you ever get a chance to see him live, don't miss it.
All of Pat's early recordings are unbelievable, and it's hard to pick one or two, so I picked two that are personally close to me. The Consciousness album was one that came out in 1974, while I was learning to play jazz, and I didn't take it off the phonograph for weeks. In the CD reissue, they managed to distort the guitar sound in such a way, that completely changes the sound. On the LP, Pat's sound was dark and punchy, and on the CD some engineer decided to mess with it and added a lot of highs. Why do people try to mess with perfection?
I am particularly proud of the reissue of Pat's album We'll Be Together Again since I sent Pat a note on his web site asking him to reissue that album, and he honored me by including my email message in the CD sleeve. What a kick to see my name on a Pat Martino CD. If you don't have that CD, you must get it immediately! The setting is a duo with Gil Goldstein on electric piano, and Pat's playing here is unlike anything you have ever heared. The album has two parts (which were two sides of the LP) - a modern piece, and a set of slow ballads played to romantic perfection.