Pat Martino

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Pat Martino

---

Img_capt = Photo by Tom Beetz
Img_size =
Landscape = yes
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Pat Azzara
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1944|08|25
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Guitar
Genre = Jazz
Occupation = Guitarist, composer
Years_active =
Label = Prestige, Muse, Cobblestone, Warner Bros., 32 Jazz, Evidence, Mythos, Camden, Blue Note
Associated_acts =
URL =
Notable_instruments =

Pat Martino (born Pat Azzara on August 25 1944) is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, soul jazz, mainstream jazz and hard bop idioms.

Biography

Martino was born in South Philadelphia, began playing the guitar at a young age. His earliest lessons and fundamentals came from John Hall who had a store front studio at 1701 South Taylor Street.Fact|date=September 2008 Mr. Hall an accomplished guitarist, was always excited about having Pat as a student. Around age twelve or thirteen Pat was brought to each lesson by his father. Mr. Hall recognized Pat's raw talent and coaxed it along, even holding Pat's fingers to the keyboard and giving him extra time and effort.

Pat took lessons from Mr. Hall for at least two years until both teacher, father, and student realized he had to go to someone who could teach him more.Fact|date=September 2008

Mr. Hall was extremely proud of Pat. I remember Mr.Hall telling me Pat was doing studio work for Glen Campbell and Sinatra. He was also quite disappointed when Pat's first album came out and in the liner note's it said Pat taught himself the rudiments of music. "I held the kids fingers to the strings. Gave him the extra time and encouragement, you'd think he would give me a mention"?Fact|date=September 2008

He learned further from Dennis Sandole, and began playing professionally at age 15. Martino played and recorded early in his career with musicians such as Willis Jackson and Eric Kloss. He also worked with many jazz organists, such as Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, Trudy Pitts, Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson, and Richard Groove Holmes. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Martino made many recordings as a sideman and also under his own name.

In 1980, Martino underwent surgery as the result of a nearly fatal brain aneurysm. The surgery left him with amnesia, leaving him, among other things, without any memory of the guitar and his musical career. With the help of friends, computers, and his old recordings, Martino made a [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article_print.php?id=764#health recovery] , and learned to play the guitar again. His improvisation method, "Conversion to Minor", is based upon using exclusively minor scales for soloing.

Martino's return to music started once again with the 1987 recording "The Return". In 2006, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued Martino's album "East!" on Ultradisc UHR SACD. As of 2007, Martino tours worldwide.

Discography

Albums

*"Pat Martino" (1966), Vanguard - unreleased LP
*"El Hombre" (1967), Prestige
*"Strings!" (1967), Prestige
*"East!" (1968), Prestige
*"Baiyina (The Clear Evidence)" (1968) , Prestige
*"Desperado" (1970), Prestige
*"Footprints" (1972), 32 Jazz
*"The Visit" (1972), Cobblestone
*"Live!" (1972), Muse
*"Head & Heart: Consciousness/Live" (1972), 32 Jazz
*"Essence" (1973), Muse
*"Consciousness" (1974), Muse
*"Starbright" (1976), Warner Bros.
*"Joyous Lake" (1976), Warner Bros.
*"Exit" (1977), Muse - MR 5075, recorded February 10 1976
*"The Return" (1987), Muse
*"The Maker" (1994), Evidence
*"Interchange" (1994), Muse
*"Night Wings" (1996), Muse
*"Cream" (1997), 32 Jazz
*"All Sides Now" (1997), Blue Note
*"Stone Blue" (1998), Blue Note - with Joyous Lake
*"Fire Dance" (1998), Mythos
*"Comin' and Goin': Exit & the Return" (1999)
*"First Light" (1999), 32 Jazz - compilation album of "Joyous Lake" and "Starbright"
*"Impressions" (1999), Camden
*"Givin' Away the Store, Vol. 3" (2000), 32 Jazz
*"The Philadelphia Experiment" The Philadelphia Experiment (2001), Ropeadope
*"Live at Yoshi's" (2001), Blue Note
*"Think Tank" (2003), Blue Note
*"Timeless Pat Martino" (2003), Savoy Jazz
*"Starbright/Joyous Lake" (2006), Collectables
*"Remember: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery" (2006), Blue Note

External links

* [http://www.patmartino.com Pat Martino's official website]
*Myspace|patmartino1
*Allmusic|11:difyxqy5ld6e~T0
* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=3225 Pat Martino] on All About Jazz