Pat Martino - El Hombre (1967) (OJC)

Pat Martino - El Hombre (1967)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 265MB

OJC

Allmusic:
Guitarist Pat Martino's debut as a leader finds the 22-year-old showing off his roots in soul-jazz organ groups while looking ahead at the same time. Joined by organist Trudy Pitts, flutist Danny Turner, drummer Mitch Fine, and both Abdu Johnson and Vance Anderson on percussion, Martino primarily plays a straight-ahead set (five of his originals, "Just Friends," and "Once I Loved"), but already displays a fairly distinctive sound. This CD reissue brings back Martino's impressive start to what would be a productive solo career.

Tracks
-1. "Waltz for Geri" - Martino - 6:21
-2. "Once I Loved" - DeMoraes, Gilbert, Jobim - 5:42
-3. "El Hombre" - Martino - 5:57
-4. "Cisco" - Martino - 4:29
-5. "One for Rose" - Martino - 4:54
-6. "A Blues for Mickey-O" - Martino - 8:02
-7. "Just Friends" - Klenner, Lewis - 5:47

Personnel
* Pat Martino (guitar)
* Danny Turner (flute)
* Trudy Pitts (organ)
* Mitch Fine (drums)
* Abdu Johnson (conga drum)
* Vance Anderson (bongos)

sample & buy: El Hombre

Pat Martino - Strings (1967) (eac-log-cover)

Pat Martino - Strings (1967)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

OJC

AMG:
Guitarist Pat Martino's second recording as a leader (which has been reissued on CD) finds him essentially playing advanced bop. His quintet (with Joe Farrell on tenor and flute, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ben Tucker and drummer Walter Perkins) really roars on an uptempo version of "Minority" and is diverse enough to come up with meaningful statements on four of Martino's originals.

Tracks:
-1 - Strings! 5:57
-2 - Minority 9:20
-3 - Lean Years 8:37
-4 - Mom 7:20
-5 - Querido 6:07

Personnel:
Drums - Walter Perkins
Guitar - Pat Martino
Percussion - Dave Levin (tracks: 1) , Ray Appleton (tracks: 1)
Piano - Ben Tucker
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Joe Farrell

sample & buy: Strings

Pat Martino - Stone Blue (1998) (eac-log-cover)

Pat Martino - Stone Blue (1998)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 400MB

Blue Note

AMG:
The guitar master is at it again on this collection of original tunes. Mixing up bop and funk with heavy doses of pop, he offers up a very listenable album with lots of character. Standout tracks include the fat beat of "Mac Tough" and the evocative "With All The People."
All-About-Jazz:
Guitarist Pat Martino exhibits his long-standing appreciation for the urban lifestyle of New York City and Philadelphia on his latest album Stone Blue. That cocky feeling of self-assurance one develops from living and working in the city gives rise to strutted rhythms, deliberate tempos, and melodies that range from sixteenth-note-laden confetti clusters to dreamy skyborne shouts. Sharing the front line with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, Martino presents nine of his compositions with the support of keyboardist Delmar Brown, bassist James Genus and drummer Kenwood Dennard. You can find complete biographical information about guitarist Pat Martino at http://www.patmartino.com/ .
Genus' six-string electric bass and Dennard's cymbal ride drive the album; all but one piece are presented up-tempo with an emphasis on deliberate rhythms and front line conversation. Alexander's tenor saxophone voice is earthy and confident, while Martino's guitar enthuses with its desire to speak out. Together, they gel as one voice. The ballad "Never Say Goodbye" is a tearful dedication to guitarist Michael Hedges, who passed away last November in a tragic automobile accident at the age of 43. Over twenty years ago, while Martino was recovering from brain surgery, Hedges visited him in the hospital and played for him at his bedside.
Other dedications on the album include nods to Wes Montgomery and Jack McDuff. "13 To Go" and "Mac Tough" include organ romps from Brown. "Joyous Lake" is a happy tune that was originally recorded in 1977 just before Martino's ten-year hiatus. Adhering to the album's urban theme, the arrangement juxtaposes a Brazilian carnival backdrop with lyrical offerings from guitarist, saxophonist, and keyboardist. An overt enthusiasm and hearty front line drive Martino's latest album through timeless city streets. Recommended.

Tracks:
-01. Uptown Down 4:25
-02. Stone Blue 6:46
-03. With All the People 9:15
-04. 13 to Go 7:27
-05. Boundaries 8:09
-06. Never Say Goodbye 3:40
-07. Mac Tough 6:13
-08. Joyous Lake 13:26
-09. Two Weighs Out 0:33

Personnel:
* Kenwood Dennard - Percussion, Drums
* Eric Alexander - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor)
* Delmar Brown - Keyboards, Vocals
* Michael Cuscuna - Producer, Liner Notes
* James Genus - Bass, Bass (Electric)
* Pat Martino - Guitar

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Pat Martino - First Light (Joyous Lake & Starbright) (1976&77)

Pat Martino - First Light (1976&77)

2lp: Joyous Lake & Starbright

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 490MB

32Jazz | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
First Light continues a long line of excellent releases by the 32 Jazz label and Pat Martino. While neither Joyous Lake or Starbright merit the designation of "classic," the combination of both recordings on one budget-priced CD make two-fer an essential fusion recording.

Allaboutjazz:
Guitar and fusion fans will surely welcome this excellent 32 Jazz set featuring all of Joyous Lake and Starbright, guitarist Pat Martino's two 1976 Warner Brothers albums. Martino left Muse Records in 1976 with the promise of mega-giant Warner's clout to reach a wider audience. Usually that spells concession to popular tunes or sellable formulas. And while this music is often more fusion-oriented than anything Martino had recorded up to this point, there's no sell out.
Joyous Lake catches Martino with keyboardist Delmar Brown and Kenwood Dennard, who reunited with the guitarist on last year's similar Stone Blue (also featuring Martino's delightful "Joyous Lake," which prefigures the music of Pat Metheny by nearly a decade). Here, electric bassist Delmar Brown also helps the quartet move around several flavors of funky fusion that recall then-sounds of Magical Shepherd -era Miroslav Vitous and Allan Holdsworth with nods toward Headhunter funk ("M'Wandishi")and Eleventh House rock ("Song Bird").
Starbright features a larger, all together different Martino group featuring three keyboardists (Gil Goldstein, Warren Bernhardt and Mike Maneri), three percussionists, bass, violin, flute and tabla. There are Martino's patented ruminations ("Starbright," reminiscent of Al DiMeola/Return to Forever, and "Prelude"), worthy fusion ("Law," "Deeda," "Blue Macaw) and two of Wayne Shorter's more contemplative ballads from Miles' 1967 opus Nefertiti ("Fall," "Nefertiti").
As always, Martino remains an engaging technical dazzler - as opposed to all those forgotten 70s guitar heroes who thought speed and sound meant good playing. Martino even experiments with guitar synthesizers and other effects (especially during the Joyous Lake tracks). But the strength of the guitarist's melodic personality, particularly during signature solos, is never in question.
This is music that can be enjoyed well beyond 1977. Over two decades later, there is substance and sustenance to Pat Martino's music and First Light is a valuable part of this great guitarist's ever-enduring legacy.

Tracks: Line Games; Pyramidal Vision; Mardi Gras; M'Wandishi; Song Bird; Joyous Lake; Starbright; Eyes; Law; Fall; Deeda; Starbright Epilogue; Masquerada; Nefertiti; Blue Macaw; City Lights; Prelude; Epilogue.

Personnel:
On Joyous Lake: Pat Martino: guitar, EML 101 synthesizer, synthesizer, percussion, flexiglass; Delmar Brown: Fender Rhodes, EML 500 synthesizer, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer; Mark Leonard: electric bass; Kenwood Dennard: drums, percussion.
On Starbright: at Martino: guitar, synthesizer; Gil Goldstein: keyboards; Warren Bernhardt, Michael Maneri: synthesizers; Will Lee: bass; Charles Collins, Michael Carvin: drums; Alyrio Lima Cova: percussion; Marty Quinn: tablas; Al Regni: flute; Joe D'Onofrio: violin.

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