Pat Martino - 1987 - The Return

Pat Martino

1987

The Return

01. Do You Have A Name? 12:33

02. Slipback 8:50

03. All That You Have 11:09

04. Turnpike 11:24

Bass – Steve LaSpina

Drums – Joey Baron

Guitar – Pat Martino

Recorded live in February 1987 at Fat Tuesdays N.Y.C. (N.Y.)

Pat Martino experienced a traumatic brain event in about 1980. When he awoke from surgery, he could not remember his parents. He no longer could play the guitar. He had to start over. All seemed lost. (For the details of this and more, see his autobiography, "In the Moment.")

And yet, and yet... After several years of therapy and practice (often listening to his own records) and receiving love from his parents (with whom he stayed), Pat Martino, one of the hottest jazz guitarist on the scene...returned to record this work.

He had performed under his birth name, Pat Assura, several times to warm up. But this time it was Pat Martino. I hear from knowledgeable friends that the venue was filled to overflowing, mostly with musicians (since Pat is a musician's musician, a guitar player's guitar player).

It was a return to undiminished greatness. The band (acoustic bass and drums) had not rehearsed, but knew how to weave it all together stunningly. Inspiration overflows in every tune. The numbers are not tightly structured pieces (as Pat would later return to), but, nevertheless, they all swing with a red hot intensity. There was no meandering, no hesitation, no compensation for a not-up-to par Pat Martino. Pat was back: the return.

Pat plays a flury of notes, chords, octaves--and never loses his way. And it was only up from here. The man is a maestro, a virtuoso, one-of-a-kind. Sadly, he is under-appreciated with respect to popularity. However, those in the know, know the genius of his miracle man. For that, I am thankful. There is beauty in the universe. Think on that.