On November 1st we lost one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, Pat Martino.
George Benson had a great story about his first experience with Pat…
Pat Martino was a virtuoso but what made is story even more amazing is what happened in 1980…
“Martino had been performing until a hemorrhaged arteriovenous malformation caused a “near-fatal seizure” in 1980.[5] The resulting surgery which removed part of his brain left him with amnesia and no recollection or knowledge of his career or how to play the very instrument that made him successful. Martino says he came out of surgery with complete forgetfulness, learning to focus on the present instead of the past or what may lie ahead. He was forced to learn how to play the guitar from zero. This circumstance is crucial to understand his career and his particular way of thinking.”
Here’s a few live clips after he had to relearn the guitar…
This is one of his last shows before a chronic respiratory disorder caused him to stop performing.
A great documentary was put out about him called Unstrung, here’s the trailer…
RIP Pat, your music, style, and guitar lessons will live on forever in the hearts and souls of all jazz lovers and guitarists around the world.
Conscious Shadows
Doyle Bramhall II – Consciousness
The Undertones – Conscious
welp…im off my game tonight…so ive got nothing to really go with the theme
ill just go with this rather pretty cover of house of the rising sun
Great clips, @Loveshaq. Really digging Martino’s work.
Odds – Love of Minds
For when you’re feeling just a little too conscious:
This is about as jazz as I ever got.
Kind of surprised Jeff never crossed paths w/ Pat that I am aware of. Looking for such a meeting though I ran across a jam w/ Bonamassa…
Scientist – Dub Of Consciousness
TV On The Radio – Caffeinated Consciousness
Without trying to sound too New Age yuppie, this song has always felt like it hints at multiple levels of consciousness whilst at the same time being undeniably corporeal. A yoga instructor used to play this during the final savasana of class for meditative contemplation to great effect.
Stateless, “Bloodstream”
And the string quartet version:
Stateless, “Bloodstream” (Quartet Session)
I got to see Pat Martino at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase and at the Iridium in New York. He was one of the greats. Also a first-rate educator. His book Linear Expressions is a great text on chord substitutions, but it was way too dense for me, or maybe I was too dense for it.
That is so cool! I never got to see him & his guitar teachings are waaaaay over my skill level.
Way over mine too.