Willis Jackson
As many of you know, a GoFundMe has recently been launched in order to support Pat Martino:
“Internationally beloved jazz guitarist Pat Martino (Patrick C. Azzara) has not worked since November 2018 due to severe health issues and his ability to keep financially afloat has been greatly impacted by his current disabilities. This legendary artist from Philadelphia has exhausted his savings and sees no other options before him other than to appeal to the larger community for help. He needs your donations and your good will to keep his household intact and pay medical bills while he concentrates on getting healthy.”
As many of you know and can probably deduce, Pat was one of the most important teachers that I have ever had and the obvious influence on my playing is only outweighed by the impact he had on my life as a whole.
This week I will be featuring several cuts from his discography that have both personal relevance to me as well as historical significance to the greater jazz guitar community.
This track features a young Pat Martino playing much more behind the beat than we’ve grown accustomed to in recent decades. As you will observe, his lines are incredible and lay perfectly in the pocket, especially in comparison to many guitar players at the time. 3:11 features his famous “octave displacement” lick, which was light years ahead of standard jazz guitar lexicon at the time.
Pat’s Go Fund Me Page:
Tony Greaves 