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Alternative Guitar Summit: Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1

By Jack Bowers
May 20, 2022
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Alternative Guitar Summit: Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1

Each year the Alternative Guitar Summit, led by

Joel Harrison

guitar, electric
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Joel Harrison, presents a concert to honor a living jazz composer/guitarist. That wasn't possible in 2021, however, as venues in and around New York City were shuttered tight by the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, it was clear that the chosen honoree, the great

Pat Martino

guitar
1944 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Martino, was gravely ill and might not have another year to live. With that in mind, members of the Summit took their guitars straight to a studio to record the tribute, live-streaming their performances so that Martino and his wife could see, hear and appreciate them. The recording was completed in October 2021; Martino passed away on November 1.

Fourteen guitarists including Harrison lent their talents to the event, and eight of the nine numbers on offer were written by Martino (the ninth,

J.J. Johnson

trombone
1924 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">J.J. Johnson's melancholy "Lament," is beautifully played by

Russell Malone

guitar
1963 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Russell Malone).

Adam Rogers

guitar
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Rogers and

Peter Bernstein

guitar
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Bernstein start the ball rolling with Martino's groovy "Inside Out," and Harrison closes the session with a solo rendition of the easygoing "Country Road." Sandwiched between with Malone are

Kurt Rosenwinkel

guitar
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Rosenwinkel ("Black Glass"),

Fareed Haque

guitar
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Fareed Haque ("Line Games"),

Sheryl Bailey

guitar
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Sheryl Bailey and

Ed Cherry

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Ed Cherry ("Willow"),

Rez Abbasi

guitar, acoustic
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Rez Abbasi and

Jeff Miles

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Miles ("Noshufuru"),

Dave Stryker

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Stryker and

Paul Bollenback

guitar
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bollenback ("On the Stairs"),

Nir Felder

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Nir Felder and

Oz Noy

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Oz Noy ("Joyous Lake"). And according to Harrison, this is only Volume 1!

As guitar enthusiasts surely know, Pat Martino had not one but two equally successful careers at the top of his game. The first was ended in 1980 by a near-fatal brain aneurysm that robbed Martino of his memory, forcing him to relearn not only his past life but how to play the guitar again. "I had to start from Square 1," he said later. But start he did, and owing to his resilience and determination was performing again by the mid-1980s, and by 1987 had released a new album. During his rewarding careers, Martino proved he was not only a virtuosic player but a superb composer as well, a fact that becomes crystal clear as this fond remembrance unfolds. The melodies are consistently engaging, the rhythms crisp and colorful, the performers earnest and on point.

It's impossible to choose a favorite number, as each one has innumerable charms to admire. The same is true of the players, whether solo or in tandem, and with or without a rhythm section. Rosenwinkel even brought his own, overdubbing himself on bass and drums. For those who love guitars in general and Pat Martino in particular, it doesn't get much better than this. Stay tuned, Harrison writes, for Volume 2.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Inside Out; Black Glass; Line Games; Willow; Noshufuru; Lament; On the Stairs; Joyous Lake; Country Road.

Personnel

Rez Abbasi

guitar, acoustic

Sheryl Bailey

guitar

Peter Bernstein

guitar

Paul Bollenback

guitar

Ed Cherry

guitar

Nir Felder

guitar

Fareed Haque

guitar

Joel Harrison

guitar, electric

Russell Malone

guitar

Jeff Miles

guitar

Oz Noy

guitar

Adam Rogers

guitar

Kurt Rosenwinkel

guitar

Dave Stryker

guitar

Dezron Douglas

bass

Allan Mednard

drums

Kevin Kozol

keyboards

Alex Austin

bass

Greg Fundis

drums

Richard Christian

tablas

Additional Instrumentation

Chulo Gatewood: bass; Tobias Ralph: drums

Album information

Title: Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1 | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: HighNote Records

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