R.I.P. Pat Martino

[El Lobo]

https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/pat-martino-jazz-guitarist-philadelphia-obituary-20211101.html

 

[Docbop]

This one really hits me hard. One of the first Jazz guitarists a friend turned me onto was Pat. Then going to GIT now MI when Pat teaching there and getting to hear and talk to him. Then couple years ago saw him live and he was always great live.

 

Thank you Pat for all your music and advice. RIP

[yannis D]

I've learned about it last night right before a rehearsal (from Joey D' Francesco insta page). I told the news to my musician buddies and i guess i spoiled the evening of our guitar player, who told me that he had being practising Pat Martino's guitar lines like crazy... Inspirational player in all aspects.

RIP

[Dockeys]

RIP. Very sad news. A guitarist friend of mine used to travel from Ireland to take lessons from him for a number of years. He said he was a very patient and generous teacher. He told him about while recovering from his brain aneurysm he had to relearn his instrument. People used to ask him 'who are you listening to lately?" And he would reply 'Me!' A big loss.

[Al Quinn]

RIP Pat.

 

A friend / bandmate studied with Pat and spoke with tremendous appreciation of their time together. He described Pat as not only an amazing guitarist and teacher but also a wonderful person.

[LX88]

Time flies doesn't it

 

I went to see Pat Martino when Joey De Francesco was with him...it must have been 2002 or 2003. They were playing at Jazz Alley in Seattle.

 

I got there early after driving up fro Oregon... I paid my cover and went in.

 

There was almost no one in the club when I got there except for a person sitting alone in the upper balcony.

 

I went up there and it was Pat Martino who was sitting there alone. I decided to approach him and he was friendly and invited me to join him.

 

I told him I had driven over 200 miles so after that he was very accomodating.

 

I was able to ask him many things....much of it had to do with asking about other musicians he had been involved with such as Coltrane , Don Patterson Wes Montgomery etc.

 

They played great that night...so I have a fond memory of time spent with a true master....we will miss him

[davinwv]

This is truly heart-wrenching news. I will miss his playing and his role model status among Italian American musicians:

 

[WheelHead]

This is very, very sad. A legend departs the music world. I live near Philly so I know people who have known him. Last time I heard, he lived on Wolf street in Philadelphia. (this is not far away from the famous Pat Steaks and Genos Steaks, I believe) Pat was a fine gentleman. I have also heard his dad who I believe was a singer took an important role since he was a little kid in Pat's interest in guitar and encouraged and pushed him from a child. I have heard one local guitarist copy/do a cover of his 'Just Friends' with Trudy Pitts on the Hammond in his single act. Pat was copied as best as one could sometimes. I have a book called "The Virtuoso" by Ken Carbone. Among other people of different things and instruments, Pat is featured in the book as a virtuoso guitarist. "cerebral, even mystical, the musician speaks joyfully of the pleasures of the here and now and the irrelevance of material attachments. "The guitar is like a fork to me, " he declares. "It's a tool. Once I eat the food I cleanse the fork and put it away. And that's what music is to me, a vehicle to reach a destination." The contemplation he so values keeps the music business in perspective. "In fact", he adds, "I don't even feel that I have a career. I feel that I have a gift"

 

Pat is another Philadelphia musician who studied with Dennis Sandole along with John Coltrane. (I have known many who studied with Dennis in the way-back. He wrote an 'outline' for each students "ear" and they were expected to know it in all 12 keys for the next lesson. If the person did not practice they were dropped or dropped (at first) to one of his advanced students he called "my stars"

 

WH

[marino]

Really sad. A true innovator, a great musician and a nice human being. RIP.

[Mark Schmieder]

Another giant has left us. He won so many battles in his life; he seems too young to pass on at this point.

[Legatoboy]

What an amazing musical story his life was .....RIP Pat.

[LX88]

One other thing about Pat.

 

He was in his own world when it came to his explanations of musical material.

 

i do think that it would be difficult for the average person to comprehend what he talked to me about during our discussion. Relating the guitar fretboard to the I Ching...a clock on the wall... and other such theories.

 

Some of this can be found in his True Fire lessons on Youtube.

 

People who arrive at his level of genius often have a hard time communicating their concepts to more"normal " people

 

But there is no denying his greatness and achievements.

 

Because of my encounter with him I can confidently say...he was a good and caring person. He did not know me from Adam but was generous with his time with me.

 

Thank you Pat