The late Pat Martino is one of the most influential and respected guitarists of the modern era. Obscured perhaps by his reputation as a killer guitarist are his many compositions. For its 2021 gathering, the Alternative Guitar Summit, helmed by guitarist and organizer Joel Harrison, aimed to showcase some of his tunes as played by a slew of other six-string players. Typically, as Harrison notes, there would have been a live show to celebrate and “honor a living composer/guitarist,” but the Covid epidemic got in the way of those plans. Instead, a number of musicians gathered at a recording studio in Brooklyn to pay tribute, resulting in the wonderful collection Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1. Martino, who passed away in November 2021, was involved in the planning, even sending scores of unrecorded tunes to Harrison for possible inclusion. The performances in the Brooklyn studio were live-streamed, with Martino watching from his South Philadelphia home. Working with what Harrison describes as “treasure chest of the imagination,” he put as much variety into this set as Martino himself displayed over the course of his career. A quick look at the formidable list of players represented here, from Kurt Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, and Russell Malone to Oz Noy and Rez Abbasi, should be more than enough to whet the appetite of jazz guitar fans. There’s no sense picking favorites on this nine-track collection, as the musicians’ respect for a master and an abiding love of his music come through loud and clear in every note. Definitely recommended.
HighNote HCD 7333; Inside Out* (Adam Rogers, Peter Bernstein, g; Dezron Douglas, b; Allan Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY/ Black Glass (Kurt Rosenwinkel, g, b, d)/ Line Games (Fareed Haque, g; Kevin Kozol, kybd; Alex Austin, b; Greg Fundis, d; Richard Christian, tablas; Chicago, IL)/ Willow* (Sheryl Bailey, Ed Cherry, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY) Noshufuru* (Rez Abbasi, Jeff Miles, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Lament (Russell Malone, g; Bellmore, NY)/ On the Stairs* (Dave Stryker, Paul Bollenback, g; Douglas, b; Mednard, d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Joyous Lake* (Nir Felder, Oz Noy, g; Chulo Gatewood, b; Tobias Ralph. d; Brooklyn, NY)/ Country Road (Joel Harrison). Tracks marked with *, Brooklyn, NY, March 20, 2021; other pieces recorded in Chicago, IL [Line Games], Bellmore, NY, [Lament], and private studios, all 2021. 59:08; www.jazzdepot.com
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