A guitarist who can read music and knows harmony :
for sure something not very common among
rock musicians, perhaps an example to be followed, who knows ? (please don’t blame me for this remark). Pat
Martino is anyway one of the finest jazz guitarists and a musician who has
revolutionized the technique of his instrument. He played with the greatest
soloists and performs on many international stages, often with an original
group in trio : guitar of course,
Hammond organ and drums. He has developped over the years a very personal and
incisive style, characterized by a very rapid staccato phrasing, and
harmonically rich, including also his
personnal concept of harmonic minor
chord progression.
For the record, Martino is a perfect example of resilience. A brain surgery to remove a
blood clot, so as to avoid aneurysm, left
him with full amnesia, having lost all memory of his career and without any
musical knowledge.
He made a recovery, and learned to play the guitar
again. using his own recordings and other methods he developped for this
purpose.
On You tube you will
easily get an idea of his style and
talent with quite a lot of
videos....
I would recommend this one
And this smashing other one
Marc Lequenne
