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Pat Martino Quartet: Undeniable
ByThat Martino is playing at all is close to a miracle, as surgery for a brain aneurysm in the early '80s saved his life but robbed him of his memory. The one-time wunderkind went back to the drawing board, relearned how to play his chosen instrument from scratch, and returned to the recording studio in 1987 to produce his first "post-operative" album, The Return (Muse Records, 1994). Martino has stayed active ever since, returning to his roots with an organ-based group that mirrors his early successes with such legendary lions of the Hammond B-3 as Jack McDuff, Don Patterson and Trudy Pitts (who's featured on Martino's first album as a leader, El Hombre [OJC, 1967]).
The B-3 maestro on this date is Tony Monaco, whose soulful declamations emphatically complement Martino's bluesy peregrinations. They share the bandstand with the always-inventive tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, who's never met a groove he couldn't master, and the versatile drummer Jeff Tain Watts, who sizes up the group's disparate parts and welds them securely together. The program consists of half a dozen Martino originals and Thelonious Monk's venerable "'Round Midnight," on which Martino's guitar has the solo spotlight to itself. The blues predominates, as might be envisioned at a venue named Blues Alley, with everyone down and dirty on "Lean Years," "Goin' to a Meeting," "Double Play," and Midnight Special." There's an easy swing to the other numbers, "Inside Out" (where Martino's guitar and Alexander's tenor open with a charming unison riff) and "Side Effect," an effective finale that features more of Martino's incomparable ad-libbing and yet another incisive statement by Alexander.
For a live recording, sound and balance are exemplary and the audience is responsive but never intrusive. What is most Undeniable, however, is that Martino remains at the top of his game and leads a quartet that can stand its ground with anyone.
Track Listing
Lean Years; Inside Out; Goin’ to a Meeting; Double Play; Midnight Special; ‘Round Midnight; Side Effect.
Personnel
Pat Martino
guitarPat Martino: guitar; Eric Alexander: tenor sax; Tony Monaco: organ; Jeff “Tain” Watts: drums.
Album information
Title: Undeniable | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: HighNote Records
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