# 1960s Pat Martino always had a proper balance of soul and swing: Photos, Videos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2020/11/01/martino-always-had-a-proper-balance-of-soul-and-swing-photos-videos/
- Published: 2020-11-01T00:04:38+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Guitarist Pat Martino cooked, especially in clubs. He’s probably best known for
his version of _Sunny,_ recorded at New York’s _Folk City_ on his _Live!_ album 
in 1972.**

Back in 2014, High Tone Records came into possession of previously unreleased live
recordings made between 1968 and ’69 at Club 118 in Louisville, Ky. Entitled _Young
Guns,_ the album featured Gene Ludwig (org), Pat Martino (g) and Randy Gelispie (
d). These guys sounded like a suddenly lit pack of matches.

[⌊51eU5zwx4aL⌉⌊51eU5zwx4aL⌉[
 Back in the ’60s and beyond, Martino always had a 
proper balance of soul and swing needed to play in organ combos authentically. Born
in Philadelphia, he recorded during this early period with organists Don Patterson,
Brother Jack McDuff and Richard “Groove” Holmes as well as saxophonists Willis Jackson,
John Handy, Sonny Stitt, Charles McPherson, Eric Kloss and Junior Cook. All of these
guys could burn.

[⌊R-4537341-1572610514-7452.jpeg⌉⌊R-4537341-1572610514-7452.jpeg⌉[
 Placed in a 
club, though, Martino easily caught fire. He used his guitar as a swinging whip,
cracking it as he tore into blues and standards. As _Young Guns_ demonstrates, Martino
could stir up the scene with long, impeccable runs and give the organ a run for 
its money in the funky grease department.

[⌊E777082ee13ad26ac24728471ae5f33f⌉⌊E777082ee13ad26ac24728471ae5f33f⌉[
 Ludwig and
Gelispie were both veterans of club circuits, where they had to bring their A-game
when soloing and keep the temperature high when backing the soloist. You sense that
studio recordings for all three musicians helped pay the bills while clubs were 
about passion and a free fall into another realm. Each track on this album has an
energy level that raises hairs. [Publicity photo above of Gene Ludwig, right, and
Brother Jack McDuff]

[⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 9.41.06 PM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 9.41.06 PM⌉[
 The album’s
fidelity is short on studio quality, but the microphone and tape recorder used were
certainly good enough to capture the magic these guys were regularly capable of 
in public. They treat the three standards—_Who Can I Turn To, Watch What Happens_
and _Close Your Eyes_—as a contact sport. The solos are extraordinary. [Photo above
of Randy Gelispie]

John Coltrane’s _Mr. P.C._ and Wes Montgomery’s _Road Song_ are loaded with groove
and equally thrilling. The same goes for the remaining two songs—_Sam Sack_ and 
_Colossus_. Martino digs in on solos and swings with a muscular snap.

[⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 9.44.57 PM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 9.44.57 PM⌉[
 Martino had
two careers. In 1980, he suffered a brain aneurysm. After the successful surgery,
he emerged with amnesia and zero recollection of his career or how to play guitar.
He spent the years ahead re-learning the instrument that had built his early reputation.
Which is remarkable on so many levels. Since 2018, he has been sidelined with health
issues.

Martino’s red-hot ambition and feel are unmistakably great on his pre- and post-
surgery recordings. But on _Young Guns,_ one senses he’s playing without realizing
he’s being recorded, or he forgot along the way. What results are three guys tearing
into a night’s work and spreading joy along the way. What a lucky audience.

![D922be4448df70836cc5d803845ee528](https://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340263ec2a9f2b200c-
500wi)

_Mr. P.C_….

Martino’s _Sunny_ in 1972…

[⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-29 at 6.38.00 AM⌉⌊Screen Shot 2020-07-29 at 6.38.00 AM⌉[

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