God loves Jazz Guitar! It must be so. This week He summoned Pat Martino to join his Heavenly Jazz Band. Pat Martino, born Patrick Carmen Azzara, died on November the first 2021 at the age of 77.

This remarkable jazz guitarist started performing when he was 15 and played with some of the greatest Jazz artist known today. Pat was a wizard with the minor 7th chords chromatic licks. In 1980 he had a near fatal seizure leaving him with no recollection of the past nor his ability to play the guitar. What no one expected happened. Pat had to reinvent himself and his guitar playing. He had to start to learn the instrument from zero. Perseverance and a talent brought him back and beyond.

I enjoyed Pat Martino, his note juggling, fast licks and string swinging. Check out this old vid with Pat, Russel Malone, Chuck Loub and Mark Withfield.