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Pat Martino Goes to Hollywood |
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Written by Don Berryman
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Wednesday, 02 August 2006 |
On August 10th through the 13th Pat Martino will present a Tribute To Wes
Montgomery at the Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood with a quartet that includes Scott Robinson on drums, Rick Germanson on piano,
David Robaire on bass, and Danny Sadownick on percussion. Pat began playing professionally in 1961. He has performed with a wide variety of artists including Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Richard Groove Holmes, John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Chick Corea, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Stanley Clark, Eric Kloss, Trudy Pitts, Woody Herman, Chuck Israels, Charles Earland. Since 1967, Pat has been touring as a leader and often pays tribute to Wes Montgomery who inspired him.
 Pat Martino © Jimmy Katz
After Django and Charlie Christian before him, Wes Montgomery is
one of the most influential jazz guitarists for those who followed. Wes
had an instinctive knowledge of jazz harmony and an incredible facility
for playing the guitar. Although Montgomery was widely known for his
inovative use of octaves, he was also an excellent single-line player,
and was influential in the use of block chords in his solos. Wes also
help refine the sound of the jazz organ trio in his work with organist
Mel Rhyne. His early works on Riverside records are some of the finest
jazz guitar recordings available. Pat went on to greater commercial
sucess with more commercial music with A&M records in the late 60s.
Wes Montgomery's music, particularly the album Grooveyard, is said to
have had an enormous influence on guitarist Pat Martino.
Born Pat Azzara in Philadelphia in 1944, he was first exposed to
jazz through his father, Carmen "Mickey" Azzara, who sang and briefly
studied guitar with Eddie Lang. Pat began playing guitar when he was
twelve years old and left school in tenth grade to devote himself to
music. While taking lessons from Dennis Sandole in Philadelphia, Pat
met another student of his, John Coltrane.
Martino's first road tour was with jazz organist Charles Earland, a
high school friend. Martino moved to Harlem to devote himself to "soul
jazz" as played by Earland and others. The organ trio concept had a
profound influence on Martino's rhythmic and harmonic approach, and he
remained in the idiom gigging with Jack McDuff and Don Patterson. Pat
was signed as a leader to Prestige Records when he was twenty.
 Rick Germanson © Andrea Canter
One of New York's rising stars on piano, Rick Germanson has been a highly
in-demand pianist on the New York City jazz scene for nearly a decade
now. Born May 29, 1972, Rick left his native Milwaukee, Wisconsin on
the heels of winning the Grand Prize at The American Pianists'
Association Jazz Piano Competition in 1996. His recent accomplishments
have garnered much adoration from the media and led to him him being
chosen as Best of New Talent in 2004 by All About Jazz NYC. Germanson's
Trio has performed at Smoke, Smalls, The Kitano and Fat Cat in NYC,
Blues Alley in DC, The Indianapolis Jazz Festival and The Artists'
Quarter in St. Paul. Currently, the Rick Germanson Duo can be heard
every Wednesday and Thursday evening at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in
Manhattan. As a solo pianist, Rick performed five nights a week during
a year-long residency at the acclaimed Four Seasons Restaurant in 2001,
the only musician to ever do so.
Catch Pat Martino and crew on August 10th-13th at the Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 West Sunset Blvd.,
Hollywood, California 90028; Phone: (323) 466-2210. |
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 Saturday, 22 November 2008
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