Pat Martino Interview
by AbstractLogix
Pat
Martino is cosmically a very powerful figure and we all know what he
has
contributed to the world of jazz guitar . He travelled to the streets
of
It is quite the
powerful experience when you have had the chance to speak with
or meet a person whom you have admired for a considerable time of your
life,
someone of extraordinary calibre and acheivements, someone who has
floored you
with their humility. Pat Martino was kind enough to take the time to
share some
of his thoughts about his new project, his music and his life with us.
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WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING LATELY ?
Ans: It is very difficult for me to classify everything that I have
been doing
to one general target, so in that sense it is quite difficult to say. I
move my
life from moment to moment. It is the present moment that is so full of
joy and
excitement . It is as important and fun as any moment or anything in
the past.
I have been playing music , travelling and enjoying my family.
2. I HEARD THAT YOU JUST FINISHED RECORDING YOUR NEXT ALBUM . COULD YOU
KINDLY
SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT IT ?
Ans : The new album is called THINK TANK . It has been a great
experience for
me. The music is really about social experiences that I have had with
everyone
in my life. When I started the project, I really was not sure how it
was going
to evolve; however, quite a number of things began to invisibly form
and and
take a shape and a meaning that was not predetermined. Christian
Mcbride and
the rest of us have been very involved throught the project. It was a
very deep
interest of mine to bring all five of us together in unison. I was a
little
worried in the beginning, for the material was difficult to choose.
Sometimes,
you worry if everyone will personally enjoy it. The music has a lot to
do with
John Coltrane, in fact, it is a personal tribute. There are a few
compositions
about him.
The song, " Think Tank " itself is similar to a standard minor blues,
its construction was odd comparatively. The topic for the motif is
drawn from
three words: Coltrane, Tenor and Blue. Their transfer into melodies
came from
the interface of the English Alphabet and the Aeolian Mode, which in
itself is
a mirror image of the first seven letters of that alphabet , A to G,
continuously repeated from H to Z. The placement of the tones, phrasing
and
chord changes were improvised.
It is a study that is referred to as " ALPHABETIC JUNCTION ". Using
all 26 letters of the English alphabet you coordinate scale that forms
to the
letters, in the western context being seven tones in numbers, splitting
that
into 3 parts and then broken again. I just finished a clinic and part
of that
was
" GIANT STEPS "by John Coltrane which was a turning point from Bebop
to Hard Bop and rather than dealing with normal repetition , it became
a deep
interest of mine to bring different dimensions. "SACRED GEOMETRY" is
a paralell and similar subject .....
3. WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE MUSIC ?
Ans : I am not sure how to even answer that. You know, it is very
similar to
human anatomy. It is a part of my life and the fuel for my inspiration
and
existence. It is almost imposssible for me to contain my emotions and
ideas and
somehow it takes of itself.
4. AFTER OVERCOMING THE SERIOUS PHYSICAL ENCOUNTERS IN YOUR LIFE, DO
YOU FEEL
THAT YOU HAVE RE DEDICATED YOURSELF TO MUSIC ?
Ans : You bet !!. My desire and dedication have increased
exponentially. Don't
get me wrong, I have always loved and desired to play music. When I was
starting out, I dreamt of being a jazz guitar player and having a rich
and
fulfilling career . After I recovered from amnesia and returned to
dexterity,
my craftmanship has transcended seamlessly, my focus began to travel
towards my
destination and everything else around me . The destination was the "
MOMENT ", the " PRESENT ". In essence, this beautiful world of
ours. I feel rejuvenated today, seems like I have returned to my
childhood with
a keen interest and inquisitive about everything revolving around my
life ; the
music , the people, the social fibre. Music is my second nature, as
Jimi
Hendrix would say , " The difference between power of love and love of
power ".
5.
WHAT DID YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU DESIGNED THE GUITAR FOR GIBSON ?
Ans : I looked for a lot of sustain in its sound. One of my other
interests was
cost, so I removed the inlay. The strings lay straight across the
headstock,
allowing you to place the first finger behind the nut as if it were on
the
first fret instead of totally open. The " F "on the 6th string would
now be conceived on the second fret as opposed to the first, along with
fingerings that remain similar to the players familiarity. The open
strings
remain straight like they already do across the rest of the
fingerboard. The
carved top is made of Tiger Maple on the Custom model and Regular Maple
on the
Standard model. The fret board is made of full ebony on the Custom and
an
ebony-rosewood mixture on the Standard . The pick ups are 1957
humbucking
pickups. The guitar itself is a cross between a Les Paul Custom and a
L5S.
6.
DO YOU EVER LISTEN TO YOUR OLD RECORDINGS ?
Ans : I actually do not listen to any of my old stuff. Pat Metheny once
told me
how he thought that certain stages of recording are the closest
experience that
men can relate to labor pains. You have to get away from it sometimes.
When the
album is done, you just have to let it go on its own journey. It has
its own
freedom and most of the time the result is favourable and surprising.
7.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO REISSUE JOYOUS
Ans : It was a very personal decision . Joyous lake was a great band,
as well
as an exciting recording and I wanted to reactivate the interest.
Delmar Brown,
bassist James Genus and drummer Kenwood Dennard along with the addition
of Eric
Alexander on Tenor Saxophone brought everything full circle. I had a
dedication
to the band
8. ALL SIDES NOW WAS JUST A GREAT RECORDING, I LOVED THE PIECES WITH
MICHAEL
HEDGES AND THE ONE WITH CASSANDRA
Ans : Absolutely. Michael was such a great soul. Once when I was in a
hospital
in
9. I
AM ASSUMING YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A FONDNESS FOR DIGITAL ART ?
Ans : I enjoy exploring concepts in Sacred Geometry as far as forms of
the art
. It helps me to understand the importance of organization. The
computer is
like a sketchbook, encyclopedic in size, and allows so much to be
done........
quite enjoyable.
10. WE CAN KEEP TALKING ALL DAY , BUT ONE LAST QUESTION , HOW DID THE
RECORD
" FIREDANCE " HAPPEN ?
Ans : Peter Block called me and asked me if I would be interested in
doing a
project with an Indian motif. I love the Indian ragas and tala systems.
So, I
went out to
Thanks a lot for your time Pat, it is definitely a highlight to be able
to
speak to a living Legend. We wish you the best of health and a long,
fruitful,
musical journey.
All pictures and art have been used with permission of Pat Martino.
AbstractLogix would like to thank Pat, the great photographers and
artists for
them.
Interview by Souvik Dutta and Dave Watts