Pat Martino Live At Yoshi's CD

Personnel: Pat Martino (guitar); Joey DeFrancesco (organ); Billy Hart (drums).
Recorded live at Yoshi's, Oakland, California from December 15-17, 2000.
LIVE AT YOSHI'S was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual Or Group. "All Blues" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.
Personnel: Pat Martino (guitar); Billy Hart (drums).
Audio Mixer: Kirk Yano.
Recording information: Yoshi's (12/15/2000-12/17/2000); Yoshi's, Oakland, CA (12/15/2000-12/17/2000).
Photographer: David Perry.
With Live at Yoshi's, his 20th recording as a leader and third release for the Blue Note label, the legendary Pat Martino has come full circle. Accompanied by Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond B-3 and Billy Hart on drums, the hard bop and funky soul-jazz of this trio are sure to please enthusiasts of the guitar, organ, and drum trio. Martino, heir to Wes Montgomery's warm, bluesy guitar style, plays eight great compositions, including two great extended versions of the classic Miles Davis compositions "All Blues" and "Blue in Green." On "All Blues," creative guitar voice plays the melody with soulful interpretations and subtle musical resonance. Martino's version of "Blue in Green" creates a world of melancholy and the guitarist plays his guitar with the same sweet sadness as Miles did with the support of DeFrancesco's organ solo adding additional shades of emotion. The songs selected for this "live" performance recording also appear on previously recorded Martino projects, including his 1970 Desperado album and his 1998 Stone Blue CD. However, listeners now receive the benefit of having the set performance available in real time. From the sound of the audience on Live at Yoshi's, the guitar sage's head-spinning dexterity and cool tones on "Catch" are more spirited than ever, and after listening to this CD, you'll be inclined to agree. ~ Paula Edelstein
Pat Martino's career has been marked by serious health problems. However, with each passing year, he continues to fight the odds and make forward-looking statements in jazz. LIVE AT YOSHI'S is no exception to this. Throughout the years, Martino fans have come to expect blindingly fast, virtuosic bop solos from him. These he delivers on all eight tracks. In fact, we hear inspired, spontaneous performances by all three musicians on this disc.
This live 2000 concert date sees Martino in great form. His playing is heartfelt and, as usual, he dazzles the crowd with outstanding harmonic ingenuity. Joined by organ phenom Joey DeFrancesco and veteran drummer Billy Hart, Martino performs a variety of tunes including Miles Davis's "All Blues" and the lush Bill Evans/Miles Davis Ballad "Blue in Green." Uptempo burners such as Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" and Martino's own "Catch" display the true improvisational prowess of this jazz power trio.Entertainment Weekly (7/13/01, p.87) - "...The agenda is elemental: Wind 'em up and watch 'em go...Martino's lines are fast and clean..." - Rating: B+
Down Beat (10/01, pp.68,70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...He is clearly at home before this very live crowd, playing a ton of notes to both originals and standards..."