Pat Martino - EL HOMBRE

[JSngry]

Mentioned over in the What Are You Glistening To NOW? thread, but would like a perhaps greater focus on what is, to me, a damn fine album.

Martino as a session leader is somebody I've long admired more than actually dug, but this one, is really grabbing me, and hard. Trudy Pitts! And who is this drummer, Mitch Fine? This cat is ON it!

The only other Martino Prestige date I have is Strings, and that one is mighty fine too, but it has more of a "seasoned" feel to it, no doubt because it's a bunch of seasoned pros making a record date the way that seasoned pros do. El Hombre, otoh, feels to me like a club date where everybody is in that zone and stays there. Something to be said for using top-shelf "local" players instead of "the usual suspects", perhaps, at least sometimes?

Anyway, this one sorta came out of nowhere and knocked me out. Any other fans?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Martino's a guy I've greatly preferred as a sideman. I don't have any of his Prestige albums, only his Cobblestone LP "The visit" and can't say I play it very often. Well, I can say I don't play it very often

Trudy Pitts is also an organist who hasn't greatly appealed to me, as well. So this album always had a lot going against it, as far as I was concerned.

So what you say is interesting to me (as ever). And I see it's out again in an RVG edition and is very nicely priced at Amazon UK. Only one thing to do, then.

Wait until I have fewer newies to listen to at weekends

MG

[Hot Ptah]

I think I have all of Martino's other Prestige albums, but not El Hombre. Definitely one for me to pick up soon.

I like his "Exit", released on Muse in the 1970s.

[JSngry]

Yeah, El Hombre just feels different than the other Martino-led dates I've heard. Not as , for lack of a better term, "edgy" in terms of consciously trying to "move forward", or something like that. This stuff is just... playing in the moment, no real apparent agenda than to play it for real and play it really good. No real "exploration" other than right then, right now. Right on. It really doies feel more like a club date than a record date, which might not always be what you want as far as "career development" through recordings, but hell, that's a whole 'nother story there, and don't get me started, please.

And re:Trudy Pitts - I only have her first Prestige date (and her cameo on Rahssan's 1st WB date). She shows a side, another "gear" if you will, on this Martino date that she does not show there, and that is not particularly surprising, really. I mean, I get the impression that she was attempting to build a "popular" niche on that side, but that she can (could?) play was implicit in how she went about it there, and explicit in what she lays down here.

[Soul Stream]

yeah, i'm a big fan. been diggin that one for years. Trudy Pitts is just such a monster, and this is one of the few recordings of her...especially as a sideman. Think she's a sideman on Willis Jackson's Star Time, and that's about it almost from the Presige period. That version they do of Just Friends is ridiculous.

[JSngry]

Trudy Pitts' comping behind Martino on every cut is reason enough.

Reason enough for what, you might ask?

Hell, just reason enough, period!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

yeah, i'm a big fan. been diggin that one for years. Trudy Pitts is just such a monster, and this is one of the few recordings of her...especially as a sideman. Think she's a sideman on Willis Jackson's Star Time, and that's about it almost from the Presige period. That version they do of Just Friends is ridiculous.

It's "Star bag" by the way and that's one of Gator's very best albums ever. And Trudy swings magnificently behind Willis.

MG

[AndrewHill]

I just picked up the RVG a few weeks ago and I've been really enjoying it. I also think Trudy Pitts (who I've never heard before) was burnin' on this one. I don't own anything else by Martino, but I would be very interested in hearing his other Prestige dates. The session as a whole (as Jim puts it) has no real agenda but the songs themselves have really strong themes and excellent soloing. I also really dig Martino's Montgomery-like delivery too.

[HolyStitt]

This year I was really surprised by this one when I bought it in the J & R sale last Winter. I will have to spin it again but I recall everyone having the right type of energy with the groove being pushed further than I expected.

Maybe I will play tonight.

[RDK]

I picked up all the Prestige Pat Martino albums back in the early days of emusic, remember liking them a lot back then (and Martino was 100% new to me), but haven't listened to them much since. But the nice thing about having a digital music collection is that it took just a few seconds to throw the headphones on (since the kids are busy watching Hannah Montana on the telly), bring up itunes, and play the darn thing under discussion. "Desperado" may be my favorite Martino album, but (listening to it now) "El Hombre" definitely has its appeal. All of Martino's Prestige albums sound very different to me; I like the variety.

[Guest Bill Barton]

... "Desperado" may be my favorite Martino album, but (listening to it now) "El Hombre" definitely has its appeal. All of Martino's Prestige albums sound very different to me; I like the variety.

"Desperado" ranks up there for me too. And I never tire of "East!" either. In fact, time to haul that one out and give it a spin! Eddie Green is no slouch either.

[jazzbo]

I don't think they picked a bad lp in the Prestige RVG series yet.

[Big Al]

Well, now I have something to use my Borders giftcard for! In the past, I would see it, think about it, but ultimately put it back. Even listened to it a few times on Rhapsody and thought it a nice album. Sangrey's never been wrong for me in the past, so Borders here I come!

[michel1969]

i don't have this record. Is it fine ?

[Shawn]

I need to get a copy of this one, sounds like a winner.

[felser]

... "Desperado" may be my favorite Martino album, but (listening to it now) "El Hombre" definitely has its appeal. All of Martino's Prestige albums sound very different to me; I like the variety.

"Desperado" ranks up there for me too. And I never tire of "East!" either. In fact, time to haul that one out and give it a spin! Eddie Green is no slouch either.

I remember not liking the sound Martino got on the 12-string on 'Desperado', and moving it along. 'El Hombre' on the other hand is a monster! Good, make that great, Philly Organ Jazz. From the same city that brought you Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, and lots of others. 'Desperado' was also an all-Philly affair, using the Catalyst rhythm section (Eddie Green/the great Tyrone Brown/Sherman Ferguson). Both those albums were Martino working with musicians he probably came up with, rather than the usual excellent hired guns on 'Strings!" (Cedar Walton, Joe Farrell, et al), hence the difference in feel. I enjoy 'Strings!' a lot. I enjoy 'El Hombre' noticably more.

[Ron S]

Good, make that great, Philly Organ Jazz. From the same city that brought you Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, and lots of others.

Groovadelphia.

[randyhersom]

Next stop: Sunny from Pat Martino Live. Stone classic.

[Noj]

Consciousness is also outstanding, I have it as a twofer with the Live album Randy mentions.

[Jim Alfredson]

I think one of the reasons why this is such a nice record is there are no pretensions. Just some great players making music.

[randyhersom]

There's an enormous thread that Pat participates in over at All About Jazz. Very interesting to immerse yourself in his philosophy, and the unique perspective of returning from a severe loss of memory and skills. Much technical content regarding key relationships and chord substitutions that is over my head, but you get a sense of the man and can't help but appreciate him more.

http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=14335

It was easier to find through pats own website than thru AAJ, so I linked it.

[Guest Bill Barton]

I think one of the reasons why this is such a nice record is there are no pretensions. Just some great players making music.

True!

[7/4]

I always dug it, but then I really like his playing from that era.

dB

[Jim Alfredson]

Yeah, those Don Patterson sides from the same era with Martino are some of my favs.

[JSngry]

Is it my imagination (or lack of it?), but does Martino have a stronger lower register tone than most of his "ilk"? What is that, heavier gauge strings?