01.Baiyina
02.Where Love's A Grown-Up God
03.Israfel
04.Distant Land.
Pat Martino (guitar) Bobby Rose (guitar) Gregory Herbert (flute, alto sax) Richard Davis (bass) Charlie Presip (drums) Reggie Ferguson (tabala) Balakrishna (tamboura).
All through the 1960s, the work of virtuoso guitarist Pat Martino was documented on a variety of solo projects, and through his sideman cameos with Willis Jackson, Sonny Stitt and organ master Don Patterson. The ascendancy of this legendary Philadelphia guitarist began when he went out on the chittlin' circuit at the age of 15 with Charles Earland and Lloyd Price, affording him a wealth of experience as he worked to transcend the influence of his heroes, Wes Montgomery and Johnny Smith. By his early 20s, Pat Martino was a legend among jazz guitarists.
However, Martino had a restless exploratory urge, and was always searching for fresh musical challenges. With the legendary BAIYINA (THE CLEAR EVIDENCE), Martino made his boldest artistic statement to date, on four original compositions that summed up both his spiritual curiosity and his interest in non-western melodic and rhythmic strains. Some three decades later, BAIYINA remains a landmark in the synthesis of jazz, raga and near-eastern sources.
Bassist Richard Davis and drummer Charlie Persip provide a solid polyrhythmic underpinning on the title tune, as Martino and second guitarist Bobby Rose double up on the themes like some Carnatic Allman Brothers. Tabla and tamboura drone away suggestively as Martino's unusual voicings and stunning octaves allow him to transcend typical guitar timbres. On "Where Love's A Grown-Up God," he creates a rich web of contrary motion, weaving expressive lines against hypnotic vamp, before employing two overdubbed parts to convey the microtonal feeling of a sitar. Davis and Persip kick off "Israfel" at a fierce tempo, as Martino's dancing lines proceed with Coltraneish complexity and emotional depth, while "Distant Land" illustrates Martino's gift for sustaining a subtle blues feel within a free-form melodic context.
Pat Martino's fourth of five Prestige albums contains plenty of intriguing music. The innovative guitarist is joined by Bobby Rose on second guitar, Gregory Herbert on alto and flute (making his recording debut), bassist Richard Davis, drummer Charlie Persip, Reggie Ferguson on tabla, and Balakrishna on tamboura. Together they perform Martino's four-part suite, whose sections are named after aspects of the Koran. The use of Indian instruments, drones, and unusual time signatures (including 7/4, 9/4, and 10/8) gives the performances the flavor of early fusion, and some of the effects sound a bit dated. However, the results were not overtly commercial, and the leader gets in several noteworthy improvisations. ~ Scott Yanow
Recorded in New York, June 11, 1968.
ReplyDeleteAll through the 1960s, the work of virtuoso guitarist Pat Martino was documented on a variety of solo projects, and through his sideman cameos with Willis Jackson, Sonny Stitt and organ master Don Patterson. The ascendancy of this legendary Philadelphia guitarist began when he went out on the chittlin' circuit at the age of 15 with Charles Earland and Lloyd Price, affording him a wealth of experience as he worked to transcend the influence of his heroes, Wes Montgomery and Johnny Smith. By his early 20s, Pat Martino was a legend among jazz guitarists.
However, Martino had a restless exploratory urge, and was always searching for fresh musical challenges. With the legendary BAIYINA (THE CLEAR EVIDENCE), Martino made his boldest artistic statement to date, on four original compositions that summed up both his spiritual curiosity and his interest in non-western melodic and rhythmic strains. Some three decades later, BAIYINA remains a landmark in the synthesis of jazz, raga and near-eastern sources.
Bassist Richard Davis and drummer Charlie Persip provide a solid polyrhythmic underpinning on the title tune, as Martino and second guitarist Bobby Rose double up on the themes like some Carnatic Allman Brothers. Tabla and tamboura drone away suggestively as Martino's unusual voicings and stunning octaves allow him to transcend typical guitar timbres. On "Where Love's A Grown-Up God," he creates a rich web of contrary motion, weaving expressive lines against hypnotic vamp, before employing two overdubbed parts to convey the microtonal feeling of a sitar. Davis and Persip kick off "Israfel" at a fierce tempo, as Martino's dancing lines proceed with Coltraneish complexity and emotional depth, while "Distant Land" illustrates Martino's gift for sustaining a subtle blues feel within a free-form melodic context.
Pat Martino's fourth of five Prestige albums contains plenty of intriguing music. The innovative guitarist is joined by Bobby Rose on second guitar, Gregory Herbert on alto and flute (making his recording debut), bassist Richard Davis, drummer Charlie Persip, Reggie Ferguson on tabla, and Balakrishna on tamboura. Together they perform Martino's four-part suite, whose sections are named after aspects of the Koran. The use of Indian instruments, drones, and unusual time signatures (including 7/4, 9/4, and 10/8) gives the performances the flavor of early fusion, and some of the effects sound a bit dated. However, the results were not overtly commercial, and the leader gets in several noteworthy improvisations. ~ Scott Yanow
Baiyina (The Clear Evidence)
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