1967 · Album
El Hombre
Recorded 1967 · Prestige Records · Produced by Not specified in available sources
A Young Guitar Voice Arrives Fully Formed
Already displays a fairly distinctive sound at twenty-two, swinging hard with organ and drums.
El Hombre announced Pat Martino as a serious talent right away. AllMusic reviewer gave it 4½ stars, hearing in this debut a player who understood soul-jazz fundamentals but had his own voice already. Ian Patterson of All About Jazz called it an auspicious debut that announced the arrival of a great talent, and the Penguin Guide acknowledged that despite relying on blues-based formulas typical of the genre, Martino's maturing style was good enough to transcend the settings.
What makes that critical reception earned is how straightforward the music is. There is no reaching or posturing here. Pat Martino plays a direct set with Trudy Pitts on organ and Mitch Fine on drums, and the album swings without decoration. The guitar tone is clean and focused, the solos move with purpose, and the interplay with the organ has real ease. Martino was twenty-two when this was recorded, young enough that hunger shows through, old enough that he knows what he wants to play.
This is the place to start with Martino. It captures him before his style hardened into something more cerebral, when the connection to soul-jazz and the blues was still fresh. Later he would push into more complex territory, but El Hombre has a directness that makes it welcoming and fun to hear. A player introducing himself, doing it well, and not apologizing for where he came from.
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