Martino's Last Full Session, Still Swinging
Pat Martino's final full-length record swings hard, leaves room for his sidemen, and sounds like a guitarist still enjoying himself.
The first thing you notice on Formidable is how much room Pat Martino leaves for the other players. Organist Pat Bianchi is the engine of much of this session, driving the groove from the bottom with the kind of muscular, blues-soaked chording that comes from years in organ combos. Martino knows that sound well; he came up playing those same small groups, and you can hear him enjoying the chance to lock in with it again rather than dominate the frame.
Recorded in April 2017 at Jankland Recording in Wall Township, New Jersey, and released on HighNote Records later that year, the album is a straightforward quartet-and-organ date built around swing. Tenor saxophonist Adam Niewood and trumpeter Alex Norris take their solos with confidence, and drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. keeps the time tight without fuss. Nothing here is experimental. It is a band playing standards and originals with good spirit and a clear sense of what it wants to do.
DownBeat's Bobby Reed made the case for it as a keeper, pointing to the commitment to swing and the way Martino gives his accompanists space to stretch out. He also singled out a couple of ballads played in a trio setting, where Martino's control of tempo is on display. The Guardian's John Fordham praised Martino's speed, accuracy and smooth tone, along with a toughness that comes from his organ-combo roots. For a listener, this is a good entry point into his later work and a relaxed, well-played session rather than a landmark.
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