Pat Martino improvising during our interview at J.W. Pepper in Exton, PA

Pat Martino is a legend of jazz guitar and one of the most influential musicians of the last century. As a young prodigy, he was highly influenced by the music of Wes Montgomery but soon forged his own distinctive style.  His career took a major setback when at the height of his popularity, he suffered a brain aneurysm and a surgery which caused total memory loss. But in the ensuing years, he relearned the guitar and developed an even stronger and more personal style.  Although largely known for his extremely articulate, long and winding linear improvisations, his more subtle and introspective solo chordal work should not be overlooked. They have long fascinated me and I’ve been fortunate to sit at the feet of the master and witness him spin off seemingly endless chordal explorations. This Pat Martino solo jazz guitar piece was used in a video to promote his autobiography Here and Now!

Here, Pat plays an improvised version of his original composition “Tradia” (copyright Kitai Music, A.S.C.A.P. 2012).   Notice the beautiful and unexpected twists, turns and modulations he takes while playing what are mostly simple triads, seventh chords and inversions.  This is a gorgeous piece of music and well worth investing some quality time to learn! (Source)