Desperado (Pat Martino album)

Last updated
Desperado
Desperadomartino.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1970
RecordedMarch 9, 1970
Genre Jazz
Length35:53
Label Prestige
Producer Bob Porter
Pat Martino chronology
Baiyina (The Clear Evidence)
(1968)
Desperado
(1970)
The Visit!
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Desperado is a 1970 post-bop jazz album by American jazz musician Pat Martino.

Contents

“A key album in the shift in Pat Martino's sound at the end of the 60s -- with one foot in the soul jazz camp in which he got his start, and the other in the freer, open-minded style he used a lot in the 70s!” [3]

Reception

Jazz critic Scott Yanow described the album as “funky in spots, electric, and swinging when called for” and extols Martino's performance as “consistently inventive" [4]

The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "Desperado is a little-known stab at fusion: Martino plays electric 12-string against rumbling electric piano and bass, and the results are akin to a tighter, less violent Lifetime. 'Express' and 'Desperado' hit a particularly compelling movement." [2]

In an article for All About Jazz, Ian Patterson wrote: "Martino's inventiveness... seems inexhaustible... Though Martino's soloing has the energy of rock, the language is unmistakably jazz, with a clear melodic logic. There is also a gentler side to his playing, as witnessed on the caressing ballad 'A Portrait of Diana.' 'Express' caps an excellent album on a thrilling note." [5]

“Even this difficult instrument doesn’t dampen his proficiency.” [6]

Background

Recorded at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder studios, Martino chose a 12-string guitar to define his interpretations of his own compositions and "Oleo" by Sonny Rollins. [6]

Track listing

  1. "Blackjack" (Martino) – 7:45
  2. "Dearborn Walk" (Martino)– 3:50
  3. "Oleo" (Sonny Rollins) – 4:53
  4. "Desperado" (Martino, Green) – 7:55
  5. "A Portrait of Diana" (Martino) – 4:30
  6. ”Express” (Martino) – 6:43

CD Reissue

Remastered versions of the album (one being from 1989) do not include any bonus tracks and are stereo versions of the original stereo recording.

Personnel

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References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 957. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  3. "Home". dustygroove.com.
  4. All Music Guide to Jazz – ISBN   0-87930-530-4
  5. Patterson, Ian (December 27, 2021). "Pat Martino Top Ten Albums: More Than Meets The Eye". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Desperado LP-7795 liner notes by Les Paul