Always retaining the soul and buoyant groove that he honed at the side of master jazz organists like Charles Earland, Don Patterson and Jack McDuff, Martino melded that profound feel with a rock-fueled ferocity born of a questing spirit rather than aggression. Regardless of the setting, Martino played the guitar with an intensity of focus and impeccable clarity at even the most dizzying pace. Martino's career spanned six decades and a variety of styles, from his formative years performing in organ groups to the Wes Montgomery-influenced hard bop of his early recordings, spiritual explorations in the late 60s ceding to the blazing, virtuosic fusion of 1970s classics like Joyous Lake. The guitarist had been suffering from a chronic respiratory disorder since 2018, breathing with oxygen support and unable to play since a tour of Italy that November. Martino, born Patrick Azzara, died after a long illness in the South Philadelphia row home formerly owned by his parents, where he moved in 1980 after undergoing neurosurgery that saved his life - at the near-total cost of his memory. His death was announced on Facebook by his longtime manager, Joseph Donofrio. Pat Martino, a jazz guitarist revered for the fluid precision and blistering speed of his playing - both before and after he was forced to relearn the instrument following a mid-career brain aneurysm - died on Monday. Pat Martino posing with his guitar in 1994.

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