Truly legendary, the career of Pat Martino has taken him from the 1950s rock -n- roll scene of his native Philadelphia to immersion in the “chitlin’ circuit” with the organ groups of Jack McDuff and Don Patterson to his first Prestige album as leader, recorded when the guitarist was twenty. In 1980, Martino suffered a nearly fatal brain aneurysm; the resulting amnesia forced him to relearn nearly everything he knew about music and guitar. Martino’s 1987 album The Return put the jazz world on notice that the guitarist was not only back but also playing better than ever. A two–time GRAMMY Award nominee and Down Beat magazine’s 2004 Guitar Player of the Year, he also serves on the adjunct faculty of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. The music of Pat Martino, wrote John Fordham in The Guardian, is “jazz played with conviction and craftsmanship,” a consummate blend of “lyricism, feeling and awesome dexterity.” (Review of 2011 HighNote CD Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley by Pat Martino)