Furthering my excursions into obscure 1970s jazz records, Pat Martino's Starbright is more proof that jazz wasn't completely dead in the 70s. I tried to listen to this as background music while getting ready for work this morning, but by the end of the record, I was still unsure if I liked it or not. Fortunately, I decided that I probably just hadn't been listening closely enough, and indeed the second listen proved that to be the case.
This is a jazz-fusion record featuring Martino on guitar and keyboards, but is largely a solo jazz guitar affair. The reason it didn't work for me as background music is because Martino's playing is largely slow and subtle and often stays well away from the rock guitar style to which I am accustomed. But when listening more closely, I found that his quiet pieces conjured up a nice atmosphere and the funky pieces which did catch my ear on first listen had more going on than I realized. Best of all, Martino has a diverse approach, being comfortable in classical guitar pieces as well as funk-jazz fusion. So in the end, this record is another keeper in my collection, but definitely an odd one for me to get used to.
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