For his Iridium gig, Pat chose the classic organ trio format with Tony Monaco on Hammond B3 and Jason Brown on drums.  They opened up the first set with the classic Martino original "The Lean Years" a nice medium up tempo minor swing tune.  Pat plays his signature eighth-note lines with ease, punctuating them with rhythmic stabs on low E string and staccato chords that compel the rhythm section to a higher level of group playing.  His judicious use of sixths and octaves add variation and excitement.  Pat's comping is strong, but not obtrusive as Tony weaves a solo of fluid bebop style lines. The band is tight and smokin' (and they're just getting warmed up)!

Pat now travels with his Gibson signature model guitar, a Clarus head, and uses speakers provided by the venue (for this gig he had a Mesa Boogie 4-10" bottom).  His sound is dark, but clear and this setup is turning out to be a vast improvement over the typical rental amps he's used in the past.  His sound delivers more punch and you can really hear every note in his lines.

Their next tune was one I seem to be hearing a lot lately, Calvin Massey's "These are Soulful Days" (it's also a favorite of guitarist Peter Leitch who plays Sundays at Walker's).  Pat handles most of the head beautifully in octaves while the band pulses an easy swinging medium tempo behind him.  Tony and Jason know just when to punch a phrase and when to lay back.  This is the kind of bluesy minor key tune that Pat excels at.  He has lost none of the classic Martino chops, weaving intricate lines that rise and fall like a wave of sound.  His solo contained some double-time lines that sound somewhat more adventurous than those of his early days.  He also knows just when to use a repetitive lick to bring his solo to a climax effectively.  Tony's solo was somewhat grittier and a great compliment to Pat's sound.

The funky MacTough is a Dm tune with a swing bridge going to a medium uptempo swing for the solos.  This was another great solo from Pat in which he tosses his off his by now familiar "Flight of the Bumble-Bee" quote.  After Tony's solo there are some nice exchanges with Jason and then a drum solo.  Pat comes back with the funky melody played against the backdrop of the drums with Tony very effectively holding out a single note!

Pat's sound is dark and warm on his Wes Montgomery inspired version of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight".  Again he chooses to play most of the melody in octaves.  He clearly owns the tune and his solo displays a rich harmonic awareness delivered with flawless technique and a crystal clear tone.   Tony and Jason comp sensitively and punctuate in just the right places and then the group adds a tag ending to setup the organ solo.  Tony plays a soulful chorus while Pat's comps using his thumb instead of the pick, recalling Wes' sound. Pat re-enters with the bridge, embellishing the melody with flurries of notes and some of his classic outside the key phrases, and ends with a figure that recalls Mile's Davis famous version of the tune.

At this point, Pat tells some stories about his dues paying days playing 7 nights a week with Willis Jackson at Small's Paradise.  One night Pat called Les Paul to tell him that Wes Montgomery was playing up the street at Basie's with Melvin Rhyne and Jimmy Cobb.  They went and hung out all night and he had a memorable breakfast with Les Paul, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and George Benson!

Back to the Wes' book, the trio played "Twisted Blues" at a burning tempo and again Pat's Wes influence shows.  Tony and Jason are a powerful grooving machine that Pat's phrases just glide over.  Tony Monaco was on fire for this solo and ended with some strong rhythmic phrases to setup exchanges with the drums. 

They followed up this burner with "On the Midnight Special," a nice hard swinging medium tempo blues in G.  Tony takes the first solo recalling "Night Train" and then modulates to a more complex set of changes for Pat's solo.  Pat gets back to his Harlem musical roots playing over the alternate blues changes with ease and then launches into a blues riff reminiscent of "Killer Joe" with Tony.   

The band finishes out the set with Pat's "Noshufuru," named for a friend who passed away. An uptempo minor tune in Am with a cycle in the bridge that repeats. 

It's enjoyable to hear Pat revisiting the songs from his earlier recordings and his playing is blossoming into something much greater than the sum of its parts.  He has always been a great guitarist, but what is really amazing is how he keeps getting better (I mean, how does one get better than great?).  There was a noticeable difference between this night and his fantastic set at Birdland earlier this year (and at that time, I believed that was the best I'd ever heard him!) As mentioned, I've seen Pat many times over the years but this particular performance at the Iridium far exceeded my already high expectations. 

On the several occasions I've gotten to meet and talk with Pat, he's always been very down to earth, a perfect gentleman, and downright humble.  Yet you always come away with the feeling that you've been in the presence of someone who sees the world a bit differently.  Last year I had the very good fortune to be invited to join a friend for a lesson with Pat.  For several hours at Pat's house in South Philly, we talked about everything from his musical beginnings, compositional techniques, and the nature of the guitar, to eastern philosophies and sacred geometry.  Pat is fascinated by numbers and the way that the same ones keep cropping up in our culture, religions, and music.  He doesn't believe in coincidences.   

Recently, I got into a heated email debate with a person who seemed to believe that Pat has never fully recovered from the aneurysm.  During my visit to Pat's house, one of the topics he spoke of was "recovery" versus "refinement."  "Recovery" implies the return to a previous state, whereas "refinement" implies moving forward from a present state.  Anybody who thinks Pat has "lost" something owes it to themselves to go and see what he has "found."  Now, at age 65, Pat is clearly a master at the top of his game.