by Dr. Matt Warnock
Pat Martino - Photo credit: Michael G. Stewart
Pat Martino Unstrung documents the physical and psychological struggles faced by the legendary jazz guitarist before and after undergoing brain surgery in 1980 that resulted in the removal of more than half of his left temporal lobe. The film focuses mainly on the neurological aspects of Martino’s condition, both before and after surgery, with added snippets of music and concert footage spread throughout the documentary. People who are looking for a new Martino concert DVD or instructional video will not find that information on Unstrung, but what they will find is the intriguing story of the struggles and successes of one of jazz’s greatest pickers. Pat Martino Unstrung is a film about dedication to overcome personal tragedy and the enduring nature of the human spirit. While the documentary never fully concludes how Martino was able to recover after the surgery and return to the top of the jazz guitar world, it allows the viewers an inside look at Martino the person as well as the musician.
The bulk of the film deals with the neurological aspects of Martino’s ailment in both a musical and non-musical fashion. There are discussions with Martino where he talks about his early ability to hear anything once and instantly memorize it followed by clips of him undergoing neurological tests to determine his current ability to store information in both short and long term memory. One of the most interesting sections of the film deals with Martino’s experience with shock therapy as a result of his brain tumor being misdiagnosed.
The stories that are told of this time in his life provide a glimpse into the hardships that Martino faced because of his illness, which culminated in the breakup of his first marriage. His first wife is featured during this section of the film as she recalls moments where she would find Martino reading a newspaper though it was upside down and her decision to submit him for shock therapy in an attempt to fix what was diagnosed at the time as manic depression. Fans of Martino’s music will find it interesting to hear her discuss the changes she felt in his music during the time leading up to his surgery. She describes his music as taking a “religious” turn, away from the style that Martino grew up playing. Though this is only her personal opinion, it is an interesting insight into the musical development of a man struggling with a crippling illness.
The film then delves into the surgery and the after effects it had on his memory. After being successfully diagnosed in 1980, Martino was told that he had two hours to live if they did not immediately operate to remove the tumor in his left temporal lobe. Though the surgery was successful, Martino suffered total amnesia as a result and didn’t even remember his parents or his own music after returning home from the hospital. Some of the descriptions in this part of the film are the most compelling for musicians and non-musicians alike.
Listening to Martino and his close friends discuss his long road back to playing, how he relearned to play the guitar, and how he has progressed on the instrument since his recovery help to provide an inside look at what must have been the artist’s most difficult period in his musical life.
While most of the film deals with the effects, both pre and post surgery, of Martino’s illness there is also a small amount of performance footage that will interest fans of jazz and jazz guitar. Of note is the rehearsal footage of Martino preparing for a week-long stint at New York’s Birdland jazz club, as well as a few minutes of concert footage from those gigs. The film concludes with an acoustic blues jam between Martino and his wife that provides an appropriate coda to the documentary. It shows Pat doing what he loves to do, play guitar, which is something that he obviously feels lucky to do after all that he went through in dealing with his illness and recovery.
Aside from the musical footage included in the film, there are short anecdotes and quotes from some of Martino’s famous fans and friends. Musicians such as Carlos Santana, bassist John Patitucci, Les Paul and Pete Townsend are featured discussing their thoughts on Martino’s music and when appropriate their personal relationship with the guitarist.
One of the most poignant anecdotes comes from actor Joe Pesci, who has been a long time friend of Martino’s. In one scene Martino, sitting beside Pesci, describes their first meeting after his surgery. Though Martino remembered Pesci from his movies he had no recollection of their friendship, something that has returned in subsequent years. This leads the filmmaker to discus why this occurred, what it says about how memories are stored and what it means for further study of similar illnesses.
Overall, Pat Martino Unstrung is a well filmed and presented documentary that showcases one of the genre’s finest musicians and one of the art worlds most interesting life stories. Though Martino is mostly known within the realm of jazz and jazz guitar, people from all walks of life can find interest in the personal and scientific aspects of the film. Martino’s story is one that sounds almost too amazing to be true, and one that has finally been brought forth in a feature film for people to discover.
*****
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