Joe Pass

Joe Pass did the near-impossible. He was able to play up-tempo versions of bop tunes such as "Cherokee" and "How High the Moon" unaccompanied on the guitar. Unlike Stanley Jordan, Pass used conventional (but superb) technique, and his Virtuoso series on Pablo still sounds remarkable decades later.
Tony Rizzi was a prolific Hollywood guitarist who started recording in the mid-1940s with bands led by Boyd Raeburn, Les Brown and Harry James. By the early '50s, Rizzi also was on many small-group sessions that included the Dave Pell Octet and Paul Smith Quartet. Rizzi had a confident, swinging technique and superb taste, as evidenced on his small number of leadership albums. There were just four in all - two are superb while the latter two are sticky pop efforts and largely forgettable.

The very first release by the Concord label was a quartet set featuring guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jake Hanna. Ellis and Pass (the latter was just beginning to be discovered) always made for a perfectly complementary team, constantly challenging each other. The boppish music (which mixes together standards with "originals" based on the blues and a standard) is quite enjoyable with the more memorable tunes including "Look for the Silver Lining," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Georgia," "Good News Blues," and "Bad News Blues." This was a strong start for what would become the definitive mainstream jazz label.

Joe Pass became famous with his unaccompanied guitar showcase on Virtuoso, the beginning of a very notable series. However, this 1983 double LP actually preceded the first Virtuoso by a month and differed in that Pass exclusively chose to play acoustic guitar, rather than electric. The relatively little-known set finds the guitarist sounding very much like a self-sufficient orchestra, and although his tone is necessarily softer on acoustic than electric, he swings hard on the uptempo pieces. Among the many highlights are "Indian Summer," "My Shining Hour," "I'll Remember April," and "Limehouse Blues."

For this set of unaccompanied solos, guitarist Joe Pass decided to pay tribute to Charlie Parker, not by recording his compositions but by playing ten of the numbers that Bird had recorded with strings during 1949-1950. One really does not miss the strings, for Pass had earlier in the decade developed his technique to the point where he sounded like a self-sufficient orchestra. Among the songs he plays are "Just Friends" (the most successful of the Charlie Parker with Strings recordings), "April in Paris," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," "If I Should Lose You," and two versions of "Out of Nowhere." Tasteful and swinging music by one classic musician in homage to another.

This recording was the third and final matchup between guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass and, unlike the first two (which were both made for Concord), this is a duo date rather than a quartet session. Pass was just beginning to gain recognition for his remarkable unaccompanied solos, but Ellis had not recorded in such a sparse setting before. They complement each other quite well on such tunes as "Love for Sale," "Seven Come Eleven," "Oh, Lady Be Good," "I've Found a New Baby," and two versions of "Cherokee."

After countless solo guitar albums for Pablo, Joe Pass performed this welcome change of pace, a set of Brazilian tunes. Joined by fellow guitarist Oscar Castro Neves, bassist Octavio Bailly, drummer Claudio Slon, percussionist Paulinho da Costa and keyboardist Don Grusin, Pass plays warm solos on a variety of Brazilian tunes. Highlights include three songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim (including "Corcovado" and "Wave"), Deodato's "Tears," and Luiz Bonfa's "The Gentle Rain." A melodic and infectious date that has been reissued on CD.

Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Jake Hanna - Jazz / Concord (1972) {2014 Japan Concord Jazz Selection Series UCCO-90301}
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© 1972, 2014 Concord / Universal Japan | UCCO-90301
Jazz / Bop / Guitar

The very first release by the Concord label was a quartet set featuring guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jake Hanna. Ellis and Pass (the latter was just beginning to be discovered) always made for a perfectly complementary team, constantly challenging each other. The boppish music (which mixes together standards with "originals" based on the blues and a standard) is quite enjoyable with the more memorable tunes including "Look for the Silver Lining," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Georgia," "Good News Blues," and "Bad News Blues." This was a strong start for what would become the definitive mainstream jazz label.

Joe Pass - Joy Spring (1964) {Pacific Jazz CDP35222 rel 1995}
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© 1964, 1995 Pacific Jazz / Capitol Records | 7243 8 35222 2 4
Jazz / Bop / Bebop / Guitar

Joe Pass was near the beginning of his career (after a decade of fighting drug addiction) when he recorded this live quartet session. The great guitarist was in his early prime, nine years before he started recording for Pablo. Pass is immediately recognizable on the straight-ahead bebop date and is supported by a fine rhythm section that includes pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Jim Hughart, and drummer Colin Bailey. The group stretches out on five standards (the renditions are six-and-a-half and two-and-a-half minutes apiece) but never runs out of inventive ideas. Easily recommended.