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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPASS, Joe(b Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, 13 January 1929, New Brunswick NJ; d 23 May 1994) Guitarist. Worked with Tony Pastor while still in school, served a year in the Marine Corps, entered Synonon Foundation in Santa Monica CA for drug problem '61, played on Sounds Of Synanon LP on Pacific Jazz '62, won down beat New Star award '63, soon the most influential guitar player since Wes Montgomery for lovely technique and sound, able to swing like a whole group as a solo artist. Six LPs on Pacific Jazz/World Pacific '63-7 included quartets Catch Me and For Django; two others were made with larger groups arranged and conducted by Bob Florence; also Intercontinental '70 on MPS/Pausa; The Living Legends '69 and Guitar Interludes '77 on Discovery; he also played with Les McCann, Gerald Wilson, Julie London, others; toured with George Shearing mid-'60s, Benny Goodman '73. On Norman Granz's Pablo label from '73 he became world-famous as a sideman on countless albums with Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Stephane Grappelli and others, as well as nearly as many albums of his own, including solos Virtuoso '73, Virtuoso No. 2 '76, Virtuoso 3 '77, Live At Montreux '77, I Remember Charlie Parker '79, Live At Long Beach City College '84, University Of Akron Concert '86; duets with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on Chops '78, Northsea Nights '79, Digital III At Montreux '79; Eximious '82 added Ronnie Scott's drummer Martin Drew; duet with Jimmy Rowles Checkmate '81, with J. J. Johnson We'll Be Together Again c.'84; Oscar Peterson et Joe Pass … Salle Pleyel '75 included solos, duets; other trios/small group sets: Portraits Of Duke Ellington '74 with Ray Brown, Bobby Durham on drums; Quadrant '77 and Quadrant Plays Duke Ellington: All Too Soon '80 with Brown, Milt Jackson, Mickey Roker on drums (b 3 September 1932, Miami FL; d 22 May 2017); also Tudo Bem! and At Akron U. '78, Ira, George And Joe/Joe Pass Loves Gershwin '81; also quintet One For My Baby '88 (with Plas Johnson), quartets Summer Nights and Appassionato '89-90, Songs For Ellen '92. He played on the first two LPs on the Concord Jazz label, Jazz/Concord and Seven Come Eleven, the quartet including Brown, Herb Ellis and drummer Jake Hanna. Finally with bassist Red Mitchell was on Verve, quintet My Song '93 on Telarc. Duets '91 on Pablo with guitarist John Pisano was an almost magically empathetic exercise in two fine musicians listening to each other; his last album must have been another lovely duet with country star Roy Clark, Plays Hank Williams on Buster Ann Music, recorded January 1994. |