Description

In my view Joe Pass was the greatest jazz guitarist bar none and this album was his best. Although the album was a tribute from Joe to another jazz guitarist, the legendary Django Reinhardt, this is no attempt to merely copy Reinhardt. For one thing, Reinhardt was known as an acoustic jazzer whereas this recording is of Pass playing an archtop electric. Additionally, Joe's melodic and harmonic sense here is very different from that of the player to whom he dedicated the album; dare I say it, Pass even exceeds Reinhardt in musicality.Unlike some of his other recordings where Pass playsmore… totally solo this album features some fine accompaniment from double bass player Jimmy Hughart and drummer Colin Bailey (also John Pisano on guitar). Some jazz players (Martin Taylor for example; check out "Portraits", some of which is duet, but some solo) are particularly skilled at the solo approach but whilst Joe could certainly do this I don't think it was ever his strongest point. On this album, freed from the constraints of having to be his own rhythm section, Pass excels in weaving intricate solo lines around the changes. Some of it is textbook stuff on "how to play jazz", employing some of the usual devices; for example, over a dominant seventh chord using the ascending melodic minor with root a semi-tone above, or sometimes the diminished scale semi-tone above. Lesser players can often sound like they're just going through the motions with such tactics, but not Joe.Some jazz fans regard Joe's approach of soloing around triads and altered extensions as rather dated but I love it! Compare this originally 1964 release with, say, the 1991 "Virtuoso live!" recording and it becomes clear that Joe never really tried to break any new ground (unlike, say, Miles Davis whose work spans an enormous range of styles through his career). However, whilst its true that Joe really had just the one approach to guitar he was undeniably a master at what he did. Superb stuff.

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

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Cover Info:

Title:

Joe Pass - For Django (1999) Retail CD

Part:

CD

Dimensions:

1402 x 1386 px

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494 KB

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Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

06/07/08 by osayhan

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