Guitar used on Joe Pass's Virtuoso albums?

[Tal_175]

I'm surprised that no one thought to get in touch with the engineer on the Virtuoso #1 session. His name is Dennis Sands and that was his first recording! Some quick research unearthed the serendipity behind the making of the album. Dennis was working as a mixer at MGM and his involvement with the Pass project only came about because the designated engineer arrived at the studio drunk. As it was evening and there was no one else in the building, Norman Granz asked Dennis to take over and the young man soon became principal sound engineer for Pablo. He later moved on from recording jazz to the more demanding (and no doubt more lucrative) world of film and is now one of the world's leading soundtrack engineers and mixers with movies such as Back To The Future, American Beauty, Forrest Gump, Spiderman and The Avengers to his credit.

I was as curious as everyone else on this thread to get the inside story and wrote to Dennis, receiving this reply today:

Hey Paul. The Joe Pass Virtuoso 1 album was the very first project of any kind I ever did as engineer. As I recall I recorded a direct feed plus a mic on his guitar and amp. Joe was quite specific about his sound and was pleased with what I did. The mix was live with no remix. Btw the story of the designated mixer showing up drunk was true. That’s how I ended up doing the session. This led to many others for Norman Granz and Pablo Records. Ella, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Milt Jackson, Basie, Joe Turner, many others. Incredibly lucky. BestD

So not yet the complete story but I sent a follow up message asking for further details (guitar/s used, how the track Here Comes That Rainy Day ended up with a markedly different sound etc.). Not expecting too much to be resolved as the recording took place almost 50 years ago but let's see what eventuates...

So the commonly told version of the story that the engineer messed up the recording and only recorded the mic by accident is not true then. Only the recording of "Here is that rainy day" had both mic and amp input according to the story.

When I listen to these two recordings from the same album, I have to say I still believe the story. There is no way the recording of "Round Midnight" has anything but just the mic feed. I prefer the second recording by a mile BTW.

vs

[Tal_175]

I also don't like the sound of the fast runs in the mic only recordings. They sound thin and don't come out clearly and evenly. The album was named Virtuoso so I get that it was also meant to showcase his technical mastery. But as least in the mic recordings speedy parts don't work for me.

[darkwaters]

Great album, but, yeah, shame about the plinky tone. One Joe Pass album that I just love the tone of is the posthumous Unforgettable where, I believe, he plays a nylon string acoustic.

[lawson-stone]

I guess I'm the only kid on my block who likes Joe's tone on Virtuoso #1. The first time I heard it, all I could think was "HOLY COW! He's playing that acoustically on an ES175!" I think it took real balls to do that. It makes me think Joe is sitting in my kitchen and he just picks up an ES175--not most peoples choice for a kitchen table or front porch guitar--and just starts playing this amazing stuff on it. I love that album.

[L50EF15]

I also love the mic’d tone on Virtuoso. Hank Garland did something similar on at least one track on Jazz Winds From A New Direction. At the moment, the title of the piece escapes me, reason enough to pull out my copy and start listening.

[coolvinny]

One Joe Pass album that I just love the tone of is the posthumous Unforgettable where, I believe, he plays a nylon string acoustic.

Great album which I've been listening to a lot for the past few months. Apparently he's playing a Borys B-520 nylon on that one (it's not an archtop).

As for Virtuoso #1, I also love the tone on that album. Years ago when I heard it was played unplugged on an ES175 I was shocked, but now that I have a lively laminate guitar (2.5" depth Trenier Jazz Electric) I'm far less surprised especially given the ES175 is quite a deep guitar.

[grahambop]

Hank Garland did something similar on at least one track on Jazz Winds From A New Direction. At the moment, the title of the piece escapes me, reason enough to pull out my copy and start listening.

Probably this one (Always):

[Tal_175]

Thank God he wasn't playing his jaguar.

[L50EF15]

Probably this one (Always):

Yup, that’s the one. Tragic that his career was cut short by that car accident.

[MarkieS]

Thank God he wasn't playing his jaguar.

Is there a recording known to be Joe playing his jaguar?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Is there a recording known to be Joe playing his jaguar?

He played a Jaguar on the 1962 album Sounds of Synanon on Pacific Jazz. He was a resident / patient at Synanon at the time, and this was an album recorded by a band whose members were all there. It was not a Joe Pass album, despite later descriptions once he became well known. But he was clearly the star of the album, and it’s essential listening. He sounds like Joe Pass regardless of what instrument he’s playing - and he was really on fire for this recording.

He did not have his own guitar when the album was recorded - the Jaguar was borrowed. His 175 was a later birthday gift from a benefactor named Mike Peak IIRC. He played a Fender Bass 6 guitar on another album, but I don’t remember which one or why.

[grahambop]

The ‘Catch Me’ record has some tracks using a low-register guitar, it’s probably that one. Joe also plays nylon string on a couple of tracks, so maybe he was just trying to get some different sounds.

[Joseph2]

Thank God he wasn't playing his jaguar.

Haha!
There's You Tube clips of a young JP playing the Jaguar- amplified of course- and it actually sounds good. As mentioned, that was a random guitar sitting at the rehab facility where Joe had either recently left, or perhaps was even still there.
On a more serious note, JP had the best quote I ever heard about drugs and music: "All heroin did was take away ten years of my life."

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I’ve posted the YT vids of the Synanon album before. But it’s worth a reminder because it contains some of the most wonderful jazz guitar ever recorded. To be fair, JP was not the only fine player on it. But he’s the only one I know of who made it big. Here’s one of my favorite tracks from it :

This was recorded with a borrowed Jaguar. This should have put an end to anyone’s ever blaming his or her guitar for not being jazz-y.

[SierraTango]

I worked with Dennis Sands at Group IV Recording several times in the late 80's. The studio had a live side, where Joe Pass recorded several albums with Angel Ballister, the studio owner as engineer. That room had a Trident console and Studer tape machines.
Also had a post production side, I worked with Dennis on two seasons of the Tracey Ullman show for Fox. He was the dialog mixer and I was the music and effects mixer. At that time the dialog tracks were still being cut on 35mm mag stripe and Dennis did a masterful job blending them all together.
I asked him if he remembered doing the Virtuoso recording and he couldn't recall any tech issues or losing tracks. He followed what producer asked of him.
I will always cherish the memory of seeing Joe come in with his 175 in a gig bag on his shoulder carrying his Polytone in one hand. No need for SIR services!