Recommend Joe Pass albums (non-solo)

**JoshGuitar** · 02-03-2012, 01:33 PM

'Intercontinental' and 'For Django' are my favourites. Intercontinental still pops up on vinyl occasionally and unless Amazon is deceiving me, available for pre-order on CD. I always find Joe's solo playing far too frantic and lacks a mellow understated quality that I find in his trio playing.

There's a very nice album -'After Hours' with Joe Pass, Andre Previn and Ray Brown that is worth checking out.

That said I'd give any part of my body to play like Joe.

**Synchro** · 02-05-2012, 01:34 AM

I spent a long time doing my version of the Joe Pass solo thing and I used to listen to him all the time. My favorite of the solo recordings was Virtuoso #2. The Ella Fitzgerald recordings probably showed off his solo abilities to best advantage.

That having been said, after well over a decade of playing and listening to that style I went cold on it both as a playing style and as something to listen to. While I still greatly admire his playing and the tremendous chops he had for solo guitar I guess that I'm maxed on solo guitar because I can't so much as listen to it without getting bored.

Now, that having been said, there's a lot more to JP than solo guitar. The Red Mitchell album is great if you exclude Red's vocal on Darn That Dream.

**euterpe** · 10-07-2012, 03:04 PM

When I first started listening to Pass/Virtuoso I simply couldn't digest it, I always appreciated what he was doing and wanted to be into it but I just wasn't.

After watching his hot licks/rhythm changes instructional countless times I really got into his playing on those instructional tapes. I watched/listened to that tape like it was a cd for years.

I also find it really helps if you actually know the melody of the song he is playing, it can make all of the extra stuff he's up to much more enjoyable.

Hope that helps!

**RyanM** · 10-07-2012, 04:00 PM

I don't care much for his solo stuff but I like his bebop playing.

**limjaz** · 10-13-2012, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I like Joe at his least technical.

The duets with ella, The record he made with JJ Johnson (name of which escapes me) another record who's name escapes me with Andre Previn and Ray Brown, his ellington tribute, George, Ira and Joe...that's the stuff I can listen to...

I can only handle so much solo guitar from Joe...there's a LOT going on there!

The one with Andre Previn and Ray Brown is called After Hours. One of my all time favorite records.

I think Joe Pass is most noted for his solo guitar works but personally, I think he is at his best in a band setting. I specially love the music he made with Oscar Peterson and NHOP

**monkmiles** · 10-13-2012, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by limjaz

I think Joe Pass is most noted for his solo guitar works but personally, I think he is at his best in a band setting. I specially love the music he made with Oscar Peterson and NHOP

Wow, you and I are in total agreement! I much prefer Joe's band setting work and love his stuff with Peterson and NHOP. They have a not so well known album under Oscar's name called Night Child that is great (with Oscar on electric piano). The Joe Pass Trio album, Eximious, with NHOP is one of my favorites. Another with Oscar and Ray Brown called The Giants is a favorite too.

**jazzadellic** · 10-13-2012, 06:13 PM

I've only really listened to the virtuoso recordings, so it's good to see some other suggested JP listening. I always thought JP was one of the most talented jazz guitar players, especially in the solo jazz guitar realm. Let's face it, many great jazz guitar players cannot play solo jazz guitar on a level anywhere near JP. Pat Martino was quoted as saying to a solo guitar player "You play guitar, I play horn." I can't remember the name of the guy he said that to, but I thought it was a cool quote. To me, playing solo guitar is the most difficult to play, when you consider that you have to create the bass, harmony, melody, and rhythm section all by yourself. You also have to keep everything in perfect balance and play with good taste. That's hard enough to do when you have a pre-arranged piece, and much more difficult to do when you are improvising it (I do both memorized arrangements and improvised). And even though you can do this on guitar, guitar is far from the optimal instrument to do this on, as you have to contort and stretch your left hand into all kinds of strange positions and it takes essentially 1 left hand finger and 1 right hand finger to sound one note, it makes me wish I had taken up piano sometimes! ;o)

Some of JP's solo guitar playing is amazing, and some of it is flawed. Consider also that as has been mentioned, he tended to improvise most of what he was playing, and (i think) he didn't use much of the studio editing techniques used today to cover up mistakes like overdubbing and punch in recording. If you listen to his solo recordings they are often very raw, and there is rarely a good spot where a punch in could be done since everything flows (or speeds) into the next thing ;o) I saw a little interview with some people who knew and recorded with, and recorded JP, and they said he got nearly every recording in 1 take, and that is unheard of by todays standards where everything is spliced together from multiple takes and auto-tuned and overdubbed. Go watch a live concert and you will never hear a solo guitarist that sounds nearly as good as they did on the studio recording, and yet JP did sound exactly live as he did on the studio takes (as evidenced by the many live video recordings).

Anyways, great suggestions, Kerim I particularly liked the lil Darlin recording, I never heard that and it is definitely one of the best of his I have ever heard, and now I plan to learn it ;o). My personal favorite Joe Pass solo guitar recording of all time:

**daveg** · 10-14-2012, 11:10 AM

"For Django" - "Sounds of Synanon" - "Tudo Bem" - "Seven Come Eleven" (w/ Herb.

DG

**djlogia** · 10-20-2012, 09:28 PM

My favorite is "For Django" -- perfection.

**Tobi** · 12-27-2012, 03:50 PM

Can somebody recommend me some good Joe Pass albums that aren't solo guitar? I like Joy Spring (which seems to be among his most famous), but I would like to go deeper. Perhaps something that is equally good for listening as it is stealing ideas.

**dijos** · 12-27-2012, 04:38 PM

Does chops count? I have another duo with a different bassist, too. It's got doxy and dome other well known standards, I can't recall the title, I don't dig two for the road too much.

**Toddep** · 12-27-2012, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by Tobi

Can somebody recommend me some good Joe Pass albums that aren't solo guitar? I like Joy Spring (which seems to be among his most famous), but I would like to go deeper. Perhaps something that is equally good for listening as it is stealing ideas.

Intercontinental , Live at Donte's, Resonance, Eximous...all trio
And a great box set with the For Django and Joy Spring album included is The Complete Pacific Jazz Joe Pass Recordings on Mosaic Records (5 cd set limited edition)

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 12-27-2012, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by dijos

Does chops count? I have another duo with a different bassist, too. It's got doxy and dome other well known standards, I can't recall the title, I don't dig two for the road too much.

Too many notes.

I like most anything with Joe and Ella.

**gcb** · 12-28-2012, 08:19 PM

Portraits of Duke Ellington (1974)
One for my Baby (1988)

**SearchForMeaning** · 12-28-2012, 08:46 PM

He did a few with Oscar Peterson, Live at La Salle Playel is one I like, and he did some trios with Nils Orsted Henning Peterson on bass with Oscar. Of these, I like The Trio.
By the way, if you listen to that group, or you find you like Oscar Peterson, you HAVE to check out the trio he had with Herb Ellis. Some of the best bop playing ever in my ears. Live at the Stratford Shakesperian Festival is amazing. At The Concertgebouw is also pretty great. For many years Joe and Herb comfortably shared the bebop guitar niche playing with each other and interchangibly as sidemen for many of the same leaders. Worth investigating.

**pierre richard** · 12-28-2012, 09:39 PM

I have "The Giants"..

Joe...Ray Brown...Oscar Peterson...

blew me away when I first heard it...still does...

time on the instrument...

**beastraeatsall** · 01-16-2013, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by jbyork

"For Django," with John Pisano on rhythm guitar, is my favorite.

Seconded. This is an awesome album with a nice variety of songs and great playing. Accessible for idea-stealing too as the blowing is all relatively short, at most a couple choruses or so.

**college harry** · 01-21-2013, 08:03 AM

You may find the album he did with the Gerald Wilson big band worth seeking out.And of course "The sounds of Synanon".

**HighSpeedSpoon** · 01-21-2013, 08:33 AM

Fitzgerald and Pass Again. Also Live at Yoshi's

**yaclaus** · 01-21-2013, 09:05 AM

Check out the stuff he does with bassist NHOP. Maybe a little bit too choppy, but great stuff!

Here they take a mid time tempo for once sake:

**MarkRhodes** · 01-21-2013, 10:58 AM

He made a record called "After Hours" with Andre Previn (piano) and Ray Brown (bass). Actually, I think the title is "After Hours with Andre Previn." Great tunes, medium tempos, excellent interplay. Joe does some stellar comping as well as soloing. Love this record.

**AndyV** · 01-21-2013, 02:23 PM

The Previn album is really good.

Carter Gillespie, Inc. is a terrific album too

Amazon.com: Carter Gillespie Inc: Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie: Music

**uburoibob** · 01-24-2013, 02:23 PM

Apassionato is a great record.

Bob

**Little Jay** · 01-24-2013, 05:05 PM

This week my 'car-cd' is Joe Pass's "Tudo Bem", that he recorded with Paulinho Da Costa.
(listen to samples here: Tudo Bem! - Joe Pass, Paulinho Da Costa : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic)

Actually, it's very un-typical for Joe Pass, but I like it a lot! It contains very smooth Brasilian Bossa Nova-jazz, a bit commercial even, but it's very relaxing to listen to and I love Joe's tone on this album! (As if he plays an ES-335?)