Pasquale Grasso

[mr. beaumont]

I think the tone is fine. But I think the playing is very "samey." Mid tempos, Grasso plays some 8ths, blows sixteenths (or more) Arco bass solo on every tune...Grasso plays a lot of notes, but there's not a lot of "bite" or energy to them. I dunno, I'll stick to enjoying the even worse sound quality (but much more interesting playing) on his youtube vidoes. I'd love to catch him live.

[David B]

[Ovader]

Wonderful playing of course from Grasso but his guitar sound is poorly recorded (as it has been on a number of recordings now).

This is the only CD I have of Grasso's playing and curious if anyone knows if his guitar sound is better on the three Chris Byars albums and the MERCI TOOTS recording?

[Philco]

Just listened on iTunes and........the album is in Mono.

Either on purpose.....to sound old school or an uploading mistake.

[David B]

[David B]

Just listened on iTunes and........the album is in Mono.

Either on purpose.....to sound old school or an uploading mistake.

You're right! Just listened again (truth be told, I had only listened to the album once then put it aside).

[David B]

This is the only CD I have of Grasso's playing and curious if anyone knows if his guitar sound is better on the three Chris Byars albums and the MERCI TOOTS recording?

His best recorded tone is actually in the demo videos he did for Trenier Guitars:

Playing through a nice Carr amp and some reverb helps. I believe most of his recorded tones are from the tiny Polytone amp he uses on gigs.

See 1:50:

On the 'Merci Toots' album, he's playing his black Trenier acoustically.

[Ovader]

[Ovader]

In reference to the Poor Butterfly video Joan Chamorro replied to a comment stating in July there will be a CD of the Grasso brothers and in September a CD of the violinist. I don't know if that means the Grasso brothers will appear on the violinist's CD as well though but the July CD is suppose to be ready for this year's Jazzing Festival. I don't know whether the CD recordings are from the same session from the video performance or if they are studio recordings from another session date.

Update: I asked Chamorro about the CDs and he replied:
The Grasso brothers appear in my next 4 cd's
1) arrangements by Luigi Grasso (agost 2017)
2) Joan Chamorro presents Elia Bastida (september 2017)
3) Jazzing 7 (only Luigi Grasso), from the sant andreu jazz band (september 2017)
4) Jazzing 8 (with Luigi and Pasquale), sant andreu jazz band (the next year 2018)

[Groyniad]

well - don't blame me - that was rather good

the wonder of it is that he can hear all that so clearly and so unhesitatingly

you can catch a lot of it as a (practiced) listener - but he is hearing all of it (and probably lots more around it that he doesn't quite play) all the time.

that must be a very good thing indeed

[destinytot]

And there's nothing sinister about a mission to mould and enfranchise young talent. (Oh... wait a minute... Yes, there is.)

Back to the music, I thought it rather good, too.

And I'll go to the concerts and take great pleasure from them ('practised listener' that I am).

Nevertheless, I'd love to hear Pasquale play Poor Butterfly with Ken Peplowski, who - like Pasquale - inhabits the standards 'like a boss' (in the parlance of our times). A seasoned player, KP has shared the following life lessons on his blog:

1. Never address a police officer as “sport”

2. White men (speaking as one myself) should never, ever (a) wear baseball hats backwards (and, incidentally, unless you’re in a softball team, have skin cancer, or are under six years old, it’s probably a bad idea to wear them forwards, too) (b) do the “fist-bump” (or any other kind of “soul” greeting) and (c) dance to any kind of music (especially at weddings)

3. If you hang out, on purpose, at a “Chuck-E-Cheese” restaurant by yourself and you’re over 18, you will eventually be arrested.

4. You should never take your shirt off at the opera.

5. A hospital emergency room is probably not the best place to break out that jar of marinated herring you’ve been longing to try.

6. While most dogs like to be petted, they do not like to be shaved (the same rule applies to my friend Chuck Redd)

7. The term “drive-through window” should not be taken literally.

8. Despite the many times you try to casually work it into your conversations, the word “Nipples” will never be accepted as an appropriate nickname by your wife.

9. When one wants to express one’s overall delight to the guy in the next seat while exiting a funny movie or play, the proper expression is NOT: “I laughed so hard, I think I just shat in your pants!”

10. Important business meetings should not be interrupted by a “spontaneous” performance of “KP’s Puppet Theatre”.

[destinytot]

well - don't blame me - that was rather good

You're talking about the video in post no. 99! :

[destinytot]

Check out the playing of Agostino Di Giorgio (with whom Pasquale studied) in this great clip - especially 4m25 to 7m05:

[David B]

I was just tipped off that Pasquale Grasso is on Zaid Nasser's new album 'The Stroller', released last Friday.

[David B]

The same friend has also just hipped me to 'Wail' by the Fat Bros Quintet. I had no idea this existed. It's on iTunes if you search for "Fat Bros"

[docbop]

To those that might not know it but Pasquale runs the jam at Mezzrow on Monday nights almost every week. So can get a dose of Grasso for free either at Mezzrow or on the Smalls Live Stream.

[NSJ]

With the new recordings, I just hope people have figured out how to record his guitar so it doesn't sound like a shitty bootleg.

[David B]

At a jam session last month.

[QAman]

His Trenier sounds like a piano.

[David B]

Bassist Jamale Davis has his second album coming out this October. The first video from the recording session just dropped on Facebook.

[Aretium]

Can I just say, that for a while I thought the guitar wasn't the instrument i wanted to play. It doesn't have the harmonic capabilities of a piano nor the articulation of a horn.

Grasso has completely changed my opinion.

[David B]

[David B]

[Ovader]

Saw a Facebook post by Matt Pierson stating he was recording Grasso in a solo guitar setting with his Trenier and Fender combo amp at Sear Sound. Hopefully this will be a great sound recording compared to previous attempts. I saw a video camera present as well so perhaps this is an instructional session instead of a new solo album. Lots of Bud was mentioned

Edit: The video camera was documenting the sessions as new recordings will be released later this year.

[Ovader]

I missed a March 1st FB post by Matt Pierson stating with a selfie with Grasso that this is day three of recording solo Pasquale. Lotsa Monk today.