Craft Recordings releases a re-mastered vinyl of a legendary jazz guitarist.
Joe Pass: Virtuoso – Pablo Records (1973)/Craft Recordings Original Jazz Classics Series (2025) CR00849 180-gram stereo vinyl, 51:51 *****:
Traditionally, jazz guitarists have not garnered the same prestige as other instrumentalists. Occasionally, a unique talent will emerge to change jazz lore. Such is the case with Joe Pass. He played with George Shearing and recorded with Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Milt Jackson, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Zoot Sims to name a few. But it was his catalog as a solo performer that defined his legacy, beginning in 1973 with the Virtuoso album. His distinctive ability to play melody, bass lines and harmony simultaneously at ferocious tempos was unique. He employed finger picking, hybrid picking and flat picking to generate improvisational runs (with an emphasis on chords and single notation) in bebop and hard bop modes. Pass considered Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery as chief influences. His no-holds-barred style of musicianship is often compared to Art Tatum and Charlie Parker.
Craft Recordings (as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series) has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Virtuoso. These 12 tracks (11 standards and one original) exemplify the technical dexterity, improvisation and complexity of this artist that propelled him to the upper echelon of the jazz scene. Side One opens with the Cole Porter classic, “Night And Day”. Pass eschews the opening bars and delivers a colorful first verse with brisk chording. On the chorus, he increasers tempo and intermingles the chords with notation that sounds like more than a solo performer. His timing and phrasing are exquisite, and the three-and-a-half minutes move seamlessly. Another renowned song, “Stella By Starlight” conveys mood and has spirited runs (including fretboard) with excellent bass string work, and the right touch of buoyancy. This is acoustic jazz guitar at its finest. In a change of pace, “Here’s That Rainy Day” exudes a dreamy melancholy that Pass manages to inject nimble melody runs and bass in perfect complement. He weaves improvisational shading without losing the essence of the melody. On “My Old Flame’, he integrates complicated and percolating chords with jazzy inflection including the ending. In a similar but decidedly more up tempo arrangement, “How High The Moon” swings with alacrity and sustained momentum. Taking on a Ray Noble song strongly associated with Bird (“Cherokee”), Pass captures the unbridled energy of bebop with dazzling notation, and sudden chord changes. It is breathlessly quintessential.
Side B continues the brilliance in interpreting popular music. “Sweet Lorraine” is whimsical with groove chords, bass lines and rhythmic notation. Pass reinvents well known compositions like Richard Rodgers’ “Have You Met Miss Jones” which showcases diverse styles and motifs. His cover of “Round Midnight” is exhilarating, distilling late night jazzy resonance and fluid picking. There are both forceful intonation and delicate nuances that envelop the song’s construction. “All The Things You Are” (one of two Jerome Kern tunes) glides along at a vigorous pace, with deliberate moments of quiet elegance. It simply magnetic. The lone original composition “Blues For Alican” has a seductive loping cadence and a ‘down ’n’ dirty” vibe. The finale (“The Song Is You”) is among the finest work by Pass. He incorporates melodic exploration, rhythmic timing and instrumental expertise to provide a fresh sound to an old popular song.
More than fifty years after its release, Virtuoso maintains its gravitas. Pass was a transformative jazz figure whose dedication to technique and musical vision is part of his iconic status. The re-mastered sound (Kevin Gray/Cohearant Audio) is pristine with superior tonal clarity. The vinyl pressing (RTI) is very good, and the album is also available as a 24-bit digital download. This would be a great addition to any jazz library.
Highest recommendation!
—Robbie Gerson
Joe Pass: Virtuoso
TrackList:
Side One: Night And Day; Stella By Starlight; Here’s That Rainy Day; My Old Flame; How High The Moon; Cherokee
Side Two: Sweet Lorraine; Have You Met Miss Jones: ‘Round Midnight; All The Things You Are; Blues For Alican; The Song Is You.
