View source for Joe Pass

{{Short description|American jazz guitarist (1929–1994)}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name              = Joe Pass
| background        = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| image             = Joe Pass (jazz) (cropped).jpg
| image_size        = 300
| landscape         = no
| caption           = Pass in 1975
| birth_name        = Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalacqua
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1929|1|13|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]], U.S.
| origin            = [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1994|5|23|1929|1|13|mf=y}}
| death_place       = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| genre             = [[Jazz]]
| occupation        = [[Guitarist]], [[composer]]
| instrument        = [[Guitar]]
| years_active      = 1943–1994
| label             = [[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]], [[Concord Records|Concord]], [[Pablo Records|Pablo]]
}}

'''Joe Pass''' (born '''Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalacqua'''; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American [[jazz]] guitarist.<ref name="Holder2006">{{cite book|last=Holder|first=Mitch|title=The Jazz Guitar Stylings of Howard Roberts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9GRIUU83C8C&pg=PA2|access-date=22 November 2011|date=16 January 2006|publisher=Mel Bay Publications|isbn=978-0-7866-7409-1|page=2}}</ref><ref name="LLC1979">{{cite journal|author=New York Media, LLC|title=New York Magazine|journal=Newyorkmetro.com.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=--ACAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|access-date=23 November 2011|date=17 September 1979|publisher=New York Media, LLC|page=62|issn=0028-7369}}</ref> Pass recorded and performed live with pianist [[Oscar Peterson]], composer [[Duke Ellington]], and vocalist [[Ella Fitzgerald]], and he is generally esteemed as one of the most notable jazz guitarists of the 20th century for his solo guitar playing, found on recordings such as [[Virtuoso (Joe Pass album)|''Virtuoso'']].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 }}</ref>

== Early life ==
Pass was born in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/24/obituaries/joe-pass-65-a-jazz-guitarist-who-performed-with-the-stars.html |title=Joe Pass, 65, a Jazz Guitarist Who Performed With the Stars|website=[[The New York Times]] |date=1994-05-24 |access-date=2011-09-16}}</ref> on January 13, 1929. His father, Mariano Passalacqua, was a steel-mill worker who was born in [[Sicily]]. The family later moved to [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]]. Although it is commonly believed that Pass became interested playing guitar after seeing [[Gene Autry]] perform in the Western film ''[[Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride]]'' (an account that had been given by Pass himself),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sallis |first1=James |title=The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology |date=1996 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |page=123 }}</ref> Pass later stated he did not remember who or what inspired him to pursue music.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wold |title=Jazz Guitar Icons: An In-Depth look at the Styles of 25 Masters |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=94 }}</ref> 

Pass received his first guitar and started creating music when at age 9. Pass stated his first guitar was a Harmony, and that he had asked for a guitar for his birthday. He began playing for neighbors, and learned chords from his father's Italian friends.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sallis |first1=James |title=The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology |date=1996 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |pages=122–123 }}</ref> He attended guitar lessons every Sunday with a local teacher for six to eight months and practiced for up to six hours per day, rapidly advancing in skill level.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=148 }}</ref> As he improved his craft, he participated in the local music scene of [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania|Johnstown]], where he would enjoy the company of other guitarists and listen to the music that was being created.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wold |title=Jazz Guitar Icons: An In-Depth look at the Styles of 25 Masters |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=94 }}</ref>  

Pass was finding paying gigs at dances and weddings in Johnstown as early as age 14, playing with bands led by [[Tony Pastor (bandleader)|Tony Pastor]] and [[Charlie Barnet]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sallis |first1=James |title=The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology |date=1996 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |page=121 }}</ref> honing his guitar skills while "learning the ropes" in the music industry. He began traveling with small jazz groups and moved from Pennsylvania to New York City. 

Pass would continue to perform with big bands until 1947, when he enlisted and served in the [[US military]].<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 }}</ref> 

Pass developed an [[Opioid use disorder|addiction]] to [[heroin]] after his tenure in the military had ended.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=148 }}</ref> He lived in New Orleans for a year, playing bebop at [[Strip club|strip clubs]]. Pass later revealed that he had suffered a "[[nervous breakdown]]" in New Orleans due to virtually unlimited access to drugs that enabled the musician to engage in severe benders. Pass recalled, "I would come to New York a lot, then get strung out and leave."

Pass spent much of the 1950s in and out of prison for drug-related convictions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=148 }}</ref> Pass said, "Staying high was my first priority; playing was second; girls were third. But the first thing really took all my energy." He recovered after a two-and-a-half-year stay in the [[Synanon]] rehabilitation program, largely putting his music on hold during his prison sentence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Pass - Interview|url=http://www.gould68.freeserve.co.uk/Joe%20Pass%20Int_view.html|access-date=16 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903063915/http://www.gould68.freeserve.co.uk/Joe%20Pass%20Int_view.html|archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=148 }}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass 1974.JPG|thumb|left|[[Ella Fitzgerald]] and Pass, 1974]]
Pass released his studio debut ''[[Sounds of Synanon]]'' on July 1, 1962.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |pages=148 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Sounds of Synanon - Joe Pass |type=Album |via=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sounds-of-synanon-mw0000711850 |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=en}}</ref>

Pass recorded and released a series of albums during the 1960s under [[Pacific Jazz Records]], including ''Catch Me,'' ''12-String Guitar,'' ''For Django,'' and ''Simplicity.'' In 1963, he received ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine's New Star Award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-23 |title="Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso" – by Kenneth Parsons – Jerry Jazz Musician |url=https://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/remembering-joe-pass-versatile-jazz-guitar-virtuoso-by-kenneth-parsons/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Pass: Expert insights and analysis of artist & recordings |url=https://www.mosaicrecords.com/the-great-jazz-artists/joe-pass/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Mosaic Records - Home for Jazz fans! |language=en-US}}</ref> 
He also played on Pacific Jazz recordings by [[Gerald Wilson]], [[Bud Shank]], and [[Les McCann]]. Pass was a member of the [[George Shearing|George Shearing Quintet]] from 1965 through 1967.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 }}</ref> 

Throughout the 1960s, Pass primarily performed TV and recording session work in Los Angeles, including performing in television orchestras.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 }}</ref>  [[Norman Granz]], the producer of [[Jazz at the Philharmonic]] and the founder of [[Verve Records]], signed Pass to [[Pablo Records]] in December 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Pass - Concord |url=https://concord.com/artist/joe-pass/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=concord.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" />  

In December 1974, Pass released his solo album ''[[Virtuoso (Joe Pass album)|Virtuoso]]'' on Pablo.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Virtuoso - Joe Pass |type=Album |via=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/virtuoso-mw0000649680 |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=en}}</ref> Also in 1974, Pablo released the album ''[[The Trio (1973 album)|The Trio]]'' with Pass, [[Oscar Peterson]], and [[Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen]]. He performed with them on many occasions throughout the 1970s and 1980s. At the Grammy Awards of 1975, ''The Trio'' won the [[Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album|Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group]]. As part of the Pablo roster, Pass recorded with [[Benny Carter]], [[Milt Jackson]], [[Herb Ellis]], [[Zoot Sims]], [[Duke Ellington]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]], and [[Count Basie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzdisco.org/pablo-records/discography-1973-1976 |title=Pablo Records Discography: 1973-1976 |website=JazzDisco.org |access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Pass and Ella Fitzgerald recorded six albums together on Pablo toward the end of Fitzgerald's career: ''[[Take Love Easy]]'' (1973), ''[[Fitzgerald and Pass... Again]]'' (1976), ''Hamburg Duets - 1976'' (1976), [[Sophisticated Lady (Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass album)|''Sophisticated Lady'']] (1975, 1983), ''[[Speak Love]]'' (1983), and ''[[Easy Living (Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass album)|Easy Living]]'' (1986).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ella-fitzgerald-mn0000184502/discography|title=Ella Fitzgerald &#124; Album Discography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

== Later life and death ==
Pass was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1992.<ref name=":1" /> Although he was initially responsive to treatment and continued to play into 1993, his health eventually declined, forcing him to cancel his tour with [[Pepe Romero]], [[Paco Peña]], and [[Leo Kottke]]. Pass performed for the final time on May 7, 1994, with fellow guitarist [[John Pisano]] at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Pisano told ''[[Guitar Player]]'' that after the performance Pass said "I can't play anymore", an exchange that Pisano described as "like a knife in my heart." Pass died from liver cancer in Los Angeles 16 days later, at the age of 65.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/05/25/virtuoso-jazz-guitarist-joe-pass-dies-at-age-65/47e99ea2-7ada-472d-9690-d9d3cccef6d7/|title=VIRTUOSO JAZZ GUITARIST JOE PASS DIES AT AGE 65|newspaper=Washington Post|date=May 25, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-24-mn-61633-story.html|title=Joe Pass, Versatile Virtuoso of Jazz Guitar, Dies at 65|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 24, 1994}}</ref> Prior to his death, he recorded an album of [[Hank Williams]] songs with country guitarist [[Roy Clark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/roy-clark-joe-pass-play-hank-williams-mw0000123940 |title=Roy Clark & Joe Pass Play Hank Williams |last=Yanow |first=Scott |website=AllMusic |access-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref>

Speaking about ''Nuages: Live at Yoshi's, Volume 2,'' [[Jim Ferguson]] wrote:
<blockquote>The follow up to 1993's ''Joe Pass & Co. Live at Yoshi's,'' this release was colored by sad circumstances: both bassist [[Monty Budwig]] and Pass were stricken with fatal illnesses. Nevertheless, all concerned, including drummer [[Colin Bailey (drummer)|Colin Bailey]] and second guitarist John Pisano, play up to their usual high levels...Issued posthumously, this material is hardly sub-standard. Bristling with energy throughout, it helps document the final stages in the career of a player who, arguably, was the greatest mainstream guitarist since [[Wes Montgomery]].<ref>[http://jazztimes.com/articles/10088-nuages-live-at-yoshi-s-volume-2-joe-pass JazzTimes review of ''Nuages: Live at Yoshi's, Volume 2'' (Joe Pass Quartet)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507062237/http://jazztimes.com/articles/10088-nuages-live-at-yoshi-s-volume-2-joe-pass |date=2016-05-07 }} by [[Jim Ferguson]] (retrieved 3 October 2011)</ref></blockquote>

== Artistry ==
===Technique===
Pass's playing style was particularly recognizable for his ability to play melody, [[harmony]] and [[walking bassline|basslines]] simultaneously or [[Counterpoint|contrapuntally]], both in-tempo and in an “un-metered” style.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=April 1, 2013 |publisher=Backbeat Books |page=148 |quote=His technique was conventional (no tapping) but was at such a high level that he could play melody, harmony and bass lines simultaneously at blazing tempos.}}</ref> Pass's single-note playing style is similar to the instrumental stylings of classic [[bebop]] and [[hard bop]], drawing comparisons to the tones and timbres of [[wind instruments]] used in jazz music, such as the [[saxophone]] and [[trumpet]], as well as other string instruments such as the [[piano]]. [[Jazz education|Jazz educator]] Wolf Marshall said Pass's musical flavorings were "hornlike and on par with his wealth of ideas and immense vocabulary, allowing single-note improvisations to flow like a saxophonist's [[stream of consciousness]]."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wold |title=Jazz Guitar Icons: An In-Depth look at the Styles of 25 Masters |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |pages=94–95 }}</ref> 

As Pass's career progressed, he developed an increasingly harmonic approach to improvisation that made extensive use of chord-melody solos, which produced a similar effect to that of a piano. He also employed a variety of different picking techniques such as [[fingerpicking]], [[hybrid picking]] and "flat picking".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wold |title=Jazz Guitar Icons: An In-Depth look at the Styles of 25 Masters |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |pages=94–95 }}</ref>

Pass's style was also said to have exhibited a "tougher funky aspect" by incorporating string bends, double stops and partial chords that variously borrow from [[blues music|blues]], [[R&B music|R&B]] and [[Swing jazz|swing]] styles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wolf |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=95 }}</ref>

===Influences===
Throughout the 1940s, Pass became interested in modern jazz sounds that were emerging from New York City, where he would jam with many quintessential bebop musicians. Pass cited [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Charlie Parker]], [[Art Tatum]] and [[Coleman Hawkins]] as influences during this time. Pass was later influenced by the piano stylings of [[Oscar Peterson]]. Ironically, only three of the various jazz musicians he had cited as influences on his playing were actually guitarists; he cited [[Charlie Christian]], [[Django Reinhardt]] and [[Wes Montgomery]] as instrumental in his development as a musician.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wolf |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=95 }}</ref>

==Equipment==
On Pass's early recordings, he played [[Fender (company)|Fender]] solid-body electric guitars, such as the [[Fender Jaguar|Jaguar]] and [[Fender Jazzmaster|Jazzmaster]]. Additionally, Pass experimented with a Fender Bass VI 6-string bass on his 1963 album ''[[Catch Me! (Joe Pass album)|Catch Me]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wolf |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=95 }}</ref> In 1963, Pass was given as a gift a [[Gibson (guitar company)|Gibson]] ES175D arch-top [[electric-acoustic guitar]] that had twin [[Humbucker|humbucking pickups]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Wolf |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |date=2012 |publisher=Hal-Leonard |page=95 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Dave Hunter |date=2021-09-09 |title=See a 'Holy Grail' 1959 Gibson ES-175D Up Close |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/see-a-holy-grail-1959-gibson-es-175d-up-close |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Guitar Player |language=en}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
[[File:Joe Pass 1974.JPG|thumb|Pass in concert in 1974 playing his [[Gibson ES-175]] guitar]]
''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine wrote: "Joe Pass looks like somebody's uncle and plays guitar like nobody's business. He's called 'the world's greatest' and often compared to Paganini for his virtuosity. There is a certain purity to his sound that makes him stand out easily from other first-rate jazz guitarists."<ref name="LLC1979"/>

{{Blockquote|He weaves his own fast-moving chords and filigree work so nimbly that it is hard to believe fingers can physically shift so quickly. Slight moustached, fairly balding, he frowns over his fretwork like a worried head waiter with more guests than tables but the sound that comes out could only be the confident product of years of devotion to the instrument... But it is when he plays completely solo, which he does for half of each set, that he comes into his own, because without hindrance of the rhythm section he can completely orchestrate each number. Sometimes it is by contrasting out of tempo sections with fast-moving interludes, sometimes by switching mood from wistful to lightly swinging, sometimes by alternating single-note lines with chords or simultaneous bass line and melody – the possibilities seem endless.|Miles Kington on Pass in an October 1974 article in ''[[The Times]]''.<ref>Miles Kington. "Joe Pass". ''The Times'' (London, England) 18 October 1974: p. 14. Retrieved 11 October 2014.</ref>}} 

Veteran jazz writer [[Scott Yanow]] has conferred the titles of "the ultimate [[bebop]] guitarist", "the epitome of virtuoso guitarists", and "one of the top jazz voices of his generation" on Pass.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yanow |first=Scott |title=The Great Jazz Guitarists |publisher=Backbeat Books |year=2013 |publication-date=April 1, 2013 |pages=147}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Pass Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-pass-mn0000209773 |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref>

Internet personality and music analyst [[Rick Beato]] describes Pass as an early influence, and in several interviews has noted that among his adolescent achievements on the guitar was the performance of songs from Virtuoso at the encouragement of his father.

== Discography ==
{{further|Joe Pass discography}}

== Bibliography ==
* ''Mel Bay Presents Joe Pass "Off the Record."'' Mel Bay, 1993. {{ISBN|1-56222-687-8}}
* ''Complete Joe Pass.'' Mel Bay, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7866-6747-8}}
* Miyakaku, Takao. ''Joe Pass.'' Tokyo: Seiunsha, 2000. {{ISBN|4-434-00455-7}} (photograph collection)

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* [https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/joe-pass-jazz-guitar-licks/ Joe Pass Jazz Guitar Licks]
* [https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~UX5T-OOIS/ Joe Pass Memorial Hall]
* [http://www.fergusonguitar.com/joepass.html ''Joe Pass Unedited''] article by [[Jim Ferguson]]
* {{Discogs artist|Joe Pass}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1601223}}

{{Joe Pass}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pass, Joe}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:ACT Music artists]]
[[Category:American jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:American jazz musicians]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Bebop guitarists]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver cancer in California]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Guitarists from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Musicians from New Brunswick, New Jersey]]