Joe Pass (1929-1994) è stato un chitarrista e compositore statunitense, considerato uno dei più grandi chitarristi jazz della storia.
Joe Pass (1929-1994) was an American guitarist and composer, considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists in history.
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on January 13, 1929, Joe Pass began playing the guitar at the age of nine. Growing up in a family of musicians, Joe quickly developed a deep passion for jazz and admired great guitarists such as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian.
In the 1940s, Pass began performing with various local groups and playing concerts throughout the New York area. In 1952, he was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to a year in prison. During his incarceration, Joe Pass dedicated himself fully to practicing the guitar and developed a virtuosic technique.
After his release in 1953, Joe Pass moved to Los Angeles, where he began working as a session musician for major record labels. In 1962, Pass recorded his first album as a leader, *Sounds of Synanon*, which was recorded at a rehabilitation clinic for drug addicts.
In the following years, Joe Pass continued to record albums as a leader and performed in concerts worldwide, collaborating with some of the greatest jazz musicians of the time, including Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, and Count Basie.
In the 1970s, Joe Pass became famous for his innovative approach to jazz guitar, using a technique based on open chords and the layering of melodic lines. In 1974, Pass recorded the album *Virtuoso*, considered one of his masterpieces and one of the greatest jazz guitar albums of all time.
Joe Pass continued to record and perform until his death on May 23, 1994, in Los Angeles, due to pancreatic cancer. His musical legacy is immense, and his virtuosic guitar technique has influenced generations of jazz musicians.
Here is a selection of significant albums in Joe Pass’s discography:
“Sounds of Synanon” (1962)
“Catch Me!” (1963)
“For Django” (1964)
“Simone” (1974)
“Virtuoso” (1974)
“Portraits of Duke Ellington” (1974)
“Montreux ’77” (1977)
“Whitestone” (1977)
“Virtuoso #2” (1977)
“Blues for Fred” (1978)
“I Remember Charlie Parker” (1979)
“Virtuoso Live!” (1992)
This list represents only a portion of Joe Pass’s extensive discography, which includes numerous albums as a leader and collaborations with other artists. Each album offers a unique perspective on Joe Pass’s talent and versatility as a jazz guitarist.