JAZZ SPOTLIGHT

JOE PASS

“Songs for Ellen”

Fantasy Records

* * * *

“I like the feel and sound, including my chair squeaking and the finger noises,” said Joe Pass when he heard the playbacks for this album, recorded shortly before he died last May at the age of 65. “It sounds like I’m at home, and I like that.”

Listeners will like it too, on several counts. At the very least, this is great music for late-night atmosphere. But it also is a definitive example of the rare art of solo jazz guitar playing, rich with small, subtle wonders.

Remarkably, for a player who often recorded unaccompanied, this was Pass’ first such outing on an acoustic instrument, and he was correct to note that the processing sounds intrinsic to the non-electric instrument--finger squeaks, instrument thumps, etc.--simply serve to enhance his already warm, personal style.

Most of the tunes, which are dominated by familiar standards, are examined in relatively brief fashion. Tracks are generally between three and four minutes, with Pass taking each number no further than it needs to go. The result is less an album of jazz improvisations than it is a collection of meticulous musical miniatures--brilliantly succinct expressions of the essence of each tune. In the process, Pass’ superficially simple, yet deceptively intricate capacity to reach into the heart of a song conjures up one magical moment after another. Among the more memorable segments: the quirky rhythms and sudden key changes in “Blue Moon”; the unusual harmonic opening to “Stormy Weather”; the irresistible groove Pass generates on “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “How Deep Is the Ocean?”; the remarkable structural qualities--mini-orchestrations, actually--that Pass brings to his readings of “That Old Feeling” and “There’s a Small Hotel”; the bossa nova touches in “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

This is definitive playing from a jazz master, a performance at the highest level from a one-of-a-kind paragon of musical subtlety. As such, it belongs in the Must Hear Frequently section of every music fan’s record collection.

It’s worth noting that Fantasy has enough unreleased material in its vaults for at least half a dozen more Pass recordings. All have been promised future release, which is 1995’s first good news for music lovers.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).

Hear Joe Pass

* To hear a sample from Pass’ album “Songs for Ellen,” call TimesLine at 808-8463 and press * 5740.

In the 805 area code, call (818) 808-8463.