Pass Displays Virtuosity in Many a Varied Setting

Joe Pass was such a highly regarded jazz guitarist that it’s hard to believe that the majority of his best performances were recorded after he turned 40. A promising young player in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, he then spent a decade dealing with the problems of drug addiction.

An album recorded at the Synanon drug treatment center in 1962 was the first revelation of his extraordinary ability, and a series of other attractive outings--mostly on West Coast labels--followed. But it wasn’t until the release of “Virtuoso,” his solo debut recording for Pablo, recorded in 1973 when he was 44, that Pass finally emerged as one of the world’s premiere jazz guitarists. Over the next 20 years, until his death in 1994 from cancer, he created a far-ranging body of guitar work that firmly places him in a pantheon with Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery.

This four-CD set surveys Pass’ extensive recordings for the label and, as such, provides a revelatory view of the far-reaching qualities of his talents. On the first CD, dedicated to his solo studio recordings, three stunning tracks--”Night and Day,” “Here’s That Rainy Day” and “Have You Met Miss Jones”--are supplemented by tracks from three subsequent “Virtuoso” albums, as well as solo performances from two other albums. Pass plays both acoustic and electric instruments, subtly articulating each in a fashion that best exploits its unique qualities.

The second and third CDs include group studio recordings and solo and group live performances (including a couple of tracks from Pass’ “Virtuoso Live!” recording). And the fourth--in some respects the most fascinating of the group--surveys Pass in duo settings with singers Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, guitarist John Pisano and bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen.

His ability to accompany Fitzgerald and Vaughan, two very different jazz vocalists, in a fashion that best supports each of their styles, is extraordinary. And his ability to then shift gears for the in-the-pocket, hard-driving approach of Sims, as well as the thoughtful interaction with Pisano and Orsted Pedersen, is simply remarkable. The results--Fitzgerald’s grooving “You Took Advantage of Me,” Vaughan’s lush, melodically intriguing rendering of “My Old Flame,” Pass and Sims’ offbeat take on “Dindi”--perfectly illustrate the extent of that ability.

But these are only a few examples in a superlative set of performances from a remarkable artist.

The Hamburg set, despite some solid Pass performances, isn’t really comparable. Working in a rich but often cluttered musical environment provided by Germany’s NDR Bigband, Pass soloes superbly. If anyone could work effectively in a big-band setting, it was Pass. Too often, however, he is prevented from stretching out in his familiar, wide-open musical fashion, by the demands of the arrangements. The best tracks are those--”Indian Summer” is one--in which he has a few moments to play in unaccompanied fashion.

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