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Donna Lee must have been hot!


jaxson50

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I saw a Guthrie Govan youtube where he's doing Donna Lee while just warming up. I thought he was fast, but he can't compare to Joe. To his credit, Guthrie does swing it more, which I prefer... he even adds a bit of twang.

Edited by zigzag
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This is a legendary performance;  July 1979, 40 years ago.  It is mentioned in the book "The Jazz Standards" by Ted Gioia and is probably the fastest ever reading of the tune, including the Parker versions.

Pass teamed up with bass supremo NHOP on 2 albums around that time; "Chops"- a studio record, and "North Sea Nights" which was a stunning live recording.  However neither contained this remarkable display of virtuosity.  Note that Pass is playing his D'Aquisto, which can be seen on the cover of "Virtuoso 3".

I too was fortunate enough to see Pass a couple of times at least, once with NHOP at Ronnie Scotts club and once in what was for me a life-changing solo concert.  That was in  Aldershot!!

The depth of his jazz and musical knowledge, and his ability to apply it to guitar, was truly amazing and is something that is now gone; the experiences that informed all of his playing are simply no longer available to musicians. 

One of Ella Fitzgerald's last great records was the album "Take Love Easy" - duets with Joe Pass, which features the best version of the song "Lush Life" you will ever hear.  They subsequently recorded 3 or 4 more albums of duets but none of them are as  inspired as that one. 

God bless Joe Pass.

Thaanks for posting this Jax [thumbup]

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I'm so glad you folks enjoyed this,  Joe Pass was simply one of a kind.  We all loved Chet and his fluidity,  Ellis, and Green and Smith, and many other jazz greats,  and there are way too many to mention,  all played awesome and are inspirational,  thank God we lived in an age where their work could be recorded for generations to come to enjoy. 

But Joe Pass was on another level.  This piece shows me, that melody is what it is all about.  Go fast, go slow, but never lose sight of the melody.  

Pass and Pedersen were a dou made in heaven!

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One thing...I always lament the playing of Parker heads at hyperspeed because they are so beautifully constructed. When they're played at a medium tempo, the genius really comes to the fore. Of course, when you do that, people assume that you can't play but,... Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

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1 hour ago, G Mac said:

One thing...I always lament the playing of Parker heads at hyperspeed because they are so beautifully constructed. When they're played at a medium tempo, the genius really comes to the fore. Of course, when you do that, people assume that you can't play but,... Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

 

I think you have a point.....as the one or two I know (and can play if I practice 'em), I can't play fast anyway. 

And BTW - this guy is getting quite a rep for 'post-Pass-bop' [biggrin] guitar and not surprisingly.....Wow!...carefully worked-out arrangements; technically he's as good, by the look and sound of it [thumbup]

 

 

What you think?  Amazing and musical to me so I'd buy an album.  Somehow I'm reminded of Tuck Andress (where's he at these days?)

The thing about JoePass and other jazz virtuosi of his era was their combination of talent and years of jazz experience - the songs and standards they played were the pop songs of their own youth.   Makes me wonder how this guy will sound in 20, 25 years and what tunes he will be referencing then.  

Best wishes to all - apologies for thread hijack!  [smile]

Edited by jdgm
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Wow! He's Damn good! Very reminiscent of Joe's Virtuoso albums...I hear a lot of Joe's licks in there. Into the favorites goes Pasquale! Thanks, jdgm! As far as Tuck goes, he and Patti are still touring and producing recordings for other folks. Here's a link to their website...https://www.tuckandpatti.com/

I think that, like other genres of music, jazz has become "codified" and academicized...unfortunate. I run across this in my travels...I'll play something and some joker will say, "That's not the Blues or, That's not Jazz!" as if they are experts in musicology. Jazz and Blues have grown past what they were in the 1940s and '50s but try to tell that to the guy at the local jam! If you want to know what these styles have become, check out Corey Henry, Robert Glasper, Anderson Paak, and cats like that. My reason for saying this is that I hope in 20 years, Pasquale might get past what was and grow into what is. Also, to be clear, I am in no way attempting to diminish his (or anyone's) obvious mastery of music; I just wish that musicians would become less curators and more innovators. Apologies for going off on a tear there, it's just something that I think about a great deal. Thanks for posting a great new listening experience, jdgm. Peace!

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Jazz may appear academicized  because there are very few venues that supported Jazz over the past 50 years, a d one of the main venues has been college and university music programs,  just as blues and folk music has survived the ever changing musical market place by playing on the campuses of  colleges and universities since the 1960s rebirth of those two forms of American music as an art form. 

Some large cities still provide venues for jazz artist to present their work, to the public, but very few will, no matter their virtuosity earn a living,. Therefore,  to achieve tenure as a professor of music is one of the best venues for Jazz artist to provide for a family.  

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Hey, jaxson50! I agree that teaching is a good road to earning a living as a jazz musician...one of the very few ways. Music has never been a way to make big money; most of us nobodies do it from a sense of love and a feeling that we are not whole unless we are creating music. Music is not what we do but, who we are. I think though that my point is that some types of music have become static; blues in particular but, jazz as well; with rock and roll following close behind. Music is, to me, a living entity and, as such, must grow. Blues, jazz, folk, rock, and really, all other genres, are not merely reflections of what has come before but also, are the unknowable innovation that lies ahead. I don't want music to become a museum exhibit; slowly decaying in a climate controlled case. Granted, music's past must be preserved, studied, and acknowledged but, it is also the responsibility of the musician to push forward the boundaries of the art to the best of his or her own ability. I feel that to be a true musician, it is not enough just to play but, one must actively seek that which is uniquely individual. Sorry, I think I've gone on another tear! I just feel very strongly about this stuff. Peace!

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