Joe Pass Research Paper

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Simply put, Joe Pass is the man. “Joe Pass looks like somebody’s uncle and plays guitar like nobody’s business,” New York Times. Regarded as one of the best guitarists of all time, experienced many ups and downs, trials and tribulations on his path of success. The legend who lived to be 65 years old, used his mastery of his craft and his superb technique to meld his talent into the book of legends. Experience early success and coming back to it again to make it full circle is a path not many venture down. Joe Pass, or Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, was Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, although his family quickly relocated to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. On his ninth birthday Joe was given his first guitar, a harmony model, that was 17 dollars (Now that 17 dollars would be worth around 280 dollars). Joe was inspired by a Western movie who had a character, “the man on the horse with the guitar,” to want to play the guitar. His father quickly realized that something was different and …show more content…

Trio was produced with the help of Oscar Peterson, as well as Niel-Henning Ørsted Pederson, the album would end up winning the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance as A Group in 1975. The trio would continue to play together frequently throughout the 70’s and the 80’s. The Pablo Records label was a powerhouse and had a large number of artist at its dispense that were available to collaborate with Joe. Those included Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Zoot Sims, Milt Jackson, Duke Ellington, and Count Bassie. Collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald were probably the most common out of the group as the two combined to produce 6 albums into the late 80’s. Pass also contributed to multiple instructional music books. The last of his work, a collaboration with Roy Clark doing instrumental versions of Hank Williams songs, was not able to be produced until after Joe had passed in

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