Song:My Shining Hour
Album:Blues In The Night: The Jazz Giants Play Harold Arlen
Guitarist Joe Pass seemed content with his life as a session musician in Los Angeles. But Norman Granz had him record some solo guitar albums in the 70s and that made Pass a legend among other guitarists because of his technique. He was born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua Jan. 13, 1929 in New Brunswick, NJ and grew up in Johnstown, PA. His father was a steel worker. Pass was inspired to play guitar by watching Gene Autry movies. He started playing gigs locally as a teen and then moved to New York City. He fell victim to drug abuse in the 50s and spent two years in recovery at Synanon. Pass emerged in the 60s with some albums with Pacific Jazz but by 1966, he moved to Los Angeles and settled in as a session musician. In the early 70s, he was performing in clubs regularly with guitarist Herb Ellis and an album they recorded together on Concord Jazz got the attention of legendary producer Norman Granz. At the time, Granz was starting his new Pablo label and he signed Pass and Pass recorded a series of solo guitar albums. My Shining Hour is from the 1973 album Virtuoso III and is recommended to guitar fans. This various artists comp from Prestige is an excellent introduction to jazz for beginners. Joe Pass continued to record and play sessions and he also made several guitar instruction films that are available on DVD. Joe Pass died on May 23, 1994 at age 65. His legacy is that many guitarists point to him for proper guitar technique. Here's Joe Pass performing Summertime at the 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival.
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