Cup O' Joe
Written: Mar 24 '04 (Updated Mar 24 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing guitar work, relaxing
Cons: Redundant
The Bottom Line: Skiddle-dee-bop! Skiddle-dee-bop-bop!
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| fartzarellah's Full Review: Virtuoso [Remaster] by Joe Pass |
According to the liner notes for Virtuoso, it was released in 1974 and "announced to the world that Joe Pass was a Freaking Genius!!!" (or something like that). I bought it because my brother told me that "Joe Pass kicks @ss!" and then he played some Joe Pass stuff on his guitar for me over the phone. My brother is cool! Ok, what was I saying? Ah Yes. Joe Pass.
As the title suggests, Pass is a virtuoso, meaning he is a master of his instrument, which is the guitar. On Virtuoso Pass plays solo guitar (not lead guitar, but guitar alone) on a number of jazz standards. He gives you the chords, a bass line, and the melody all at once. He plays through the head of each tune about a hundred times and constantly varies the arrangement, going from straight forward settings to manic chord substitutions to serene dominant pedals to cooking chicken on an outdoor barbecue. Yum! I like that! Each track is played sensitively and freely as well, with excellent attention to dynamics and a relaxed, flowing approach to tempo and meter.
As the word Virtuoso also suggests, this CD is extremely self-indulgent. I get mighty sick of all the "boo-doo-dah-boo-doo-dah-boo-doo-dah"(*1,000). It's impressive, yes, but also boring. Which is not to say Pass is a tasteless, Al DiMeola type of player. Quite to the contrary, he does his darndest to keep things interesting. It's just that it all starts to sound the same by the third track or so. There is only so much you can do with a solo guitar playing the same style of music for 15 tracks. Zzzzzzzzz.
And, to be fair, it's not just the sheer number of tracks. It's also the tracks themselves. I am not a jazz connoisseur but I am familiar with several of the standards here. I have even played most of them. So, it annoys me when I cannot pick out the melody that makes the song a standard to begin with. The melodies are mostly lost in a sea of complexity. Hooray, Joe Pass. You are a virtuoso, we get it. Now could you just sit back and give me a nice tune now and then?
He does just that on a few of the tracks, particularly on "All The Things You Are" one of my favorites. Also, I can suspend my "where's the melody?" complaint and just enjoy the others as well. This CD is nice for driving to the grocery store (just as long as it only takes ten minutes to get there). Plus, the recording superbly captures Pass's fat, warm tone. AND, as the liner notes point out, Pass has a "superb sense of form". In other words, his improvisations do not simply trail off into space without reason. Each track builds to an impressive climax (although he gets there in pretty much the same way each time).
Is what I am writing sacrilegious? I hope not. As a guitar player, I'm sure I could learn a ton from this CD if I were to take the time to transcribe it. As I said, Pass was an absolute master whom I could never hope to emulate. There is just the whole "who cares?" factor to consider...
So, pros and cons just about even out for me, thus the three stars. There are times when Virtuoso seems to be the exact right CD though, even if only for ten minutes each month, thus the recommendation.
Tracks:
1. Night And Day
2. Stella By Starlight
3. Here's That Rainy Day
4. My Old Flame
5. How High The Moon
6. Cherokee
7. Sweet Lorraine
8. Have You Met Miss Jones?
9. 'Round Midnight
10. All The Things You Are
11. Blues For Alican
12. The Song Is You
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fartzarellah
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Member: Tomatzio
Location: Ol Virginny
Reviews written: 91
Trusted by: 53 members
About Me:
He always walks with his hands in time.
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