@macuser2 I agree that its more in the fingers and soul but Fender guitars sound great for jazz, and have a unique clarity for chord-melody. Check out Ted Greene, his main axe was a Tele.
@GuitarLessonsByVideo Also Quentin Warren on youtube who is seen playing a Strat in 1964 with Jimmy Smith.. Also Ed Bickert, who uses a Telecaster. Oh yes, it's totally the player and not so much the guitar. I have an interview with Joe where he speaks about the Synanon days and he mentions "You can really skate on those solid body Fenders"".
Notice the piggyback probably Fender amp; such a rock rig, but look at the sound he gets. I think he borrowed guitars a lot in those days, due to drug problems etc. But obviously he transcended it all!
notice how articulate and inventive joe was, check out pat martino's early clips, ditto
of course pm had debilitating health issues that he overcame wonderfully, as did jp's addictions but for both players their young age chops and drive changed when they got grows older
what a shredder! The only other jazzer that can hold a candle was the mighty Tommy Tedesco, who showed a great deal more humor, and even became well known for doing rock, pop and surf.
is this a synanon track?This is such a cool video w/Joe on the jag Best jazz guitarist ever bar none!Its all relative cause theres so many great ones but in my opinion it does not get any better than this! The heavens have their soloist thats for sure
Joe in his prime could really swing, how many guitarists are there who could blow over Gerlad Wilson's big band with plenty of excellent horn soloists and still burn?
The Song is You is the first tune. I think the blues that follows is Doxy by Sonny Rollins. Pass was not really young in this video. He apparently was this good in the late 40s but blew the entire decade of the 1950s in jail or otherwise impaired by drugs. So one reason he took the jazz guitar world by storm with his first albums is that he was actually a mature player already.
Listen to any recording by the phenomenal Canadian jazz guitarist Ed Bickert and tell me what guitar he's playing. You can't. This video was shot around 1962 at the time of Joe's "Sounds of Synanon" album. The guitar and amp were loaned to him by Fender. Thanks for posting, Pakyie.
@neve1073 The only time Joe played a Fender was while he was at Synanon and that was 1961-62. And, too, that was the only time this group would have been together on the same bandstand. It was around 1965-66 that he was with Shearing.
For the life of me, I don't know how Joe Pass's playing has ANYTHING to do with that fat, drug infested joke-of-a-musician Jerry Garcia. Joe could have played circles around Jerry and everyone knows it.
Yet somehow, there are people who roam this planet who think Jerry & The Grateful Dead are the shit. They think Jerry's playing (if you want to call it that) was world class. And personally, I don't get it.
@rayjr62 That's the point. You don't get it. Not everybody does, everybody is not suppose to. The point was that it is not the equipment, it's the player. To write off Jerry as a joke shows a lack insight as a musician. There are folks who don't "get" Zappa either..does that reduce his playing and talent as well? There are many prominent musicians whose music I don't "get" but as a musician I recognize the talent..
@rayjr62 Those who can't do, teach, those who can't teach become critics. Sorry, your response cannot hold water. I agree that the 90s Jerry left a lot to be desired. I challenge you to listen to his playing up until the late 80s and honestly say he had no talent. BTW, I played violin for 8 years, studied theory followed by guitar since '86, fronted a Blues band and have a radio show. I obviouslly do know a thing or two about music. You, on the other hand, suffer from a terminally closed mind.
@lonesomejohnnie Oh yes!! It IS most definitely the musician and not the equipment. The genius lies in the heart & the mind and the SOUL of the real musician. Has anybody on here ever seen Django Reinhardts first guitar he used in the 1930s?
I saw it on display in the early 1960s.
Held together with toothpicks and sellotape at the bridge, very high action plus coupled with this was Django's twisted, deformed, left hand. One can have great equipment and still sound crappy.
Thank you for this - I am trying to fight back my archtop GAS, and you have persuaded me to stick with my trusty tele. It was good enough for Danny Gatton, and for Ed Bickert and Ted Greene (who got more beautiful jazz sounds than Ted out of a tele?). Larry Carlton sounds the same on a tele or a 335 - I think it's mainly in the fingers, though different guitars inspire you to play different ways of course. In any case, 9 times out of 10 the amp seems more crucial to the sound than the guitar.
the jaguar (and funnily enough jazzmaster) were originally designed for jazz players anyway...just todays indie rockers have co-opted them. fender single coils neck pickup sounds plenty jazzy...just seems to be convention now that most (but not all) players go for hollow body + humbuckers
In the 70's George Benson was booked for a week at an LA jazz club. I went nightly and took my very old ES 175 with Charlie Chrsitain pickup. He used it for a set and know what? It sounded exactly like him!
@cliffworks4321 Search under "Jerry Garcia Sammy Hagar" and one video comes up of a jam at a bar in Marin in the 80s. Garcia had a unique tone and played a custom Doug Irwin guitar thru a very custom rack of high end electronics, but in this jam he's playing a borrowed Jaguar thru a solid state Peavy and he sounds exactly like Jerry Garcia (the sad truth is that if I had his guitar and set up I'd sound exactly like me). It's in the fingers.
I agree, this is not the guitar that makes the music.
Another funny thing: When people watch an archtop, they often say: A Jazz Guitar. I doubt that Mr Lloyd Loar thought about Charlie Christian, Freddie Green, Wes Montgomery or Pat Metheny when he worked on the L5. I think he was just trying to make a better guitar.
In any case Mr. Leo and his crew have made some Fu... "Music Tools" .
So funny when I see comments against someone like Joe Pass. My momma always said there are a bunch of stupid people everywhere you go.. guess that includes the web, huh?
WOW....Great tone from a solid body Fender by the Master....Joe Pass! Don't knock the solid body Fenders for Jazz. Have you ever heard Scotty Anderson play Jazz on his Tele? I hardly think his tone suffers in ANY way compared to a hollow body. Listen to Brent Mason play Jazz on his Tele. The Strat and Tele are incredibly versatile to all styles unlike a Jazz box. Fat Jazz boxes are so cumbersome for me and SO limited due to feedback. But to each his own and lets all enjoy this amazing clip!
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I like Jazz, but when I hear a guitarist like Joe Pass take the most exciting instrument of them all in a musical form noted for excitement, and make it as exciting as boiled oatmeal, I thank providence I am a rock player...His tone is so muddy, you can barely hear him...much like metal guys pour on distortion, mediocre jazz players turn down the treble to this retarded extent...to cover mistakes...pass on Pass
@alexdroogie100 You've got to be kidding. Your saying Joe Pass was a mediocre player. You might want to stick with your Kiss. And im sure glad you a rock player.
@alexdroogie100 - It is clear that you are either inexperienced or ignorant. First, the recording is obviously low quality. Second, turning down the tone to cover mistakes? Are you serious? Do you even know what notes/phrases he is playing? I would venture to say NO.
I heard a coupe of jazz guitarists on a Fender Telecaster also sounding like this. I agree that when it comes to electric guitar, the guitarist has control of tne and control settings, so it doesn't matter about the guitar. It's the player.
inthe 70's I was hanging out with Georege Benson for a week
in LA at The Godfather Club. one nite I brought my old ES 175 to the gig and he used it on a set, well it sounded exactly like him! couldn't hear any of me in there at all!
Don't mean to sound smug or anything but one of the best memories i have is meeting Joe in a record shop in London. The shop was "Rays Jazz" and it was 1977..the shop owner gave Joe a hard time and was very rude to him. He was searching for his own early LPs and the owner said "They're in the cutout section because they're shit!!" My dad & myself stepped in to his defense and told the shop owner "You idiot! Do you have any idea who this man IS?" Joe just laughed it off. Amazing guy!
@quitarman1949 Did you find him a nice guy? I thought he was very sincere. In comparison to most rock players a jazz guitarist has humility and is approachable. Take Joe, Wes Montgomery & Kenny Burrell. I've spoken to guys like Clapton and found them to be egotists. Jazz guitarists have SOUL and a deep knowledge of harmony & melody, scales , the lot....they don't play LICKS but real constructive, imaginative ideas.
I saw Joe at a guitar seminar in Los Angeles 1982. Not only was he a master guitar player but he was very funny when he spoke. Most great guitar players are. I learned not to get hung up on the technicalities. Have fun!
He woudl be - vintage Jaguars don't really work with anything else (OK, it wasn't vintage when he was playing, but you know what I mean). Heavy gauge flatwounds are the way to go. Stick it on the rhythmn circuit and Bob's your mellow uncle.
I hardly ever comment on these things, but thought I after reading this and many other postings that I would simply to amuse myself. Pass was pass, and If you like his playing great, if you dont why say anything negative if it does something for someone else? Its great music that someone enjoys. I dislike rap personally, however I realize some people find pleasure in listening to it and it can make them happy, therefore I can appreciate it. Pass was great, If you dont like him, dont listen.
@pkrizo....If the instrument is not an extension of the players soul then there is no talent....just technique...unfortunately in the case of Joe Pass, it's just technique perfected from endless hours of practicing. How dare you call me a moron!!!
@benkit49 "How dare you call me a moron|!!!" Hahaha, what are you going to do? Challenge him to a duel? xD BTW. If you want players with no soul go check out those metal guitarists from Trivium.
This sounds just like another song I heard Joe Pass playing....his playing is very repetitous...he is talented in the way that he can play lightning fast notes...otherwise that is all.
@benkit49 You just don't know how to listen then. This is not, "...play[ing] lightning fast notes...." This isn't really even that fast. It is quick, don't get me wrong. But he and many other people have played much faster. The difference is, that this sounds great. He had a tremendous gift for improvisation that 99.9% of people on the planet will never come close to approaching.
benkit has it in for Joe Pass or something- just saw his comments on another video. Let's get this straight, having soul does not mean less beats per minute. Don't think Pass has soul? Go listen to his version of all the things you are. Still think he's playing "too fast" - then rethink how you interpret the music. Arepeggiating chords, especially chords with added 9s, 11s, 13s, etc and then altering them by augmenting or flatting, is simply a staple technique in jazz improv.
@shredguitar86 IMHO there is no one who has TOTAL control , range of feel, expression and choice of notes than a Jazz guitar player. When i was a kid all my friends were into Jimmy Page, i was into Django Reinhardt. It wasn't until Page himself said that Django was the TRUE master that my friends took me seriously. Then came Wes to the list of heroes. Wes is beyond belief even 42 yrs after his death. Joe Pass came from the same golden era.
Surprised to see him picking. Later style was playing with thumb and fingers and I can't see any pick, but in later cuts I can't figure out how he gets the speed of picking with his thumb and fingers like he does from the pick here. Later style must have grown from this, but I don't know how.
Se alguem souber de outro guitarrista de Jazz que utilize jazzmasters ou jaguar favor cita-lo aquí.Sou fã destas guitarras! Acreditava no mito de que só as semi-acusticas eram bas p/ jazz! Tava errado!
Adoro este vídeo pois além de mostrar o maior guitarrista de jazz de todos os tempos mostra algo que eu ainda não tinha visto, mesmo nos dia atuais: Alguem utilizando uma Fender jaguar para tocar jazz. A guitarra Fender Jaguar ,bem como sua irmã a Jazzmaster, foram um progeto de guitarra de corpo sólido para se usar no JAZZ em seus tempos de auge.Por algum motivo estas guitarras não fizeram sucesso neste meio ficando mais populares entre os guitarristas de surf-musica e rock em geral .
Joe Pass was a master guitarist, but there was a stretch there where he couldn't hold onto his guitars very long. Kept pawning 'em during his bad patch.
That was back in the 50s when he was still addicted to smack. After he cleaned up (though Synanon) he was ok. And I am certain that he held on to his shit.
And this video, by the way, fucking smokes. Joe rips it up like a mutherfucker.
He's always been one of my favorites. I only saw him once, with Ella Fitzgerald at Radio City Music Hall. Unfortunately, Ella was past her prime, she had the post menopausal tin sound in her voice, and she was runnin' outta' gas, but Joe was as good as ever. He played in Ella's quartet for two sets, and had the stage for one set solo.
You are right. Though I don't recall saying this video was from the 50s. I did write that Joe's heroin addiction went on during the 50's.
By the way- This is the first time I have ever seen a jazz musician play a Fender Jaguar. It's funny, but the last time I saw any musician of note play a Fender Jaguar was Kurt Cobain (he played a lefty). LOL
@bobgure I know it has been a long time since this post, but man HOW TRUE. Don't get me wrong, gear can be fun, but real players sound great on anything.
@mverdi9 The Fenders of this time period were not necessarily 'bad' guitars. Bill Frisell plays on a Telecaster and so did Ed Bickert. The description says he favored Fender guitars early in his career. They provided him with a certain sound. Joe Pass was know to play on sub par guitars later in his career, but the Fender was not a 'rubber band'. He pursued that Jazzmaster cause he loved that guitar's sound. Comes from the fingers mostly, and the guitar.
@pickinstone Please don't misunderstand, I meant nothing negative toward the guitar choices, although I can see it may have sounded so, my bad. I meant simply that it was not the usual monster sized jazz box. I just love his choice here.
I had a crush on the daughter of a guy that owned a music store. When I walked into the store and played a little he asked me if my name was John. When I said, "Yes". He then asked me if I wanted to be another bald headed
Joe Pass? Hell yeah! I wish! But nobody's like Joe.
I own a jag and it sounds more jazzy than my jazzmaster...not saying much but it does have a cool thick plunky mellow jazz sound on that setting (upper switch)
I think this video is proof that the guitar doesn't entirely matter when it comes to sound. this still sounds like joe pass playing despite not playing on his es-175. its the player, NOT the instrument!
You're right. I never would have guessed this was not a hollow body guitar. Sort of comforting to someone like myself who only owns a deluxe strat because that is THE one investment i could afford to make at this point, since it is probably the most versatile instrument i could afford, and even though i SO wish i could buy an es-175 reissue, i still get a pretty decent warm Jazz tone out of my noiseless strat pick ups : )
my guitar of choice is a 60's era gibson es-330...but i dont have $4000 to burn either! haha. tuck andress wrote an article on his website explaining how he went through many guitars and amps and wirings and pickups etc, only to find he sounded the same on everything he played. im sure a lot has to do with practicing so much that the guitarist can get a good sound out of anything.
@mindaflame7 I have the exact same guitar, and yes, you can get a pretty decent jazz tone out of it, but mostly a moderny kind of sound. If you ask me, I don't think Pass sounds the same in this video. Same phrasing, same feel, but the guitar sound is a lot less 'acoustic'. That's the whole point in having a hollowbody!
@mindaflame7 I know this was an old post, but hollow body guitars are really only good for creating a traditional jazz tones. Even at that, they obviously can't handle high volumes well. You should check out the music of Ed Bickert, one of the greatest guitarists of all time who played a tele through a solid state amp.
@mindaflame7 sometimes a good guitar isn't what you need. I have a four year old squire strat and i run it through a vox valvetronix. I can get a great jazz tone out of my guitar too.
cj1982--you got it right, man. It's definitely the player. Joe would sound like Joe on any axe. And that really goes for probably any other good player you could name. Love it! Joe was such a mutha!
That is what separates the good guitarists from the truly great ones. . Joe could get killer tone out of less-than-standard instruments. I've seen guitarists play guitars live (that they had no business playing in the first place) and get unreal tone and response from them. The great ones simply know how to do this.
@cj1982 It's most definitely true, as you say. Had to give you another "thumbs up!" To further prove this, on youtube there's also a wonderful video of jazz guitarist Quentin Warren from 1964 using a Fender Strat (he's with Jimmy Smith).
@Metalhead001122 i can see where you're coming from. as i mentioned the guitar doesn't matter "entirely". No one wants to play on a guitar thats uncomfortable. but to have joe pass, who played exclusively on hollow-bodies archtops post-"Sounds of Synanon" to be instantly identifiable is a pretty big deal, It speaks volumes about the player.
This sounds in so many ways like that return of Pat Martino vid with Joey baron. Could be his attack and the super muffled tone but it was kind of uncanny to me.
He's baaad!
DanSchaferMusic 2 weeks ago
you don't see those used for jazz very often...cool
imajeepster 3 weeks ago
sweet sounds
donottawaguitar 4 weeks ago
Where did you get this vid?? this is great.
randolph229 2 months ago
Joe plays very well here, but overall, Barney is the better jazz guitarist .
quailblaster 3 months ago
Mr.jazz master!!
hanaogra 3 months ago
Well this just goes to show you, its not necessarily the guitar, the amp, the strings, the equipment...its the MAN and what he brings to the table!!!
macuser2 4 months ago
@macuser2 I agree that its more in the fingers and soul but Fender guitars sound great for jazz, and have a unique clarity for chord-melody. Check out Ted Greene, his main axe was a Tele.
GuitarLessonsByVideo 2 weeks ago
@GuitarLessonsByVideo Also Quentin Warren on youtube who is seen playing a Strat in 1964 with Jimmy Smith.. Also Ed Bickert, who uses a Telecaster. Oh yes, it's totally the player and not so much the guitar. I have an interview with Joe where he speaks about the Synanon days and he mentions "You can really skate on those solid body Fenders"".
taildragger53 6 days ago
Notice the piggyback probably Fender amp; such a rock rig, but look at the sound he gets. I think he borrowed guitars a lot in those days, due to drug problems etc. But obviously he transcended it all!
lamborn55 4 months ago
@lamborn55 This guitar was out of a band closet that he used in the sounds of synonon group as part of his recovery right after prison.
SRV1 2 months ago
@SRV1 Thanks for the info...very inspiring!
lamborn55 2 months ago
Spinning those lines so wonderfully with such taste and flow. . . miss ya Joe.
Boldstrummer 4 months ago
notice how articulate and inventive joe was, check out pat martino's early clips, ditto
of course pm had debilitating health issues that he overcame wonderfully, as did jp's addictions but for both players their young age chops and drive changed when they got grows older
cliffworks4321 4 months ago
Comment removed
SRVMOE 4 months ago
Joe lost his hair at an early age due to a fret board fire LOLZ
bluesjunkie 5 months ago 15
On closer look, you are right. This is a Jag. But he also played a Jazzmaster in this period.
trondeidetube 5 months ago
Are you guys sure it's a Jag? Kinda looks like a Jazzmaster. He did play a Jazzmaster on Sounds of Synanon.
trondeidetube 5 months ago
what a shredder! The only other jazzer that can hold a candle was the mighty Tommy Tedesco, who showed a great deal more humor, and even became well known for doing rock, pop and surf.
but Joe is THE EMPEROR!
fredxmertz 5 months ago
is this a synanon track?This is such a cool video w/Joe on the jag Best jazz guitarist ever bar none!Its all relative cause theres so many great ones but in my opinion it does not get any better than this! The heavens have their soloist thats for sure
dingus651 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
amazing stuff
guitarldh19 5 months ago
Phenomenal - reminds me a bit of Pat Martino. Joe's playing really evolved away from straight bop later.
whyorless 5 months ago
Wow! This is unreal on so many levels I don't know were to begin! Joe Pass on a Jaguar! Who woulda' thunk it?
univibe23 5 months ago
Wow! Joe comes out of the hole burnin'. Great stuff from the greatest of all time! Mr. Passalaqua-RIP
TheCaptbob1 5 months ago
Fucking BEAUTIFUL nobody can do that
n64wilbert 6 months ago
best
992105 7 months ago
I had the privilege to meet him and hear him live on many occasions, my biggest single influence. What a great, great talent.
AbeRivera 7 months ago
Joe in his prime could really swing, how many guitarists are there who could blow over Gerlad Wilson's big band with plenty of excellent horn soloists and still burn?
cliffworks4321 7 months ago
GARY PEACOCK!
bobsabin 7 months ago
is he just playing anything or over a chord constrution sry im bad at jazz :D
riquelme64 7 months ago
Pmfan - yes you are right after checking closer.......sorry bout dat.
thmsjordan 7 months ago
Does anyone know what year this was recorded? Man he must have been born smokin!!
thmsjordan 7 months ago in playlist Joe Pass
Hair is for mortals. Joe is breakin' off a tasty lick somewhere on the other side of Jupiter, baby!
raleighman3000 8 months ago
@raleighman3000 Hell yes it's not about appearance it's about talent.
n64wilbert 6 months ago
Joe Pass never needed hair...
m3ntalcollid3r 10 months ago 3
This is Joe Pass , with hair or not. Amazing.
sharkygooddays 10 months ago
Early Joe Pass???
How he looked latelly?
Why all Jaguar players are bald??
Tubevalvemaniac 10 months ago
all i can say is that was fucking amazing!!! thumbs up if you agree...
YesYouCan317 11 months ago
Today, this would be called "shredding" and I mean that in a good way. Go Joe, go!
GuitarScratchRemover 11 months ago
Awesome clip, thanks! Joe could a tissue box with rubber bands on it sound better than me on any of my guitars.
pencap23 11 months ago
The Song is You is the first tune. I think the blues that follows is Doxy by Sonny Rollins. Pass was not really young in this video. He apparently was this good in the late 40s but blew the entire decade of the 1950s in jail or otherwise impaired by drugs. So one reason he took the jazz guitar world by storm with his first albums is that he was actually a mature player already.
ThePmfan 11 months ago
@ThePmfan I believe the first tune is "Come fly with me"
thmsjordan 7 months ago
@thmsjordan the song is "The Song is You".
ThePmfan 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
what tune are they playing??? This is amazing
acidbug 11 months ago
what tune are they playing??? This is amazing
acidbug 11 months ago
what years is this in??
TasteForDisaster 11 months ago
equipment does matter - that piano sounds really bad.
mitjazz 1 year ago
Listen to any recording by the phenomenal Canadian jazz guitarist Ed Bickert and tell me what guitar he's playing. You can't. This video was shot around 1962 at the time of Joe's "Sounds of Synanon" album. The guitar and amp were loaned to him by Fender. Thanks for posting, Pakyie.
bobburford 1 year ago
@bobburford
the look of the guitar (logo and headstock) makes me think this had to be later. maybe around '66
neve1073 11 months ago
@neve1073 The only time Joe played a Fender was while he was at Synanon and that was 1961-62. And, too, that was the only time this group would have been together on the same bandstand. It was around 1965-66 that he was with Shearing.
bobburford 11 months ago
Comment removed
lonesomejohnnie 1 year ago
Wow, this is great.
OpinionMan101 1 year ago
For the life of me, I don't know how Joe Pass's playing has ANYTHING to do with that fat, drug infested joke-of-a-musician Jerry Garcia. Joe could have played circles around Jerry and everyone knows it.
Yet somehow, there are people who roam this planet who think Jerry & The Grateful Dead are the shit. They think Jerry's playing (if you want to call it that) was world class. And personally, I don't get it.
rayjr62 1 year ago 2
@rayjr62 That's the point. You don't get it. Not everybody does, everybody is not suppose to. The point was that it is not the equipment, it's the player. To write off Jerry as a joke shows a lack insight as a musician. There are folks who don't "get" Zappa either..does that reduce his playing and talent as well? There are many prominent musicians whose music I don't "get" but as a musician I recognize the talent..
lonesomejohnnie 1 year ago
@lonesomejohnnie I have plenty of insight. And I am not a musician. And neither was Jerry. And I get the feeling that neither are you.
rayjr62 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@rayjr62 Those who can't do, teach, those who can't teach become critics. Sorry, your response cannot hold water. I agree that the 90s Jerry left a lot to be desired. I challenge you to listen to his playing up until the late 80s and honestly say he had no talent. BTW, I played violin for 8 years, studied theory followed by guitar since '86, fronted a Blues band and have a radio show. I obviouslly do know a thing or two about music. You, on the other hand, suffer from a terminally closed mind.
lonesomejohnnie 1 year ago
@lonesomejohnnie Oh yes!! It IS most definitely the musician and not the equipment. The genius lies in the heart & the mind and the SOUL of the real musician. Has anybody on here ever seen Django Reinhardts first guitar he used in the 1930s?
I saw it on display in the early 1960s.
Held together with toothpicks and sellotape at the bridge, very high action plus coupled with this was Django's twisted, deformed, left hand. One can have great equipment and still sound crappy.
taildragger53 11 months ago
anyone know how old this is? :)
urgnomen 1 year ago
it s a Jaguar on this vid, and he play with a fender jazzmaster to sometime.Joe played those solid body guitars in the early days.
ericrob2112 1 year ago
Not many people know this, but although only a year younger, Joe Pass copied Jim Hall's hairstyle.
monjoUtube 1 year ago
Wow! This is oldschool... Joe with a PICK on a solidbody!
jg0r 1 year ago
Thank you for this - I am trying to fight back my archtop GAS, and you have persuaded me to stick with my trusty tele. It was good enough for Danny Gatton, and for Ed Bickert and Ted Greene (who got more beautiful jazz sounds than Ted out of a tele?). Larry Carlton sounds the same on a tele or a 335 - I think it's mainly in the fingers, though different guitars inspire you to play different ways of course. In any case, 9 times out of 10 the amp seems more crucial to the sound than the guitar.
twangbarfly 1 year ago
.. a great musician can make a $5.00 guitar sound like a $10.00 guitar.
cjsinclair 1 year ago
the jaguar (and funnily enough jazzmaster) were originally designed for jazz players anyway...just todays indie rockers have co-opted them. fender single coils neck pickup sounds plenty jazzy...just seems to be convention now that most (but not all) players go for hollow body + humbuckers
99ZARDOZ 1 year ago
In the 70's George Benson was booked for a week at an LA jazz club. I went nightly and took my very old ES 175 with Charlie Chrsitain pickup. He used it for a set and know what? It sounded exactly like him!
cliffworks4321 1 year ago
@cliffworks4321 Search under "Jerry Garcia Sammy Hagar" and one video comes up of a jam at a bar in Marin in the 80s. Garcia had a unique tone and played a custom Doug Irwin guitar thru a very custom rack of high end electronics, but in this jam he's playing a borrowed Jaguar thru a solid state Peavy and he sounds exactly like Jerry Garcia (the sad truth is that if I had his guitar and set up I'd sound exactly like me). It's in the fingers.
notthebannerboys 1 year ago
You can play Jazz on any guitar really, just switch to neck pickup and role that tone down..
wisesatyr72 1 year ago
I agree, this is not the guitar that makes the music.
Another funny thing: When people watch an archtop, they often say: A Jazz Guitar. I doubt that Mr Lloyd Loar thought about Charlie Christian, Freddie Green, Wes Montgomery or Pat Metheny when he worked on the L5. I think he was just trying to make a better guitar.
In any case Mr. Leo and his crew have made some Fu... "Music Tools" .
abluerambler 1 year ago
So funny when I see comments against someone like Joe Pass. My momma always said there are a bunch of stupid people everywhere you go.. guess that includes the web, huh?
sknigge 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
WOW....Great tone from a solid body Fender by the Master....Joe Pass! Don't knock the solid body Fenders for Jazz. Have you ever heard Scotty Anderson play Jazz on his Tele? I hardly think his tone suffers in ANY way compared to a hollow body. Listen to Brent Mason play Jazz on his Tele. The Strat and Tele are incredibly versatile to all styles unlike a Jazz box. Fat Jazz boxes are so cumbersome for me and SO limited due to feedback. But to each his own and lets all enjoy this amazing clip!
stringbender57 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I like Jazz, but when I hear a guitarist like Joe Pass take the most exciting instrument of them all in a musical form noted for excitement, and make it as exciting as boiled oatmeal, I thank providence I am a rock player...His tone is so muddy, you can barely hear him...much like metal guys pour on distortion, mediocre jazz players turn down the treble to this retarded extent...to cover mistakes...pass on Pass
alexdroogie100 1 year ago
@alexdroogie100 You've got to be kidding. Your saying Joe Pass was a mediocre player. You might want to stick with your Kiss. And im sure glad you a rock player.
arkrob89 1 year ago
@arkrob89
Most rock players couldn't even begin to break this down.
JonP1961 1 year ago
@JonP1961 i'm a rock player and i've broken down most of it.
austing12 1 year ago
@alexdroogie100 - It is clear that you are either inexperienced or ignorant. First, the recording is obviously low quality. Second, turning down the tone to cover mistakes? Are you serious? Do you even know what notes/phrases he is playing? I would venture to say NO.
pantoum 1 year ago
@alexdroogie100 go play your power chords u dumb fuck
JazzJunkie4 1 year ago
I heard a coupe of jazz guitarists on a Fender Telecaster also sounding like this. I agree that when it comes to electric guitar, the guitarist has control of tne and control settings, so it doesn't matter about the guitar. It's the player.
furtherdefinitions 1 year ago
@furtherdefinitions Ed Bickert & Ted Greene use(used) Telecasters. Both got a gorgeous tone....it's not the guitar ..it's the player.
taildragger53 1 year ago
inthe 70's I was hanging out with Georege Benson for a week
in LA at The Godfather Club. one nite I brought my old ES 175 to the gig and he used it on a set, well it sounded exactly like him! couldn't hear any of me in there at all!
cliffworks4321 1 year ago
Don't mean to sound smug or anything but one of the best memories i have is meeting Joe in a record shop in London. The shop was "Rays Jazz" and it was 1977..the shop owner gave Joe a hard time and was very rude to him. He was searching for his own early LPs and the owner said "They're in the cutout section because they're shit!!" My dad & myself stepped in to his defense and told the shop owner "You idiot! Do you have any idea who this man IS?" Joe just laughed it off. Amazing guy!
taildragger53 1 year ago
@taildragger53 I actually had Joe Pass at my weekly jazz night in Colchester Oct 21st 1981.
quitarman1949 1 year ago
@quitarman1949 Did you find him a nice guy? I thought he was very sincere. In comparison to most rock players a jazz guitarist has humility and is approachable. Take Joe, Wes Montgomery & Kenny Burrell. I've spoken to guys like Clapton and found them to be egotists. Jazz guitarists have SOUL and a deep knowledge of harmony & melody, scales , the lot....they don't play LICKS but real constructive, imaginative ideas.
taildragger53 1 year ago
@taildragger53 I actually had Joe Pass at my weekly jazz night in Colchester Oct 21st 1981.
quitarman1949 1 year ago
He's using a pick! always thought he always played fingerpicking
backslash68 1 year ago
Sem bigode, ainda com algum cabelo, tocando com palheta numa Fender Jaguar...E mesmo assim, JOE PASS!
StevanCardoso 1 year ago
Jeez, did Joe ever have hair?
kd4jvg 1 year ago 57
@kd4jvg no ^^
babbersabber 1 year ago
@kd4jvg he had early hair loss because of the stress in his life as a youth.
jellytroid 11 months ago
@kd4jvg Well... maybe he got into a deal with satan, I would also give my hair to be able to play like this. :D
Torture1504 11 months ago
@kd4jvg LMAO Back to the Future right?
n64wilbert 6 months ago
@kd4jvg Nope! He had the choice of having the worlds greatest hair, or being the worlds best jazz guitarist!
I think we all know what he chose!
Revitandgo 3 months ago
It's the guitarist, not the guitar. Joe Pass could have played (on gotten tone from) a Sears Roebuck electric.
rayjr62 1 year ago
I saw Joe at a guitar seminar in Los Angeles 1982. Not only was he a master guitar player but he was very funny when he spoke. Most great guitar players are. I learned not to get hung up on the technicalities. Have fun!
xavioronassis 1 year ago
when theres a close up of the guitar, it looks like he's playing really really heavy gauge strings
delayedpilot 1 year ago
@delayedpilot
He woudl be - vintage Jaguars don't really work with anything else (OK, it wasn't vintage when he was playing, but you know what I mean). Heavy gauge flatwounds are the way to go. Stick it on the rhythmn circuit and Bob's your mellow uncle.
llanbo 1 year ago
nice!!
Patrickphx11 1 year ago
I hardly ever comment on these things, but thought I after reading this and many other postings that I would simply to amuse myself. Pass was pass, and If you like his playing great, if you dont why say anything negative if it does something for someone else? Its great music that someone enjoys. I dislike rap personally, however I realize some people find pleasure in listening to it and it can make them happy, therefore I can appreciate it. Pass was great, If you dont like him, dont listen.
kylegreen63 1 year ago
I think Joe ended that first number on a Cmaj7th.....the second number was in the key of F
benkit49 1 year ago
@pkrizo....If the instrument is not an extension of the players soul then there is no talent....just technique...unfortunately in the case of Joe Pass, it's just technique perfected from endless hours of practicing. How dare you call me a moron!!!
benkit49 1 year ago
@benkit49 "How dare you call me a moron|!!!" Hahaha, what are you going to do? Challenge him to a duel? xD BTW. If you want players with no soul go check out those metal guitarists from Trivium.
fenderbender92 1 year ago
This sounds just like another song I heard Joe Pass playing....his playing is very repetitous...he is talented in the way that he can play lightning fast notes...otherwise that is all.
benkit49 1 year ago
@benkit49 You just don't know how to listen then. This is not, "...play[ing] lightning fast notes...." This isn't really even that fast. It is quick, don't get me wrong. But he and many other people have played much faster. The difference is, that this sounds great. He had a tremendous gift for improvisation that 99.9% of people on the planet will never come close to approaching.
mikesome13 1 year ago
@benkit49
benkit has it in for Joe Pass or something- just saw his comments on another video. Let's get this straight, having soul does not mean less beats per minute. Don't think Pass has soul? Go listen to his version of all the things you are. Still think he's playing "too fast" - then rethink how you interpret the music. Arepeggiating chords, especially chords with added 9s, 11s, 13s, etc and then altering them by augmenting or flatting, is simply a staple technique in jazz improv.
shredguitar86 1 year ago
Comment removed
taildragger53 1 year ago
@shredguitar86 IMHO there is no one who has TOTAL control , range of feel, expression and choice of notes than a Jazz guitar player. When i was a kid all my friends were into Jimmy Page, i was into Django Reinhardt. It wasn't until Page himself said that Django was the TRUE master that my friends took me seriously. Then came Wes to the list of heroes. Wes is beyond belief even 42 yrs after his death. Joe Pass came from the same golden era.
taildragger53 1 year ago
Surprised to see him picking. Later style was playing with thumb and fingers and I can't see any pick, but in later cuts I can't figure out how he gets the speed of picking with his thumb and fingers like he does from the pick here. Later style must have grown from this, but I don't know how.
JuiceMarketing 1 year ago
Is that song near the end "Sonnymoon for two"?
AresCassell 1 year ago
damn, did he ever have hair?
axe187187 1 year ago
@axe187187 HA HA HA I didnt realise that !!
nuke97 1 year ago
wow ! tesuoro !5*****stars
viniguitarjazz 1 year ago
This should be in the Library of Congress. Young, on electric, no chordal stuff-hen is this? And it's right after he kicked?
marrrkeeee 1 year ago
joes smokin it on that fender. the best.
TadRapidly 1 year ago
he did not really favoured it out of own will, this was the only guitar the drug clinic he was staying at. that´s why he played one.
krullebol4 1 year ago
Se alguem souber de outro guitarrista de Jazz que utilize jazzmasters ou jaguar favor cita-lo aquí.Sou fã destas guitarras! Acreditava no mito de que só as semi-acusticas eram bas p/ jazz! Tava errado!
madeirapreta 1 year ago
Adoro este vídeo pois além de mostrar o maior guitarrista de jazz de todos os tempos mostra algo que eu ainda não tinha visto, mesmo nos dia atuais: Alguem utilizando uma Fender jaguar para tocar jazz. A guitarra Fender Jaguar ,bem como sua irmã a Jazzmaster, foram um progeto de guitarra de corpo sólido para se usar no JAZZ em seus tempos de auge.Por algum motivo estas guitarras não fizeram sucesso neste meio ficando mais populares entre os guitarristas de surf-musica e rock em geral .
madeirapreta 1 year ago
@madeirapreta what he says.
marrrkeeee 1 year ago
Thank you for naming the first tune.
Chrysostem 1 year ago
fantastic, offset power!
CombatSCUBA 1 year ago
The second song sounds like "Sunnymoon for Two" by Sonny Rollins.
The first song I do not recognize.
Chrysostem 2 years ago
Think you will find the first song is entitled 'The Song is You.' Jerome Kern. Written for a show 'Music in the Air' in 1932. HTH
Jazzwayze 1 year ago
Joe Pass was a master guitarist, but there was a stretch there where he couldn't hold onto his guitars very long. Kept pawning 'em during his bad patch.
Cidriullo 2 years ago
That was back in the 50s when he was still addicted to smack. After he cleaned up (though Synanon) he was ok. And I am certain that he held on to his shit.
And this video, by the way, fucking smokes. Joe rips it up like a mutherfucker.
rayjr62 2 years ago
He's always been one of my favorites. I only saw him once, with Ella Fitzgerald at Radio City Music Hall. Unfortunately, Ella was past her prime, she had the post menopausal tin sound in her voice, and she was runnin' outta' gas, but Joe was as good as ever. He played in Ella's quartet for two sets, and had the stage for one set solo.
Cidriullo 2 years ago
Well, congratulations!!! I never seen him; I was two years old when he died.
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago
@OscarPetersonFan seems like he just died, 1994, huh? Time flies.
Cidriullo 2 years ago
That's right, about 15 years ago
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago
This can't be in the fifties because the Jaguar was introduced in 1962.
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago
You are right. Though I don't recall saying this video was from the 50s. I did write that Joe's heroin addiction went on during the 50's.
By the way- This is the first time I have ever seen a jazz musician play a Fender Jaguar. It's funny, but the last time I saw any musician of note play a Fender Jaguar was Kurt Cobain (he played a lefty). LOL
rayjr62 2 years ago
Last year I saw a jazz guitarrist here in Buenos Aires who had a Jaguar. He showed it to us, but he didn't play it pluged.
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago
@rayjr62
WRONG. The Jaguar didn't come out until 1962, so this is obviously after the 50's.
nolan83 2 years ago
@rayjr62
It looks to have a slab fretboard, though, which means it's an early '62 Jaguar.
nolan83 2 years ago
solidbodies are great for jazz
diz52nd 2 years ago
The song is you. Great tune.
Joe sure spins those line out.
Awesome.
Really miss him. . . ;-(
Thank G-d his music lives on and on.
Boldstrummer 2 years ago
@Boldstrummer G-d ! that's a cool name for that fella god ! i think i like it !:)
ricoismybitch 2 years ago
Anyone overly concerned with equipment and specs is not practicing enough.
I know this from my own experience, sadly.
Search for Barney Kessel video "talks about his guitar"; It sobered me up.
Student says to Chet Atkins," Hey that guitar sounds great", to which Chet replies after putting the guitar down - "How does it sound now?"
bobgure 2 years ago 8
Barney Kessel had it right.
Glad to hear some one who listens to the masters.
Boldstrummer 2 years ago
@bobgure I know it has been a long time since this post, but man HOW TRUE. Don't get me wrong, gear can be fun, but real players sound great on anything.
mverdi9 1 year ago 11
@mverdi9 The Fenders of this time period were not necessarily 'bad' guitars. Bill Frisell plays on a Telecaster and so did Ed Bickert. The description says he favored Fender guitars early in his career. They provided him with a certain sound. Joe Pass was know to play on sub par guitars later in his career, but the Fender was not a 'rubber band'. He pursued that Jazzmaster cause he loved that guitar's sound. Comes from the fingers mostly, and the guitar.
pickinstone 11 months ago
@pickinstone Please don't misunderstand, I meant nothing negative toward the guitar choices, although I can see it may have sounded so, my bad. I meant simply that it was not the usual monster sized jazz box. I just love his choice here.
mverdi9 11 months ago
With or without hair.
I had a crush on the daughter of a guy that owned a music store. When I walked into the store and played a little he asked me if my name was John. When I said, "Yes". He then asked me if I wanted to be another bald headed
Joe Pass? Hell yeah! I wish! But nobody's like Joe.
johnhguitar 6 months ago
@bobgure Jesus that is such a chet atkins thing to say! Hahaha! Truly he was a master at guitar.
Iwazaru674 1 year ago
the tone is in the HANDS.
RIP Joe, your music lives on beyond your time here, I'm learning from you all the time, trully one of the few MASTERS of jazz guitar.
1spazzy1 2 years ago
i know....he is already balding huh? He must have come out of his mother's womb bald...but the look suits him...
BassicallyChristian 2 years ago
Nice Christian judgement.
Boldstrummer 2 years ago
Haha young? :P
Smadlin01 2 years ago
He even has is set to jazz setting on guitar.
I own a jag and it sounds more jazzy than my jazzmaster...not saying much but it does have a cool thick plunky mellow jazz sound on that setting (upper switch)
spybeach 2 years ago
I think this video is proof that the guitar doesn't entirely matter when it comes to sound. this still sounds like joe pass playing despite not playing on his es-175. its the player, NOT the instrument!
cj1982 2 years ago 34
You're right. I never would have guessed this was not a hollow body guitar. Sort of comforting to someone like myself who only owns a deluxe strat because that is THE one investment i could afford to make at this point, since it is probably the most versatile instrument i could afford, and even though i SO wish i could buy an es-175 reissue, i still get a pretty decent warm Jazz tone out of my noiseless strat pick ups : )
mindaflame7 2 years ago 7
my guitar of choice is a 60's era gibson es-330...but i dont have $4000 to burn either! haha. tuck andress wrote an article on his website explaining how he went through many guitars and amps and wirings and pickups etc, only to find he sounded the same on everything he played. im sure a lot has to do with practicing so much that the guitarist can get a good sound out of anything.
cj1982 2 years ago 2
@mindaflame7 I have the exact same guitar, and yes, you can get a pretty decent jazz tone out of it, but mostly a moderny kind of sound. If you ask me, I don't think Pass sounds the same in this video. Same phrasing, same feel, but the guitar sound is a lot less 'acoustic'. That's the whole point in having a hollowbody!
Debsquall 1 year ago
@mindaflame7 I know this was an old post, but hollow body guitars are really only good for creating a traditional jazz tones. Even at that, they obviously can't handle high volumes well. You should check out the music of Ed Bickert, one of the greatest guitarists of all time who played a tele through a solid state amp.
fishqwer 1 year ago
@mindaflame7 sometimes a good guitar isn't what you need. I have a four year old squire strat and i run it through a vox valvetronix. I can get a great jazz tone out of my guitar too.
simsdogg92 1 year ago
That's the truth
purplehaze1002 2 years ago
cj1982--you got it right, man. It's definitely the player. Joe would sound like Joe on any axe. And that really goes for probably any other good player you could name. Love it! Joe was such a mutha!
bdrhythm 2 years ago
thanks bd- yeah, you cant say enough good things about him. joe is one of my all time favorites. i learn something new everytime i hear him play.
cj1982 2 years ago
Truth. Awesome tones from a Fender Jag because he knows how to get the best from any instrument.
Some people obsess about details when they should be PLAYING! Joe ain't one of those, thankfully.
zackpliskin 2 years ago
That is what separates the good guitarists from the truly great ones. . Joe could get killer tone out of less-than-standard instruments. I've seen guitarists play guitars live (that they had no business playing in the first place) and get unreal tone and response from them. The great ones simply know how to do this.
rayjr62 2 years ago
@cj1982 It's most definitely true, as you say. Had to give you another "thumbs up!" To further prove this, on youtube there's also a wonderful video of jazz guitarist Quentin Warren from 1964 using a Fender Strat (he's with Jimmy Smith).
taildragger53 1 year ago
@cj1982 A good player can make any guitar sound good, but a good guitar makes the player sound better.
Metalhead001122 1 year ago
@Metalhead001122 i can see where you're coming from. as i mentioned the guitar doesn't matter "entirely". No one wants to play on a guitar thats uncomfortable. but to have joe pass, who played exclusively on hollow-bodies archtops post-"Sounds of Synanon" to be instantly identifiable is a pretty big deal, It speaks volumes about the player.
cj1982 1 year ago
what can i say? amazing
nad3nad 2 years ago
great guitar-brow.
bunny21x 2 years ago
This sounds in so many ways like that return of Pat Martino vid with Joey baron. Could be his attack and the super muffled tone but it was kind of uncanny to me.
boatynoh 2 years ago
anyone know the name of this tune? ive listened to this video countless times and itd be great to hear it away from the computer :)
machinsky108 2 years ago
The Song Is You
JazzJunkie4 2 years ago
Name of the Tune is "The Song is You"
zinnington 2 years ago
When would this be? I'm guessing the fifties.
jevoshawke13 2 years ago
early 60s, post rehab.
LetsJustSayZac 2 years ago
Yes at least early 60's cause they did not make a Fender amp like that until 61 . Brown Face Tremolux pretty sure.
Geepsterr 2 years ago
Who are the other musicians?
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago 2
The drummer's name is AD Mannion, the bassist is Gary Peacock, don't know the pianist.
southtxguitarist 2 years ago
Thank you so much!!
OscarPetersonFan 2 years ago
lol still bald
TheFlamingNuns 2 years ago 5
Jazz on a Fender? Surely you jest!
999manman 2 years ago
the jaguar was designed by fender for jazz! as was the JAZZMASTER...
itsamonster 2 years ago 2
I should have guessed that but it still seems kinda incongruous.
mammatusofmystery 2 years ago
Actually fender strats are extremely good for jazz believe it or not.
xXDandZXx 2 years ago
And more than a few Telecasters! Ted Greene, Bil Frissel, Mike Stern, Scotty Anderson...
jevoshawke13 2 years ago 2