Customer Reviews

Joe Pass On Guitar with CD (Audio) (Cpp Media Video Transcription)

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Joe takes a no-nonsense approach to jazz soloing. No modes, crazy scales, patterns or exercises here. Joe was a player, and his approach is direct.
He categorizes lines as either major, minor or dominant, with a subdivision for altered dominant sounds. He solos over the three centers, while Don Mock comps behind him, and the solos are transcribed. He also plays and explains lines over the three basic chord types. The lines are great; classic Joe. The intro Blues in G alone is enough to stop most players in their tracks. I've offered any of my students who nail it a lunch on me.
Although it's mostly lines, there's some chord stuff too. Two Blues in G, one solo and one duo, contain enough chord riffs to keep even the most advanced players busy for awhile, and the three songs in the performance section, (All the Things you Are, Joe's Blues, and Stella by Starlight), are just your 'typical' Joe Pass brilliant performances.
I loved Joe's playing, saw him perform whenever he came around and got to meet him as well. He was a monstrous player. Easily the best pure jazz player I've ever seen, and I've seen most of them. When I met him he was near the end of his cancer battle, and he took the time to talk to me despite being tired and obviously sick. This book is a gift from Joe, and it stays on my music stand.
I have the CD version and Joe cracks me up, with his dry humor and explanations. (For instance, slyly cutting on tuners).
He also states that he uses very few arpeggios, then uses one in the very next example, and in nearly every solo,! But who cares. This guy was one of the top jazz players of all time (in my opinion one of the top three...Django, Joe and Lenny Breau, with all respect to Barney Kessel, Wes, Tal, Howard Roberts, Benson, Les Paul, et al).
The lines in this book are great, and players from intermediate on up will get things at their own level, because the explanations are pretty simple. (and it has tab!).
Save your money on all the 'How to play jazz solos' by a bunch of guys you've never heard of, get this book and dig in. And if you nail the first Blues in G, I'll buy you lunch.

This is a complete transcription of the Joe Pass -- Jazz Lines (DVD), with some extra material in both the CD and the book. All material is in standard notation and TAB (The booklet supplied with "Jazz Lines" lacks TAB). You don't need the video to use the book, but the Joe's commentary on the lines as he plays them can be very helpful

The book covers improvising lines over Turnarounds, Major 7ths, Minor 7ths (including Major triads over minors), Dominant 7ths, substitutions, and using Altered Dominant/Diminished lines over Altered Dominants.

Extra Material in the book (not present on the "Jazz Lines" DVD):
Short sections on using the CAGED system to play all twelve keys in 3 separate areas of the neck as well as Diminished, Augmented and Tri-Tone substitution processes. The CD has 3 tracks from another video An Evening With Joe Pass; "All the Things You Are", "Joe's Blues" and "Stella by Starlight" as well as the "Blues Intro" track from the Jazz Lines DVD. There are complete transcriptions of all 4 tracks.

You can't go wrong with the book or the DVD -- there are no negatives with either.

The Book is in excellent condition and will be of great value to me in the future. Unfortunately, it is several levels above my current skill level, and I am not ready for it yet. This of course, is my mistake and I have no complaints.

Great intro to the master and it's the master guiding you along his
lines, jazz ideas. I learned a number of idioms and lines I could use.

This book includes recommendations from Joe Pass himself. You would get a glimpse on how Joe Pass thinks. it is helpful to look at jazz from different views , so that you can build your own.

Basically takes the form of a master class. Good transcription (TAB), and it's fun to hear Mr. Pass himself describe his approach to the guitar.

If you are looking for the tab/music to "All the things you are" from Joe Pass Virtuoso CD, don't buy this book. It contains a version of the song but it's nothing at all similar to the Joe Pass version on Virtuoso. The same goes for the two other recordings on the CD. It's in the JP style I guess, but I don't like it. The recording quality is also very poor, which really annoys me. I've already shelved it. Two books where you can't go wrong: The Best of Joe Pass: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Styles and Techniques of the Jazz Guitar Virtuoso (Paperback). See Django on youtube. And, "Best of Jazz Guitar (Signature Licks) (Paperback)". See Wes Montgomery's Misty on youtube.