Customer Reviews

Joe Pass Loves Gershwin: Ira George & Joe

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Joe Pass, one of my favorite jazz guitarists of all-time, renders eleven of the very best melodies composed by Gershwin. These are the same tunes that were performed and recorded countless times by various jazz musicians, same tunes that were used over and over again in numerous films and shows, same tunes that we are most familiar with, and same tunes that we appreciate and enjoy the most. Backing up Mr. Pass on his performances are John Pisano on rhythm guitar, Shelly Manne on drums and Jim Hughart on bass.

The material on this CD is absolutely impressive and complements Mr. Pass' exceptional skills on guitar with the support of his talented back-up musicians. The standouts for me are "How Long Has This Been Going On," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Love Is Here To Stay," "Embraceable You" and "A Foggy Day."

For Gershwin and Pass fans, this is one CD you don't want to miss out. This is one that you can keep for a lifetime and enjoy each time you listen to it. This is guitar playing at its very best.

Recorded in 1981. this album finds virtuoso Joe Pass paying hommage to Gershwin brothers - he does wonders with what is basically classic american songobook,recorded hundreds of times and the way he turns melodies inside out but never straying too far from original is nothing but pure brilliance.
What makes Pass so different from other musicians who make mistake by brutalizing well-known melodies in attempt to put their own stamp on them is simple fact that he loves this music and gently toys with it,nudging it here and there like a puppy with a toy,talks to it and cries with it - and you can still recognise,yes,this is "Nice Work If You Can Get It" in a splendid new dress.

Another interesting thing about this album is that is recorded very simple - today's companies would probably surround Pass with strings,harps and bells tinkling (see Diana Krall) because everything has to be squeaky clean,commercial,polished and appealing to mass audience - instead of useless cellophane,here we have only Joe Pass with small trio (John Pisano,Jim Hughart,Shelly Manne)sound is clear and crisp,music divine.

Title says "George,Ira and Joe" but I would add Django Reinhardt as well,since his ghost is present here as well. I can see four of them sharing a table somewhere in a white beyond,where Ella is still scatting and Louis mopping that sweat from the forehead,grinning like it's Christmas.

Listening to this album was,is and will always be a real pleasure for me.Joe Pass, who is for me one of the greatest guitar player of all the times with the french guitarist Django Reinhart, plays here his favorite tunes of certainly the best 20th century music composers, the Gershwin brothers. My favorite tune in this album is "A foggy day" where Joe and John (Pisano) show us what a duet must be.

One star? Yeah. But not for the music. The music is five stars. One star refers to the cover. The one with Pass on it playing his guitar with a white background. For the actual lp, the cover had Joe playing his guitar, just like here. But the photo showed him in a studio. Here they omited the background the photo had & replaced it with white. Who's idea was it anyway?