Vinyl Vault — The Joe Pass Trio, “Live at Donte’s”

Next time on the Vinyl Vault, we’ll hear the guitar virtuosity of Joe Pass playing in a trio format with the album “Live at Donte’s.” The album was recorded in Los Angeles in 1974 but wasn’t issued until 1981 on the Pablo label. Pass was joined on the album by Jim Hughart on the Fender bass and Frank Severino on drums.

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Pass had been playing solo guitar quite a bit at the time and he explained in the liner notes that jumping into the trio format felt like a liberating experience. Playing solo, he explained, required him to have to deal with the rhythm, the harmonies, and the melody simultaneously. But, playing in a trio, he could focus exclusively on the melody and his soloing. Indeed, throughout the album, Pass dug into the tunes, worked his improvisations around several familiar melodies and, most importantly, swung hard.

Dig some live Joe Pass, on Tuesday, July 5, at 8:30 pm on the Vinyl Vault with Geoff Anderson on KUVO JAZZ, your Oasis in the City!

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