Audio CD review:
Joe Pass - Blues for Fred

Joe Pass - Blues for Fred

Band: Joe Pass Title: Blues for Fred Rating: Release Date: 2004-09-28 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Cheek to Cheek - Joe Pass, Berlin, Irving 2: By Myself - Joe Pass, Dietz, Howard 3: Night and Day - Joe Pass, Porter, Cole 4: They Can't Take That Away from Me - Joe Pass, Gershwin, George 5: Blues for Fred/They All Laughed - Joe Pass, Gershwin, George 6: Dancing in the Dark - Joe Pass, Dietz, Howard 7: Oh, Lady Be Good - Joe Pass, Gershwin, George 8: I Concentrate on You - Joe Pass, Porter, Cole 9: A Foggy Day (In London Town) - Joe Pass, Gershwin, George 10: The Way You Look Tonight - Joe Pass, Fields, Dorothy 11: Tap Blues - Joe Pass, Pass, Joe

Pass at his very best This is surely one of his best recordings. I have been amazed by Joe Pass's playing for more than thirty years. Joe had so much technique that sometimes it seemed like he pushed the envelope too much, always searching for something new. This is Joe playing totally in the pocket - tunes that had become a part of his fabric. Every tune is beautiful with stellar playing and concept. You just can't ask or hope for anything more from solo jazz guitar playing of jazz classics. Cheek to Cheek starts off the set and establishes an impossible level of musicianship to maintain, yet Pass does so with aplomb. As Randy Jackson say. . . "Wow!. . . Wow!. . . . Wow!. . . " - in other words, speechless!. One of my favorite Joe Pass albums I have never heard him play so eloquent, so precise, and beautiful as he does solo on this cd or his playing with an orchestra on "In Hamburg". This is in my opinion a very underrated Joe Pass cd. This album is dedicated to the great, Fred Astaire. All of the songs are tunes that are associated closely with Fred except for Joe's own "Tap Blues" included here as a bonus. He effortlessly runs through great tunes like "Cheek to Cheek", "Night and Day", "Dancing in the Dark", "Oh Lady, Be Good", "The Way You Look Tonight", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", etc. displaying his normal virtuosity with outstanding lyricism and unbelievable technique. This to me is Joe at his near best. Any fan of jazz, guitar, Joe Pass, or music in general should not miss hearing this one. You can see a complete list of all Joe Pass discography, or go back to the Joe Pass tabs