My Friendship with Joe Pass

I am really into good music and quite recently a friend of mine, Michael Ducey, related a story of how he met one of the greatest guitarists ever to come around in the last fifty years.

Here is his story:

The first time I met Joe Pass was in 1974, I was taking guitar lessons and asked my teacher who he thought was the best guitarist in jazz today. He gave me a few names, one was Howard Roberts, and the other was Joe Pass.

So I always watched the jazz trade papers when different acts would appear in Boston. One day I noticed that Joe Pass was to appear at the jazz workshop in downtown Boston. I was the first time I got to meet Joe, though it was brief, in person.

I ended up living in Virgina Beach, VA a couple years later. Wouldn't you know it Joe Pass was playing their as well.

Later on when I moved back to my hometown of New York City I met a girl who was a guitar teacher. She insisted, or demanded, that come with her downtown to see Joe Pass play once again. We got some of the best seats in the house so we could watch his cord voice up close and personal.

It wasn't too much longer before I got to see him a fourth time. This time I sat alone at the bar and I stayed for his late show.Since Joe was a one-man band he packed up his guitar and turned to everyone at the bar. Knowing that it was raining out that night Joe asked if anyone would mind driving him uptown to his hotel. I was the first to speak up and explained to him I had my car ready to go outside.

As I was dropping him off I gave him my phone number and told him I would be more than willing to give him a ride for the rest of the week that he was playing at that particular bar (Fat Tuesdays).

He told him to pick him up the next night and he would get me in for free. I did that and we stayed friends for the remainder of his life until he died in 1994.

I found out that the person who gave me my first full time job had offered Joe Pass his first guitar gig (he spent part of his childhood in PA where I spent two years of my life as well). Joe was always gracious and anytime he came to town he would call me. Even if I could not make it for his show we usually meet after the show for diner and caught up on life.

By meeting Joe Pass I was introduced to many musicians like rhythm guitarist Wayne Wright, Milt Jackson, Toots Thielemans, and Niels Henning Orsted Pederson.

Joe Pass was known as the best solo guitarist by his peers and was chosen my most guitar player magazine polls as best at what he did. It was not only a privilege to know Joe but knowing he allowed me to become personally acquainted with many of the other top Jazz artists of the century.