Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, January 13, 1929, New Brunswick,
New Jersey, U.S., died May 23, 1994, Los Angeles, California), was a jazz
guitarist. His extensive use of walking basslines, melodic counterpoint
during improvisation, and use of a chord-melody style of play opened up
new possibilities for jazz guitar and had a profound influence on future
guitarists.
Early life Joe Pass, the son of Mariano Passalacqua, a Sicilian-born
steel mill worker, was raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Born into a
non-musical family, Pass started to play the guitar after being inspired
by actor Gene Autry's portrayal of a guitar playing cowboy. He received
his first guitar, a Harmony model bought for $17, on his 9th birthday.
Pass' father recognized early that his son had "a little something
happening" and pushed him constantly to pick up tunes by ear, play pieces
not written specifically for the instrument, practice s
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Joe Pass,