Intercontinental

Intercontinental

Joe Pass knew how to conjoin melody and chords. Moreover, he brought the walking bass line into the jazz guitar repertoire, as heard in his duo performances with Ella Fitzgerald. Since he had a first-class bassist in Eberhard Weber at his side during his June 1970 MPS session in Germanys idyllic Black Forest, Pass could concentrate on playing the melody and the chords. Weber would soon develop his own electric bass, but at this point he was still playing the traditional acoustic contrabass. Third in the group was British drummer Kenny Clare. Pass chose the program for this released, swinging recording, mixing standards with originals. The 1970 liner notes designate I Love You as the albums high point: It is a small jewel for guitar, bass and drums. Weber has a short but exciting solo. Kenny Clare attacks with elaborate brushwork throughout. Joe Pass plays with a feather-light sense of swing. His refined lines have a singable quality to them, and he often phrases as if he were a saxophonist.