Customer Reviews
simply the best - By: B. L. Rudd, 25 Oct 2008 
This is the ultimate jazz guitar album, it does'nt need analyzing, its the bench mark, Joe at his magnificent best, a fabulous tribute to Django.
There will be other guitarists that can play the guitar with their feet, behind their head, whilst eating celery, so what? If I could have attained the standard on this album, I'd die a happy bunny.
Only the best - By: jumping bean, 07 Dec 2007 The early sixties brought a new spate of jazz guitarists who were not afraid to try something new yet still acknowledging the roots laid down by earlier generations. Like Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell & Grant Green Joe Pass arrivedin spectacular style with a flurry of creative & exciting albums using different formats. From his emergence on 'Sounds of Synanon' with bristling guitar solo excursions followed two of his greatest albums that have stood the test of time; 'Catch Me' & this one; 'For Django' which payed homage to one of his influential masters. It is non stop high quality soloing from the begining to the end with sensitive support from a lesser known guitarist John Pisano, who is the perfect foil for Joe's every creative line & nuance throughout the whole of the CD. From the the title number Django to the unstoppable Limehouse blues this CD is a must for everyone who is interested to find one of the greatest exponents of jazz guitar. I have had the album for over forty years & every time it is played it is as fresh & exciting as the first. This music is simply the best created by the best & while it is played Joe Pass will always be alive & kicking!
Five stars for a very classy album - By: ANT, 06 Feb 2004 If you like Jazz guitar this album is a must for your collection.The band consists of Joe pass & John Pisano on lead & rythm guitars & Jimmy Hughart & Colin Bailey on string bass & percussion.No annoying strings or horns on this record,just the essentials & it sounds all the better for it.This is a very chilled album made up of tunes by Django Reinhardt himself & various others,with Joe pass's own tribute 'For Django' being particularily easy on the ear.In saying that the whole album gels so well together it really has a mood with it & you really get the feeling the musicians are enjoying it.Pass's performance is excellent & as always makes light work of all the detailed stuff.The band make it all sound so easy & relaxed & thats why this is such a nice record to listen to.As i said its a very chilled record but there are lots of changesin tempo here & there so it doesnt slouch it just moves along nicely.The tracks 'Night & Day'and'Limehouse Blues'are quicker however & if you dont find yourself tapping your toes to these there's something wrong with you!the rythm is just infectious.Its just a shame its all over so soon,the album is just 32 minutes longin total.Still,it cant be bad can it if the only negative thing i have to say about the album is that its too short! Do what i do......Play it twice!!
*The* jazz guitar album - By: , 26 Mar 2000 In my view Joe Pass was the greatest jazz guitarist bar none & this album was his best. Although the album was a tribute from Joe to another jazz guitarist, the legendary Django Reinhardt, this is no attempt to merely copy Reinhardt. For one thing, Reinhardt was known as an acoustic jazzer whereas this recording is of Pass playing an archtop electric. Additionally, Joe's melodic & harmonic sense here is very different from that of the player to whom he dedicated the album; dare I say it, Pass even exceeds Reinhardtin musicality.
Unlike some of his other recordings where Pass plays totally solo this album features some fine accompaniment from double bass player Jimmy Hughart & drummer Colin Bailey (also John Pisano on guitar). Some jazz players (Martin Taylor for example; check out "Portraits", some of which is duet, but some solo) are particularly skilled at the solo approach but whilst Joe could certainly do this I don't think it was ever his strongest point.
On this album, freed from the constraints of having to be his own rhythm section, Pass excelsin weaving intricate solo lines around the changes. Some of it is textbook stuff on "how to play jazz", employing some of the usual devices; for example, over a dominant seventh chord using the ascending melodic minor with root a semi-tone above, or sometimes the diminished scale semi-tone above. Lesser players can often sound like they're just going through the motions with such tactics, but not Joe.
Some jazz fans regard Joe's approach of soloing around triads & altered extensions as rather dated but I love it! Compare this originally 1964 release with, say, the 1991 "Virtuoso live!" recording & it becomes clear that Joe never really tried to break any new ground (unlike, say, Miles Davis whose work spans an enormous range of styles through his career).
However, whilst its true that Joe really had just the one approach to guitar he was undeniably a master at what he did. Superb stuff.
