Mar 18 2008
Joe Pass: Ain’t Misbehavin’
Joe Pass, born in 1929, grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was given a cheap Harmony guitar when he was 9 years old and taught himself how to play it, with a lot of encouragement from his non-musician father. Joe has an idiosyncratic playing style. Although he plays a steel stringed, arch top, electric guitar, he plays it with bare fingertips, like a classical guitarist. He plays bass lines which anticipate the chord changes as he is playing the melody.
Earlier I posted Fats Waller playing and singing “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Here Joe shows us a very different way to present the song. The clip is from a TV special hosted by Ella Fitzgerald, whom Joe often accompanied. Another day I will post a video of them performing together.
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