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Pasquale Grasso

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Bill Godwin

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Mar 28, 2015, 7:48:10 AM3/28/15
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First time I've heard of him

looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75

clevelandjazz

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Mar 28, 2015, 8:17:31 AM3/28/15
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he and peter mazza are my two favorite solo guitarists. I think you got that link from my youtube posting? :)

Here's my other favorite solo guitarist, peter mazza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmIe-z0ZB0s

David J. Littleboy

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Mar 28, 2015, 8:22:46 AM3/28/15
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"Bill Godwin" wrote:
>looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75

That's one really big bloke with enormous hands or one really tiny guitar...

--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

Bill Godwin

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Mar 28, 2015, 8:40:10 AM3/28/15
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Jack, one of my local guitar buds hipped me to Pasquale via FB : )

Yeah Peter Mazza is great ! I was happy to connect him with a gig outside of Boston at the Sahara club back in 2012 what a great night that was !

not sure what youtube posting you are talking about... all good

Bill Godwin

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Mar 28, 2015, 8:42:57 AM3/28/15
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certainly looks like some impressive stretch!

Gerry

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Mar 28, 2015, 12:14:42 PM3/28/15
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On 2015-03-28 12:22:44 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:

> "Bill Godwin" wrote:
>> looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75
>
> That's one really big bloke with enormous hands or one really tiny guitar...

He looks like he could crack walnuts with his pinky.

It also looks like he's playing from the wrist rather than the elbow...
--
Sunday is my new usenet day. All the others are for fun.

Gerry

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Mar 28, 2015, 12:22:39 PM3/28/15
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On 2015-03-28 16:14:39 +0000, Gerry said:

> On 2015-03-28 12:22:44 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:
>
>> "Bill Godwin" wrote:
>>> looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75
>>
>> That's one really big bloke with enormous hands or one really tiny guitar...
>
> He looks like he could crack walnuts with his pinky.
>
> It also looks like he's playing from the wrist rather than the elbow...

Surprising that he doesn't have a listing in allmusic.com, and at
Amazon there is only a stack of mp3's available.

ott...@hotmail.com

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Mar 28, 2015, 12:41:26 PM3/28/15
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On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:48:10 AM UTC-4, Bill Godwin wrote:
Yeah great player, and he's been hanging around New York for a while.
I see on Small's Live streaming once in a while!

I guess you get to play that way when your primary influence was Art Tatum.
I read that somewhere. There's a neat youtube Vid of him playing Tea for Two out there.

Bg

Gerry

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Mar 28, 2015, 12:50:27 PM3/28/15
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On 2015-03-28 16:41:24 +0000, ott...@hotmail.com said:

> Yeah great player, and he's been hanging around New York for a while.
> I see on Small's Live streaming once in a while!
>
> I guess you get to play that way when your primary influence was Art Tatum.
> I read that somewhere.

I "read" it the first time I heard him!

> There's a neat youtube Vid of him playing Tea for Two out there.

Here 'tis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wjDaX-RZkE

Gerry

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Mar 28, 2015, 12:54:42 PM3/28/15
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I see he was once a student of Barry Harris. From wiki:

"The Jazz Cultural Theater (JCT) enjoyed a vibrant five-year run until
August 14, 1987, when its lease ran out and the rent was increased.
Barry [Harris] simply moved his jazz instrumental and vocal
instructional classes to other venues in New York City, Japan, and
Europe, supported by a devoted and ever growing international base of
students. Many of them are now professionals, including Israeli-born,
New York City-based jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, Armenian bebop pianist
Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Italian-born brothers Luigi (alto sax) and Pasquale
Grasso (guitar)."

Gerry

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Mar 28, 2015, 1:02:52 PM3/28/15
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Another doofus demonstrates their inability to use an iphone for video
recording. Still, great content:

Pasquale Grasso - Love For Sale (Same Mezzrow gig, apparently):

http://tinyurl.com/p8a326w

And some noteworthy bio material from his website:

http://pasqualegrasso.com/Bio

See you all later at the next meeting of the Pasquale Grasso fan club.

van

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Mar 28, 2015, 3:29:37 PM3/28/15
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Yesterdays is tremendous! It actually sound like Art Tatum's recording of it.
I think he does a lot of copying and transferring work of the great jazz pianists to the guitar.
TD said that he copied some of Bud Powell's version of Tea For Two.
In any case, the result is fantastic.
His brother Luigi is the same way. They've both concentrated on using more solidly musical concepts rather than the guys just trying to sound modern and overdoing those concepts.

A. Kingstone

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Mar 28, 2015, 4:31:06 PM3/28/15
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Years ago Barry Harris would say "you should hear these little cats in Italy" referring to the Grasso's. They weren't even teenagers and they'd ask Barry at his clinics "what should we practise"? Barry would reply "Charlie Parker heads". Next time Barry taught in Rome sure enough these kids had learned them.

I had a chance to hear them both in a Rome Harris workshop in 2008. They are both terrific.

clevelandjazz

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Mar 30, 2015, 2:28:22 PM3/30/15
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It's worth signing up for a small's account to hear Pasquale Grasso. Not sure if he has any CDs out but his playing is fabulous.

They've got a lot of him on smalls

http://www.smallsjazzclub.com/indexnew.cfm?eventId=3533

thomas

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Mar 30, 2015, 9:13:24 PM3/30/15
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On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:48:10 AM UTC-4, Bill Godwin wrote:
wow crazy chops. What guitar is he playing?

Docbop

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Mar 30, 2015, 9:31:42 PM3/30/15
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtbLJrUrBbw

ott...@hotmail.com

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Mar 30, 2015, 9:49:55 PM3/30/15
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I pretty well check it out every nite to see what's on!
Bg

ott...@hotmail.com

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Mar 30, 2015, 9:54:48 PM3/30/15
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> >
> > wow crazy chops. What guitar is he playing?
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtbLJrUrBbw

Heh, none of those wimpy Flat wound strings for him :-)

Bg

Tim McNamara

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Mar 30, 2015, 11:49:36 PM3/30/15
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His streches make it look like he's playing a guitar with a 22" scale.
Jeez. I've got hands bigger than that and he can stretch 2 frets or
more farther than I can- and do it perfectly fluidly. He's like a cross
between Jimmy Wyble and Chuck Wayne.

van

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Apr 1, 2015, 2:11:06 PM4/1/15
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This guy is getting ridiculous. It's time we deported him back to Italy
has anyone checked his immigration status? Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMaw7va4WI

Gerry

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Apr 1, 2015, 2:18:33 PM4/1/15
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On 2015-04-01 18:11:02 +0000, van said:

> This guy is getting ridiculous. It's time we deported him back to Italy
> has anyone checked his immigration status? Check this out:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMaw7va4WI

I think for my own mental health and healthy sense of self I should
avoid watching/listening to this guy.

It seems he may have gotten his Art Tatum right-hand precision from
classical stuff. In earlier videos I thought he was using a pick with
two addition fingers, but I've never seen his right hand during one of
his electric guitar routines.

He really does have hands of gold!

van

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Apr 1, 2015, 2:29:34 PM4/1/15
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And his brother, Luigi, is even better than he is. Luigi gets me high every time I hear him. Here they are eleven years ago with Barry Harris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksm7bTgqg2A

clevelandjazz

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Apr 1, 2015, 2:47:37 PM4/1/15
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On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 2:18:33 PM UTC-4, Gerry wrote:
There's a clear picture of his right hand in this video. He's using a pick and fingers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wT2Qx1Pl-8

He's very tall. I'm guessing he's 6'5 or something. Huge hands

clevelandjazz

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Apr 1, 2015, 3:55:10 PM4/1/15
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how do you define better?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsoMLS9gzA

van

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Apr 1, 2015, 8:45:15 PM4/1/15
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On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 3:55:10 PM UTC-4, clevelandjazz wrote:
> how do you define better?
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsoMLS9gzA

I shouldn't have said better. I just get more of a kick out of Luigi burning on a tune like "It's De Lovely" than PG, because I like Luigi's sound and Bird-like ideas more than PG's bassy, Chuck Wayne-type sound, and Bud Powell-type ideas.

It's just a matter of preference- they're both fucking great!

edisoned

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Apr 1, 2015, 9:50:10 PM4/1/15
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wow! check him out doing some Villa Lobos etudes. serious player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMaw7va4WI

David J. Littleboy

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Apr 1, 2015, 11:42:29 PM4/1/15
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"van" wrote:
>
>This guy is getting ridiculous. It's time we deported him back to Italy
>has anyone checked his immigration status? Check this out:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMaw7va4WI

Or at least get him a full size guitar.

Tim McNamara

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Apr 2, 2015, 12:06:50 AM4/2/15
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On Wed, 1 Apr 2015 11:47:32 -0700 (PDT), clevelandjazz
<jackz...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> He's very tall. I'm guessing he's 6'5 or something. Huge hands

Hell, man, I'm 6'3" and have big if perhaps not huge hands. I can't
reach a bunch of the things he pulls off casually. The fluidity of his
movements is actually kind of mesmerizing. I'd guess he must have
practiced some of these things a couple of times before making those
videos.

So he and his brother studied the Barry Harris method? I hear a lot of
stuff I like out of people that have studied that method. It sounds
like jazz to me, which is not necessarily the case with people who've
been through Berkeley.

Gerry

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Apr 2, 2015, 6:20:57 PM4/2/15
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On 2015-04-02 04:06:49 +0000, Tim McNamara said:

> On Wed, 1 Apr 2015 11:47:32 -0700 (PDT), clevelandjazz
> <jackz...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> He's very tall. I'm guessing he's 6'5 or something. Huge hands
>
> Hell, man, I'm 6'3" and have big if perhaps not huge hands. I can't
> reach a bunch of the things he pulls off casually. The fluidity of his
> movements is actually kind of mesmerizing. I'd guess he must have
> practiced some of these things a couple of times before making those
> videos.

I think he's practices a few thousand things a few thousand times
before making all videos.

> So he and his brother studied the Barry Harris method?

They studied at Barry Harris' seminars/master classes, apparently. How
much of their approach comes from his "method" and how much comes from
his mentoring/coaching I can't say.

> I hear a lot of stuff I like out of people that have studied that
> method. It sounds like jazz to me, which is not necessarily the case
> with people who've been through Berkeley.

I think it's pretty interesting stuff. I have a few zillion method and
technique books I've accrued over a lifetime. Recently I've been
taking one "last look" at scores of them, then dumping them in a box
for the garage and eventually outward bound somewhere. We've been
talking of moving and I want to free myself from the claptrap of life.

At my practice station I always have a magazine-box full of books,
usually they aren't reference. But if I have a slow day and I want to
fuss with something I pick one up. As an example you'll find Randy
Vincent's "Three-Note Voicings", Bert Ligon's "Connecting Chords" and
the like. For a few years now, Alan Kingstone's excellent "The Barry
Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar" has been here.

It's fun and interesting and worth a few bucks:

http://tinyurl.com/ndbcx2p

Sadly, I note it is "currently unavailable". As an out-of-print book,
I guess Alan won't mind me scanning it and putting it on the rmmgj
website.

Right, Alan? ===> ;-) (That's the icon for "just kidding".)

Gerry

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Apr 2, 2015, 6:21:56 PM4/2/15
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On 2015-04-01 19:55:09 +0000, clevelandjazz said:

> how do you define better?

I wonder what you're referring to.

Gerry

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Apr 2, 2015, 6:25:35 PM4/2/15
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On 2015-04-01 18:47:32 +0000, clevelandjazz said:

>> In earlier videos I thought he was using a pick with
>> two addition fingers, but I've never seen his right hand during one of
>> his electric guitar routines.
>
> There's a clear picture of his right hand in this video. He's using a
> pick and fingers.

That isn't a clear view of his hand. For me a clear view of his hand
would be to see the contact point with the strings. I've seen a bit of
it in the Villa-Lobos stuff, but he's only using fingers.

Actually, the Tea for Two video is a pretty good view, but it's grainy
and predominantly flat-picked. I get the impression that he tends to
do the one or the other, though I can see (again in T42) that he also
does the hybrid.

Gerry

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Apr 2, 2015, 6:27:17 PM4/2/15
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On 2015-04-02 00:45:11 +0000, van said:

> On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 3:55:10 PM UTC-4, clevelandjazz wrote:
>> how do you define better?
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMsoMLS9gzA
>
> I shouldn't have said better.

Ah--you're the one!

> I just get more of a kick out of Luigi burning on a tune like "It's De
> Lovely" than PG, because I like Luigi's sound and Bird-like ideas more
> than PG's bassy, Chuck Wayne-type sound, and Bud Powell-type ideas.
>
> It's just a matter of preference- they're both fucking great!

Certainly no utility of comparing, but when they're brothers I guess
it's expected. Barry does it himself in his intro to their Italian jam.

Gerry

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Apr 2, 2015, 6:27:34 PM4/2/15
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On 2015-04-02 03:42:26 +0000, David J. Littleboy said:

> "van" wrote:
>>
>> This guy is getting ridiculous. It's time we deported him back to Italy
>> has anyone checked his immigration status? Check this out:
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTMaw7va4WI
>
> Or at least get him a full size guitar.

+1

Paul

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Apr 2, 2015, 10:03:29 PM4/2/15
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On Thu, 2 Apr 2015 15:20:55 -0700, Gerry <add...@domain.com> wrote:

You can get it here: http://jazzworkshops.com as well as the
invaluable Barry Harris workshop books/dvds.

clevelandjazz

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Apr 3, 2015, 10:28:01 AM4/3/15
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I defer to the player to decide what guitar suits him instead of someone with a preconceived notion of what they should sound like.

Gerry

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Apr 3, 2015, 11:24:26 AM4/3/15
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I defer to people who say funny things: In this case it would be how a
very large man makes a regular-sized guitar look small.

bobhess

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Apr 3, 2015, 9:52:49 PM4/3/15
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On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:48:10 AM UTC-4, Bill Godwin wrote:
> First time I've heard of him
>
> looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75

He plays better than me by a mile, but sorry, I find him boring. All technique and no heart.

f7b9s...@gmail.com

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Apr 4, 2016, 11:35:24 PM4/4/16
to
On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:48:10 AM UTC-4, Bill Godwin wrote:
> First time I've heard of him
>
> looks like Some serious hybrid picking to me!
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJiWC1sSfM#t=75

Close up of Pasquale's hands:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NQbNXRyexI
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