JUN 7-17 | 40TH ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL
Jun 11, 2023
Joe Henderson Lab
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
Described by jazz guitar icon Pat Metheny as “the best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life,” Italian-born virtuoso Pasquale Grasso brings his signature blend of rapturous swing and jaw-dropping technique to the Joe Henderson Lab.
A prodigious musician blessed with perfect pitch, Grasso began on guitar at five and was performing in public by nine. He was inspired by the limitless abilities of pianists Bud Powell and Art Tatum and sought to emulate the sound and dexterity they brought to the music, along with their ability to play chords and melody simultaneously — a distinction that sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Mentored by the late piano master and educator Barry Harris, who he considers a surrogate grandfather, Grasso won the 2015 Wes Montgomery International Guitar Competition and performed at the Kennedy Center for the NEA Jazz Master Tribute Concert in 2018 honoring Pat Metheny alongside his contemporaries Camila Meza, Nir Felder, Dan Wilson, and Gilad Hekselman.
As of 2022, Grasso has released a series of Sony Masterworks digital EPs devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker, along with full-length tributes to Bud Powell and Duke Ellington. His latest release, Be-Bop, salutes the 1940s bebop pioneers and features fellow San Francisco Jazz Festival performer Samara Joy.
Grasso's latest release, Be-Bop, salutes the 1940s bebop pioneers and features fellow San Francisco Jazz Festival performer Samara Joy.
Grasso is a brilliant jazz improviser whose elegant melodic lines and speed-demon runs reveal the ever-present influence of historic jazz pianist Art Tatum.
DownBeat
Grasso is a brilliant jazz improviser whose elegant melodic lines and speed-demon runs reveal the ever-present influence of historic jazz pianist Art Tatum.
DownBeat
Personnel
Pasquale Grasso guitar
The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.
Pat Metheny on Pasquale Grasso
Personnel
Pasquale Grasso guitar
The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.
Pat Metheny on Pasquale Grasso
Watch & Listen
Pasquale Grasso
A Night in Tunisia
Pasquale Grasso
Day Dream
Pasquale Grasso
A Night in Tunisia
Pasquale Grasso
Day Dream