Bringing back some good ol' jazz this week.
For a virtuoso of Joe Pass's stature, there are terribly few people who still listen to him. Considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, Joe Pass is not unlike his contemporaries. Having braved a tumultuous heroin addiction, he emerged as a strong name as a jazz guitarist with frequent collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald.
This track was my introduction to Joe Pass. There is a peculiar assumed innocence to it. Perhaps the title so suggests; the story of a timid lover who can only love from a distance. The track only justifies it. Our protagonist is engrossed in a conversation with himself where he argues that he is the man for his muse and she just does not know it yet, only to retract from this position to assert that he is not good enough for her. He does not stand a ghost of a chance with her because he will never take the opportunity to know for sure.
To me, this is the most interesting aspect of the track. It is reminiscent of all those times we have longed for someone and never had the courage to do anything about it. The track is both representational and inspirational, hinged solely on Pass's genius with unusual chord progressions on the guitar.
If you need some acoustic courage this week to take a bold step, let this be your mantra.
You can learn more about Joe Pass here:
About the curator - Aarushi Aggarwal
Aarushi is a senior at college and is majoring in history and international relations. Her music library is as much home to jazz as it is to Indian classical. Her passion for discovering new music far supersedes other equally important things like finishing assignments on time. She loves dogs, coffee and chocolate.
