Pasquale Grasso

Pasquale Grasso is an Italian-born jazz guitarist based in New York City. He is known for a pianistic approach to jazz guitar influenced by Bud Powell's style, and for using classical position and technique enabled by classical training.

Early life and musical beginnings

Grasso grew up on a farm in Ariano Irpino in the Campania region of Italy. His parents were jazz and classical music lovers. His older brother Luigi took up the saxophone at an early age. Their father bought Pasquale his first guitar when he was five, and by the time he was nine and Luigi was 11 they were performing locally.

Grasso's first important mentor was Agostino Di Giorgio. Then in summer 1998 Pasquale attended Barry Harris' jazz workshop in Switzerland. The educator and bebop pianist brought Pasquale and Luigi into his international workshops, where over the next five years they became instructors. Pasquale became Harris’ guitar teaching assistant and has conducted workshops in Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Holland, and Slovenia.

In 2008 Pasquale studied under Walter Zanetti at Bologna’s Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini and earned a degree in classical guitar. Here he developed his own approach to jazz guitar, combining classical tradition with Chuck Wayne’s modern technique.

Music career: 2011–present

In 2012 he moved to New York City. He became part of the Ari Roland Quartet and the Chris Byars Quartet, with both of which he toured and recorded. Later that year, Pasquale was named a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, and toured on behalf of the embassy in Europe, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Lithuania, Ukraine, and other places.

In 2015 he released his debut album, Reflections of Me. The same year he and harmonica player Yvonnick Prené released the album Merci Toots which included tunes by Toots Thielemans, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker.

Also in 2015 he won the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition. One of the judges, Bill Milkowski, wrote later that Pasquale had "stunned the judges...with his sheer speed and fluency, precise articulation and sophisticated eloquence on the instrument, combining aspects of Joe Pass and Bud Powell into one formidable, unforgettable six-string voice."

In 2016 Pat Metheny told Vintage Guitar magazine that Grasso was “the best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.”

In 2017, Pasquale signed with Sony Masterworks and, working with producer Matt Pierson, recorded a series of solo recordings, released as digital EPs, beginning in 2019 and starting with Solo Standards Vol. 1 followed by Solo Ballads Vol.1, Solo Monk, Solo Bud Powell, Solo Holiday, and Solo Bird. An album comprising tracks from these recordings was released as Solo Masterpieces in 2020.

In November 2020 he performed a run of shows with Laura Benanti in October 2021 at Feinstein’s/54 Below and was featured on Benanti's 2020 self-titled album and on her "Go Slow" single and video. He appeared with Benanti again in 2021, at Feinstein's Diamond Series concert.

On 17 September 2021 Sony Masterworks released his album of Duke Ellington covers, Pasquale Plays Duke, with bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla and guest vocalists Samara Joy and Sheila Jordan. The same year he appeared leading the trio backing Samara Joy on her album Samara Joy. On 15 February 2022 he performed on the Today Show with Samara Joy, and appeared on her 2022 album Linger Awhile.

He has had residencies at New York City clubs including Django in TriBeCa, Tartina in Harlem and Mezzrow in the West Village.

Pasquale plays a "Modello Pasquale Grasso” guitar made for him by American luthier living in France, Bryant Trenier and uses a restored 1953 Gibson GA-50 amp.

Discography

Albums and EPs as leader

As a sideman

References