Joe Pass - Portraits of Duke Ellington (1974).

“Portraits of Duke Ellington“ is an album by jazz guitarist Joe Pass that was released in 1975. It peaked at number 37 on the Jazz Albums chart. It is a tribute to jazz musician Duke Ellington and was recorded shortly after his death. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ I am more of a jazz piano trio fan, but this album literally stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it. In fact, this is the album that opened my mind and ears to guitar-centric jazz in general and Joe Pass in particular. Sadly there are no sound samples on this page at the time of this review. Words cannot describe how beautifully Pass handles Ellington’s compositions and signature tunes. Granted, credit also goes to Ray Brown on bass and Bobby Durham on drums, but it’s Pass and his guitar that make this album special. Ellington’s tunes were always personal as well as complicated. He wrote and arranged for specific musicians instead of in