JOE PASS1929年出生在美国宾夕法尼亚.9岁的JOE PASS就开始学习吉他了，到他14的时候就在当地小有名气了。18岁的时候他已是当时著名的乐队 TONY PASTOR的成员了，天才在少年时代已经非常了得了．但是后来象所以不听话的孩子一样JOE PASS辍学了．并离开了自己的家乡，到了纽约开始的吉他手生涯,可是不辛的是JOE PASS染上了吸毒，这时的JOE PASS只是给一些商业唱片公司录制一些流行音乐伴奏.由于吸毒的原因他不得不经常出入戒毒所甚至监狱,但这丝毫没有影响他对吉他对音乐的热情,反而使他对音乐对吉他有了更深的认识和了解,他把自己所有的情感都容人他的吉他.之后的JOE PASS和毒品抗争了10年多的时间,终于戒掉了毒瘾。
1961年，JOE和ARNOLD ROSS合作出了一张名为“famous Sounds of Synanon”的专辑,受到了圈内许多音乐人的肯定．并成功的在洛杉机的各大录音棚做了录音室吉他手.,后来JOE PASS的吉他演奏被越来越多的音乐家肯定。
没多久JOE PASS就签约到了刚刚成立不久的PABLO唱片公司．在那里JOE PASS录制许多经典的吉他唱片,其中就有他著名的VIRTUOSO系列唱片,此后的JOE PASS开始和一些我们熟知的JAZZ大牌们一起合作并录制了许多经典JAZZ唱片.包括著名的JAZZ女歌手Ella Fitzgerald .JAZZ大师Oscar Peterson.　Conti Candoli.　Chet Baker.还有J ．J ．Jonson。
JOE PASS的在他的吉他世界中,把和声的Bass声部，和声色彩，即兴Solo完美的结合在一起，他时常是用一把吉他演奏整首JAZZ曲子.从INTRO到主旋律再到即兴Solo，这需要有非常好的手指技巧才能表现出来，而且要把和声转位，Bass线条，Solo的美感都考虑进来，想想够难的了吧．JOE PASS做到了，他把JAZZ吉他的魅力带给了全世界喜欢吉他的朋友们．真希望在很久的将来有中国的吉他手也能做到。
by Scott Yanow
Joe Pass did the near-impossible. He was able to play up-tempo versions of bop tunes such as Cherokee and How High the Moon unaccompanied on the guitar. Unlike Stanley Jordan, Pass used conventional (but superb) technique, and his Virtuoso series on Pablo still sounds remarkable decades later.
Joe Pass had a false start in his career. He played in a few swing bands (including Tony Pastors) before graduating from high school, and was with Charlie Barnet for a time in 1947. But after serving in the military, Pass became a drug addict, serving time in prison and essentially wasting a decade. He emerged in 1962 with a record cut at Synanon, made a bit of a stir with his For Django set, recorded several other albums for Pacific Jazz and World Pacific, and performed with Gerald Wilson, Les McCann, George Shearing, and Benny Goodman (1973).
However, in general Pass maintained a low profile in Los Angeles until he was signed by Norman Granz to his Pablo label. 1973s Virtuoso made him a star and he recorded very prolifically for Pablo, unaccompanied, with small groups, on duo albums with Ella Fitzgerald, and with such masters as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, and Dizzy Gillespie. Pass remained very active up until his death from cancer.