At first glance, this project, which would be
Joe Pass' final recording, might seem a bit unlikely.
Pass is teamed up with country guitarist
Roy Clark to play a set of
Hank Williams tunes, but the date is actually quite successful.
Clark has long been a closet jazz player; many of
Williams' tunes have attractive chord changes, and
Pass had his longtime rhythm section (rhythm guitarist
John Pisano, bassist
Jim Hughart and drummer
Colin Bailey) serving as a solid foundation. Such songs as "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" work quite well in this setting. Since
Clark (a brilliant guitarist himself) had long been a
Joe Pass fan, the results are both competitive and complementary. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow