While in the studio wrapping up sessions for the Fervency trio album, guitarist Pasquale Grasso found himself with two extra days booked and no fixed plan. At the suggestion of his producer, Grasso sat down alone with his guitar and let the music flow. The result is Solo Be-Bop!, a virtuosic, deeply personal solo guitar album that honors the complexity, soul, and swing of Bebop’s piano greats. Listen Here.
Grasso grew up studying the left-hand swagger and right-hand fireworks of Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, and Earl Hines. On Solo Be-Bop!, he channels their spirit into his own singular six-string language, swinging unaccompanied with total command and creativity. “Whether you’re alone or in a band, you’re supposed to swing by yourself anyway if you want to play this music,” Grasso says. And swing he does.
One of the many highlights on Solo Be-Bop! Is a dazzling version of Charlie Parker’s “Chasin’ the Bird,” which Grasso approaches as a technical etude, pushing the independence of all his fingers to new extremes.
“As a guitar player, I like to take challenges to get better technically,” Grasso says, “and this song was one song that helped me a lot to achieve independence between all my fingers Not an easy task, but very rewarding.”
Grasso’s take on “Salt Peanuts,” a song he normally plays with his trio, bursts with rhythmic vitality even in the absence of a band. The album also includes heartfelt nods to his personal influences: “Stella by Starlight” evokes warm memories of studying with Barry Harris, while the ballad “Pannonica” pays tribute to his mother’s favorite Thelonious Monk tune.
On “Sid’s Delight” (written by Tadd Dameron, one of Grasso’s favorite composers), the guitarist tried to mimic the original 1949 recording, which he says has a fantastic arrangement and a great solo by trumpeter Fats Navarro.
Grasso, who was raised on a farm in Ariano Irpino in Italy, offers a tender dedication to his family on “Time Waits,” capturing the emotional gravity of distance with striking nuance.
“It’s hard to be far away from your home and I’m so glad to have a great family that I can talk to every day and share my life,” Grasso says.
Grasso took some liberties with Bud Powell’s “Monopoly” by modifying the rhythm changes somewhat. “Bud had a different way of playing rhythm changes throughout his career, even all the songs with different chord changes,” Grasso says. “This one in particular is very hard to play.”
Not long after to moving to New York City in 2012, Grasso would see performances by pianist Sasha Perry, who would often talk about pianist Elmo Hope’s compositions and the way he played piano. Grasso got inspired to study Hope’s music and fell in love with “Stars Over Marrakech,” which he renders brilliantly on Solo Be-Bop!, alternating bass lines with the chordal melody on the verses.
With Solo Be-Bop!, Grasso doesn’t just reinterpret these pieces he inhabits them fully, creating an album that’s as daring as it is heartfelt. This is Bebop guitar at its most exposed and expressive: a masterful conversation between past and present, with no one else in the room.
SOLO BE-BOP!
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 13, 2025
TRACKLIST
1. Chasin' the Bird
2. Salt Peanuts
3. Sid's Delight
4. Time Waits
5. Manhattan
6. Monopoly
7. Stars Over Marrakech
8. Stella by Starlight
9. Happy Hour
10. Sure Thing
11. Pannonica
12. Yeheadeadeadee
