Pasquale Grasso is an Italian-born

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist based in New York City. He is known for a pianistic approach to jazz guitar influenced by

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

'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 Ariano Irpino (formerly known as ''Ariano di Puglia'' until 1930, and simply ''Ariano'' in historical sources and the Arianese dialect) is an Italian Comune (Italy), municipality with a population of 20,706 inhabitants located in the Province of ...

in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

region of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. His parents were jazz and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

lovers. His older brother Luigi took up the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

at an early age. Their father bought Pasquale his first

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

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 Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Influenced by Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Harris in turn influenc ...

' jazz workshop in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The educator and

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

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 France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

In 2008 Pasquale studied under Walter Zanetti at Bologna’s

Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini The Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini (previously known as the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, and better known in English as the Bologna Conservatory) is a college of music in Bologna, Italy. The conservatory opened on 3 December 1804, as the ...

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. 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 Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, and other places. In 2015 he released his debut album, ''Reflections of Me''. Earlier the same year he and

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

player Yvonnick Prené released the album ''Merci Toots'' which included tunes by

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

. Also in 2015 he won the

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a ...

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 Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalacqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Although Pass recorded and performed live with pianist Oscar Peterson, composer Duke Ellington, and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, he ...

and Bud Powell into one formidable, unforgettable six-string voice." In 2016

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

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 Sony Music Masterworks (also known simply as Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known ...

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 Laura Ilene Benanti (née Vidnovic; born July 15, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Benanti made her Broadway debut as an ensemble member and later as Maria von Trapp in the 1998 revival of '' The Sound of Music''. Benanti went on to ...

in October 2021 at Feinstein’s/

54 Below 54 Below is a nonprofit cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performer ...

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 Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

covers, ''Pasquale Plays Duke'', with bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla and guest vocalists

Samara Joy Samara Joy McLendon (born November 11, 1999) is an American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by ''JazzTimes''. Her second album, '' Linger Awhile'' (2022), reached number o ...

and

Sheila Jordan Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pionee ...

. 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''. In 2022, Grasso earned a Grammy Award for his work on ''Linger Awhile'', the debut studio album by jazz vocalist Samara Joy, which won ''Best Jazz Vocal Album''. In 2024, he was recognized by ''DownBeat'' magazine as ''Guitarist of the Year'' in their ''Rising Star'' category. In 2025, Grasso released ''Fervency'' with Sony Masterworks, an album featuring his longtime collaborators Keith Balla on drums and Ari Roland on double bass. He has had residencies at New York City clubs including Birdland Jazz Club in Hell’s Kitchen 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

Living people 1988 births People from Ariano Irpino Italian jazz guitarists 21st-century Italian musicians {{DEFAULTSORT:Grasso, Pasquale