BopFest Jazz Festival: Pasquale Grasso Masterclass

"The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso. This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult… his model – which is an incredible model to have – is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years. That’s exciting for me.” – Pat Metheny

On his first ever visit to the UK to perform and teach, Pasquale leads a 2 hour masterclass, covering guitar technique, improvisation, solo playing, group playing, and more.

Based in New York City, the 30-year-old guitarist has developed an astounding technique and concept informed by piano and horn pioneers like Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and the classical-guitar tradition.

Barry Harris, the world-renowned jazz educator and bebop piano master, became a significant influence when he first met an 8 year old Pasquale in 1998. Harris took Pasquale and his brother, Luigi, under his wing. Over the span of the next 5 years, the Grasso brothers became pillars of Harris’ international workshops and were quickly promoted from mere attendees to instructors for the other students. Pasquale was named Harris' guitar teaching assistant and for the last ten years he has conducted workshops all over the world.