1985 · Album
Whitestone
Released: 1985 · Notable: Second Brazilian-pop influenced album; first was Tudo Bem! in 1978
When Lightning Strikes Twice, It Dims
Pass sounds fine, but the overall results are not too substantial or memorable.
Seven years after Tudo Bem! (1978), Joe Pass returned to the Brazilian-pop territory that had worked for him before. Whitestone arrives as a second act in a specific story—the guitarist revisiting a sound he'd already explored rather than venturing further into it. The problem is simple: lightning doesn't strike the same way twice.
AllMusic critic Scott Yanow heard what many listeners probably sensed immediately. The material here lacks the spark of the earlier Brazilian set. Pass plays with his usual fluency and precision—he always does—but fluency alone isn't enough when the songs themselves aren't pulling their weight. There's a difference between a guitarist phoning it in and a guitarist playing well over material that just doesn't call for his best ideas. This falls into the latter category. You can hear a professional doing his job competently without hearing him challenged or excited by what's in front of him.
Whitestone matters mainly as a marker of where Pass's interests lay by the mid-1980s and as a reminder that returning to a previous success doesn't automatically produce another one. If you're exploring his discography, start with Tudo Bem! (1978) first—it has the freshness and commitment that this follow-up lacks. Whitestone is for the committed Pass listener, not for anyone trying to understand why he mattered.
