"With Solo Masterpieces, Grasso has gathered music from each of his first solo guitar EPs and melded them. The result is a masterful collection that allows audiences to revel in Grasso’s previous work whilst simultaneously creating an air of excitement for the music yet to be released. The series, which has received critical acclaim thus far, marks a turning point into the new decade and Solo Masterpieces is the encapsulation of the majesty within the music.

Many serious guitar heads have been hip to Grasso for a while now and are aware of his jaw-dropping online performance videos and his early career triumphs. In 2015, he won the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in New York City, taking home a $5,000 prize and performing with guitar legend Pat Martino’s organ trio. His Sony Masterworks series showcases his sweeping abilities in the most intimate setting possible. “Playing solo guitar is a very intimate experience for me, forcing me to find my own way of improvising on my favorite songs while directly facing the challenges that the guitar presents,” said Grasso.

The series acts as a study in the world of infinite possibilities held within a single instrument. “The key is always to try to find what works on your instrument, which is why studying classical guitar was so influential on how I hear music,” Grasso explains. “When playing classical guitar, it’s like you’re a little orchestra by yourself – you can sound like violin, cello, brass, eta. And technically, it has allowed me to develop original ways of playing my left and right hands independently while also trying to represent the bass and rhythm, with one note leading to the next.

“The fact is, growing up, other than the great Charlie Christian, I never really listened much to guitarists. It was usually pianists. In particular, when playing solo guitar, my initial inspiration came when I was seven years old, listening to the greats Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk. What always amazed me was that although they were playing alone, I felt I could hear the entire band with them.”

Guitar virtuoso Pasquale Grasso presents Be-Bop! a brilliant new tribute to be-bop pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Be-Bop! kicks off in exhilarating fashion with Dizzy’s quintessential 1942 composition, “A Night in Tunisia." Grasso achieves an astonishing balance of technical wizardry and swing, sounding like two guitarists coming out of the gate on the challenging head on top of the syncopated Latin rhythm. (Sony)

This release finds Grasso reimagining five Duke Ellington classics on solo guitar, alongside several additional tracks recorded with longtime collaborators bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla. The album features some of Ellington's most-cherished masterpieces including "Sophisticated Lady," "Prelude to a Kiss," "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "Cotton Tail," with guest vocalists Sheila Jordan and Samara Joy making appearances on "Mood Indigo" and "Solitude," respectively.