American jazz guitarist and vocalist
John Pizzarelli
Birth name John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. Born (1960-04-06 ) April 6, 1960 (age 64)
Paterson , New Jersey, U.S.Genres
Jazz ,
swing Occupation(s) Musician, singer, composer Instrument(s) Guitar, vocals Years active 1980–present Labels
P-Vine ,
Chesky ,
Novus ,
RCA ,
Telarc ,
Arbors ,
Concord Website
www .johnpizzarelli .com
Musical artist
John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960) is an American
jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including
Paul McCartney ,
James Taylor ,
Rosemary Clooney ; his father, jazz guitarist
Bucky Pizzarelli ; and his wife, singer
Jessica Molaskey .
[1]
[2]
Early life
The son of swing guitarist
Bucky Pizzarelli , John Pizzarelli was born in
Paterson , New Jersey. He started on guitar when he was six and played trumpet through his college years.
[3] He attended
Don Bosco Preparatory High School , an all-boys Catholic school. In his teens, he performed with
Benny Goodman ,
Les Paul ,
Zoot Sims ,
Slam Stewart , and
Clark Terry .
[4]
Pizzarelli attended the
University of Tampa and
William Paterson University , though he has said that his most important teacher was his father from 1980 to 1990.
[3] During the 1980s, he established himself as a jazz guitarist and a vocalist. He released his debut solo album,
I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father) , in 1983.
[5]
Career
During the 1990s, Pizzarelli played in a trio with
Ray Kennedy and
Martin Pizzarelli , his younger brother. In the summer of 1993, Pizzarelli was the opening act for
Frank Sinatra and four years later, Pizzarelli starred in
Dream , a Broadway show devoted to the music of
Johnny Mercer .
[3]
[5] He has named
Nat King Cole as the inspiration for his career
[3] and honors that influence in the albums
Dear Mr. Cole (BMG, 1994) and
P.S. Mr. Cole (RCA, 1999). He has also recorded tribute albums to Frank Sinatra,
Duke Ellington ,
Antônio Carlos Jobim ,
Richard Rodgers , and
Paul McCartney .
[5] He and his father accompanied
Annie Ross on her album To Lady with Love (Red Anchor, 2014), a tribute to
Billie Holiday that Ross recorded when she was eighty-four.
[6]
He has hosted a national radio show, Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli , with his wife, singer and actress
Jessica Molaskey .
[3] Other musicians he has worked with include
George Shearing ,
Rosemary Clooney ,
Johnny Frigo ,
Buddy DeFranco ,
Jack Gibbons , the
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra , the
Boston Pops Orchestra , and the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra .
[7]
He sang the 1999 big-band jingle for
Foxwoods Resort Casino , titled "The Wonder of It All."
[8]
Pizzarelli was a co-producer of the
James Taylor album
American Standard , which was nominated and won the
Grammy in the category of "
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album " on November 24, 2020.
[9]
Personal life
John Pizzarelli and his wife [Jessica Molaskey] own a vacation cabin overlooking Barrett Pond in Carmel, NY. They often co-host their syndicated radio show, Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli from the cabin and do much of their musical work there.
[10]
Pizzarelli's
father died on April 1, 2020, from complications to
COVID-19 .
[11] Pizzarelli's mother died one week later on April 8, 2020.
[12]
[13]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father) (Stash, 1983)
Hit That Jive, Jack! (Stash, 1985)
Sing! Sing! Sing! (Stash, 1987)
My Blue Heaven (Chesky, 1990)
All of Me (Novus, 1992)
Naturally (Novus, 1993)
New Standards (Novus, 1994)
Dear Mr. Cole (Novus, 1994)
After Hours (Novus, 1996)
Let's Share Christmas (RCA, 1996)
Our Love Is Here to Stay (RCA, 1997)
Meets the Beatles (RCA, 1998)
P.S. Mr. Cole (RCA, 1999)
Kisses in the Rain (Telarc, 2000)
Let There Be Love (Telarc, 2000)
The Rare Delight of You (Telarc, 2002) with
George Shearing
Live at Birdland (Telarc, 2003)
Bossa Nova (Telarc, 2004)
Knowing You (Telarc, 2005)
Just Friends with Rick Haydon (Mel Bay, 2006)
Dear Mr. Sinatra (Telarc, 2006) with
Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
With a Song in My Heart (Telarc, 2008)
Rockin' in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington (Telarc, 2010)
Double Exposure with
Tessa Souter (Telarc, 2012)
John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland (Vector, 2015)
Midnight McCartney (Concord, 2015)
Sinatra & Jobim @ 50 (Concord, 2017)
For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole (Ghostlight, 2019)
Better Days Ahead: Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny (Ghostlight, 2021)
Stage & Screen (Palmetto, 2023)
With
Bucky Pizzarelli
Nirvana , Bucky Pizzarelli (Delta, 1995)
Contrasts (Arbors, 1999)
Passion Guitars (Groove Jams, 1999)
Twogether (Victrola, 2001)
Around the World in 80 Years , Bucky Pizzarelli (Victoria, 2006)
Generations (Arbors, 2007)
Sunday at Pete's, The Pizzarelli Boys (Challenge, 2007)
Pizzarelli Party , Arbors All Stars (Arbors, 2009)
Diggin' Up Bones , Bucky Pizzarelli (Arbors, 2009)
Desert Island Dreamers , The Pizzarelli Boys (Arbors, 2010)
Back in the Saddle Again , Bucky Pizarelli (Arbors, 2010)
Family Fugue (Arbors, 2011)
With
Jessica Molaskey
As producer or co-producer
With
James Taylor and
Dave O'Donnell
As sideman or guest
With
Monty Alexander
My America (Telarc, 2002)
With
Harry Allen
Are You Having Any Fun? (Audiophile, 1994)
Harry Allen Meets John Pizzarelli Trio (BMG, 1996)
Tenors Anyone? (Slider, 2004)
With Sam Arlen
Arlen Plays Arlen: The Timeless Tribute to Harold Arlen (Arbors, 2005)
With
Debby Boone
With
Cheryl Bentyne
The Book of Love (Telarc, 2006)
With
Ray Brown
Some of My Best Friends Are...Guitarists (Telarc, 2002)
With
Rosemary Clooney
With
Kristin Chenoweth
With
Buddy DeFranco
Cookin' the Books (Arbors, 2004)
With Karen Egert
That Thing Called Love (Egert Productions, 2007)
With
Johnny Frigo
Live from Studio A in New York City (Chesky, 1989)
With
Natalie Cole
With
Sara Gazarek
With
Stephane Grappelli
Live at the Blue Note (Telarc, 1995)
With
Skitch Henderson and
Bucky Pizzarelli
With
Hilary Kole
Haunted Heart (Justin Time, 2009)
With
Erich Kunzel
Got Swing! (Telarc, 2002)
Christmastime Is Here (Telarc, 2006)
With
The Manhattan Transfer
With
Paul McCartney
With
Jane Monheit
With
Rickie Lee Jones
With Donnie O'Brien
Meets Manhattan Swing in a Basie Mood (Arbors, 2003)
With
Curtis Stigers
Real Emotional (Concord, 2007)
With
James Taylor
With
Aaron Weinstein
A Handful of Stars (Arbors, 2005)
Blue Too (Arbors, 2007)
References
^
John Pizzarelli biography at
AllMusic
^
John Pizzarelli credits at
AllMusic
^
a
b
c
d
e Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists . San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 153.
ISBN
978-1-61713-023-6 .
^ Lamb, Buzz (January 2016).
"John Pizzarelli" (PDF) . Jazz and Blues Florida . Retrieved June 7, 2017 .
^
a
b
c Collar, Matt.
"John Pizzarelli" . AllMusic . Retrieved May 15, 2017 .
^ Loudon, Christopher (January 11, 2015).
"Annie Ross: To Lady with Love" . JazzTimes . Retrieved May 15, 2017 .
^
John Pizzarelli's Complete Discography
Archived September 17, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine at albumcredits.com
^
"Meet Me At Foxwoods (FULL) (1:01)" .
YouTube . March 18, 2019.
Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2020 .
^
"2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List' " . November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020 .
^ Keates, Nancy (September 21, 2012).
"All Quiet Except for the Singing" .
Wall Street Journal . Retrieved January 11, 2024 .
^ Westhoven, William (April 2, 2020).
"Jazz-guitar great Bucky Pizzarelli dies at 94 after testing positive for coronavirus" .
USA Today .
McLean, Virginia . Retrieved April 4, 2020 .
^
"Loved and Lost: Musician Bucky Pizzarelli and his wife Ruth complemented each other for 66 years" .
^
"Ruth Elizabeth Pizzarelli Obituary (1930 - 2020) the Record/Herald News" .
Legacy.com .
^
"James Taylor Official Site' " . February 28, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020 .
External links
Studio albums Live albums Collaborations Guest performer Associated acts
International National Artists Other