John Pizzarelli

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John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960 in Paterson , New Jersey ) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter of mainstream jazz and pop jazz .

John Pizzarelli (2001)

Live and act

Pizzarelli comes from a family of musicians. The guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli is his father; one of his sisters, Mary, is also a guitarist; his younger brother Martin plays the double bass. At the age of six he was sent to take banjo lessons with Peter and Bobby Domenick, his great uncles. At the age of ten or eleven he switched to the guitar, which he learned as a self-taught . In high school he played blues rock in a garage band .

Pizzarelli then studied music and music education at the University of Tampa , where he majored in trumpet . After spending three semesters in Florida, he continued his studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. Outside of class, he played guitar in restaurants and coffeehouses and sang songs by James Taylor , Michael Franks and Kenny Rankin .

In 1980 he recorded a duo album with his father, 2x7 = Pizzarelli (like his father and sister Mary, he plays a seven-string guitar ). His debut album followed in 1983 with the title I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father) , which also introduced him as a singer, trumpeter and keyboards. The repertoire included classics by Nat King Cole as well as the title track written by Dave Frishberg , two songs by Joe Mooney and two own songs. Other albums in a similar mix followed. He also performed with his father as well as Ray Brown , Barney Kessel , Sweets Edison and Herb Ellis . In response to Harry Connick , he was signed to Chesky to record an album as a pop jazz singer. My Blue Heaven was created in 1990 with his father, pianist Dave McKenna , bassist Milt Hinton , trumpeter Clark Terry and drummer Connie Kay . JazzTimes magazine nicknamed him “Mr. Natural ".

In 1992, after switching to RCA, the big band album All of Me was created . He was best known for the Pizzarelli Trio, consisting of himself, his brother Martin (bass) and the pianist Ray Kennedy , who replaced Ken Levinsky in 1993 . Among the albums, some stand out as homage to specific musicians or styles of music, for example PS Mr. Cole (1999) for Nat King Cole and Bossa Nova (2004). On the album by jazz singer Annie Ross To Lady with Love , released in 2014 by Red Anchor , he and his father provided the musical accompaniment as guitarists. At the suggestion of Paul McCartney , who brought him as a studio musician for his album Kisses on the Bottom , in 2015 he also recorded an album of lesser-known McCartney melodies "in a mild jazz style". In addition, albums with his father such as Sunday at Pete’s , Family Fugue and Three for All were made .

The guitarist lives in New York City . He has been married to actress and singer Jessica Molaskey since 1998. They have a daughter together. Pizzarelli also has a grown son from a previous relationship. In 2012 he published his autobiography World on a String: a musical memoir (with co-author Joseph Cosgriff) .

Discographic notes

  • I'm Hip, Please Don't Tell My Father , 1983
  • Hit that Jive Jack! , 1985
  • My Blue Heaven , 1990
  • All of Me , 1991
  • Naturally , 1993
  • Dear Mr. Cole , 1994
  • New Standards , 1994
  • After Hours , 1996
  • Let's Share Christmas , 1996
  • Our Love Is Here to Stay , 1997
  • Meets the Beatles , 1998
  • PS Mr. Cole , 1999
  • Kisses in the Rain , 2000
  • Let There be Love , 2000
  • Twogether , 2001
  • The Rare Delight of You , 2002
  • Sing! Sing! Sing! , 2003
  • Live at Birdland , 2003
  • Bossa Nova , 2004
  • Knowing You , 2005
  • Dear Mr. Sinatra , 2006
  • Rhythm is our Business , 2006
  • With a Song in My Heart , 2008
  • Rockin 'in Rhythm - A Tribute to Duke Ellington , 2010
  • Double Exposure , 2012
  • John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer - Live at Birdland , 2015
  • Midnight McCartney , 2015
  • Sinatra & Jobim @ 50 , 2017

Web links

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c biography
  2. ↑ Review by Christopher Loudon , JazzTimes January 11, 2015, accessed January 24, 2015
  3. ↑ Midnight McCartney: John Pizzarelli Discusses Reinterpreting Paul McCartney's Solo Catalog (GuitarWorld)
personal data
SURNAME Pizzarelli, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pizzarelli, John Paul Jr. (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz guitarist, singer, and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH April 6, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Paterson