John Pizzarelli
John Pizzarelli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Paul Pizzarelli, Jr. |
| Born | April 6, 1960 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Swing, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Labels | Telarc, RCA, Novus, Chesky, Stash |
John Paul Pizzarelli, Jr. (born April 6, 1960) is an American jazz guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader. He has had a lengthy career as a recording artist, performing for a variety of labels that include Telarc Records, RCA Records and Chesky Records, among others. He has recorded twenty-three albums of his own, as well as other joint recordings with his father, Bucky Pizzarelli. Additionally, he has appeared on more than forty albums of other recording artists, including those of Sir Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Rosemary Clooney and his wife, Jessica Molaskey.
Biography
Career
Despite his young age, Pizzarelli has recorded nearly 40 albums of music, either as the leader or in tandem with other performers. Among others, Pizzarelli has recorded with such luminaries as George Shearing, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Frigo and Buddy DeFranco, as well as the Boston Pops Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Many if not most of his albums have received good to excellent reviews and are very popular sellers. Additionally, he has been a guest performer on numerous records throughout his career, for a total of over 140 albums.[1]
Pizzarelli often performs with his own jazz quartet, composed of his brother Martin Pizzarelli on double-bass, drummer Tony Tedesco and Larry Fuller on piano. He is also sometimes compared to another jazz singer, Harry Connick, Jr., for his performances of jazz standards and overall popularity.
Particularly lauded for his swinging interpretations of jazz standards, Pizzarelli also composes his own songs, some of which have achieved a sort of modern "standard" status in their own right. He is also a fan of bossa nova and released an album entirely composed of that type of music.
Perhaps his most famous and highly-regarded album, though, is Dear Mr. Cole, an album featuring Pizzarelli's versions of some of Nat "King" Cole's most famous songs. Interestingly, the John Pizzarelli Trio only appears together on track one of the album, "Style is Back in Style". The rest features Pizzarelli performing with Christian McBride on bass and Benny Green on piano.
Pizzarelli is also known for his winning personality, and his great rapport with audiences during his live performances has gone a long way to garnering him cachet with the jazz public. He is also known to sing his solo lines while playing his guitar. His major vocal influences include Nat Cole and New Jersey jazz singer/accordionist Joe Mooney, known for his relaxed singing style.
Pizzarelli also sings the theme for Foxwoods Casino, "The Wonder of It All", in commercials.
Pizzarelli and his wife, singer Jessica Molaskey co-host the nationally syndicated weekly radio program Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli.
He appeared on the March 31, 2007 episode of the NPR weekly radio news quiz, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, on the "Not My Job" segment.
Pizzarelli sings "Happy and Proud" on Sesame Street while Elanie Bromka plays the piano.
On October 30, 2012, the book "World on a String: A Musical Memoir", an autobiography of Pizzarelli by John Pizzarelli and Joseph Cosgriff, was published.
Personal life
Pizzarelli, an Italian American, was born in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. During childhood, Pizzarelli was a counselor at the now defunct Knights Day Camp. He grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey, an all-boys Roman Catholic High School.[2] He frequently expresses pride about being from New Jersey; a fan favorite at his live shows is the Cosgriff-Bernardi number I Like Jersey Best, a largely humorous tribute to the Garden State.
Pizzarelli is a huge Boston Red Sox fan, and has played baseball (in one capacity or another) all his life. In high school he split his time between studying music and playing sports. As he once said in an interview: "I wasn't making any of the sports teams and I was a big sports fanatic. That's when I realized there was a reason why I was going to band practice." In April, 2007 he performed at the BLOHARDS luncheon at The Yale Club of New York City, the BLOHARDS being Red Sox Nation chapter in New York.[3]
He married singer Jessica Molaskey in 1998, and the couple have a daughter, Madeleine Elizabeth, who attends LaGuardia Arts. Pizzarelli also has a son, John Paul Pizzarelli, who is now attending college. They now live in New York City.
Select discography
John Pizzarelli albums
John & Bucky albums
| Released | Album | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-10 | Generations | - | Arbors Records |
| 2006-02-28 | The Best of Bucky and John Pizzarelli | - | LRC Ltd. |
| 2006-?-? | Around the World in 80 Years | - | Victoria Records |
| 2003-07-01 | Legends | w/ Skitch Henderson | Arbors Records |
| 2001-06-08 | Twogether | - | Victrola Records |
| 2001-06-03 | Passionate Guitars | - | LRC Ltd. |
| 1999-05-14 | Passion Guitars | - | Groove Jams |
| 1999-02-09 | Contrasts | - | Arbors Records |
| 1996-07-23 | Solos and Duets | - | Jazz Classics |
| 1996-05-14 | Live at the Vineyard Theatre | - | Challenge Records |
| 1995-08-01 | Nirvana | - | Delta Records |
With Jessica Molaskey
| Released | Album | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-05-08 | Sitting in Limbo | - | P.S. Classics |
| 2004-10-05 | Make Believe | - | P.S. Classics |
| 2003-05-20 | A Good Day | - | P.S. Classics |
| 2002-06-04 | Pentimento | - | Image Records |
As guest or sideman
- Please see John Pizzarelli album credits
References
- ^ John Pizzarelli's Complete Discography
- ^ Hicks, Robert. "Jazzman pays tribute to Sinatra", Daily Record (Morristown), June 12, 2007. Accessed February 22, 2011. "John studied at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey before heading off to college at the University of Tampa."
- ^ News From the BLOHARDs
External links
- Official Website
- John Pizzarelli at AllMusic
- John Pizzarelli at IMDb
- Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli
- Performance photographs, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival 2006
- Live performance photographs 15 May 2006, Jazz Alley, Seattle
- John Pizzarelli's recording of 'Look For The Silver Lining' for Pioneers For A Cure
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1960 births
- Living people
- American jazz guitarists
- American jazz singers
- American jazz songwriters
- American people of Italian descent
- Don Bosco Preparatory High School alumni
- Musicians from New Jersey
- People from Paterson, New Jersey
- Swing guitarists
- Swing singers
- American musicians
- American jazz musicians
- Seven-string guitarists