John Pizzarelli
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| John Pizzarelli | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. |
| Born | April 6, 1960 |
| Origin | U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Swing Vocal jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist jazz singer Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar Vocals |
| Label(s) | Telarc Records (current) RCA Records Novus Records Chesky Records Stash Records |
| Associated acts | Bucky Pizzarelli Martin Pizzarelli Jessica Molaskey Rosemary Clooney Clark Terry |
John Pizzarelli, Jr. (born April 6, 1960) is an Italian-American jazz guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader born in Paterson, New Jersey. He is married to torch singer Jessica Molaskey whom he has recorded with on each of her albums, and is also the son of fellow jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.
Pizzarelli 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. Additionally, he has appeared on more than forty albums of other recording artists, including those of James Taylor, Rosemary Clooney and his wife Jessica.
Pizzarelli often performs with his own jazz trio, comprised of his brother Martin Pizzarelli on double-bass 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. John has appeared in commercials for Foxwoods Casino, and he and his wife are also hosts of their own jazz radio program (Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli).
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[edit] Music & Performance
Despite his young age, John 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. 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.
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 of the album features Pizzarelli performing with Christian McBride on bass and Benny Green on the ivories.
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.
Pizzarelli also sings the theme for Foxwoods Casino, "The Wonder of It All."He now leads a quartet that includes Tony Tedesco drums, Larry Fuller on Piano and his brother Martin on bass.
John Pizzarelli and his wife, singer Jessica Molaskey co-host the nationally syndicated weekly radio program "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli."
[edit] Personal life
Pizzarelli grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, NJ, an all-boys Roman Catholic High School. 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.[1]
He married singer Jessica Molaskey in 1998, and the couple have a daughter, Madeleine Elizabeth. Pizzarelli also has a son John Paul 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.
[edit] Select discography
[edit] John Pizzarelli albums
[edit] John & Bucky albums
| Released | Album | Notes | Label |
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| 2007-04-10 |
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Arbors Records |
| 2006-02-28 |
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LRC Ltd. |
| 2006-?-? |
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Victoria Records |
| 2003-07-01 |
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Arbors Records |
| 2001-06-08 |
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Victrola Records |
| 2001-06-03 |
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LRC Ltd. |
| 1999-05-14 |
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Groove Jams |
| 1999-02-09 |
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Arbors Records |
| 1996-07-23 |
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Jazz Classics |
| 1996-05-14 |
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Challenge Records |
| 1995-08-01 |
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Delta Records |
[edit] With Jessica Molaskey
| Released | Album | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-05-08 |
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P.S. Classics |
| 2004-10-05 |
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P.S. Classics |
| 2003-05-20 |
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P.S. Classics |
| 2002-06-04 |
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Image Records |
[edit] As guest or sideman
- Please see John Pizzarelli album credits
