Artist Interview by: Charles Sudo
Unassuming, carefree, and humble are words that describe John Pizzarelli. In fact, humility is one of Pizzarelli’s most amazing qualities; one that was instilled in him at an early age by his father, the legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. It is that sense of respect towards the great musicians that have gone before him that has formed most of his work since going solo in 1990. During the following twelve years, Pizzarelli built a steady and solid career as an understated singer, inventive guitarist, and master translator of the Great American Songbook. The John Pizzarelli Trio, with John’s brother Martin and pianist Ray Kennedy, is a solid live act inspired by the sounds of the Nat King Cole Trio and Oscar Peterson.
The Telarc label recently released “The Rare Delight of You,” a collaboration with the legendary pianist George Shearing and his quintet. The album finds Pizzarelli meshing seamlessly with Shearing’s quintet as they play inventive takes of classic songs and the Pizzarelli penned title track. I recently spoke with Pizzarelli about working with Shearing, his apprenticeship with his father, and other subjects.
Jazz Review: First, congratulations on the release of The Rare Delight of You. I’ll begin with an obvious question: What was it like working with George Shearing?
John Pizzarelli: It was a great experience. I loved going to George’s apartment, we live a couple of blocks from each other, and picking songs, hearing ideas. He is so in command of the piano that his playing created a backdrop, and watching how he put forth these songs was an amazing experience and made this a lot easier.
Jazz Review: The liner notes on the album show that it was recorded in the aftermath of September 11th, and I have to ask if that added any weight to the recording in the aftermath of the bombings?
John Pizzarelli: In a certain way. It was literally a month later that we recorded the album, so some of the songs were interesting. ‘The Lady’s In Love with You’ has a line that goes, ‘If you travel by plane, she says ‘take the train.’ It was an interesting lyric. We saw two extra verses to that song and decided to do all three verses. Other songs, like ‘September in the Rain,’ ‘Something To Remember You By,’ all had added meaning after that.
At the end of the session, I like to do an audio Christmas card. It’s something I do all the time and I asked George if he would do it. I wanted to do a totally different song with George and he sat down and played ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ up front. It just seemed to be more up front because by that time we had the anthrax scare and Reg and Neil (Schwager and Swainson, the guitarist and bassist in Shearing’s quintet, respectively) came down to New York from Canada, so they were a little worried about traveling. It all worked out well in the end.
Jazz Review: Were there any feelings of intimidation working with Shearing? Did you feel comfortable making suggestions and presenting your ideas to him?
John Pizzarelli: Absolutely. I think that one of my strengths is that growing up with my father, playing with guys like Zoot Sims and Slam Stewart, my father made a point of me having a certain level of respect for these songs, these players, and the tradition behind them. It helped me get to know George more easily. We would do radio shows in the eighties, and that helped me really know his music.
On this record, I [envisioned] things I wanted to do over the years, put on record, and George was particularly comfortable with that. We both love to rehearse, so I’d come over [to Shearing’s.] He’d tell stories and we’d play. So the respect was there, and that helped. But I also knew that when I had to perform, I had to be ready to play with these guys. I can’t blame it on nerves.
Jazz Review: How accommodating was the rest of the quintet during the recording?
John Pizzarelli: Amazing, again. There are not a lot of playing groups out there that have the longevity together like George’s. Neil’s been with him for fourteen years, Reg for eight. (Dennis) Mackrel (drums) and (Ted) Piltzecker) (vibes) have been with him for a while and they have such a love for George. I mean, here’s a man who’s 82 years old, blind, and playing great music.
It was nice to watch the group work. George will play for Reg, Reg writes it out for the rest of the band, and George has to remember all of it. Not a lot of sight can do that, and they all love the man so much, that they let him know when he’s off track. They keep him on his toes.
Jazz Review: How did your band mates feel about the album?
John Pizzarelli: My brother understood. Ray thought I was going to break up the band (laughs). Ray and I were driving one day and I brought it up to him. I said, ‘Telarc wants me to record an album with George Shearing. Should I do it?’ And Ray said, “Of course you should make the record!’ Two of Ray’s influences are George and Oscar Peterson. When they heard that I was gong to record with George, the guys were thrilled. They’re so proud that they say that ‘we’ recorded with Shearing.
Jazz Review: How firm a hand did your father have in your musical development?
John Pizzarelli: I would say it was just right. When I was beginning to play guitar and would get to a new place on my own, my father would show me a new direction. I would say eighty to ninety percent of my musical education I received from my father. From the time I was twenty until I turned thirty, the money I made and the gigs I played were with my dad. Driving to Providence, Boston, I would make tapes and we would talk about them, break them down. Live, he’d play some of the songs, but he’d never look at you and say ‘B flat 7.’ From that foundation, I learned to sing songs and how to play songs if someone sang it to me. If they could sing it, I could play it.
Jazz Review: Was your father more demanding of you than other people who played for him?
John Pizzarelli: He was more protective in certain ways. Dad didn’t want me to get into any editorial trouble. I debuted on a record in 1983, and from there I started getting calls to play in clubs. My dad told me I had to be ready for these things. It was good to have [his advice]. So I took my time, played with my father. Then Harry Connick came along and suddenly everybody wanted to sign a boy singer, but I was more prepared for it by then. I was thirty when I went solo, and Connick’s popularity peaked when I got started at Chessky [John’s first label]
Jazz Review: Your other main influence, besides your father, is the classic trio sound of Nat King Cole, correct?
John Pizzarelli: Generally, we are that sound. We try to strike a happy medium between the Cole trio sound and Oscar Peterson. When you think of Nat Cole, Nat was very commercial, but when Ray joined the group nine years ago, his main influence was Oscar. I hadn’t listened to Oscar’s records at all. Then I started to pick up things from Peterson records, how he would set the tone. We are thought of as more of a commercial-type band. It’s become over nine years a sort of, ‘This is what I do.’ A DJ friend of mine recently said, ‘We know what to expect with a John Pizzarelli record.’
Jazz Review: What else did you listen to growing up?
John Pizzarelli: James Taylor affected me vocally. I listened to Steely Dan records, and Michael Franks. There was a Kenny Rankin album I remember with Don Costa arrangements. I remember Frank Webber, an RCA artist, did a version of ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right.’ Dad said it sounded right out of an old Nat Cole record.
Jazz Review: Steely Dan is an interesting revelation. A lot of people don’t realize that they were serious jazzbos.
John Pizzarelli: They and Michael McDonald were playing chords not done on pop records at the time- major seventh chords and such. Plus, those Steely Dan records had some creative arrangements. I loved Gaucho, Babylon Sisters. Deacon Blue was basically two chords, but when I hear those two chords, I was thinking, ‘You play jazz.’ It was a whole other sound of what pop music was at the time. And they had some brilliant solo moments; Larry Carlton on Kid Charlemagne.
Jazz Review: You record for Telarc, which is noted for mainly releasing all digital recordings. Sometimes the low end gets sacrificed on digital recordings in favor of clarity. Have you had any complaints with the way your albums sound?
John Pizzarelli: I know what you’re asking, but I feel pretty lucky, thinking aurally. My brother plays a booming plywood bass. It’s pretty loud and rarely gets lost in the mix. Overall, I’m pleased with the way my group sounds. It’s a real enduring sound. I haven’t heard many of the others (Telarc releases.) I don’t really think about it too much. When you listen to ‘Abbey Road’ you can hear the distortion of the acoustic guitar. But when you start to think of how the dials are being turned, you forget that there is music being recorded.
Jazz Review: How do you feel about jazz’s commercial fortunes in the wake of Diana Krall?
John Pizzarelli: Critics make a big deal about jazz not being played at the Grammy’s, but look at the past ten years and see the albums that have been honored: Natalie Cole, Connick, Tony Bennett, and Diana Krall. It’s not a dead language. Diana Krall plays ‘I Got Rhythm’, and so do I. It’s no different. It’s all jazz. Whether Nat Hentoff wants to debate it, it’s the same thing.
People talk about Jane Monheit. She looks good when she gets photographed. It doesn’t make any of us better than the other. Nat Cole was a jazz musician, so is Wynton [Marsalis]. If any of it gets you interested in [the genre], great. I think it’s great for jazz, period. [Laughs] I’m sorry for ranting like that, for getting riled up. It’s the Italian in me!
Jazz Review: How do you see the style of your trio evolving? Do you want to make a record that captures the tightness of the band live?
John Pizzarelli: I think the possibilities are tremendous. I’d like to one day make a definitive Bossa Nova record. We’re always working with different kinds of songs on stage, and want to find different songs along the way. I’m always looking for songs that fit my musical style. I just feel lucky making the records that I want to make.
Jazz Review thanks Mr. Pizzarelli and the publicity department at Telarc Records for making this interview possible.
For more information: http://telarc.com
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