Biography

Career

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.

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.

Although lauded for his swinging interpretations of jazz standards, Pizzarelli also composes his own songs. 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 best known songs. 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 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 "Birthday Emotions" on the children's television show Sesame Street.

On October 30, 2012, World on a String: A Musical Memoir, an autobiography of Pizzarelli (co-written with Joseph Cosgriff) was published.

A homage to Billie Holiday was the album To Lady With love (Red Anchor, 2014) of jazz singer Annie Ross which John and his father supported as sidemen.

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. 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.

He married the actress and singer Jessica Molaskey in 1998, and the couple have a daughter, Madeleine. Pizzarelli also has a son, John Paul Pizzarelli, who is now attending college. They now live in New York City.

Discography

Albums

• Midnight McCartney (Concord Records, 2015)
• Double Exposure (Telarc, 2012)
• Rockin' in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington (Telarc, 2010)
• With a Song in My Heart (Telarc, 2008)
• Generations (with Bucky Pizzarelli, Arbors Records, 2007)
• Dear Mr. Sinatra (Telarc, 2006)
• Just Friends (with Rick Haydon, Mel Bay Records, 2006)
• The Best of Bucky and John Pizzarelli (with Bucky Pizzarelli, LRC Ltd, 2006)
• Knowing You (Telarc, 2005)
• Bossa Nova (Telarc, 2004)
• Live at Birdland (Live, Telarc, 2003)
• The Rare Delight of You (with George Shearing, Telarc, 2002)
• Twogether (with Bucky Pizzarelli, Victrola Records, 2001)
• Let There Be Love (Telarc, 2000)
• Two Family House (RCA Records, 2000)
• Brazil (with Rosemary Clooney, Concord Jazz, 2000)
• Kisses in the Rain (Telarc, 2000)
• P.S. Mr. Cole (RCA Records, 1999)
• Passion Guitars (with Bucky Pizzarelli, Groove Jams, 1999)
• Contrasts (with Bucky Pizzarelli, Arbors Records, 1999)
• Meets the Beatles (RCA Records, 1998)
• Our Love Is Here to Stay (RCA Records, 1997)
• Let's Share Christmas (RCA Records, 1996)
• Live at the Vineyard Theatre (Live, Challenge Records, 1996)
• Solos and Duets (with Bucky Pizzarelli, Jazz Classics, 1996)
• After Hours (Novus, 1996)
• Dear Mr. Cole (Novus, 1994)
• New Standards (Novus, 1994)
• Naturally (Novus, 1993)
• All of Me (Novus, 1992)
• My Blue Heaven (Chesky Records, 1990)
• One Night With You (Chesky Records, 1988)
• Sing! Sing! Sing! (P-Vine Records, 1987)
• Hit That Jive Jack! (Stash Records, 1985)
• I'm Hip (Stash Records, 1983)

As guest or sideman

With Monty Alexander

• My America (Telarc, 2002)

With Harry Allen

• Tenors Anyone? (Slider Music, 2004)

With Sam Arlen

• Arlen Plays Arlen: The Timeless Tribute to Harold Arlen (Arbors Records, 2005)

With Debby Boone

• Reflections of Rosemary (Concord Records, 2005)

With Cheryl Bentyne

• The Book of Love (Telarc, 2006)

With Ray Brown

• Some of My Best Friends Are...Guitarists (Telarc, 2002)

With Kristin Chenoweth

• A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas (Sony, 2008)

With Buddy DeFranco

• Cookin' the Books (Arbors Records, 2004)

With Karen Egert

• That Thing Called Love (2007)

With Skitch Henderson and Bucky Pizzarelli

• Legends (Arbors Records, 2003)

With Rickie Lee Jones

• Duchess of Coolville: An Anthology (Rhino Records, 2005)

With Erich Kunzel

• Got Swing! (Telarc, 2002)
• Christmastime Is Here (Telarc, 2006)

With Manhattan Transfer

• Vibrate (Telarc, 2004)

With Paul McCartney

• Kisses on the Bottom (Hear Music Records, 2012)

With Jessica Molaskey

• Sitting in Limbo (P.S. Classics, 2007)
• Make Believe (P.S. Classics, 2004)
• A Good Day (P.S. Classics, 2003)
• Pentimento (Image Records, 2002)

With Donnie O'Brien

• Meets Manhattan Swing in a Basie Mood (Arbors Records, 2003)

With Bucky Pizzarelli

• Nirvana (Delta Records, 1995)
• Around the World in 80 Years (Victoria Records, 2006)

With Curtis Stigers

• Real Emotional (Concord Records, 2007)

With James Taylor

• October Road (Sony, 2002)
• James Taylor at Christmas (Columbia Records, 2006)

With Aaron Weinstein

• A Handful of Stars (Arbors Records, 2005)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]