John Pizzarelli

This is a wonderful, warm-hearted, and effortlessly virtuosic live recording by one of the finest living exponents of pre-bop small-ensemble jazz. With pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist Martin Pizzarelli (and on two songs joined by vocalist Grover Kemble), singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli runs through a generally lightweight but thoroughly charming set of standards, homages, funny stories, and the occasional original tune; the fast tunes are light and frothy, the ballads smooth and gentle, and even the moments that are less than utterly inspired work together with the album's highlights to create a very satisfying whole.

Ghostlight Deluxe, an imprint of Ghostlight Records, will release For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole – the new album from the John Pizzarelli Trio – in physical, digital and streaming formats on Friday, February 8. Following high-profile collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney and Michael McDonald, Pizzarelli returns to his roots to honor his hero, the legendary jazz/pop vocalist and pianist Nat King Cole, whose centennial is being celebrated around the world this year with various concerts, books and recordings. For Centennial Reasons… completes an epic trio of Pizzarelli albums saluting Cole, starting with Dear Mr. Cole, which helped put Pizzarelli on the map as an influential jazz guitarist and singer in 1994, and continuing with P.S. Mr. Cole, which cemented his legacy five years later.

In order to fully appreciate a John Pizzarelli listening experience, the following accoutrements are recommended: candles, rose petals, and a bit of bubbly. Because a night of romance is what's to be expected when one of the contemporary jazzman's discs is playing in your living room or boudoir. Pizzarelli's music is renowned for capturing all of the little nuances of love in confections that are light, breezy, and finger-snapping smooth. The singer/guitarist is one of the early 21st century's more notable jazz interpreters of the younger generation, and he has thus far devoted his career to presenting the classics in his own compositions on his albums. On his second Telarc release, Let There Be Love, Pizzarelli pulls back his arrow again and shoots out a 15-song tribute to romance – from its endearingly awkward beginnings to steadying middle to the enduring golden years.

Guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli returns with another solid collection of tastefully swinging standards on Knowing You. Never straying too far from what he does best, Pizzarelli is nonetheless an exciting improviser and pleasing vocalist who always finds a way to make an old chestnut of a tune his own. Here, his rapport with such longtime bandmates as pianist Ray Kennedy, bassist Martin Pizzarelli, and drummer Tony Tedesco is instinctual, full of humor, and filled with call-and-response interplay. To these ends, Pizzarelli has compiled an enjoyable set of well- and lesser-known standards, including the sprightly swinger "Coffee, Black," the elegantly mellow "The Shadow of Your Smile," and the sweetly unexpected Brian Wilson classic "God Only Knows."

New Standards is a studio album by a young John Pizzarelli attempting to create modern standards in the Great American Songbook. The release was not met with much enthusiasm, as most critics felt Pizzarelli was capable of much better offerings. Aside from his regular trio of himself, Martin Pizzarelli and Ray Kennedy, a host of other musicians join Pizzarelli on this album (including his father Bucky Pizzarelli).

All Of Me is a studio album by American jazz singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli, backed by a string orchestra that includes only one member of his normal trio, brother Martin Pizzarelli. Also on the album is his father, the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli.