COURTESY OF MICHAEL A. BAKER
Pizzarelli jazzes up
the American
songbook
A jazz trio without drums? "I like the idea of the rhythm guitar basically as the rhythmic center with the bass," John Pizzarelli said by phone. "It's an intimate sound that I've always liked ... three instruments that can all play melodies and do things like that."
A leader in the revival of putting the American songbook into a jazz context, Pizzarelli returns to Hawaii this weekend for two nights with the Honolulu Symphony. It's been 10 years and at least 12 albums since he played a low-profile gig at the East-West Center back in 1993.
Yes, he's used drums and several other instruments on some of his recordings (including clarinet, tenor sax, Hammond B-3 organ and cello), but for tours and club gigs, Pizzarelli's trio is strictly guitar, piano and bass. (He'll be working with a local pickup backing band for the Honolulu gigs.)
"I like the sound of the trio without (drums), and with three guys, it's not guitar reliant. With guitar, bass and drums, you'd hear that guitar all the time. This way, you have that third instrument, which I like. It's got a nice chamber quality to it."
The other key ingredient in the trio's sound is Pizzarelli's smooth, romantic voice. His repertoire favors the classic compositions of Sammy Cahn, George and Ira Gershwin, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Rodgers and Hart, but Pizzarelli also enjoys reworking more contemporary material such as James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," as well as slipping in some originals.
"We'll probably play 'I Got Rhythm,' 'Avalon,' 'These Foolish Things' and 'Jamboree Jones.' I'm playing about seven or eight songs in the second half and I'm looking forward to it. I've worked with (conductor Matt Catingub) before and he's fantastic. He told me the rhythm section is wonderful and I'm looking forward to it."
THE 43-YEAR-OLD Pizzarelli originally played rock music in high school, but when his father, the legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, "turned me on to the Nat King Cole Trio," he found his muse and his role model.
"I loved Nat's material and the sound of the group ... and I ended up eventually making my way to a piano, bass (and) guitar group."
Pizzarelli got some early exposure sitting in with his father and tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims. After spending some time working in other groups, he formed his own trio. The current roster that includes his brother Martin on double bass and pianist Ray Kennedy has been together for 10 years now. The trio's new album, "Live at Birdland," commemorates their anniversary and combines great jazz musicianship with a light-hearted approach to the genre. Even though some jazzbos are notoriously serious about the music, Pizzarelli thinks there's room for humor.
His popular "Pollywog Song" comes to mind, and the man also enjoys doing the occasional impression. "Live at Birdland" includes his take at how James Taylor, Lou Reed, the Doobie Brothers and Bob Dylan might sound singing "I Like Jersey Best."
"I've been doing that for a long time. It gets bigger and bigger. (Dylan) just got thrown in there over the years. We were thinking about doing a version by The Who. I've always liked the idea of doing goofy things like that just because it's part of who I am. I think, in general, we take the music very seriously but we also realize that there is entertainment to be had. When we play 'Isn't It a Pity' and 'Paper Moon,' we're as serious as we are when we're having fun."
PIZZARELLI IS also heartened by the renewed interest in American standards.
"I think it's gotten a lot better since we've been out (to Hawaii). In the last 10 years, it's just grown dramatically. There've just been so many records in the Top 10 charts that are recordings of standards -- Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr. and Diana Krall all have Top 10 records filled with standards. Even Rod Stewart has done a record of standards.
"I see a lot of guitar players in colleges who come out to hear me play (or) who have seen us on Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien, so I think people are finding this music -- maybe not in droves, but I see it a lot more than I did when I first started out."
Pizzarelli went on to say that "the thing is that it doesn't become an age kind of music as much as it becomes a style of music. When you look at rock 'n' roll, the Beatles' songs are almost 40 years old. We've never thought of what we do as a caricature. It's a style of music that gets its own treatment generation to generation, and this generation as been very fruitful in terms of the artists that have brought it along. When you think of Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, myself, Harry Connick or whoever, there've been so many records in the Top 10 charts."
Told about the local custom of designating popular entertainers either "uncle" or "auntie" once they start showing a few gray hairs, Pizzarelli replied that he won't consider himself worthy of such a loving description for another 20 years at least.
So what's been the biggest change for him in the first 20-odd years of his career?
"I've gotten more fearless. I like challenges and things like that."
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