John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland

Last updated
John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland
John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer Live at Birdland (album cover).jpg
Live album by
Released2015 (2015)
Recorded2014 (2014)
Venue Birdland, New York
Genre Jazz
Label Vector
John Pizzarelli chronology
Double Exposure
(2012)
John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland
(2015)
Midnight McCartney
(2015)

John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland is a tribute album by John Pizzarelli to American songwriter Johnny Mercer. It was recorded live at the Birdland jazz club in New York in 2014, [1] and released in 2015 by his Vector Records label. [2] The album was recorded as a medley, [3] interspersed with commentary by Pizzarelli. [4]

Contents

Background

Pizzarelli had performed Johnny Mercer tunes on previous albums, and as a cast member of the 1997 Broadway musical Dream . [5] Pizzarelli explained the album dedicated to Mercer was significant given Mercer was "responsible for so many great things in [his] life." [6]

Reception

Christopher Loudon wrote in JazzTimes , "Pizzarelli manages to squeeze a remarkably panoptic homage into 65 minutes, covering 26 Mercer tunes, familiar and obscure, from all stages of his career...[Pizzarelli] remains the Dorian Gray of jazz, his sound and sensibility preternaturally boyish, joyously championing an art he was, quite literally, born into." [1]

For Vintage Guitar magazine, Rich Kienzle wrote, "[o]n 'I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side' and 'Goody Goody' Pizzarelli offers the usual Bensonesque scat-guitar solos. 'Dearly Beloved' features a crisp, single-string break. He comps as flawlessly as his dad, Bucky, on 'Accentuate the Positive', 'Skylark', and 'Too Marvelous for Words'...Lesser-known gems like the swing-era 'Jamboree Jones' and 'Slue Foot' also get their due. While 'Something's Gotta Give' features driving single-string work, his solo on 'Emily' is a model of brevity and eloquence." [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johnny Mercer

No.TitleLength
1."I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side"3:50
2."Intro Dearly Beloved" (commentary)0:28
3."Dearly Beloved"4:22
4."Goody Goody"4:03
5."You Medley"7:22
6."Skylark"3:53
7."Intro" (commentary)0:26
8."I'm Old Fashioned"2:31
9."Jamboree Jones"3:14
10."Emily"3:11
11."Accentuate the Positive"5:12
12."Academy Award Medley"3:47
13."Slue Foot"3:11
14."Intro" (commentary)0:31
15."October Medley"5:33
16."Intro" (commentary)0:21
17."Something's Gotta Give"4:09
18."Empty Tables"2:56
19."Too Marvelous for Words"3:46
20."And So to Bed"2:03

Personnel

Musicians

Support

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Daniels</span> American musician and composer

Eddie Daniels is an American musician and composer. Although he is best known as a jazz clarinetist, he has also played saxophone and flute as well as classical music on clarinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Pie</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Honey Pie" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1968 eponymous double album The Beatles. The song was written entirely by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Pizzarelli</span> American jazz guitarist and vocalist

John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Rosemary Clooney; his father, jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli; and his wife, singer Jessica Molaskey.

<i>The Stockholm Concert, 1966</i> 1966 live album by Ella Fitzgerald

The Stockholm Concert, 1966 is a 1966 live album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied in part by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The recording remained unreleased until 1984.

Carmen Leggio was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Pizzarelli</span> American jazz guitarist (1926–2020)

John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli was an American jazz guitarist.

<i>New Standards</i> (John Pizzarelli album) 1994 studio album by John Pizzarelli

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.

<i>A Good Day</i> (Jessica Molaskey album) 2003 studio album by Jessica Molaskey

A Good Day is an album by singer Jessica Molaskey. She is accompanied by her husband John Pizzarelli ; her father-in-law, Bucky Pizzarelli, also played guitar on this recording.

Charles Dee Wilson was an American jazz alto saxophonist.

<i>Ridin High</i> (Robert Palmer album) 1992 studio album by Robert Palmer

Ridin' High is an album by British musician Robert Palmer. It was his eleventh solo studio album, released in 1992 and reached number 32 in the UK Albums Chart and number 173 on the US Billboard 200. This album contains music heavily influenced by vocal and jazz standards and featured the minor hit "Witchcraft", which reached number 50 in the UK. The album featured three tracks from Palmer's Don't Explain album two years earlier.

<i>With a Song in My Heart</i> (John Pizzarelli album) 2008 studio album by John Pizzarelli

With a Song in My Heart is a 2008 album by jazz singer and swing jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli, celebrating the music of Richard Rodgers.

<i>Rockin in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington</i> 2010 studio album by John Pizzarelli

Rockin' in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington is an album by jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli celebrating the music of Duke Ellington.

<i>The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947</i> 1977 live album by Duke Ellington

The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947 is a live album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded at Carnegie Hall, in New York City in 1947 and released on the Prestige label in 1977.

<i>The Jazz Album: Watch What Happens</i> 2007 studio album by Thomas Quasthoff

The Jazz Album: Watch What Happens is a 2006 studio album by the German baritone Thomas Quasthoff. The album was arranged by Alan Broadbent, Steve Gray, and Nan Schwartz.

<i>The Complete Roost Recordings</i> 1997 compilation album by Stan Getz

The Complete Roost Recordings is a 1997 compilation 3-CD set of sessions led by saxophonist and bandleader Stan Getz recorded for the Roost Records label between 1950 and 1954. The compilation includes material previously released on Getz's Roost LPs The Sound, The Getz Age, the two volumes of Stan Getz at Storyville and the album with guitarist Johnny Smith - Moonlight in Vermont along with alternate takes and previously unreleased performances.

<i>All Star Road Band Volume 2</i> 1985 live album by Duke Ellington

All Star Road Band Volume 2 is a live album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded at the Holiday Ballroom in Chicago for radio broadcast and first released as a double LP on Bob Thiele's Doctor Jazz label in 1985.

<i>Nirvana</i> (Zoot Sims and Bucky Pizzarelli album) 1974 studio album by Zoot Sims and Bucky Pizzarelli

Nirvana is an album by American jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli with special guest Buddy Rich recorded in 1974 and released on the Groove Merchant label.

<i>Double Exposure</i> (John Pizzarelli album) 2012 studio album by John Pizzarelli

Double Exposure is a vocal jazz album by John Pizzarelli, released in 2012 with Telarc. It consists of tributes to Pizzarelli's favorite songs from his adolescence, framed in traditional jazz arrangements.

<i>Midnight McCartney</i> 2015 studio album by John Pizzarelli

Midnight McCartney is a tribute album by John Pizzarelli to Paul McCartney, including tracks from Wings. It was released in 2015 with Concord.

<i>Sinatra & Jobim @ 50</i> 2017 studio album by John Pizzarelli, featuring Daniel Jobim

Sinatra & Jobim @ 50 is a latin jazz album by John Pizzarelli, released in 2017 with Concord Jazz. It's a tribute to the 1967 album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim, released fifty years ago at the time of recording. It's also Pizzarelli's first foray into the genre since his 2004 album Bossa Nova.

References

  1. 1 2 Loudon, Christopher (2015-05-30). "John Pizzarelli: Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland". JazzTimes . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  2. "John Pizzarelli Official Website – MUSIC". Archived from the original on 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  3. 1 2 Kienzle, Rich. "John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer (Live)". Vintage Guitar. No. 2015–07.
  4. 1 2 John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland (CD liner notes). John Pizzarelli. United States: Vector Records. 2015. Barcode 859713989573.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. Kienzle, Rich. "'John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer' Reviewed: PG Music Podcast" . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  6. Lustig, Jay (2015-02-04). "John Pizzarelli salutes Johnny Mercer on album and on TV" . Retrieved 2018-09-08.