THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140054
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
WHEN GUITARIST John Pizzarelli met pianist Harry Connick Jr. at a jazz festival in Amsterdam, it was one of those weird, pinch-yourself-you're-a-star moments.
``I went up to him and introduced myself. `Hey, how ya' doing? I'm John Pizzarelli.' He said, `Do they ask you about me in interviews as much as they ask me about you?' I couldn't believe it.''
What's not to believe?
Both are talented, sharply-attired, young musicians with matinee looks and pedigrees to match: Pizzarelli's dad, guitar great Bucky Pizzarelli, is a Benny Goodman big band alum; Connick was tutored in the New Orleans school by Ellis Marsalis, father of Wynton and Branford.
But where the critics catapulted Connick to superstardom, then dismissed him for selling out, Pizzarelli has steadily built an audience through extensive touring and a handful of well-received major-label releases.
He'll be at the Pavilion Theater in Virginia Beach Friday night to open the Tidewater Performing Arts Society's 1995-96 season and tout his most recent album, ``Dear Mr. Cole'' (Novus). Joining him will be his brother Martin on bass and pianist Ray Kennedy.
Working in small combos and ensembles, Pizzarelli has found critical acclaim for his unique take on swinging jazz and ballads from the '40s and '50s.
``Someone came up with a fabulous statement a few weeks ago: The music we play is a style and not a period,'' he said. ``We're trying to maintain a high level of hard-swinging music by creating some things of our own and finding songs from that era that we can give our own stamp.''
The concert won't be Pizzarelli's first visit to Hampton Roads. That came several years ago when Larry Carlton had to cancel his appearance at the Town Point Jazz Festival in Norfolk.
Bad weather forced the festival inside, to cavernous Scope. Pizzarelli got the call at the last minute.
``It was really wild,'' the affable singer/guitarist said from his New York apartment. ``We were told the day before. My buddy had a station wagon, so we just drove down. It was the first time I drove that far. We got in at 3, played at 5 and left the next day.''
The success of ``Dear Mr. Cole,'' a tribute to Nat ``King'' Cole, and before that, ``New Standards,'' has meant a tighter schedule.
Earlier this year, he played the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival at the Hague; other dates have taken him from Quebec to Sarasota, Fla. He had some time off in New York earlier this month, but will be in Germany in October. After that it's back to the States, then overseas again to Belgium and, possibly, France.
And sometime this fall Pizzarelli will be in Japan, where he has a new album due in a few weeks. His label wanted to package five unreleased songs with cuts off other albums and call it his greatest hits.
``I said, `Forget that,' '' said Pizzarelli, 35. ``We just did a new album. It's almost all ballads. We use my trio, drums and two horns. My dad plays on it, too. We just wanted to have fun and play songs we liked. It was like producer-by-committee; we mixed it as it happened. `Did everyone like that? OK, next.' ''
Right now, the plan is to release the album in the United States next year. Five early albums - two recorded with his father and three on which he just sings - are also being reissued.
Pizzarelli, who switched to guitar from tenor banjo when he was 10 years old, and is mostly self-taught, said he never had any trouble establishing a career of his own. Father and son play a custom-made seven-string guitar.
``It was easy for me because I've always sung and played guitar and my dad just plays great guitar,'' he said. ``The hardest part, and it's sort of gone away, thank God, was hearing everyone say, `He's such a good guitar player and now he's singing. He's selling out.'
``I'd always kept my guitar-playing separate from my singing. I never played any solos until (1992's) `Naturally' and suddenly I'm hearing how I was such a great guitar player. I thought, `Who made that decision?' ''
Reviews consistently cite Pizzarelli's instrumental prowess and the relaxed sensitivity of his vocals. The decision, he said, will be how to build some crossover appeal without compromising his music.
``Next year,'' he joked, ``I could be in torn jeans and a T-shirt screaming at people.''
Not that he's expecting it to happen.
``There will always be a market for what I do,'' Pizzarelli said. ``My dad's done it all his life and he's made a good living. I'm making a decent living. It's like, `If you build it, they will come.' You don't have to create some market-friendly sound.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Guitarist John Pizzarelli's most recent albulm is "Dear Mr. Cole," a
tribute to Nat King Cole.< by CNB