Great Barrington — As everyone in the jazz world knows, John Pizzarelli is a phenomenal guitarist. But he is much more than that; he is a full-service entertainer of the old school, and the sold-out crowd at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Saturday, December 21, could have told you as much. They also could have told you that Pizzarelli’s 17-piece band truly kicks ass with what he calls a “brawling, Count Basie-like exuberance.”
That is exactly the kind of band you need for a Frank Sinatra tribute featuring Nelson Riddle’s iconic arrangements. You need a singer, too, and Pizzarelli is up to the task. He sings “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Nice ‘n’ Easy,” “Witchcraft,” “Wee Small Hours,” “Ring a Ding Ding,” and other classics in a way that honors Sinatra without imitating him. And make no mistake: Pizzarelli is not a guitarist who also sings. His singing chops are fully on par with his playing, and sometimes they are amazing.
Pizzarelli’s band on the 21st featured Frank Greene, Jonathan Saraga, Jon Mark McGowan, and James Zollar on trumpet; John Mosca, Jason Jackson, Max Siegel, and Jack Schatz on trombone; and Chris Byars, Awan Rashad, Ivan Renta, Jacob Chung, and Kenny Berger on saxophone. Michael Karn was on bass, with Andy Watson on drums.
That leaves the staggeringly virtuosic pianist Isaiah J. Thompson, who comes closer to channeling Art Tatum than any player I have ever heard. Even his hands remind me of Tatum’s. Winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association, Thompson is a headliner in his own right, and if you don’t believe me, just look at the 2025 calendar for Tanglewood’s Linde Center. He will appear there on May 2, 2025.
In addition to the aforementioned classics, Pizzarelli performed songs on Saturday by Antônio Carlos Jobim, as well as several signature Sinatra-at-the-Sands arrangements.
John Pizzarelli is one of the foremost contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook but has expanded his repertoire to include songs by Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles.
He is also a fine studio musician, having performed on recordings by Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones, and Dave Van Ronk, as well as leading jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen, and his father Bucky Pizzarelli.
John won a Grammy Award in 2021 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album when he co-produced James Taylor’s “American Standard.”
Since 1984, Pizzarelli, along with his wife Jessica Molaskey, has co-hosted the show Radio Deluxe.
He has appeared on such national television shows as “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Conan,” and “Great Performances,” as well as such talk shows as Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Regis Philbin.
The Boston Globe has lauded Pizzarelli for reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and repopularizing jazz. When you hear him perform with this amazing ensemble, it is easy to see why.
