Great Barrington — Jazz guitarist, singer, and bandleader John Pizzarelli returns with his trio to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 20, to perform a set of songs honoring Tony Bennett’s six-decade career. John and his trio will play Bennett hits like “Because of You,” “Rags to Riches,” “I Wanna Be Around,” and many others, including, of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
The last time John Pizzarelli appeared at the Mahaiwe, he and his 17-piece band performed a set of Frank Sinatra classics, and anyone in the audience could see why The Seattle Times has called him “a rare entertainer of the old school.”
Even on the best-known Nelson Riddle charts, Pizzarelli does not imitate Sinatra—or anyone else—because he does not need to. His vocal style stands entirely on its own, even as it honors the past with remarkable fidelity. John’s deep knowledge of the big band canon allows him to keep his focus squarely on the songs. For this reason, a performance honoring Tony Bennett is guaranteed to please, even without John’s virtuoso guitar chops, which are a spectacle in their own right.
The Boston Globe has lauded Pizzarelli for repopularizing jazz and reinvigorating the Great American Songbook. He has broadened that tradition by embracing the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and The Beatles.
In addition to his work as a bandleader and solo artist, John has appeared on recordings with major pop figures including Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones, and Dave Van Ronk, as well as jazz greats like Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen, and his father, Bucky.
Pizzarelli is also a producer of other artists’ records. He co-produced James Taylor’s album “American Standard,” which won a GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2020.
Pizzarelli has appeared on numerous national television programs, including “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Conan,” “Great Performances,” and the talk shows of Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Regis Philbin, as well as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Listeners to public radio station WAMC are likely to be familiar with “Radio Deluxe,” the program Pizzarelli and his wife, singer Jessica Molasky, have produced since 2005 from their living room, featuring music from the Great American Songbook (Saturdays, 2 to 4 p.m.)
Pizzarelli told Kyle Oleksiuk of the the New York City Jazz Record, “I grew up with my father Bucky Pizzarelli playing with people like Zoot Sims and Les Paul and Clark Terry and Slam Stewart and Hank Jones … That was where I came from, I came from that school of thought.” And that is the school of thought Pizzarelli brings to all his performances.
Hear the John Pizzarelli Trio at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, at 8 p.m., on Saturday, December 20. For tickets, call (413) 528-0100 or visit the Mahaiwe’s website.
