Guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli celebrates the 40th anniversary of his debut recording with ‘Stage and Screen,’ an inviting new album featuring classic songs from Broadway and Hollywood.

The album showcases Pizzarelli with his trio featuring bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson. The album was released in April via Palmetto Records. The cleverly chosen repertoire spans nearly nine decades, starting with a pair of songs from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette (‘I Want To Be Happy’ and ‘Tea For Two’) and leading into the twenty-first century with ‘I Love Betsy’ from Jason Robert Brown’s ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’ – a stage musical based on the 1992 film. In between there are pieces by such iconic songwriters and composers as Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Cahn, and Jule Styne, and songs immortalized in cinema favorites like Casablanca.

‘Stage and Screen’ also celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pizzarelli’s 1983 debut recording, ‘I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father)’. Over the ensuing four decades he’s become one of the most acclaimed interpreters of classic and modern song and an influential advocate for the continuing evolution of the standards songbook. His albums have delved into that rich pool of song from a variety of angles, ‘Stage and Screen’ providing an inviting new twist.

“Sing the melody and hold out the notes”

It’s wonderful to have you. How have you been in the last two or three difficult years for all those of us involved in music and art?

John Pizzarelli: Thanks for having me. It was a time of tremendous loss for me personally. My parents passed within 7 days of each other in 2020. On the artistic side, as my father would have, I immersed myself in the guitar and made a CD of Pat Metheny tunes called ‘Better Days Ahead’. I survived the pandemic and have gotten back to work slowly and positively.

You are celebrating the 40th anniversary of your debut album with ‘Stage & Screen’. Would you like to elaborate how you remember working on your debut album, ‘I’m Hip – Please Don’t Tell My Father’? What was it like working on your own album?

I remember arriving at the studio around 9, 10am and leaving with a cassette tape of the mixed record at 5pm. We did 10 sides. I remember recording ‘For Sentimental Reasons’ and my father said, “sing the melody and hold out the notes,” which is advice I still use to this day. It was unusual to be the “leader” on the date, but the guys, my father on guitar, Jerry Bruno on bass and Russ Kassoff on piano were terrific and really worked hard to make it special for me.

Was there a certain moment in your life when you knew that you would become a musician?

My standard answer is, “when I realized I was a terrible hitter.” I still love baseball, but music is the only thing I can do.

What was it like to work with Mike Karn and Isaiah J. Thompson on your latest album? Tell us about the recording and production process.

We had been doing a few gigs together since August of 2021 and really getting into a great groove. We were also “faking” tunes on gigs and I thought it would be great to capture that spontaneity in the studio, so that’s basically what happened.

Was there any particular concept behind how you choose the songs for the album? Was it difficult to limit yourself not to include too much?

No, I found that we had fallen into a theme of ‘Stage & Screen’ and that was basically it.

What would be some of the key influences when it comes to singing?

Michael Franks, Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Joe Mooney and most of all Nat Cole.

What was it like to grow up in a music household? Your father, Bucky Pizzarelli is a legendary swing guitarist.

It was tremendous. So much great music and musicians like Zoot Sims, Slam Stewart, Les Paul, Joe Venuti and others. So much inspiration and perspiration!

What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?

Well my three favorite guitarists after my father are George Barnes, George Vaneps and Oscar Moore. My playing is a nice mix of those three I think.

What are some future plans for you?

Big tour for the new CD. Lotsa practicing and more of the same over and over again!