[CD Review] ‘Stage & Screen’ by John Pizzarelli
PHOTO: John Pizzarelli by Jaci Berkopec
John Pizzarelli
Stage & Screen
(Seven String/ Palmetto)
When we reported last month upon the direction of Paterson product John Pizzarelli’s new Stage & Screen project, we obviously knew it was comprised of classic songs from Hollywood and Broadway. What we didn’t know was the profound scope, the jam-happy aesthetic, and the absolute transformation of these songs into something new, vital and incredibly swoon-worthy. Plus, we had no idea how integral piano player Isaiah J. Thompson would be to the over-all sound. He plays like he has 20 fingers. Make a spot on the 2023 Top 10. John has outdone anything he or his legendary guitar daddy, Bucky Pizzarelli, ever did!
The 99-year old dipsy-doodle ditty “Tea For Two” is a prime example. It’s a long-dead joke of a song that should’ve remained rotting in its coffin never to be heard from again. Yet John slows it down to its bare essence, exposing its sensual nature, reanimating its life force, like mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein on his monster. The result is gorgeous, breezy and profound in its utter simplicity. John has lost his early Sinatra fixation to become his own vocalist: understated, personal and perfectly in service to each song.
In 1956, Sammy Davis, Jr. first sang “Too Close For Comfort” in his starring role on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful. He sang it balls-to-the-wall, inhabiting the lyric with a macho bluster. Pizzarelli steps back, imbues the tune with a new every-man veneer of vulnerability. Then he jams out like crazy pushing it, prodding it, ultimately revitalizing it like you’re hearing it for the first time. He’s such a great guitarist that the cat can solo as a rhythm guitarist. It’s easy for great guitarists like him to wail out on a multi-note solo but when’s the last time you heard a rhythm guitarist solo on propulsive chording? It’s positively invigorating.
In song after song, Pizzarelli delivers like never before. Stop the death knell on tunes like “Just In Time,” “Where Or When,” “Time After Time” and “As Time Goes By.” Everything old is new again.
STREAM: Stage & Screen by John Pizzarelli