Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
Changing of the Guard at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
On October 23, Ted Nash – having toured the world playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass…
John (left) and Bucky Pizzarelli (1926–2020)
(Photo: Jimmy Katz)Acclaimed jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli died on April 1 at age 94. He had suffered health problems, and his son, the singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli, confirmed to The New York Times that the cause was coronavirus.
His long list of collaborators includes Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, George Barnes, Dick Hyman, Stéphane Grappelli, Zoot Sims, Bud Freeman, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Stanley Jordan and Paul McCartney, who recruited the guitarist to play on two standards recorded for his 2012 album, Kisses On The Bottom.
Pizzarelli’s leader albums included Green Guitar Blues (1972), Love Songs (1981), April Kisses (1999) and Back In The Saddle Again (2009).
Bucky and John recorded numerous albums together, including Contrasts, Generations and Family Fugue, all released on the Arbors label.
In the January 2016 issue of DownBeat, in a review of A Beautiful Friendship (Venus)—a duo album by Pizzarelli and vocalist Alexis Cole—critic Scott Yanow described the guitarist as being “still in prime form.”
Born in Paterson, New Jersey, on Jan. 9, 1926, he was named John Pizzarelli, but his father gave him the nickname “Bucky.”
He began his musical career at age 17 in Vaughn Monroe’s band. He served in the Army during World War II and then rejoined Monroe’s group.
Pizzarelli was a member of The Tonight Show house band in the late 1960s and early ’70s, working with bandleader Skitch Henderson and then Doc Severinsen.
Pizzarelli frequently performed with a guitar designed to have a seventh string, allowing him to play an additional bass line. Particularly revered by fellow guitarists and fans of straightahead jazz and standards, Pizzarelli performed at the White House for two presidents: Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
Janis Siegel, a member of the vocal quartet Manhattan Transfer, posted this tribute on Facebook on April 1: “We say a reluctant goodbye to the great guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli this evening. Rest in power dear man. I had the great pleasure of recording a bit with him and he was the sweetest and most generous man. My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family.”
In addition to his son John, survivors include Bucky’s wife, Ruth (Litchult) Pizzarelli; another son, Martin, a bassist; two daughters, Anne Hymes and Mary (a guitarist); as well as four grandchildren. DB
As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.
Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
On October 23, Ted Nash – having toured the world playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass…
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
