Decades ago, John Pizzarelli was one of the first jazz artists to dedicate an entire album to The Beatles’ songbook. So, how is this latest effort of McCartney’s material different from that original effort. Well, I’ve got some news for you; THE BEATLES BROKE UP. Also, PAUL IS NOT DEAD!
So, this album has The Pizza Man digging into Sir Paul’s catalogue post The Fab Four. First and most important is that Pizzarelli’s voice is a charmer; he even sounds at times like an American version of McCartney. Same clear and cheerful voice. Similar to his Beatles album is Pizarelli’s desire to re-arrange the songs that we are all familiar with. Yes, you’ve got familiar friends (and wives) such as Martin Pizzarelli/b, Helio Alves-Larry Goldings/k, Don Sebesky/orch, Kevin Kanner/dr and Jessica Molaskey/voc, but they have some fun with Brazilian reads of “Silly Love Songs,” “Some People Never Know” and “My Valentine.” There’s some hip brass that lets Pizzarelli saunter and swing on “Coming Up” with Michael McDonald” and the gypsy swing of “Heart of the Country” is a festive romp. Underrated is Pizzarelli’s ability to create an intimate mood, which he does with aplomb on “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Junk.” This is a fun one!
Concord Records