John Pizzarelli Trio Forum, 16. Leverkusener Jazztage, Leverkusen/Germany, October 1995

John was taught to play the four-string tenor banjo by his great-uncles, Pete and Bobby Domenick at the age of six. He began playing a six-string guitar at the age of ten. A self-taught guitarist, John now plays a 7-string Moll guitar handmade by Bill Moll of Springfield, MO. The 7th string is tuned to A' which allows him to play a bass line to his own solos. The son of legendary 7-string guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, John was exposed at a very early age to the great music of the jazz era, from Erroll Garner and Les Paul to Django Reinhardt. He also played trumpet in his high school band. But he sang in rock bands in high school, and admired Billy Joel. One band was called, he says, "Johnny Pick and His Scabs"! Pizzarelli remembers playing paying gigs with his father and then rushing over to New York clubs to join his rock band. At the age of 20, Pizzarelli performed his first professional jazz gig in February of 1980, at New York University's Loeb Student Center with Zoot Sims and Bucky Pizzarelli. This led to a professional association with Bucky that continues to this day. While accompanying his father, John was introduced to the music of Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole and to songwriters such as Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn, George Gershwin, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen and others. But it was Nat Cole's style and songbook, which influenced John the most.

John developed his first trio with Ken Levinsky on piano and Martin Pizzarelli on bass. Then in 1993, John met pianist Ray Kennedy, a former St. Louisian, and along with double-bassist brother, Martin Pizzarelli, the John Pizzarelli Trio was formed. This same year they received the honor of opening for Frank Sinatra on touring dates throughout the United States and Europe. From 1992 through 2000 Mr. Pizzarelli had the opportunity to tour and record with legendary vocalist, Rosemary Clooney. Pizzarelli's eclectic -recording career has teamed him with artists such as James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Tom Wopat, Rikki Lee Jones, George Shearing, Ray Brown, Dave Von Ronk, Johnny Frigo, Stephane Grappelli and Harry Allen among others. The Pizzarelli trio regularly performs with symphonies and pop orchestras from the New York Pops to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

John Pizzarelli Trio
Forum, 16. Leverkusener Jazztage, Leverkusen/Germany, 2nd week of October 1995.
John Pizzarelli, g, voc
Martin Pizzarelli, b
Ray Kennedy, p