Guitarist-vocalist John Pizzarelli celebrates his new album Stage & Screen with concerts Tuesday, April 25 – Saturday, April 29 with sets at 8:30 and 10:30 PM at Birdland. Joining him are the musicians from the album, bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.
The release marks the 40th anniversary of Pizzarelli’s debut album with a collection of classic songs from Broadway and Hollywood. The 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 21st 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 songwriters and composers such as Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne.
The recording 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 & Screen providing an inviting new twist.
