By Dustin Fitzharris***It’s been 40 years since John Pizzarelli released his first album I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father). The playful title was a nod to his legendary late father Bucky Pizzarelli. Since then, he has recorded album after album, worked with a who’s who of artists including Natalie Cole, Rickie Lee Jones, Rosemary Clooney, and 
even opened for Frank Sinatra. Not surprisingly, Pizzarelli is hailed as one of the premier contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook and has introduced the music to new audiences and generations.
Now Pizzarelli is back with his first vocal album in four years, Stage & Screen. It’s a lush, intimate and charming collection of songs from Broadway and Hollywood spanning nearly 100 years. In addition to Pizzarelli, Stage & Screen features bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.
From April 25-29, Pizzarelli will bring his new music and old favorites to New York City’s Birdland for two sets a night. When asked if playing two shows was challenging, Pizzarelli responds, “It’s not as hard with a trio as with a big band,” and then adds, “Marilyn Maye probably does four!”
It’s been quite the journey since his first gig in New York City in 1979 at Michael’s Pub on the East Side. On several of those shows as a sideman in the band, he played songs from the musical No, No Nanette. Bringing it full circle, Pizzarelli recorded “Tea for Two” and “I Want to Be Happy” from that show on Stage & Screen.
I caught up with Pizzarelli as he was preparing for his shows at Birdland to discuss the new album and reminisce about his musical journey through time.
Dustin Fitzharris (DF): There are many songs on the new album that deal with time—“Just in Time,” “Some Other Time,” “Time After Time” and “As Time Goes By.” Is time something you think about?
John Pizzarelli (JP): It is something I’ve done a lot more lately. I’m glad you pointed that out because I’ve been looking at that too, going, “Gee, there are a lot of songs about time on the record.” At this time, I’m really happy that this particular group got together—Mike Karn on bass and Isaiah Thompson on piano. It was a good time for it to happen coming out of the pandemic. There’s that part of time. It’s very interesting to me.
DF: Did you ever think when you made your first album that you would still be recording 40 years later?
JP: No. The funny thing is, I didn’t give it any serious thought for about the first 10 years. The first 10 years is sort of a blur. And then toward the end of those first 10 years I was opening for Frank Sinatra, which is a whole other thing. I was like, “Did that actually happen?”
DF: When putting this album together, how did you select the songs?
JP: Everything fell in my lap. It was also about what was going on during the pandemic. I wo
uld do these Thursday shows on my Facebook page and take requests. A number of these songs like “Where or When” came from someone requesting it. “Time After Time” was a song that constantly came up as a request. During the pandemic I watched a video of my father with Benny Goodman and Zoot Sims doing “Too Close for Comfort.” It was another way these songs came about.
DF: Since the album celebrates songs from stage and screen, do you remember the first movie you saw in theaters?
JP: The one that pops into my mind is Born Free.
DF: What about the first theater show?
JP: There has to be one before, but I remember on our 8th grade trip we saw Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend with Carol Channing. I know we saw The Magic Show one year, too.
DF: You performed on Broadway in the show Dream, based on the songs of Johnny Mercer. Would you ever want to return to Broadway?
JP: When I look back, I think, “I wish I had another shot at that.” I had a great time, and I met Jessica [Molaskey, wife] on the show. The whole community was just fantastic. I liked going to work thinking that someone in the audience was having an experience because it was their first Broadway show.
DF: Throughout your career you’ve continuously recorded standards and songs from the Great American Songbook. Artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, Harry Connick Jr. and so many more have too. Why do you think songs from that time remain part of our lives?
JP: There’s a simple elegance to the 32-bar song. It’s a finite group of work and yet you still manage to find things that you didn’t know existed. Then there are discoveries in who presents the songs.
DF: Like James Taylor. You co-produced and won a Grammy for his album American Standard.
JP: James had a take on those things that was very original and yet it’s still those same 14 songs. He knew what he was going to do with them. They are so pliable. There are still ways to present them that are unique, and they bring out the uniqueness of the artist who is performing them.
DF: Let’s go back to time. What would the John Pizzarelli today say to the John Pizzarelli then who was playing gigs in a backyard for $5?
JP: You did your homework! That was at Glen Hauenstein’s house. When I was in the backyard playing those gigs, I never thought anything more about it more than I really liked doing it. I didn’t even want to charge anyone any money at that time. My friends said we had to charge if we were going to do the gig. I think I would say to pay more attention and be a little less cocky
. I should have paid more attention in those first 10 years. I should’ve been a little more adventurous. And I would’ve practiced more.
DF: Do you still practice every day?
JP: I try to. It’s more about endurance after you’ve had a couple weeks off. There’s something about tempos and certain things [within the music] that you have to be ready for. I like to get my hands on the guitar once or twice a day.
DF: And one more thing about time before you go. This year you will celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary with Jessica. What is the secret?
JP: I guess communication. We’ve managed to communicate through the good and the bad. There was something about our first couple of months of being together that still remains with us. It’s a great relationship.
Stage & Screen is available now. For more on John Pizzarelli and tickets to Birdland, visit johnpizzarelli.com.
Photos by Jaci Berkopec
