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Reviewers: Tony Augarde [Editor], Don Mather, Sam Webster, Jonathan Woolf, Glyn Pursglove



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ARBORS ALL STARS

Pizzarelli Party

Arbors Jazz ARCD 19391

 

 


1. We Take On the Town
2. Strollin' Over to Nola (Gonna Play Some Blues)
3. Oh, Lady Be Good!
4. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
5. Sweet and Lovely
6. Joe and Zoot!
7. I'm Making Believe
8. You Be the Judge
9. Somebody Call Hanly!
10. Under a Blanket of Blue
11. Check Out This Out
12. I Knew Him When
13. I'll See You in My Dreams.


Larry Fuller - Piano
Martin Pizzarelli - Bass
Bucky Pizzarelli - Acoustic rhythm guitar
Tony Tedesco - Drums
Aaron Weinstein - Violin
Harry Allen - Tenor sax
Rebecca Kilgore - Vocals (tracks 1, 7, 12)
Jessica Molaskey - Vocals (tracks 1, 4, 12)
John Pizzarelli - Electric guitar, vocals

 


Like any good pizza party, this one has plenty of tasty ingredients. For a start, there's the Pizzarelli father and sons - Bucky, John and Martin. There's also Harry Allen's faultless tenor sax and Aaron Weinstein's violin (which sounds very like Stuff Smith). And there are some appetising vocals from Rebecca Kilgore and Jessica Molaskey (the latter is Mrs John Pizzarelli, by the way). There's a party atmosphere all the way, with some old, familiar songs (which are not too cheesy) and some originals by John and Bucky.

Highlights include a neat piano solo from Larry Fuller and a breathy tenor solo by Harry Allen on John Pizzarelli's Strollin' Over to Nola; Jessica Molaskey's heartfelt vocal on Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (complete with the neglected verse); bassist Martin Pizzarelli's statement of the theme on You Be the Judge; and Harry Allen's caressingly Getzian tenor playing in Under a Blanket of Blue.

Aaron Weinstein and Harry Allen duet in celebration of a 1970s meeting of Joe Venuti and Zoot Sims on Joe and Zoot! And Larry Fuller adds another savoury piano solo to I'm Making Believe. John Pizzarelli only sings on a couple of tracks - We Take on the Town and Under a Blanket of Blue - which is a pity, as his vocals are always welcome. But he does his guitar-and-vocalising bit on Somebody Call Hanly! The album ends with a joyful free-for-all on I'll See You in My Dreams.

So what is the verdict on this album? Extra topping!

 

Tony Augarde 

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