John Pizzarelli
Pizzarelli is an easy-on-the-ears vocalist and dynamo guitar picker. He brings to his performances an eagerness and accessibility that other crooners who tackle similar material (read Harry Connick Jr.) often lack, and he never allows slickness to override substance.
Backed by a 17-piece orchestra, Pizzarelli swings and sways through 12 eclectic tunes by Johnny Mercer (the beautiful ballad "Dream"), the Gershwins, Sammy Cahn and Lennon-McCartney, among others. His abundant talent shines brightly, most particularly on the happy-go-lucky "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" and on the unstoppable, high-energy "Avalon." That corker, like this splendid CD, will leave you breathless. (RCA)
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