Thursday, April 17, 2014

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bucky Pizzarelli

Artist:Bucky Pizzarelli
Song:Sing Sing Sing
Album:Nirvana





Guitarist John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli is best known as the father of guitarist John Pizzarelli. Bucky is a master of the seven string guitar and spent most of his career as a sideman and studio musician. He and his son record together frequently including on this 1995 CD Nirvana. Bucky Pizzarelli was born Jan. 9, 1926 in Paterson, NJ. His uncles Pete and Bobby Domenick were musicians and they taught him to play guitar. Pizzarelli has credited Django Reinhardt and longtime Count Basie guitarist Freddie Green as influences. At age 17, he joined Vaughn Monroe's band. In 1952, Pizzarelli joined NBC as a staff musician working for Skitch Henderson. Pizzarelli was guitarist in The Tonight Show band for many years. He also played on sessions for Dion & The Belmonts and Johnny & The Hurricanes and as a sideman on albums by Gene Ammons, Willis Jackson, Etta Jones and Sylvia Syms. He rarely recorded as a leader in those days. He also toured with Benny Goodman for many years. When NBC moved the Tonight Show from New York to Los Angeles, Pizzarelli moved to ABC and played in The Dick Cavett Show band led by Bobby Rosengarden. After the Cavett show was cancelled, he started recording more as a leader in the 70s with guys like George Barnes, Zoot Sims and Bud Freeman. But he became more active when his son John Pizzarelli became popular in the 90s. The two have recorded several albums together. Nirvana was the first of those albums in 1995. It was released by Laserlight and reissued on CD in 2003 by LRC Records. Musicians are Bucky and John Pizzarelli on guitar, veteran sideman Lynn Seaton on bass (toured with Woody Herman and Count Basie) and legendary session drummer Bernard Purdie, creator of The Purdie Shuffle. Bucky Pizzarelli currently records for Arbors Records. His latest CD Challis in Wonderland was released Mar. 2012 and is a tribute to 20s arranger Bill Challis. He tours with son John Pizzarelli. Here's Bucky Pizzarelli with Jay Dittamo on drums and Jerry Bruno on bass performing Sing Sing Sing at Ninety Six West Cafe in New York 2009.

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