Double Exposure

John Pizzarelli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B006VCITEK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,919 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

For nearly 30 years, guitarist John Pizzarelli has explored various corners of the jazz landscape and merged a variety of styles into a single, distinctive signature sound. On any given recording indeed, in any given song one is likely to encounter an entertaining convergence of jazz, swing, the American songbook, pop, bossa nova and more.

Double Exposure, Pizzarelli s latest recording on Telarc a division of Concord Music Group focuses on two distinct styles to make a single fine recording. Set for release on May 15, 2012, Double Exposure is a collection of tunes by some of the great pop songwriters of his own generation that are framed squarely within traditional jazz arrangements.

The result is a fascinating and engaging musical hybrid. Double Exposure draws from a diverse pool of some of the best pop songwriters of the past five decades: Lennon and McCartney, Neil Young, James Taylor, Leiber and Stoller, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell and others. Woven into these memorable compositions are threads of jazz borrowed from figures like Wes Montgomery, Billy Strayhorn, Thad Jones and John Coltrane.

Pizzarelli is backed by his touring and studio band, featuring keyboardist Larry Fuller, bassist (and brother) Martin Pizzarelli and drummer Tony Tedesco. In addition, organist Larry Goldings assists on a number of tracks. A four-piece horn section arranged by Don Sebesky includes Tony Kadleck (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Mosca (trombone, euphonium), Kenny Berger (baritone sax, bass clarinet) and Andy Fusco (alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet), providing accents and embellishments along the way.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars He pays tribute to the pop music of his adolescence and the jazz tradition. Excellent. May 16, 2012

By aaamazon

Format:Audio CD

On this album, jazz guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli pays simultaneous tribute to the pop music of his adolescence (Steely Dan, Billy Joel, the Allman Brothers, Elvis Costello) and the jazz tradition in which he, as a member of the celebrated Pizzarelli dynasty, was steeped from his earliest years.
The album title refers to the fact that the program takes classic pop songs and puts them in jazz settings: thus you'll hear a cool bossa nova arrangement of Joni Mitchell's "Free Man in Paris," a completely natural lounge-lizard setting of Tom Waits' "Drunk on the Moon," and a hard-swinging, boppish version of James Taylor's "Traffic Jam" that sounds like it was written for the Manhattan Transfer and incorporates the Joe Henderson composition "The Kicker".
There's nothing particularly revolutionary about this idea: the line separating pop music and jazz has always been fuzzy anyway, and many jazz standards are actually show tunes. But Pizzarelli is an unusually gifted arranger as well as a drop-dead wonderful guitarist, and on several of these arrangements he suggests entirely new ways of thinking about these familiar songs.
Consider, for example, his subtly elegant use of organ and violin on Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", or the way he sneaks material from Wes Montgomery's "Four on Six" into a snappy rendition of the Allman Brothers' instrumental "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed".
It's also true that Pizzarelli is not gifted with a conventionally beautiful voice.
He is, however, an excellent singer: listen the how he makes the most of what he's got on his voice-and-guitar bossa nova setting of Billy Joel's "Rosalinda's Eyes".
What's charming about this album, beyond the sheer quality of the songs and the arrangements, is Pizzarelli's obvious and genuine love for this really broad gamut of material, and his insight into the varied qualities that make them all great songs. R. Anderson

With a Song in My Heart
Bossa Nova

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like? June 22, 2012

By A. E. Pagano

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

John Pizzarelli is without a doubt a stellar traditional jazz guitarist, master entertainer, and an able vocalist. His recordings are always well conceived and whether performing other artists material or his own, admirably performed. This record has some great ideas and some truly succeed. Others, while not complete failures are just a little too corny. The "Sidewinder/I Feel Fine" coupling opens the record and it is a great idea and the two seemingly disparate songs fall together perfectly. This also applies to Tom Waits' "Drunk On the Moon juxtaposed with Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". His attempt to cover Michael McDonald's heart-wrenching ballad "I Can Let Go Now" is just too much song for Pizzarelli's type of voice. Seals and Croft's "Diamond Girl" was never a favorite of mine but he and his band inject some inspired playing. I still have the highest respect for JP. He has unbelievable ear for wonderful songs, old and new, a phenomenal band (especially his pianist, Larry Fuller), and a dedication to his art. This recording will appeal to a broad audience and that what JP does best - communicate.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great jazz music December 2, 2012

By Lynx

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first heard John Pizzarelli's music on my local jazz station. It was his song "Harvest Moon" that caught my attention. The music and lyrics are so nice. I loved it so much that I went on Amazon to look for it. The collection is mixed with light and faster tempo so I wasn't sure at first because I was looking for something light like the Harvest Moon. Sometimes it's hard to assess whether one would like the songs from the sampling feature when the duration is short. But then once I received the CD and listen to all the music in their entirety, they are great!