Kisses In The Rain

John Pizzarelli

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00004R8PB
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #128,736 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This is a diverse set of standards and original tunes that aims at the intimacy and spontaneity of John Pizzarelli's live performance with a studio setting. The singer-guitarist's long-established trio with pianist Ray Kennedy and brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass just keeps getting better, working with an instrumentation that Nat "King" Cole first perfected in the '40s and which also served Oscar Peterson well in the '50s. The trio achieves a sound that's both smooth and complex when all the parts are working in perfect synch, and that's what happening here. Whether they're flying on uptempo numbers like "I Got Rhythm," with Pizzarelli scatting in unison with his guitar, or playing at a medium bounce on the Cole signature "When I Take My Sugar to Tea," the group swings magnificently. Pizzarelli's light but resilient voice can suggest Chet Baker at slower tempos, but his relaxed delivery and conversational ease contribute to this music's distinctive charm. He sounds particularly good on some great Jimmy Van Heusen songs, both the well-known "I Thought About You" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and the rarely heard "I Could Have Told You So." Pizzarelli's ingrained familiarity with the great American songbook is such that his own songs--like the witty "I Wouldn't Trade You" and the effective title ballad--sound right at home beside the classics. Kennedy wrote the sole instrumental, "Oscar Night," a fittingly ebullient tribute to Peterson. --Adam Rains

From Jazziz
"It's one thing to say, 'Let's make a record that captures the feeling of a live concert,' but another to actually do it," according to guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli. But Pizzarelli and his trio, pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist brother Martin Pizzarelli, did their damnedest - recording without headphones and in close surroundings. "The atmosphere was one of a living-room jam session," says John. "I hope that everyone who has applauded and supported us in concert will feel that this record captures some of the directness and spontaneity, the joie de vivre and vitality of that experience."

--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new and wonderful world for this listener!, March 18, 2000

By	D. J. Edwards "donaldjedwards" (Cheshire, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This recording is about as far as one can get from Wagner, Verdi and Puccini but my introduction to this recording on a Connecituct Public Radio broadcast interview with Pizzarelli opened up a new world of music to me. A proof that music has many sounds and voices each magnificent in its own way. I was bowled over by Pizzarelli's voice - its smoothness, its intimacy of tone, its earnest sincerity - and his trio that offer some of the most moving and heart stopping momemts of gentle strength I've have ever heard outside of classical music. An absolute case of less is more, more and ever more... I regret I could not get to his performance at the University of Hartford some weeks ago. The reviews of it were estatic. This recording deserves a hearing by any body capable of being moved by genuine, sincere and gifted music making. Amd what great music making it is indeed!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated Sounds, March 5, 2000

By A Customer

This is yet another great cd by a truly talented trio of musicians that provides pure joy to any listener. Kisses in the Rain is a particularly beautiful song that remains on your mind after you've played it. John's brother Martin provides great bass lines to the trio's fast-moving swing tempos, and Ray Kennedy continues to inspire us all. Can't seem to get enough of John's sophisticated style and talented musicianship! A must buy for all jazz lovers.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kisses in the Rain, March 8, 2000

By	Leslie (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

Sparkling! Absolutely brilliant! John Pizzarelli and his Trio have another winner with "Kisses in the Rain." Loved the witty lyrics on "I Wouldn't Trade You" and the wonderful rendition of Bing Crosby's "From Monday On." This CD just makes you feel great! P.S. Check out his earlier "PS Mr. Cole" for more of this great Trio.