By Pam Creech
Contributing Writer
In an ode to the season, jazz guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli and his quartet opened a concert Dec. 2 with “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing,” an Irving Berlin song from the 1954 movie, “White Christmas.”
Concertgoers gathered in the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium for Pizzarelli’s concert, a blend of jazz hits and holiday classics.
Norman Bemelmans, UNCW’s cultural arts director, introduced the world-renowned artist, saying, “The evening will be swinging; it will be rocking,” before handing the microphone over to Pizzarelli.
The band continued with Duke Ellington hits, such as “Satin Doll” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”
As the crowd cheered, Pizzarelli introduced the band: his brother Martina Pizzarelli on bass, pianist Konrad Paszkudzski and drummer Kevin Kanner.
“Now we can go in any direction we want. Is Nat Cole okay with you?” Pizzarelli asked the audience.
The quartet played “The Frim Fram Sauce,” a comic classic, and a slower, more romantic ballad, “For Sentimental Reasons.” Pizzarelli finished his Nat “King” Cole tribute with “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”
“Nat Cole is the reason I do what I do,” Pizzarelli said, explaining he was introduced to Cole’s work by his father, Bucky, who first heard “It’s Only a Paper Moon” when he was stationed in the Philippines at the end of World War II.
Pizzarelli also recounted his experience playing with Paul McCartney on McCartney’s 2012 album, “Kisses on the Bottom.”
“My connection to Paul McCartney goes back to 1996 when I made an album called ‘John Pizzarelli Meets the Beatles,’” Pizzarelli said. “It did win jazz record of the year … in Japan.” He joked about the bad reviews the album received on Amazon.com from people who didn’t appreciate his jazz renditions of Beatles hits.
“The hatred for that record knows no bounds,” he said.
Pizzarelli said McCartney listened to the CD and told him, “It’s very good.”
“He should have written a review on Amazon,” Pizzarelli joked.
The quartet played the Beatles’ song, “I Feel Fine,” and an Allman Brothers Band hit, “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” before moving on to play holiday-themed songs, such as “Oh, Christmas Tree.”
The band continued with “Sleigh Ride” and Pizzarelli’s scatting earned a standing ovation from the audience. The quartet closed the show with “White Christmas.”
