John Pizzarelli

A dazzlingly skilful guitarist, John Pizzarelli has played on records by Paul McCartney, James Taylor and Curtis Stigers, whilst carving out a long career as an old-fashioned smooth, swinging jazz master. Born in Paterson, New Jersey he learned to play from his dad Bucky Pizzarelli, who had been an esteemed guitar player since the 1950s and played in big bands and even performed at the White House.

By his teenage years John was playing with his father and his colleagues such as Benny Goodman, Les Paul and Zoot Sims. He released his debut album 'I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father)' in 1983 and established himself as a timeless, guitar-picking crooner, before touring with his brother Martin and pianist Ray Kennedy as a trio and supporting one of his heroes Frank Sinatra in the 1990s.

Though he played in rock bands in his youth, it was great jazz guitarists like Django Reinhardt, vocalists like Nat King Cole and even the skat singing of George Benson which influenced him the most, and his albums 'My Blue Heaven', 'All of Me' and 'After Hours' breathed life into standards from the classic American song book.

A stylish, renaissance man rarely seen not wearing a suit and tie, he has also picked up a major fan base in Japan along the way and turned his hand to Brazilian music in 2004 by interpreting the work of composer Antonio Carlos Jobim on the album 'Bossa Nova'. In more recent years he has paid tribute to luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer and The Beatles, and played on records by his wife Jessica Molaskey.