7-string guitar duets by the Pizzarelli brothers. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

John Pizzarelli on guitar and vocals – with Harrly Allen on tenor sax, Ken Peplowski on clarinet, and others. CD

With Dave McKenna on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Jerry Bruno on bass, and Butch Miles on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open rhythms he'd later hit on the Jazz Masters label in Detroit on his work with Eddie Russ – a sound that's quite unique, and which is a fair bit different than the funk-based Stitt dates for Prestige around the same time. Players here are quite unusual too – Herbie Hancock on piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes – plus Ted Sommer on vibes, and guitar by either Gene Bertoncini, Howard Collins, or John Pizzarelli – depending on the track. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and the arrangements by Dave Ward have a nicely fresh approach to soul jazz – one that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include "Sunny", "My Idea", "Jason's Blues", "Out Of This World", "Opus 1", "When Sonny Blows Blue", and "Mac Arthur Park". CD

With Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar and John Burr on bass. CD

Features Emily Remler and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Ken Peplowski on reeds, Dave Frishberg on piano, John Goldsby on bass, and Terry Clarke on drums. CD

A great take on the music of Vince Guaraldi – particularly his famous themes for Charlie Brown Christmas, but also featuring a few other tunes as well – all delivered in a style that's nicely different than the originals! Isaiah Thompson handles the piano and overall arranger – and there's a nicely shifting lineup of musicians throughout the set – including John Pizzarelli on guitar, Alexa Tarantino on alto and flute, Julian Lee on tenor, and Anthony Hervy on trumpet – musicians who really bring some great individual solo voices to the songs, and maybe a bit more bite than Guaraldi's original recordings. Tyreek McDole sings on a great version of "Little Birdie", and other titles include "Charlie Brown Theme", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", "Christmas Is Coming", "Christmas Time Is Here", "Thanksgiving Theme", "Linu & Lucy", "Heartburn Waltz", and "What Child Is This". CD

Zoot Sims really makes the album cook – adding in a lot more bop sensibility than you might expect on an album with violinist Joe Venuti – and really bringing in a heck of a lot of soul, thanks to his raspy tone on the tenor! The set's got a nicely jumping sort of feel – with John Bunch or Dick Hyman on piano, Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, and Milt Hinton on bass – and titles include "Avalon", "Russian Lullaby", "Where Or When", "Lover Come Back To Me", and "Shine". CD seems to have a lot more tracks than the album – 14 numbers in all! CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Walter Wanderley – a set that's much more complicated than his earlier trio records for Verve – and which really expands the sound with a host of added elements! Wanderley's core organ bossa groove is amplified wonderfully here with the addition of guitar, vibes, horns, and other elements – all of which help to change the rhythms and move the groove way past just simple stock bossa. Walter plays a bit of electric piano too – hinting at work on later albums – and other players include Jerome Richardson on flute, Bobby Rosengarden on vibes, John Pizzarelli on guitar, and even a bit of vocals from Marge Dodson. There's a wonderful variety of tunes on the set – including Joao Donato's "Amazonas", Baden Powell's "Canto De Ossanha", and Bob Crewe's "Music To Watch Girls By" – plus other gems like "Sensuous", "Sambao", "Arrinho Atoa", "Kee Ka Roo", and "The Bobo". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly funky little set from Sonny Stitt – one of his hippest albums ever, and a rare date cut for Ahmad Jamal's short-lived record label! The sound here is a great combination of the late 60s tone that Sonny forged on other east coast indies – and some of the hipper, more open rhythms he'd later hit on the Jazz Masters label in Detroit on his work with Eddie Russ – a sound that's quite unique, and which is a fair bit different than the funk-based Stitt dates for Prestige around the same time. Players here are quite unusual too – Herbie Hancock on piano, organ, and Fender Rhodes – plus Ted Sommer on vibes, and guitar by either Gene Bertoncini, Howard Collins, or John Pizzarelli – depending on the track. Rhythm is by Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums – and the arrangements by Dave Ward have a nicely fresh approach to soul jazz – one that really keeps things interesting throughout! Titles include "Sunny", "My Idea", "Jason's Blues", "Out Of This World", "Opus 1", "When Sonny Blows Blue", and "Mac Arthur Park". LP, Vinyl record album

Stan Getz is joined by Stanley Cowell, Miroslav Vitous, and Jack DeJohnette. Zoot Sims is joined by Bucky Pizzarelli, Buddy Rich, and Milt Hinton. CD

Accompanied by Rusty Dedrick, Johnny Mince, Buddy Morrow, Dick Hyman, Bucky Pizzarelli, George Duvivier, and Don Lamond. LP, Vinyl record album