This has Bucky, and, btw, wow, this is a group of players who are having more fun than the audience.
Frank Vignola, Tommy Emmanuel, Bucky Pizzarelli, Vinny Raniolo, Joe Craven - Sweet Georgia Brown
Posted on 04/04/2020 11:53:07 AM PDT by Twotone
On our new audio Mark Steyn Show, we've been memorializing some of those taken, day after day after day, by this stinking Coronavirus. As Gary Alexander, of Washington State's KLOI and of our Steyn Club family, has pointed out, Covid-19 has cut a particular swathe through the jazz world, in part because two of its grisliest American epicenters are New York and suburban New Jersey.
Still and all, I was saddened to hear that the virus had claimed, at the age of 94, Bucky Pizzarelli. He was a maestro of the seven-string guitar, a mainstay of Doc Severinson's "Tonight Show" band during Johnny Carson's New York years, and he played with everyone from Benny Goodman and Sarah Vaughan to Carly Simon and Paul McCartney. Along the way, he found time to sire an army of talent: guitarist/vocalist John, bassist Martin, classical guitarist Mary... Unlike many great but somewhat surly artistes, he was a joyful presence on stage: He entered beaming a gleeful, mischievous smile, which was very cheering, so you felt better before he'd played a note. And then he played a note or two, and you felt great for the rest of the night.
My Granite State neighbor Betty Johnson (a child singer with the Johnson Family gospel group in the Forties, and then an accomplished interpreter of grown-up pop in the Fifties) went way back with Bucky, and to my amazement a couple of years ago managed to persuade him to come to northern New Hampshire, which is to jazz what the Maine interior is to Gregorian chant.
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
How I wish I was as eloquent as Mark Steyn. “...Gregorian Chant...”. Too much!
Bill Withers passed also.
Played on “Runaway” as well
Cool article - but I clicked because I thought maybe, just maybe, Sebastian Stan wasn’t as whackadoodle lefty as his acting buddy Chris Evans.
He was not alas at this:
Doc Severinsen & His Big Band Live at Doc’s 90th Part 1 [2017]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH2l1Hb_kS0
Doc Severinsen & His Big Band Live at Doc’s 90th Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McMjEQTcbYk
Doc Severinsen & His Big Band Live at Doc’s 90th Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hptguf_ORU
One of my best evenings ever was watching Slam and Claire Stewart (she was the best stride piano player i have ever seen) and Bucky play up a storm on the Holiday Inn Patio. My Pop hired them (don’t remember who the Drummer was) but that was three glorious hours..I interviewed John on my radio show, What a family..
Pretty darn good sounding.
I just hope I can stand and walk that well when I’m 90.
There was another guitar player in the 60s, 70s who said the guitar should really be a 7 string instrument. Stephen Bennet used to live near here. I used to run into him all the time. He was the best guitar player I have ever seen live.
>>My kid talked about “Sing Sing Sing” all the next day, but his sister thinks he’s making it up, and it’s still impossible to do on the guitar.
sing sing sing in 11 minutes on drum and guitar (duo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO2QUNgo1kg
Yeah, he's not exactly what he once was, but, y'know, who is? If I can breathe that well at 90, I'll count it as a win.
Don’t forget Manu Dibango, the first person to succumb to the virus that I had heard of. Sure, he was African, not American, but the obituary I read classified him as a “jazz saxophonist.”
Mr. Steyn is definitely a TREASURE!
Doc was the pops director for the Minnesota Orchestra for years.
Last time I saw him perform was around 2015, or so. His “Jingle Bell Doc” Christmas performances. Dude was like 90 and could still blow the roof off of Orchestra Hall. He couldn’t hold those notes very long. But he could still wail!
Nice. It’s weird to think how he was able to start his career right after wwii, when so many of the big bands and most of their leaders were still thriving, and of course, the math of just how old anyone would have to be to have had that experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-eXCm-HD1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5H1ayuxMMI
Frank Vignola, Tommy Emmanuel, Bucky Pizzarelli, Vinny Raniolo, Joe Craven - Sweet Georgia Brown
I’m pretty sure that Tommy Emmanuel could play Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto on the guitar.
He's a blast live.
Someday I hope to see him live.
Someday.
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