Track Listing

1. Ring-A-Ding Ding
2. You Make Me Feel So Young
3. How About You?
4. If I Had You
5. Witchcraft
6. I've Got You Under My Skin
7. Nice 'N' Easy
8. Medley: I See Your Face Before Me/In the Wee Small Hours (Of the ...)
9. Can't We Be Friends?
10. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
11. Last Dance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39330 in Music
• Released on: 2006-07-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
With his eternally boyish tenor and cheery romantic outlook, John Pizzarelli is a stylistic world apart from Frank Sinatra, he of the manly baritone and dark sensual undercurrents. But like his Italian-American forebear, he's a consummate swinger, and he knows how to make a lyric his own. Comprised mostly of tunes written for the Chairman, Dear Mr. Sinatra is a musical fan letter without the usual schmaltz or reverence. An actively intelligent singer and guitarist, Pizzarelli reshapes the material to fit his personality, whether quietly enunciating "You Make Me Feel So Young," scatting over a brief guitar solo on "How About You?," or making the emotions sneak up on you on a medley of "I See Your Face Before Me" and "In the Wee Small Hours (of the Morning)." He's equally at home with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra as he is with his working combo, largely because in John Clayton, he has a skilled arranger who is equally open to recasting the songs--dig the jagged rhythms, hesitation effects, and burnished tones on "I've Got You Under My Skin." Even as he asserts his own style, Pizzarelli subtly conveys his affection for Sinatra in his phrasing. The album also boasts an agreeable Frank-like running time of 39 minutes. --Lloyd Sachs

Customer Reviews

Quality over quantity.
Every singer ends up attempting Sinatra eventually, but few manage so well....
John Pizzarelli has been playing jazz guitar with his legendary father, Bucky, since he was 6 years old.
John's latest album is Dear Mr. Sinatra, on which he plays songs written for Ol' Blue Eyes....
The crooner is noted for his sensitive phrasing and powerful interpretative voice, which recall the relaxed stylings of Nat "King" Cole and Chet Baker, as well as for his fluid, inventive guitar playing.
On this album of covers of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, John Pizzarelli wisely avoids the pitfalls of Ol' Blue Eyes imitations in favor of his own intimate approach, best heard on the set's more relaxed arrangements.
My highlights are the tracks "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Nice and Easy" and "You Make Me Feel So Young".
Both attention-grabbing and supportive, his expertly arranged big band accompaniment likewise evokes the ring-a-ding-ding of the Rat Pack era while steering clear of mere pastiche.
With a total time just under 40 minutes, the program is a little short by CD standards, but the performances by John Pizzarelli and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra in this warm tribute to Frank Sinatra are consistently of high caliber and hit the mark every time.

An outstanding CD
As a longtime Sinatra fan who was fortunate enought to see Sinatra in concert many times, I feel I am qualified to say that John Pizzarelli's new CD, DEAR MR SINATRA, is a truly outstanding and accomplished work. John Pizzarelli captures the essence of everything that was Sinatra: swing style, powerful lyrics and impeccable taste for music. Of all the young musicians of today that have taken on a Sinatra projects -- and there are many -- none have done it close to this well. Kudos to John for giving us something wonderful.

One of the Years Best Jazz Records
I just purchased John Pizzarelli's new CD, DEAR MR SINATRA, and absolutely love it. If John ever reads this I want him to know that it is his best record yet. Of all the artists that have made Sinatra records in recent times, this one, by far, figured out how to interpret one of our greatest singers with class, style and incredible musicality. I highly recommend this CD for Pizzarelli fans, Sinatra fans, music fans and anyone who just wants to hears something special.