Bucky Pizzarelli: One Morning in May

On One Morning in May Pizzarelli plays in a heartfelt, swing style. The line-up of composers includes Bix Beiderbecke, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Hoagy Carmichael. His approach is reflective, emphasizing the poignancy of a melody line, and the harmonic shadings possible with the 7-string guitar. This is all built upon a full bodied bass line that Pizzarelli weaves into his improvisations, a bass line that is fuller than the typical solo guitar bass because of the extended bottom range of the 7-string guitar.

Pizzarelli is at his musical best in a solo context, it's here that he shapes his material in a patient, masterful style. There is a calm, depth to these solo recordings: Pizzarelli seems to be working for the great guitarists of the past and of the future bridging the gap through the voice of his guitar. This is a living tradition in action, and a vivid illustration of how far jazz has come in its short life among us.

Pizzarelli is not interested in impressing the listener with fast and flashy runs up and down the fingerboard. He is interested in what makes a standard a standard and why musicians keep returning to particular compositions. This accounts for his focus on the melody and structure of the material. How these subtleties interact with human emotion and creativity is what jazz is all about. Highly recommended.