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I don't see a lot of collades for him here, I think he's great.
My wife, who is a fabulous vocalist, complains about his whiny alto singing.
But I say, do you know how many times I've heard forefront singers playing very crappy guitar to accompany themselves? (the opposite)
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03-12-2023 10:17 PM
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I keep up with his Radio Deluxe on Mixcloud. A bit heavy on the showtunes for my taste, but there are usually one or two swing gems I wouldn’t want to miss, often featuring Bucky. And John is an accomplished rhythm guitarist. Voice more Nat than Frank or Tony, but that’s hardly a bad thing.
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I'm w your wife, can't stand his singing. But his guitar playing like his father's is excellent.
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I love JP. This recording has such a killer solo. JP when he was "on fire".
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I saw him last month at a concert with the Greensboro Symphony and vocalist Katherine Russell. It was a great show. I don't have a problem with his voice at all. It allows him to do the Great American Songbook repertoire including the lyric so he can reach a much wider audience. He gave a lot of background information on many of the songs and had stories about Frank Sinatra, his father Bucky and others. He and Katherine did some great duets too. I believe the Greensboro Symphony bulked up with some big band instrumentation and did wonderful arrangements.
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I used to read a Usenet jazz guitar group, and there was regular shade-throwing on JP, especially on his singing. To me, it sounded like snobbery (as distinct from "not to my taste"). Maybe if I were to go back and listen to his recordings in chronological order, I might hear an evolution in his singing, but what I think I've been hearing right along is pretty jazzy (anybody who can sing those guitar-solo lines is doing OK in my book), with a big dose of what Sinatra called "saloon" material. It's not a big voice, but it's pretty agile, and I find that I prefer it to that of, say, Michael Feinstein.
His cabaret-style duets with Jessica have showed me what Sondheim is up to--though not enough to warrant sitting through a whole Sondheim musical again. And I find that their tastes overlap a lot with mine--Harry Nilsson, Rosemary Clooney, Keely Smith, Catherine Russell, Madeline Peyroux. And he certainly knows how to run a small group.
On the non-performance side, his memories of growing up around Bucky's colleagues are pretty snazzy--who wouldn't want to have Zoot dropping by on a Sunday? (Though maybe having Goodman napping on a spare bed would be less appealing.)
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I like him. I’ve been flirting with adding singing to my jazz repertoire and he’s been an inspiration, just seeing it can be done. Are there other players doing this?
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I have been adding more vocals. It adds a whole other dimension and relatability for more people. I feel the songs are so much better when you include the lyric aspect. I've given up on ever being able to play the guitar like my heroes, so I need every advantage I can get (I happen to have a pretty good voice). The problem is, I should have come to this realization decades ago
Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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In this video at least his singing is weak and just muddys up his guitar playing. I prefer Bucky by a country mile. Originally Posted by TheGrandWazoo
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John is an ENTERTAINER. Watch this clip, watch how quickly he has this crowd absolutely eating right out of his hand. It's so cool to see someone with old school charm like that.
I love his singing, his playing, the whole schtick.
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I prefer his singing to that of Benson, by a wide margin. But opinions are ubiquitous.
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Flipping great rhythm playing
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He has a live show on his FB page every Thursday evening.
Tip him, name a song and he'll play it ?
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I saw him in a small club in DC just before the pandemic, he was great, very entertaining. I prefer his guitar playing over his singing but enjoy both.
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He is one of the best. A classic performer and a top notch musician.
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I am with you Mr B. I got to spend a few hours talking with Bill Moll at the chet fest in Nashville several years ago. Bill allowed me to play several of his guitars; i think he let me take one of them up to my hotel room to decide whether to buy it or not by the next morning. (I passed, only because of the color). But he said what you said above---that Jn was the ultimate entertainer. Bill called him the 'total pkg'. And this video shows it. I hope some have seen his concerts from the cabin during covid. I have some of his early CD's and later, and i do believe his voice has improved (Midnight McCartney has some fine moments, imho) Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
His book, "world on a string" and his 2 cd live recording with his impeccable trio are both very fine, imho.
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I am jealous of him for many reasons. Plays rhythm guitar like a mofo.
I never get tired of watching this. Would have been incredible to have been in the audience for this.
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I think with such artists it is important to be there in live performance. They usually have great integrity and drive which can be lost even in good video recording.
I feel he has it but anyway when I try to listen to records or videos I enjoy for a while but then usually lose interest, I think if I could be there it would have been fun all the way through.
And he is a virtuoso master player no doubt.
I enjoyed his interview and playing with Bill Frisell on Fretboard Journal - unexpectedly they complemented each other so well while playing duos and story-telling was great.
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I'm a fan. Seems like a genuinely super nice guy and ALWAYS gives a nod to his Dad. His autobiography "World on a String" is a fun and easy read.
John and I have something in common...our favorite frozen pizza is Tree Tavern. It's New Yawk Jersey thing.
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While I haven't been listening to much of his style of jazz for a long time, I am a huge fan of JP. I've seen him perform a few times, and the shows are always special. I listened to his Live at Birdland album enough where I even had the jokes and banter memorized. Does he have the best singing voice? I don't think so, but is he a master musician and story teller? Absolutely.
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His ability to connect with people truly is inspirational!
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In spite of being a killer musician and a fine singer, JP is always impeccably dressed. He is one of the few guys to list his tailor along with his guitar and amp endorsements in the album liner notes!
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There are many well-known singers who don't have a great voice, but still sell well. Willie Nelson comes to mind, and even Tony Bennett's voice isn't wonderful. But they can hold an audience, and sell the music. Pizzarelli is similar, I think.
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Originally Posted by sgosnell
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He is cool, I think one time I heard him emulate Lenny Breau singing.
Lenny Breau didn't sing very well but there was something emotional in his voice, something greater than a good voice.
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Anyone not use rest strokes?
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