P.S. Mr. Cole

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Nat "King" Cole's piano trio has been an inspiration for many of today's young lions: from Diana Krall to this talented vocalist-guitarist, John Pizzarelli. Taking his cue from the fleet-fingered dexterity of Cole's guitar ace Oscar Moore, Pizzarelli combines economical licks with wispy, Chet Baker-like vocalism's on this candlelight tribute consisting of Cole-associated songs, accompanied by bassist brother Martin Pizzarelli and pianist Ray Kennedy. The tunes are sung and swung with reverence and rhythm: the easygoing "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," the furious, foot-stomping standard "Indiana," the plaintive ballad "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons," and the devilish and demure, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head." With the toe-tapping original composition "That's Nat," cowritten by Pizzarelli and Kennedy, Nat King Cole's intimate ballads and pre-bebop instrumentals are brought to a new generation with the leader's own tender and terrific talents. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Tracks:

Walkin' My Baby Back Home
Candy
Welcome To The Club
Indiana
I Love You For Sentimental Reasons
Don't Let it Go To Your Head
Meet Me At No Special Place
The Late Late Show
Smile
Tenderly
I Was A Little Too Lonely
I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm
Then I'll Be Tired Of You
That's Nat
Azure-Te
I Know That You Know
Embraceable You
I Like Jersey Best

Amazon.com

Nat "King" Cole's piano trio has been an inspiration for many of today's young lions: from Diana Krall to this talented vocalist-guitarist, John Pizzarelli. Taking his cue from the fleet-fingered dexterity of Cole's guitar ace Oscar Moore, Pizzarelli combines economical licks with wispy, Chet Baker-like vocalism's on this candlelight tribute consisting of Cole-associated songs, accompanied by bassist brother Martin Pizzarelli and pianist Ray Kennedy. The tunes are sung and swung with reverence and rhythm: the easygoing "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," the furious, foot-stomping standard "Indiana," the plaintive ballad "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons," and the devilish and demure, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head." With the toe-tapping original composition "That's Nat," cowritten by Pizzarelli and Kennedy, Nat King Cole's intimate ballads and pre-bebop instrumentals are brought to a new generation with the leader's own tender and terrific talents. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Candy.......2005-09-22

Being a fan of both Mr. Pizzarelli and Mr. Cole, this compilation is a perfect combination of both. Mr. Pizzarelli is at his best when doing the great songs of Nat Cole, and this might be his best work to date.

Brilliant.......2001-11-16

This is one album that would be impossible to give less than 5 stars. It is chock full of great songs, from great up-tempo, foot-stomping, swingers, to beautiful ballads,..this album has it all. Previously only available in Japan, this album was finally made available elsewhere, due to rave reviews and public demand. Also, as an added bonus, we are treated to a wonderful live recording of "I Like Jersey Best", in which we hear John's wonderful sense of humour as well as his clever impersonations. So if you would like to hear John sing as Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Lou Rawls, Mel Torme, Paul Simon, The Beach Boys, and Lou Reed, then you just have to purchase this album. The price is worth it for that song alone, although the whole album is fantastic. Highly recommended.

PIZZARELLI & HIS WONDERFUL TRIO.......2001-01-18

This CD was a Christmas gift and I truly could not be happier with it. I unwrapped it, read the liner notes and, literally, played it three times without stopping. This is absolutely wonderful jazz playing: rocking and wild one minute & smooth and subtle the next. Pizzarelli's guitar playing is top notch and his voice has the charm and character of Fred Astaire: light, sophisticated, sweet and real easy on the ear. The album is a tribute to Nat King Cole and every song is a winner. My favorites are "Walking My Baby Back Home," "Tenderly," "Embraceable You," and "Candy" which comes complete with a short, clever homage to Cole's hit "Mona Lisa." The final number is taken from a live performance....what a funny song "I Like Jersey Best" is and it is given an even funnier performance by Pizzarelli and his wonderful trio. Highly Recommended.

This CD is simply beautiful........2000-08-07

The first time I heard Mr. Pizzarelli was on internet radio. When I heard him sing I Love U for Sentimental Reasons, tears began rolling down my eyes (i miss my wife cuz she's out of the country right now). This guy just hit me right inside my heart. This Cd is a must buy because it has a good collection of classic songs plus the way he performed them are just simply fantastic. This is a trio by the way- guitar, piano, and bass. His guitar playing is sweet, piano and bass accompaniment was good too. Best songs here are: Candy, Azure-Te, ...for Sentimental Reasons, and Tenderly. Get this CD.

Keeping It Simple.......1999-09-30

In again turning to songs made popular by Nat Cole for album material, this crooner/guitarist is smart enough to take more than just song titles. The hallmark of the Cole trio was always the superb musicianship that enhanced and never competed with either the lyric or Mr. Cole's reading of the song. Pizzarelli takes a similar approach on this CD, giving us straight-ahead readings of old chestnuts such as "Smile," "Candy," and "Tenderly," while also introducing us to the lesser-known "Meet Me at No Special Place" and "Welcome to the Club."

When Pizzarelli gets the right material, it seems to fit him like the proverbial old pair of shoes. Unlike his more publicized contemporaries Harry Connick and Diana Krall, in whose music one can almost sense the marketing department in the studio booth, Pizzarelli's music is long on rhythms short on affectations.

Tenor sax guy Harry Allen jumps in for a couple of tracks and, as when Harry Edison would sneak onto Nat Cole's small group albums, we are grateful for the visit. Ray Kennedy and Martin Pizzarelli, on piano and bass respectively, provide the low-key foundation that allows this album to fly high. In the spirit of the Nat Cole Trio, Pizzarelli's group is all about retraint here, and this is not a complaint by any means.