by Steph Cosme
The first surprise on Dear Mr. Bennett is how little interest John Pizzarelli has in sounding like Tony Bennett.
That may seem like an odd observation for an album built around repertoire so closely associated with Bennett’s career, but it quickly becomes one of the project’s greatest strengths. Rather than chasing familiar inflections or attempting a vocal recreation, Pizzarelli combines his focus swing and its inflections while pulling in the qualities that made Bennett such a compelling interpreter. The singing has conversational phrasing, lyric clarity, and a willingness to let each song unfold at its own pace. Those qualities appear throughout the album.
On “Young and Foolish” Isaiah J. Thompson’s piano begins with jazz elegance. There is time present, and a strong melodic line. Thompson establishes harmonic direction while Mike Karn’s bass supports the vocal line. Pizzarelli sings the melody with with phrases that arrive naturally and the lyrics are clear. Classic ballad jazz rhythm is firmly at the center of the performance.
The result recalls the conversational quality that often distinguished Bennett’s finest ballad recordings. Not because Pizzarelli imitates Bennett’s sound, but because he trusts many of the same interpretive instincts. The performance develops through strong singing, dynamics, and phrasing.
Karn’s entrance is particularly effective because it doesn’t change the character of the performance. The bass arrives through pedal tones before settling into a half-time feel, yet the spaciousness established by the piano-and-vocal opening never disappears. By the closing moments, Thompson’s descending arpeggios move beneath a sustained vocal line as the performance drifts back into rubato.
That relationship with time surfaces repeatedly throughout the album.
“It Amazes Me” begins with voice and guitar alone, unfolding freely before Karn and Thompson establish pulse beneath the performance. Even then, Pizzarelli never completely surrenders to the rhythm section. Certain phrases stretch beyond expected resolutions. Others settle comfortably behind the beat. Rubato passages return briefly before giving way to time again. The movement between freedom and structure feels less like a technical decision than a storytelling device.
The song also reveals another strength of the album is repertoire selection. While Dear Mr. Bennett naturally includes material strongly identified with Bennett, “It Amazes Me” reaches beyond the most obvious choices. Its combination of sustained lyricism, gradual dynamic growth, and understated harmonic movement gives Pizzarelli ample room to demonstrate the patience that defines much of the record.
If “Young and Foolish” highlights pacing and “It Amazes Me” demonstrates phrase construction, “Because of You” offers an example of Pizzarelli’s vocal tonal control.
Unlike many of the album’s swing selections, the melody relies heavily on sustained notes. There is less opportunity to generate momentum through rhythmic activity, which places greater emphasis on tone, vibrato, and dynamic shape. Pizzarelli responds with admirable control. Notes bloom gradually rather than arriving fully formed. Small bends into pitch add expression without drawing attention to themselves. Light vibrato appears when needed and disappears when it isn’t.
The trio supports him beautifully. Recurring ascending and descending figures weave through the spaces between vocal phrases, while Thompson’s fills provide harmonic color without interrupting the line. The effect is subtle but significant. Pizzarelli continually shapes the melody, creating movement inside the phrase to keep things interesting.
Emotional impact arrives when the arrangements shift stylistically, moving from the Latin pulse of “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams” to the waltz atmosphere of “Waltz for Debby” or the buoyant swing of “Shakin’ the Blues Away.” The emphasis remains on communication rather than display.
A distinctive aspect of Pizzarelli’s singing is his articulation. Phrases are reshaped through timing and melodic adjustments emerge through accents. The approach resembles the logic of a jazz improviser developing an idea and shaping the material with refinement.
Dear Mr. Bennett is Pizzarelli demonstrating how lyric-centered classic jazz storytelling and melodic flexibility continue to give life to songbook material decades after these songs entered the repertoire. Bennett’s presence is felt throughout the album as the performances acknowledge the tradition while remaining unmistakably Pizzarelli’s stylistic voice. That’s the short of it!
