Bucky Pizzarelli Plays The Music Of Jerome Kern CD

New York Swing: John Bunch (piano); Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar); Jay Leonhart (bass); Dennis Mackrel (drums).
Recorded at Clinton Studios, New York, New York on November 8, 1993.
New York Swing consists of pianist John Bunch, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and bassist Jay Leonhart, while the group worked with more than one drummer during their existence. On this 1993 session, Dennis Mackrel rounds out the group. The music is drawn exclusively from the Jerome Kern songbook, starting with a breezy, playful arrangement of "The Song Is You." But while the group plays a number of time-tested standards, including "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Pick Yourself Up," "All the Things You Are," and "Yesterdays," all with a freshness that belies the vintage of these songs and the numerous times they have been recorded by jazz musicians, it is some of the less familiar tunes that especially stand out. The leisurely waltz "I Dream Too Much" and the shimmering ballad "Remind Me" are worthy of greater exploration, too. Pizzarelli's guitar is prominent throughout the date, though Bunch and Leonhart are capable soloists as well, with the veteran Mackrel focusing primarily on keeping time. This is one of the better releases in producer Sonny Lester's series of budget releases that have appeared on various labels. ~ Ken Dryden