John Pizzarelli to Release Tony Bennett Centennial EP and Play Birdland
Pizzarelli will return to Birdland Jazz Club for a five night run, August 4-8.
Guitarist, vocalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer John Pizzarelli will continue his year-long celebration of the great Tony Bennett with the release of P.S. Mr. Bennett via Green Hill Music. Releasing on August 7, right after Bennett's centennial birthday on August 3, this five-song EP is a companion to Pizzarelli's full-length album Dear Mr. Bennett, which was released this past March to worldwide acclaim. To mark the occasion, Pizzarelli will return to Birdland Jazz Club for a five night run, August 4-8.
Joined once again by pianist Isaiah J. Thompson and bassist Mike Karn, Pizzarelli presents five more songs drawn from the Dear Mr. Bennett recording session, closely associated with the iconic vocalist's seven-decade career. The EP opens with "Rags to Riches," one of Bennett's signature hits, and moves through the romantic ease of "Love Scene" and the brooding stillness of Duke Ellington's "Solitude." "I Wanna Be Around," the Johnny Mercer classic Bennett helped make a standard, keeps things brisk, before the EP closes with a medley pairing "We'll Be Together Again" and "The Touch of Your Lips."
For Pizzarelli, Tony Bennett's influence extended beyond the music itself. His connection to the singer spanned generations: Pizzarelli's father, the esteemed guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, was a longtime collaborator who appeared on Bennett recordings including To My Wonderful One and I've Gotta Be Me. Years later, John would share the stage with Bennett himself during a radio broadcast alongside pianist Ralph Sharon and bassist Jay Leonhart, deepening a relationship that had already become part of the Pizzarelli family's musical history.
That respect evolved into a genuine friendship. Bennett frequently attended Pizzarelli's performances and twice captured the guitarist's likeness in sketches. One of those drawings, created during an engagement at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency in New York, now appears on the cover of Dear Mr. Bennett, lending a personal dimension to an album that celebrates not only Bennett's artistry but also the lasting bond he shared with Pizzarelli.
P.S. Mr. Bennett completes the picture begun on Dear Mr. Bennett, offering these additional performances that underscore both the depth of Bennett's catalog and the personal connection Pizzarelli brings to the music. Released in conjunction with Bennett's centennial, the EP stands as a heartfelt salute to an artist whose influence continues to resonate with musicians and audiences alike. P.S. Mr. Bennett will be available August 7, 2026 via Green Hill Music.
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