Swing Into the Holiday Season With John Pizzarelli Quartet at SOPAC

Swing right in to the holiday season as SOPAC presents the John Pizzarelli Quartet on December 4 at 7:30 p.m. He was hailed by the Boston Globe for "reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing Jazz" and The Toronto Star pegged Pizzarelli as "the genial genius of the guitar." He brings a glow to the standards, dazzles with his guitar brilliance and delights the audience with stories of his life as a member of a family that is regarded as Jazz royalty. Classy, warm and bright, Pizzarelli is undoubtedly a bracing tonic of holiday cheer that never loses its fizz.

John Pizzarelli started playing guitar at age six, following in the tradition of his father, Bucky Pizzarelli. He turned to Jazz in his late teens after playing in Rock bands, and he received an education playing with his father and many Jazz greats who would influence his work: Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Zoot Sims, Clark Terry and Slam Stewart, among others.

His solo recording career started in 1990 with My Blue Heaven on Chesky Records. He played clubs and concert halls on the Jazz circuit, opening for such greats as Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis and Rosemary Clooney. In 1993, he opened for Frank Sinatra's international tour and then joined in the celebration for his 80th birthday at Carnegie Hall, bringing down the house singing "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" with his father accompanying him.

After recording albums for RCA devoted to torch ballads (After Hours), classic swing and bold originals (Our Love Is Here to Stay), holiday songs (Let's Share Christmas) and the Fab Four (John Pizzarelli Meets the Beatles), Pizzarelli signed with the GRAMMY® Award-winning label Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group. His string of successful albums started in 2000 withKisses In the Rain and he has continued to record albums that bring acclaimed new interpretations to the standards. A JazzTimes critic raved, "Spend five minutes with Pizzarelli and you'll fully appreciate his inimitable warmth, humor and munificence of spirit."

His 2008 recording, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated With a Song in My Heart, celebrates the music of composer Richard Rodgers. Subsequent albums featured Duke Ellington, the Beatles, Paul McCartney and more. In addition to being a bandleader and solo performer, John has been a special guest on recordings for major Pop names such as James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones and the Dave Van Ronk, as well as leading Jazz artists like Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen and, of course, Bucky Pizzarelli.

Pizzarelli's swinging take on holiday favorites at SOPAC on December 4 at 7:30 p.m. is not to be missed. Tickets are available at www.sopacnow.org/john-pizzarelli or by calling (973) 313-2787.

Since 2006, SOPAC has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The premier arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. To further expand its offerings, SOPAC has a partnership with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC-a series featuring upcoming musicians from the acclaimed conservatory. SOPAC is home for Seton Hall University Arts Council's performances, including Classical Concert Series, Jazz 'N the Hall performances and Seton Hall Theatre productions. For more information, visit SOPACnow.org.