John Pizzarelli – HuffPost 5.14.12

Mike Ragogna: John, What advice might you have for new artists?

John Pizzarelli: Oh, me? If you’re talking about vocalists, I could start there. In this style of music, I think the best place to start is always as basic as you can start. I think singing the melody and getting yourself established is always a good thing. I think what Norman Granz did with Ella Fitzgerald, making all those songbook records, though she wasn’t too keen on the idea. The idea was to get as much Ella Fitzgerald out there singing songs that everybody knew, in a sense. I think that’s why that Lewis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald record is so cool. They’re just singing those standards so beautifully with the best rhythm section in the world. I think that’s the thing. I’ve said that to a number of people. There’s a piano player that I really like who I saw playing a bunch of Johnny Mercer songs one night. I said, “You should make that record.” And he’s made some really good records with complex ideas, but I said, “You know, if you just start with that very simple record… You have a nice little trio, you do Johnny Mercer, it’s a great place to start.” I think it’s always best to start somewhere simple and then reach out from there. I may have started out a little too crazy too, but My Blue Heaven record was a good place to start.