Pizzarelli Boys

Together, Peter and Bobby were grooming my dad to be a great rhythm guitar player and they told him there were any one of three bands he should strive to play for- Count Basie, Duke Ellington or Benny Goodman. Benny would eventually end up the winner.
The Bucky Pizzarelli “story” is well chronicled. He has accompanied “every singer except Bing Crosby” he once said to me. He has also played in many duo scenario’s with guitarist George Barnes, tenor great Zoot Sims, violinist Joe Venuti and guitarist Les Paul to name a few. Martin started playing bass in high school. A turning point in his life would be the 2 weeks that Slam Stewart would stay at our house while playing a gig in New York with my Dad. Slam would always want to play our upright bass after dinner and Martin made a point of sitting nearby him and watching his every move. Over the years, Milt Hinton, Major Holley and Ray Brown would come over the house and share stories and meals with us. Martin was as lucky fellow to hear them, as was I to hear guitarists George Barnes, Les Paul and Joe Pass in that same living room. Drummer Tony Tedesco might as well be family. We have known him and played with him on and off for 24 years before he became a permanent member of my quartet in 2004.