From DownBeat Magazine's website.
http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sec ... l&nid=2778John Pizzarelli To Release McCartney Tribute AlbumPosted 7/22/2015
Paul McCartney’s songs will be in the spotlight once again, thanks to guitarist John Pizzarelli. Concord Records will release Midnight McCartney on Sept. 11.
The album will feature jazz arrangements of McCartney’s compositions, focusing predominantly on the post-Beatles period. Notable tracks include “Love In The Open Air” (from the soundtrack to the 1967 film The Family Way), “Junk,” “Warm And Beautiful” and “My Valentine,” from the 2012 album Kisses On The Bottom (Hear Music).
The idea for the album came from a May 2014 email exchange between McCartney and Pizzarelli in which the former Beatle asked the guitarist to record a handful of his “lesser-known tunes done in a mellow jazz style.”
The two musicians have a professional relationship dating back to 2012, when Pizzarelli played guitar on 10 of the 14 tracks on Kisses On The Bottom. That same year, the guitarist also accompanied McCartney at the Grammy Awards, the MusiCares Person of the Year gala concert and McCartney’s free iTunes Apple TV concert.
McCartney At Midnight will be Pizzarelli’s 11th album on Concord. His extensive discography for the label includes numerous tribute projects, among them 2010’s Rockin’ In Rhythm: A Tribute To Duke Ellington and 2006’s Dear Mr. Sinatra. In 1999 he released John Pizzarelli Meets The Beatles on RCA.
Like previous Pizzarelli records, Midnight McCartney will feature contributions by the guitarist’s talented family members. Jessica Molaskey (his wife) co-produced the album and provides background vocals. Bucky Pizzarelli (his father) adds rhythm guitar on several tracks and a solo on “Junk.” His brother Martin is on bass throughout; and his teenage daughter transcribed “Warm And Beautiful” for her father to sing in a different key.
Pizzarelli, whose radio program Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli is broadcast on more than 40 stations, was nominated for a Grammy for his 2008 album With A Song In My Heart (Telarc). He has been a special guest on recordings for major pop artists such as James Taylor, Natalie Cole and Kristin Chenoweth, as well as leading jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Frigo and Annie Ross.
In a press statement, Pizzarelli said the new album will appeal to fans of jazz and pop music alike. “We’ve always been McCartney fans and I feel that the audience we play for now grew up with Paul McCartney as well,” he said. “These songs are as familiar as ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams.’”
Musicians from all genres continue to explore McCartney’s compositions. Guitarist John Basile’s album Penny Lane, released on June 25, includes jazz arrangements of 11 Beatles songs.
The two-CD set The Art Of McCartney (released in November) features a diverse array of artists interpreting Sir Paul’s work, including Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Cullum, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Allen Toussaint and Brian Wilson.
