<strong>Jersey</strong>Articles<strong>Jazz</strong>JOHN PIZZARELLIcontinued from page 24the key to grounding me. And, I was always lucky tobe able to make the records I wanted to make.JJ: Speaking of records, would you tell usabout your adventures with “I Like <strong>Jersey</strong>Best.”JP: Ben Maggio, a school teacher from Plainfield,NJ was a big fan of ours, and he used to say weshould make this the state song. So, we alwaysthrew our shoulders up and said OK. We alwaysthought it was a fun song and whatever happened,happened. He worked it all out and some guy sponsoreda bill to make it the official state jingle. Iremember driving down Route 1 with my fathergoing to Trenton and I kept asking, “Do you knowwhere you are going?” And he was like; [Slippinginto Bucky’s voice] “I’ll find it. It is around heresomewhere.” [Chuckles] It was hilarious. Then wegot there and the guy introduces my father as“Rocky Pizzarelli.” So I laughed so hard, [but] hadto sing the damn song. It was just pretty crazy. Itpassed in the House, but it died on the Senate floor.That song at that time was really hot and a lot offun; WNEW was playing it a lot in <strong>New</strong> York City andit’s been fun every time I sing it.JJ: I like the way you have evolved it overthe years.JP: We try to keep it topical and entertainingbecause you find yourself in [countries] where youleast expect to play it and since it is now on threeor four records in different versions, somebody willsay, “Do Bob Dylan, do BobDylan!” so they want theBob Dylan version of “I Like<strong>Jersey</strong> Best.” They don’treally know what the songis about, but they love tohear that version; so it ispretty crazy. [Chuckles] Youknow it works as a prettyfun piece of material that ifI need it, I’ve got it. I don’tlean on it every night, butwhen you’re in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>you have to do it.JJ: OK, let’s get seriousfor a moment. Yougrew up in northern<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, but nowyou are part of the RedSox Nation, how didthat happen?JP: I was a Yankees fan. I first saw baseball in ’67and I remember seeing Jim Lonborg winning for theRed Sox. I remember Carl Yastrzemski. The nextyear I wanted my mother to get me a Red Soxuniform for my birthday, but she got me and mybrother Yankees uniforms, so I became a Yankeesfan. I rooted for them through the ’70s and it wasabout the early ’80s when Mr. Steinbrenner wascomplaining [about] the Yankees and Billy Martingot hired for the fifteenth time, it became such azoo, it was crazy. All my friends were Red Sox fans,so I said I’m content to root for the Red Sox. <strong>New</strong>Yorkers who root for the Red Sox have some sort ofsimilar story. I’m not one of those screaming bloodymurder against the Yankees, I just happen to lovethe Red Sox.JJ: Aren’t you concerned that somedrunken Yankees fan will yell that you areno longer worthy to sing “I Like <strong>Jersey</strong> Best?”JP: [Laughs] No, I don’t mix politics and music. AsMartin reminds me every time I make the mistake,“No sports from the bandstand.”JJ: Now Bucky and Martin, your brother,rarely talk on stage while your banter isalmost as entertaining as your guitar work.So, where does your stage persona comefrom?JP: Well, he was listening to guitar players and Iwas watching entertainers, probably with as muchgusto as he was watching guitar players. I comeliterally out of watching Johnny Carson as much as Icould. I listened to Bill Cosby and George Carlinrecords. I liked David Frey, Rich Little and FredTravellino. I loved Ed Sullivanand things like that. So forme it was all timing andentertainment. How a jokelands is as serious abusiness as playing “I GotRhythm.” I actually point tothree <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> concerts,Springsteen in ’84 and BillyJoel in ’83 and ’84 or ’85; allthree had something thatyou could apply toany kind of entertaininganywhere. I’ve always keptthose three as templates forwhat I was going to dowhen I had the chance tobe behind a microphone.© michael a. black / black sun studioWe always used to jokewith my father, “Can’t yousay, ‘That was HoneysuckleRose’?” [Slipping into Bucky’s voice] “That was… Ithink that was…uh… uh…’Honeysuckle Rose.’”[Laughs] “Is it that hard?” So I used to take the mikefrom him and say, “Now we are going to do a songby Fats Waller. It’s called ‘Honeysuckle Rose.’” Wejust laugh about it still. He’s gotten better about it, Ithink from watching us. [Laughs]JJ: Well there is that retrospective CD…JP: …Where he speaks, Flashes. Yeah, it’s brilliant.I even asked, “Did you write all that out?” becauseit’s fantastic. I guess they edited the hell out of it,because it is really great. I love it. My son listens toit [and] I think it is a gift to everybody. He even said,“I’m going to talk between [songs]. Do you think theDJs will get mad at me?” I said, “No. If I had arecord of George Van Eps talking between songslike that, I wound think that was the greatest thingever to hear your hero speaking on your recordtelling why he did what he did, or just telling astory. I think that’s all a part of jazz history.” Justthink about his grandchildren listening to that,much less guitar players — but just to have that inour family, it’s a brilliant thing.JJ: Since you mentioned them, do youthink we might have another generation upon stage?JP: I think my son is interested in other things,although he likes to play the drums and he can playthe guitar. But he never picked it up the way Ipicked it up. My daughter, though, plays really goodpiano and loves music. They both love music andboth are brilliant, dare I say, kids. Really, they are,and my daughter has picked up the whole thing.She likes the Marx Brothers and the Beatles, so shealready won her way to her father’s heart…and shelikes the Red Sox. My son’s the same way. Theyhave passion for the things they listen to. Mydaughter listens to rock and roll, but she also lovesshow music and knows when she’s heard a goodshow. She saw Sunday in the Park with George andshe was wiped out — and this is a 10-year-old atthe time.JJ: I read that you were a trumpet player inschool.JP: I was. When I was in fourth grade I remembertelling my father, “I think I’m going to play trumpetbecause I like Doc Severinson.” So I played trumpetall the way through grammar and high school. Thenwhen I went to college and I was going to have amusic education degree. I got a little bit of ascholarship to go to the University of Tampa, so Iplayed trumpet there. I mean I seriously concentratedon it for a couple of years, meanwhile playingthe guitar. I came back home in January, 1980 andcontinued on page 2826_________________________________ October 2009
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