Three For All (Binaural+) [feat. John Pizzarelli & Ed Laub]

Age 87 at the time of this recording, Bucky Pizzarelli learned at the knees of his musician uncles back in the '30s, when guitars were typically part of the rhythm section for early jazz and swing bands. He still plays that way, and did so for Benny Goodman, the Tonight Show band, and countless others. He’s the driving rhythmic force here of a guitar trio rounded out by his former student and regular partner Ed Laub, as well as his son John, who’s recorded with his dad often over the years. Things begin with the chamber music–like opening of “All the Things You Are,” illustrating just how interwoven this three-way mind meld is, but the music soon turns to swing. The rest of the set (all recorded live in audiophile quality with a binaural microphone) unfolds with some particularly rigorous strumming jumping out on “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “I Got Rhythm.” Not singing a note anywhere here, John plays lead; he's particularly expansive on “Undecided” but excellent throughout. It’s a treasure every time Bucky Pizzarelli picks up the guitar, and this is no exception.