John Pizzarelli - LYDIALIEBMAN.COM

P.S. Mr. Bennett
Release Date: August 7, 2026
Label: Green Hill Music

World-renowned guitarist, vocalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer John Pizzarelli continues his year-long celebration of the great Tony Bennett with the release of P.S. Mr. Bennett. Releasing right after Bennett’s centennial birthday on August 3, this five-song EP is a companion to Pizzarelli’s critically acclaimed full-length album Dear Mr. Bennett, which was released this past March to worldwide acclaim.

Joined once again by pianist Isaiah J. Thompson and bassist Mike Karn, Pizzarelli presents five more songs drawn from the Dear Mr. Bennett recording session, closely associated with the iconic vocalist’s seven-decade career. The EP opens with "Rags to Riches," one of Bennett's signature hits, and moves through the romantic ease of "Love Scene" and the brooding stillness of Duke Ellington's "Solitude." "I Wanna Be Around," the Johnny Mercer classic Bennett helped make a standard, keeps things brisk, before the EP closes with a medley pairing "We'll Be Together Again" and "The Touch of Your Lips."

Dear Mr. Bennett has been warmly received since its release, with PopMatters noting that Pizzarelli is "the contemporary master of this instrumentation," and DownBeat calling it "nostalgia at its freshest." P.S. Mr. Bennett offers listeners five more tracks in that same spirit, a small but well-chosen set that rounds out the project's vision.

Rarely has a performer in any genre matched the longevity, adaptability, and enduring popularity of Tony Bennett. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Bennett continually reinvented himself while remaining rooted in the traditions that defined his artistry. After achieving success as a pop vocalist in the 1950s and '60s and spending years in the shadow of contemporaries such as Frank Sinatra, Bennett gradually shifted away from commercial expectations to pursue the music that most inspired him, collaborating with artists including Bill Evans, George Barnes, and Ruby Braff. His commitment to artistic integrity ultimately fueled one of the most remarkable second acts in popular music, introducing him to new generations of listeners through collaborations that connected him with audiences far beyond the traditional jazz and vocal music worlds, from MTV-era fans to partnerships with artists such as Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.

For Pizzarelli, Bennett's influence extended beyond the music itself. His connection to the singer spanned generations: Pizzarelli's father, the esteemed guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, was a longtime collaborator who appeared on Bennett recordings including To My Wonderful One and I've Gotta Be Me. Years later, John would share the stage with Bennett himself during a radio broadcast alongside pianist Ralph Sharon and bassist Jay Leonhart, deepening a relationship that had already become part of the Pizzarelli family's musical history.

That respect evolved into a genuine friendship. Bennett frequently attended Pizzarelli's performances and twice captured the guitarist's likeness in sketches. One of those drawings, created during an engagement at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency in New York, now appears on the cover of Dear Mr. Bennett, lending a personal dimension to an album that celebrates not only Bennett's artistry but also the lasting bond he shared with Pizzarelli.

P.S. Mr. Bennett completes the picture begun on Dear Mr. Bennett, offering these dazzling additional performances that underscore both the depth of Bennett's catalog and the personal connection Pizzarelli brings to the music. Released in conjunction with Bennett's centennial, the EP stands as a heartfelt salute to an artist whose influence continues to resonate with musicians and audiences alike.

Dear Mr. Bennett
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Label: Green Hill Music

When Tony Bennett passed away in July 2023, just shy of his 97th birthday, the loss was felt throughout the world of music. Few artists have made as profound an impact over such a wide range of styles and eras, with connections spanning Frank Sinatra, Bill Evans, Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga.

For world-renowned guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, Bennett was more than simply an influence. Pizzarelli’s late father, the revered guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, was a frequent sideman for the legendary singer, appearing on albums including 1960’s To My Wonderful One and 1969’s I’ve Gotta Be Me. John got his own opportunity to accompany Bennett for a radio broadcast that also featured pianist Ralph Sharon and bassist Jay Leonhart.

The admiration was mutual – Bennett could be found in the audience for a number of Pizzarelli’s performances, and sketched his likeness on two occasions. The charming artwork that graces the cover of Pizzarelli’s heartfelt new tribute album, Dear Mr. Bennett, was rendered during an engagement at Feinstein’s nightclub at New York’s Loews Regency hotel.

Dear Mr. Bennett, is on the one hand a loving farewell to a profoundly influential musician who meant so much to so many. At the same time, it’s a spirited celebration, arriving just in time for Bennett’s landmark August 3rd centennial. A five-song EP will follow on August 7th to coincide with the occasion. Both releases feature songs made famous by Bennett over the course of his remarkable seven-decade career, rendered with lively warmth, soulful balladry and embracing swing by Pizzarelli and his trio featuring bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson. Pizzarelli and the trio will be touring the world to perform this repertoire throughout 2026 and into 2027.

Few performers in any genre or medium can tout the kind of longevity and universal admiration that Bennett enjoyed. As Pizzarelli marvels, “Tony’s artistry was just so magnificent. And he was able to continually reinvent himself. He went from being a pop singer in the ‘60s to a singer/entertainer who always had to play second fiddle to Sinatra in the ‘70s. Then, because he was such a great singer, he was able to do what he really wanted to and move from making commercial records to working with the likes of Bill Evans, George Barnes and Ruby Braff. He had one of the great second acts, and became a superstar all over again with the MTV generation, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.”

Dear Mr. Bennett kicks off with a sprightly rendition of Michel Legrand’s “Watch What Happens,” which Bennett was the first to record following its debut in the French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Pizzarelli recalls seeing Bennett open one of his final performances in Toronto with the song. “His vocal quality remained great, right until the end of his life. It was wonderful.”

“The Best is Yet to Come” is the first of four favorites by the songwriting team of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh that grace the album. Pizzarelli’s breezy, joyous version is followed by an intimate take on the ballad “It Amazes Me,” the buoyant “Firefly,” a manic bask in the elusive glow of new love, and the Roman holiday abandon of “When in Rome.” By contrast, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” skulks in the shadows, while “Because of You” emphasizes the singer’s vulnerability.

Bennett’s jazz bona fides are emphasized by Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” the trio’s blistering swing propelled by Karn’s muscular bass line and some dazzling fretwork by Pizzarelli. “Waltz for Debby” stems from Bennett’s collaboration with Bill Evans, essayed here by Pizzarelli alone as a tender lullaby. Thompson’s elegant, wistful piano is the sole accompaniment for Pizzarelli’s voice throughout most of “Young and Foolish,” finally joined by Karn to support the pianist’s delicate solo.

The inevitable “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” follows, Pizzarelli’s heart-on-sleeve yearning serving as a reminder of why the song became Bennett’s trademark hit. The album concludes with a bristling race through Irving Berlin’s “Shaking the Blues Away,” a final spotlight for the trio’s unbridled virtuosity.

The trio has established a brilliant chemistry over the last six years (give or take a pandemic-induced year and a half). Karn will commemorate his tenth anniversary with Pizzarelli at the end of 2025. He arrived via the recommendation of two of Pizzarelli’s most respected friends, trombonist John Mosca and saxophonist Harry Allen. Pizzarelli met Thompson back in 2013, when the pianist was just 16 years old. The guitarist was hosting a film and performance series at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York accompanied by students from Jazz House Kids, the non-profit organization founded by Melissa Walker and Christian McBride. That first impression persevered, and he proved a perfect fit when the piano chair opened up in 2019.

The trio’s first album together, the 2023 celebration of Broadway and Hollywood Stage and Screen, was recorded just months after they resumed work post-lockdown. Dear Mr. Bennett finds them in dazzling form, equally adept at scintillating jazz, breathtaking beauty and radiant pop.

Pizzarelli had long wanted to record an album dedicated to Bennett, adding the tribute to the list of great songwriters and musicians that he’s honored in the past: Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Sir Paul McCartney, Richard Rodgers, and Duke Ellington among them. In Bennett, he has a subject who was not only one of the greatest singers of the last century, but a friendly and accessible presence who might be encountered on the streets of New York City as easily as on a concert stage.

“In Manhattan, you’d run into him on the street,” Pizzarelli recalls with a chuckle. “He was always showing up at people’s gigs, which was very sweet. He was such a New Yorker, and he was just a very open and kind person.”