Bucky Pizzarelli Interview

by Rick Landers

Mention the name Bucky in jazz circles and heads nod in reverence. It's understood that the reference is to one of the most exceptional jazz guitarists to ever reach for an archtop, Bucky Pizzarelli.

At age 17, John "Bucky" Pizzarelli was touring with Vaughan Monroe's dance band. After his wartime service with the Army during the '40s, Bucky returned Stateside and rejoined the RCA recording group.

By 1952 Pizzarelli was on contract with NBC and later helped play the classy musical backdrop for The Tonight Show with Doc Severinson.

Inspired by George Van Eps to play the 7-string electric guitar, Bucky became known as one of the few 7-stringers in jazz world. He cranked the extra string to A allowing him to play a deep bass line alongside his swinging solos.

A first class rhythm player, Bucky has always been sought as a first-call session man. One of his first big time jobs was touring with the legendary Benny Goodman. He's also teamed up with Zoot Zims, Bud Freeman and his talented son John Pizzarelli, Jr. One notable honor showed up at his door when violinist Stephane Grappelli asked Bucky to take Django Reinhardt's slot in his Grappelli's famous trio.

Pizzarelli has recorded with some of the greatest jazz artists of our time, including Duke Ellington, Doc Cheatham, and vocalists Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughan. He's also played rhythm guitar on scores for the movies Stand By Me, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Woody Allen's Sweet and Low.

Go to a Bucky Pizzarelli show and you're offered an array of solid 7-string jazz guitar virtuosity in the most real sense. But that's not all. You also get an opportunity to catch the man himself who's still full of gusto and offers a ready smile as he banters with his band and the audience.

Modern Guitars Magazine couldn't pass up meeting Bucky at the Theatre at Washington Virginia where he was joined by Chuck Redd on vibes and drums and Tommy Cecil on bass.

Tell us a bit about the history of the 7-string jazz guitar.

Bucky Pizzarelli: Well, George Van Epps invented that and we heard him in 1969 in New York. He demonstrated for Gretsch. Right after that we all went down to Manny's Music store the next day and bought a Gretsch! [Laughs]

Van Epps invented the 7-string?

BP: Yeah, he developed that, I think, at the Epiphone factory. He made a 7-string out of an acoustic guitar and played it into a microphone. And then he developed it into an electric and ended up making a very sophisticated sound.

What's that archtop you have over there?

BP: I'm using a Bennedetto Bucky Pizzarelli Signature model that he made for me. He made the neck and I think Guild or Fender made the body. My amp's borrowed. I never take an amp on the road.

Did you grow up among musicians?

BP: Oh, yeah. My uncle is in Patterson, New Jersey. And on Sundays, everyone would take the guitars out at his place for a good time with the family. I joined in once they showed me a few chords. .

What were you playing?

BP: I had an old Gibson. Well not an old one. They bought one for me that was about a hundred and fifty bucks.

Archtop?

BP: Yeah, an archtop with the neck right up into the body. They gave it to me and I think they called it an "Old 55".

Who were you listening to at the time?

BP: Well, I stole from about fifty guys! [Laughs]

Let's see. George Barnes, Tony Motolla, George Van Epps, Artie Ryerson - the whole gang of guys and Barry Galbrith who use to be a great rhythm guitar player in the '40s. When you listen to them on the radio you'd pick up things. I remember I was just listening to the Blondie radio show with Barry Bodkin. Four measures impressed me. I think Barry ended up playing with Bing Crosby.

Django too was a very big influence. I had some 78s of his. Never played with him, but I played with his partner Stephane Grappelli for many years.

How'd you get started?

BP: I was in Patterson, New Jersey and I ended up playing little weddings. In high school I had a little band, a small group and we had a little symphony group. We didn't play jazz though, more classical music like "Vienna Woods". Nothing too exciting, but exciting to me.

What was your first electric?

BP: My first electric, well, I always used a De Armond pickup on all my guitars. I played mostly rhythm and if you played something electric, you had to have a D'Armond pickup on it. Everybody used them. You attached them on separate. You just attached them to the guitar.

Who hosted the Tonight Show when you landed that job?

BP: It was Johnny Carson. That was in 1954. I was on the Kate Smith Show in 1954 and did it five days a week. I was on staff and they got to know me and when that show went off I got fired. That's how it worked.

And then later on, when I was doing a lot of recording dates, the dates were mostly rock 'n' roll and it wasn't real exciting anymore.

Well, Gene Bertoncini had left the show [The Tonight Show] and they came and asked me to do it.

Rock 'n' roll was just showing up. What did you think of it?

BP: Rock? Well, there was a lot of good stuff. I thought it was, I don't know how to describe it, but it was compact. The bass line was very important. Some of those kids made some nice records. I particularly liked and worked for, I did his first six records, Dion and the Belmonts. They knew what they were doing!

What did you do before that, during the war?

BP: I played a little in an unauthorized band. I was in the Army near the end of the war and I was sent overseas during the last four months of the war, the shooting war. I ended up in Austria on VE day. I was in the 86th Division, the Blackhawk Division. I was infantry. We were attached to the regimental headquarters. I was with a dance band.

When did you join up?

BP: I didn't join! [Laughs] I was 18 and as soon as I was 18 they got me. I was already on the road, so I didn't feel too good when that happened. I was already with a dance band.

What have been some of your career highlights?

BP: Playing with Stephane [Grappelli] was very exciting because you're doing your thing with others and the same songs that Django used to play with him. But I just played the way I play. It was the same with Benny Goodman. He didn't ask me to play like Charlie Christian at all. With Stephane, I played a classical piece when I was featured. With Stephane I mostly played rhythm.

What do you consider your big break?

BP: Break? Well they were drafting everybody in 1943 and this bandleader thought he'd be in the Service. He thought he'd be drafted, but wasn't, so he needed a guitar player. I was home from Christmas vacation and from there went from Scranton, Pennsylvania and then on to New York and Rochester. I got paid one hundred bucks a week. That was pretty good money back then. Well, that was it! I went to Benny Goodman and that was big for me!

You've joined Les Paul on stage.

BP: I've played with him a lot!

He's a neighbor of mine. I knew his wife Mary [Ford], but I didn't play guitar with Mary. I did some recording over at their house. I was at the house and she was there and they were at my house. When she passed away I played with Les a little bit. We did a couple duets and we played Carnegie Hall.

Mary Ford was good. I'm saying she was an excellent guitar player!

You've done some work with Frank Vignola.

BP: I played with Frank Vignola too. Frank and I did a DVD together for Mel Bay. We performed about 60 minutes of music. We played a lot of different tunes. They put the camera on us and they followed our fingers.

Any great women jazz guitarists you've known?

BP: Mary Osbourne and Mary Ford. That's all I know. Mary Osbourne's very good!

During the '40s and early '50s jazz was the "it" music. Where would you place it today?

BP: I think jazz will be around longer than rock 'n' roll. Jazz has always been around. It's been down around the bottom sometimes, but still around.

What do you think of some of the heavy metal guitarists now playing seven string guitars?

BP: Next question! [Laughs]

Any advice you'd like to give young jazz players who want to make a living playing jazz?

BP: Well, you gotta know every song in the book. You need to know all the good ones. Buy the Johnny Mercer book, the Duke Ellington book and all the others. Know them all and that's the whole business. Go buy the books.

And just do gigs. Learn all the songs. And you have to learn to play rhythm guitar! A lot of young guys can't do that. You gotta be able to back the other musicians. You gotta back 'em up.

Practice much?

BP: I practice by playing - not scales.

What's next for you?

BP: I've got a DVD with Frank Vignola and a record where I backed him up. There's always a few things going on, but I can't recall them off hand. My recent album is Flashes [Flashes: A Lifetime in Words and Music]. I hope I sold them all!

Thanks, Bucky.

BP: Well, I better pack up my guitar before somebody knocks it down!

Related Links
Chuck Redd
Tommy Cecil
Benedetto Guitars
Michael G. Stewart Photography
Theatre at Washington, Virginia