Kisses In The Rain

1	From Monday On 3:24
2	When I Take My Sugar to Tea 3:54
3	I'm In The Mood For Love 4:08
4	I Can't Get Up The Nerve 2:44
5	I Got Rhythm 3:48
6	When Lights Are Low 3:42
7	I Thought About You 2:36
8	Should I? 3:13
9	Don't Be That Way 4:04
10	I Could Have Told You So 4:13
11	Kisses In The Rain 3:38
12	Oscar Night 4:28
13	Polka Dots ANd Moonbeams 3:58
14	Baby Just Come Home To Me 2:35
15	A Lifetime Or Two 2:34
16	I Wouldn't Trade You 2:15

Barnes & Noble

Taking his cues from Nat King Cole's legendary piano-guitar-bass trio, singer and guitarist John Pizarrelli has fashioned his own flavorsome threesome. With a decade of experience behind iy, the Pizzarelli trio -- with brother Martin on bass and Ray Kennedy on piano -- has developed a distinctive sound of their own, one that glances backwards at jazz heroes of the swing era while also finding an increasing place for select new compositions. On KISSES IN THE RAIN, the trio's sleek sound is perfectly suited to such prime material as "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," "Don't Be That Way," and "I Thought About You." Pizzarelli's aficionado taste in mint offbeat songs leads him to interpret exemplary fare like "From Monday On" (associated with Bing Crosby), Arthur Freed's "Should I?", and Jimmy Van Heusen's "I Could Have Told You So." The original tunes -- most co-written by Pizzarelli and his wife Jessica Molaskey -- have the idiomatic flavor of familiar standards. A first-class swing-style guitarist, and steadily maturing as a vocalist, Pizzarelli uses each new recording to assert his formidable talent. William Pearl

All Music Guide

John Pizzarelli takes his nifty little act over to the folks at Telarc, and in fact, little has changed at all; if anything, the act has gotten better. The good news is that Pizzarelli shows continued improvement as a vocalist; the nasal, callow, youthful sound slowly gives way to a less naive, more rhythmically hip style in the manner of early Nat Cole. Pizzarelli was a fine, versatile guitarist from the start, and he continues to astonish at lightning tempos here. His airtight longtime trio (brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) keeps right up, switching tempos on a dime. As you would expect, the menu consists of mostly Tin Pan Alley/swing standards from way back ("When I Take My Sugar to Tea," "When Lights Are Low," "Don't Be That Way," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," etc.); the idiom is King Cole Trio all the way, with some Oscar Peterson when Kennedy gets rolling. The only thing missing is Pizzarelli's good-natured kidding around with his band and his audience, which has become one of the main attractions of his live act. This artist is a good match for Telarc's growth as a jazz label -- young faces, old repertoire -- and of course, the Pizzarelli brothers and Kennedy are now the beneficiaries of Telarc's vaunted, depth-charged engineering. Richard S. Ginell