Kisses in the Rain
This is a diverse set of standards and original tunes that aims at the intimacy and spontaneity of John Pizzarelli's live performance with a studio setting. The singer-guitarist's long-established trio with pianist Ray Kennedy and brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass just keeps getting better, working with an instrumentation thatNat "King" Colefirst perfected in the '40s and which also servedOscar Petersonwell in the '50s. The trio achieves a sound that's both smooth and complex when all the parts are working in perfect synch, and that's what happening here. Whether they're flying on uptempo numbers like "I Got Rhythm," with Pizzarelli scatting in unison with his guitar, or playing at a medium bounce on the Cole signature "When I Take My Sugar to Tea," the group swings magnificently. Pizzarelli's light but resilient voice can suggestChet Bakerat slower tempos, but his relaxed delivery and conversational ease contribute to this music's distinctive charm. He sounds particularly good on some greatJimmy Van Heusensongs, both the well-known "I Thought About You" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and the rarely heard "I Could Have Told You So."  Pizzarelli's ingrained familiarity with the great American songbook is such that his own songs--like the witty "I Wouldn't Trade You" and the effective title ballad--sound right at home beside the classics. Kennedy wrote the sole instrumental, "Oscar Night," a fittingly ebullient tribute to Peterson.--Adam Rains