Johnny Frigo feat. John & Bucky Pizzarelli - Live From Studio A In New York City (1989) [2003 SACD]

The recording was done in RCA’s legendary Studio A in New York in order to capture all the clear, pure nuances of the two acoustic instruments. “We used only one mike & no amplifiers,” Bucky explained. “John, my son, & I used old guitars like the ones they used to use in big bands instead of the 7 string guitars that we usually use now. We made the album in the old fashioned way. We sat around the mike–the 5 of us: Johnny Frigo, my son John, Michael Moore or Ron Carter on bass, Butch Miles on drums & me–& we just played. There was no splicing. No earphones. It put everybody on a sharp edge to get it done right.” Enjoy this recording in full Super Audio Multichannel sound.
At the age of 71, Johnny Frigo finally had his debut as a leader on record, with the exception of an obscure effort in 1957. Although he had spent much of his career as a studio bassist, Frigo successfully switched full-time to his 1st love, the violin, & was immediately considered one of the top swing-based violinists. Joined by both Bucky & John Pizzarelli on guitars, either Ron Carter or Michael Moore on bass, & drummer Butch Miles, Frigo is in wonderful form on 14 standards, including “Pick Yourself Up,” “Detour Ahead” (which he had co-written while with the Soft Winds in the late ’40s), “Stompin’ At The Savoy” & “The Song Is You.” This recommended CD launched the Chesky label.
~ Scott Yanow

Tracks:

01. Pick Yourself Up And Start All Over Again
02. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me win icon
03. Detour Ahead
04. Just Friends
05. Estrellita
06. Stompin’ At The Savoy
07. Early Autumn
08. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
09. In A Sentimental Mood
10. The Song Is You
11. I’m Through With Love
12. Summer Me, Winter Me
13. Tangerine
14. I’ll Never Be The Same

Personnel:

Johnny Frigo – Violin
Bucky Pizzarelli – Guitar (right side)
John Pizzarelli – Guitar (left side)
Ron Carter – Bass (tracks 1,2,3,4,7,8)
Michael Moore – Bass (tracks 9-13)
Butch Miles – Drums