John Pizzarelli's tribute to
Nat King Cole features him in a drumless trio with pianist
Benny Green and bassist
Christian McBride on all but one selection.
Pizzarelli is fine as a rhythm guitarist, but since he sings on most of the selections and his voice is merely average, this session (which includes 18 selections, most of which were originally associated with
Cole) is of less interest than one might hope. At least
Pizzarelli has a cheerful style and does not seem to take himself too seriously;
Green has many forceful solos, but the leader's limited vocal abilities keep this recording from being too essential. ~ Scott Yanow