Too Marvelous for Words

John Pizzarelli

The first time I heard of John Pizzarelli was at a New Year’s Eve party given by my husband. Somehow the two had met and John, then about nineteen, was persuaded to come play for a pittance. He was wonderful and the guests left happy, raving about his talent.

Fast forward to winter before last when I visited a friend in Sanibel, FL. We went to a benefit where John played and heard the same easy, wonderful style. Afterwards I reminded him about the long-ago party which I’m sure he’d completely forgotten– although he was very gracious at pretending.

Then I had the opportunity to hear John and his quartet last week at Jazz Standard, the club tucked beneath Danny Meyers’ Blue Smoke. Here’s my review just published in New York Arts: http://newyorkarts.net/2016/07/john-pizzarelli-jazz-standard-nyc/  Terrific evening all around–great food, perfect service, wonderful music.

The review mentions the group played Body and Soul, that great jazz standard written in 1930. The song has long been a family favorite, not only because it’s great work but also because my uncle wrote it. Saying this inevitably means someone asks “your uncle was Johnny Green?” No, he was Bobby Sour, one of the lyricists along with  Edward Heyman and Frank Eyton; Johnny Green wrote the gorgeous melody.

Bobby Sour

“Body and Soul” was written in New York City for British actress and singer Gertrude Lawrence–long before her King and I days.  The song was first performed in the US sung by Libby Holman in the 1930 Broadway show Three’s a Crowd.

This is all about classics and since it deals with Blue Smoke, the classic there is barbecued spareribs. This is my recipe for barbecue sauce which turns out terrific ribs.(If you know Danny Meyers you can try to wrest the Blue Smoke version from him.)  I’ll leave you to deal with the actual ribs which are easy especially if you parboil them before grilling (or putting in the oven) to remove some of the fat.

BBQ Sauce (enough for a full rack and probably more)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 dashes hot pepper sauce

In a blender, combine brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water and Worcestershire sauce. Season with mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until smooth.

Make ribs, listen to a John Pizzarelli CD, many available via Amazon or iTunes or listen to this recording of Body and Soul by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse (the last recording she made before her death). www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OFMkCeP6ok