The John Pizzarelli Trio

During the 1990s, Pizzarelli played in a trio with Ray Kennedy and Martin Pizzarelli, his younger brother. In the summer of 1993, Pizzarelli was the opening act for Frank Sinatra and four years later, Pizzarelli starred in Dream, a Broadway show devoted to the music of Johnny Mercer.[3][5] He has named Nat King Cole as the inspiration for his career[3] and honors that influence in the albums Dear Mr. Cole (BMG, 1994) and P.S. Mr. Cole (RCA, 1999). He has also recorded tribute albums to Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Richard Rodgers, and Paul McCartney.[5] He and his father accompanied Annie Ross on her album To Lady with Love (Red Anchor, 2014), a tribute to Billie Holiday that Ross recorded when she was eighty-four.[6]