Midnight McCartney

Midnight McCartney
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2015 (2015-09-11)
StudioThe Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab, Pleasantville, NY
Genre
Length49:44
LabelConcord
Producer
  • John Pizzarelli
  • Robert Friedrich
John Pizzarelli chronology
John Pizzarelli Salutes Johnny Mercer: Live at Birdland
(2015)
Midnight McCartney
(2015)
Sinatra & Jobim @ 50
(2017)

Midnight McCartney is a tribute album by John Pizzarelli to Paul McCartney, including tracks from Wings. It was released in 2015 with Concord.[1]

According to the album's press release, Paul McCartney suggested John Pizzarelli perform tracks from his canon, and offered the title.[2][3] Pizzarelli had previously performed Beatles songs in his 1996 album Meets the Beatles.[4]

John's wife Jessica Molaskey, daughter Madeleine Pizzarelli, father Bucky Pizzarelli, and brother Martin Pizzarelli all performed on the album.[5]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the source material, but commented the "key to the record's success is Pizzarelli himself, who delivers upon the laid-back promise of the title but is savvier than he needed to be, which is why Midnight McCartney satisfies."[1]

Christopher Loudon wrote for the JazzTimes that "the set’s not all midnight lace. Indeed, lovely as everything wrapped in Pizzarelli’s trademark silken lilt is, the more adventurous selections are more interesting."[2]

The Times music critic Chris Pearson described the album as "delightful."[3]

In an interview with Pizzarelli, James Wood from Guitar World commented the tracks were "all tastefully done in Pizzarelli’s trademark style."[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Silly Love Songs"Paul & Linda McCartney3:53
2."My Love"Paul & Linda McCartney4:26
3."Heart of the Country"Paul & Linda McCartney3:11
4."Coming Up"Paul McCartney3:56
5."No More Lonely Nights"Paul McCartney5:07
6."Warm and Beautiful"Paul & Linda McCartney3:33
7."Hi, Hi, Hi"Paul & Linda McCartney2:53
8."Junk"Paul & Linda McCartney3:38
9."My Valentine"Paul McCartney3:39
10."Let 'Em In"Paul & Linda McCartney2:53
11."Some People Never Know"Paul & Linda McCartney3:23
12."Maybe I'm Amazed"Paul McCartney4:00
13."Wonderful Christmastime"Paul McCartney4:17

Personnel

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Musicians

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  • John Pizzarelli – guitar, primary artist
  • Katherine Fink – flute (alto)
  • Pamela Sklar – flute (Alto)
  • Tony Kadleck – trumpet
  • John Mosca – trombone
  • Andy Fusco – sax (alto)
  • Harry Allen – saxophone (tenor), soloist
  • Chris Cardona – viola
  • Mairi Dorman Phaneuf – cello
  • Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar (rhythm), soloist
  • Paul Woodiel – violin
  • Robin Zeh – violin
  • Hélio Alves – piano
  • Larry Goldings – organ, piano
  • Konrad Paszkudzki – piano, bass
  • Martin Pizzarelli – bass
  • Duduka Dafonseca – drums, percussion
  • Kevin Kanner – drums
  • Don Sebesky – orchestration
  • Michael McDonald – primary artist, vocals
  • Jessica Molaskey – vocals (background)
  • Madeleine Pizzarelli – vocals (background)
  • Linda McCartney – composer
  • Paul McCartney – composer

Support

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  • John Pizzarelli – arranger
  • Chris Byars – copyist
  • Holger Eckstein – photography
  • Larry Goldings – arranger
  • Rachel Gutek – design
  • Jessica Molaskey – producer
  • Bill Moss – engineer, mastering, mixing[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Midnight McCartney - John Pizzarelli at AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  2. ^ a b Loudon, Jazz (2015-10-27). "John Pizzarelli: Midnight McCartney". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  3. ^ a b Pearson, Chris (2015-10-16). "John Pizzarelli: Midnight McCartney". The Times. London.
  4. ^ Lazarski, Marek (2015-07-17). "John Pizzarelli to Release Album of Paul McCartney Covers Sept. 11". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  5. ^ a b Midnight McCartney (CD liner notes). John Pizzarelli. United States: Concord Records. 2015. CRE-37634-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Wood, James (2015-08-15). "Midnight McCartney: John Pizzarelli Discusses Reinterpreting Paul McCartney's Solo Catalog". Guitar World. Future plc. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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