(WAYNE, NJ) -- WP Jazz Room presents John Pizzarelli's "Dear Mr. Bennett" on Sunday, March 29, 2026 at Shea Center for Performing Arts. The Grammy-winning producer, guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli celebrates the centennial of iconic singer Tony Bennett.
Dear Mr. Bennett, to be released March 3, 2026 via Green Hill Music, features Pizzarelli’s trio with bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson performing timeless songs made famous by Bennett
For world-renowned guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, Tony Bennett was more than simply an influence. Pizzarelli’s late father, the revered guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, was a frequent sideman for the legendary singer, appearing on albums including 1960’s To My Wonderful One and 1969’s I’ve Gotta Be Me. John got his own opportunity to accompany Bennett for a radio broadcast that also featured pianist Ralph Sharon and bassist Jay Leonhart.
The admiration was mutual – Bennett could be found in the audience for a number of Pizzarelli’s performances, and sketched his likeness on two occasions. The charming artwork that graces the cover of Pizzarelli’s heartfelt new tribute album, Dear Mr. Bennett, was rendered during an engagement at Feinstein’s nightclub at New York’s Loews Regency hotel.
Dear Mr. Bennett, set for release on March 3, 2026 via Green Hill Music, is on the one hand a loving farewell to a profoundly influential musician who meant so much to so many. At the same time, it’s a spirited celebration, arriving just in time for Bennett’s landmark August 3rd centennial. A five-song EP will follow on August 7th to coincide with the occasion. Both releases feature songs made famous by Bennett over the course of his remarkable seven-decade career, rendered with lively warmth, soulful balladry and embracing swing by Pizzarelli and his trio featuring bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.
Few performers in any genre or medium can tout the kind of longevity and universal admiration that Bennett enjoyed. As Pizzarelli marvels, “Tony’s artistry was just so magnificent. And he was able to continually reinvent himself.”
Pizzarelli’s trio has established a brilliant chemistry over the last six years. Dear Mr. Bennett finds them in dazzling form, equally adept at scintillating jazz, breathtaking beauty and radiant pop. They will be touring the world to perform this repertoire throughout 2026 and into 2027.
Pizzarelli had long wanted to record an album dedicated to Bennett, adding the tribute to the list of great songwriters and musicians that he’s honored in the past: Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Sir Paul McCartney, Richard Rodgers, and Duke Ellington among them. In Bennett, he has a subject who was not only one of the greatest singers of the last century, but a friendly and accessible presence who might be encountered on the streets of New York City as easily as on a concert stage.
“In Manhattan, you’d run into him on the street,” Pizzarelli recalls with a chuckle. “He was such a New Yorker, and he was just a very open and kind person.”
Tickets range from $33-$53 and are available for purchase online. WP Students are free with ID day of the show. Shea Center for Performing Arts is located at 300 Pompton Road in Wayne, New Jersey.
At 2:00pm! Included with your ticket purchase, each Jazz Room concert is preceded by Sittin' In Meet-the-Artist, which takes place one hour prior to performances and gives audience members a unique opportunity to interact with the artist of the day.
The Shea Center for Performing Arts is an intimate 922-seat theater built in 1965. The theater boasts a customized, state-of-the-art sound system, computerized lighting system and a unique seating/stage configuration that ensures a close performer/audience connection. Shea Center is air-conditioned and handicapped accessible
A wide variety of University events and visiting artists have appeared at the Center from legendary rock icon David Crosby, to the jazz great, Wynton Marsalis, from Margaret Thatcher to Stephen Sondheim. Each season the University Performing Arts produced WP Presents! hosts dozens of professional artists including musicians, theatre troupes and family artists representing a wide variety of genres. The Jazz Room Series features renowned and emerging jazz performers, as well as students from the University’s highly acclaimed jazz program. The Distinguished Lecturer Series presents an exciting line-up of speakers on topical issues ranging from the arts and culture to sports and politics in distinctive formats that enhance the link between the speakers and the audience. Other events held in Shea Center can be found here.
