The Seventh String: The Life and Tales of Bucky Pizzarelli 

R.I.P. Bucky Pizzarelli [January 9, 1926 - April 1, 2020]. Leslie and I were so very lucky to get the chance to make this documentary about him. We only spent one afternoon (and one evening at The Iridium) filming with him, but even in that short time, he was not only incredibly kind and supportive, but extremely sharp-witted and funny (as you can see from the stories he told us)... and, it goes without saying, he was a truly legendary talent. Rest in Peace John "Bucky" Pizzarelli.

The nicest man in jazz. So down to earth, would spend 10 minutes talking with anyone. Carried on a conversation with Bucky one time in a long food line during an intermission. Big fan of chocolate milk...that day he was in search of chocolate milk. Really miss him.

This was great! My father, Bernie Kaufman (woodwinds) probably played hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dates with Bucky....including the entire Tonight Show while it was in NY. I can remember sitting in many studios watching them on a jingle, a record date, or the NBC stuff. What a musician!

RIP, Bucky Pizzarelli. You gave us some beautiful music and we can see the joy you had in making it. A life well lived.

R.I.P. Buckey You were one hell of player 7 strings guit WOW. Your son John is also a great musician I bought your books and loved the arrangements .

Bucky let me play his guitar after a gig he did in spikes place jazz club, Brentwood, Essex England. Great guy

Thanks for this great video. I feel blessed to have had the chance to meet Bucky 2 times. A real class act. Rest in peace, Bucky

Some great conversation with Bucky Pizzarelli and it goes without saying, some great music playing by Bucky Pizzarelli; terrific.

This guy has not slowed down ONE BIT! In fact, he may be getting better every time i see him. One of the greats.

I saw both John and Bucky Pizzarelli play separate events in my town. They were both Great. I talked to Bucky for a minute right after he finished. John performed with the late great Ray Kennedy and Bucky played at the Buddy DeFranco jazz festival in Missoula.

Bucky Pizzarelli, by far, one of the GREATEST guitarist's of all time. Anyone that would give this a thumb down, is, and always be, a LOSER...

Met at Sandi Point Bistro with Howard Paul....Great guy and would you believe...he invited me to his home for a guitar lesson!

I met Bucky at Germanos Restaurant in Baltimore !! Great player very humble and he educated me about his seven string and gave me a mini lesson on how to approach playing it he let me play his Bennedeto guitar That was real cool man !! After all said and done I Looked up the price of that guitar almost faded lol expensive lol

Not only is this a wonderful tribute to Bucky but a fine example of the great things done at the Jacob Burns Media Arts Center. Thanks to the filmaker for this!

Oh Bucky did some wonderful gigs for me, Sugarloaf Music, Inc. in Warwick, N.Y.... esp. w/ Frank Vignola and Gene Bertoncini. As a former teacher in Paterson, N.J., I arranged to have the mayor give Bucky the Keys to the City many years ago before the city's arts high school, Rosa Parks...full house of students who gave Bucky and Frank Vignola a standing ovation. So...visiting the city's website, they never posted Bucky having received this honor. Bucky helped, along w/ Larry Doby, Allen Ginsberg, Lou Costello...helped put that city on the map.

My hero!

Incredible! Bucky is the real deal, he can really play..yeah man!

Much too short, only a small taste of his life - I want more.

Rest In Peace, Bucky! 😔

A Legend!Thank you for this vid!

Highly enjoyable! I only wish it were longer!

Fantastic. Glad I found this.

Bucky is truly a wonderful man...Met him at the Rahway Summer Jazz Festival 2004. Les Paul was doing the Iridium gig and I was building PSEG Power facility ... LOL . Great player and truly a wonderful man. Amazing how well he looks. better each day

Great film!! Thanks for uploading it.

RIP Bucky.

He has such a good sense of groove in his melodies

Superb. Thanks for uploading.

WOW!! How fabulous is this??!!

What a marvellous musician! Kenweedon

An Octave lower. I had no idea. I rem seeing Ralph Patt who like tuned in 3rds or some darn thing. Couldn't steal a lick. Love Bucky's work & John's as well.

Great stories!

Love Bucky!

I like this guy ! xxx

Legend!!.

Bucky is an institution. Thanks for the video!

Love Bucky... Heard him play lots of times. Met him personally through my boyfriend who is great friends with him. My boyfriend is a jazz photographer and knows a lot of great musicians... Thank you babe.. Even met his son John Pizzarelli... Met Phil Woods, Auturo Sandoval, and a lot more great jazz musicians...

I wonder what key Bucky is playing Tangerine in. Bucky is one of my guitar heroes. He knows how to make the box talk. His son John is a super guitarist too.

The wonderful Nikki Parrott on bass!

Loved that bass!

Legend. Why would anybody give this a thumbs down?

Very Nice

RIP Bucky.

Bucky says he has been "free lancing" and that is putting it mildly....I saw him perform with Benny Goodman live I think around 1976 and it was magic! I will never forget a loud mouth guy behind who every few minutes would yell, "Hey Bucky! B-U-C-K-K-K-K-K-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y". Made my day but ruined my ear drums!

No doubt he and other greats like Tony Mottola whose names you don't see on everybody's greatest lists will eventually rise more and more to the top of heap as the dust from guitar effects drifts away forever forgotten.

Of course, thank you for the kind words.

He was the 7 String Guitar Jazz dude

3:08 The 7th String is typically another B String (2 Octaves below the 2nd String) but in this case Bucky has it tuned down a step to a Low A an Octave below the 5th String, so yeah Drop A Tuning. This Guitar sounds great both Acoustically & Plugged in.

Yes I believe it is!

i took the sound out when my mother enters!!

R i p 🙏

me caigo de culoooo como toca este señor del jazz increíble un genio total

Never tried the tape wrapped for guitar. I use the LaBella tape wrapped on my electric bass. Have to give them a try. Thanks for the heads up.

5:22 wow, looks just like his son John as a young man!

@TrixieVonTrixle Thanks for the kind words!

Does anyone know what he is playing on 5:34? I love this music.

La Bella

Great question, we never asked/he never brought it up. Perhaps somebody here might know...

che swing immenso

So the low 7th string is tuned an octave lower than the A 5th string on a six string guitar? George Van Eps told me that D'Addario made that low seventh string for him.

Check out zakk wylde playing mississippi queen on acoustic and look who the bass player is.

AT 5:45 - That's Three Suns, not Sons. Buicky used the stage name: Johnny Buck

What brand of strings do Bucky and John use?

can you turn the flippin' volume up??...what is this, a library??...

Great..folks from that generation are cool *

Bicky Pizzarelli usually uses La bella Black Nylon Strings.

La Bella tapewound.

Is that Nicki Parrott on bass?

Who's the chick bass player? Great technique. Bucky P. what a great prize for the guitar world.

La Bella tapewound 14 - 80 gauge.

3:36 title?

fedt

boss! id like to see bucky rip on an 8!

The hot gal Nicki Parrott on the bass used to play with Les Paul.

3:34 is that nuages?

7 strings? where is the dj0nt?

What is the intro song?