Biography
Ray Pizzi ranks among the select few accomplished jazz bassoonists while proving equally adept as a versatile multi-reedist whose contributions often go underappreciated. He nevertheless remains a reliable presence on sessions that feature him. His path began with clarinet, followed by studies at the Boston Conservatory and Berklee School of Music during the first half of the 1960s. A 1966 tour with the Woody Herman Orchestra interrupted several years of schoolteaching in Massachusetts that spanned 1964 to 1969. After settling in California in 1969, he transitioned to music full time, logging extensive studio hours alongside Shelly Manne, Willie Bobo, Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Bellson, and numerous leading local players. He simultaneously established himself as a jazz educator and has sustained that activity ever since. Leading his own dates, Pizzi has recorded for Pablo and Discovery while also appearing on releases by pop artists such as Michael Bublé and Gladys Knight. His bassoon and saxophones further surface on scores for many Hollywood films and television programs, most famously the cantina scene in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
Albums
