John Clemente Pezanelli

Jack Pezanelli, née John Clemente Pezanelli, passed away in Northampton Massachusetts attended by his wife of eighteen years, Harriett Feldman, and the kind staff at Rockridge Retirement Community.

Until recently he was a Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.  Born in Worcester, MA to Carolyn Clemente Pezanelli and John Michael Pezanelli, Jack came from a musical family and played guitar from an early age. He attended the Berklee College of Music and received his BA from State University of New York., as well as an Ed.M. from Cambridge College.  Jack performed extensively with major musicians of his time, including Larry Coryell, Shirley Horn, Quincy Jones, Lou Rawls, Cleo Laine and Sammy Davis, Jr.  “Pleasured Hands,” his most known album, released in 2007, featured the Jack Pezanelli Quartet, with John Arcaro on piano, Jimmy Madison on drums, and Michael Moore on bass, as well as his solo CD, “Songs and Dedications.”   Jack is profiled in “The Jazz Guitar, Its Evolution and Players Since 1900.”  His educational publications include “Key Jazz Rhythms” with Fred Lipsius, “Developing a Linear Approach to Blues,” and “Hybrid Guitar Chords—A New Approach to Reharmonization.” He will be remembered for his mischievous smile, uncanny celebrity imitations, as well as for his beloved improvisations and sound.

He is survived by his wife, Harriett Feldman of Northampton MA, and sister Lorna Pezanelli of Worcester, MA.