In the arena of newer married musical couples, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey have climbed to the top of the hierarchy.  In an unrehearsed moment, they squeezed on stage in the beautiful Café Carlyle’s packed room, announced themselves, and opened in quiet elegant style with “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was"/"Just In Time." They are filled with comic savoir-faire only to top themselves with their musicality in pop-jazz. 

 Mr. P is as cool a cat as you’d want with his smooth vocal style reminiscent of that ethereal bliss feeling not unlike listening to Nat King Cole. His guitar playing is feather-like floating on air, as he maneuvers the strings from swing to bossa nova, throwing in riffs and scat.  Piano accompanist Larry Fuller enhances the process on songs such as “This Can’t Be Love” and on Ms. Molaskey’s co-dependence song, “I Want To Be Happy.” She uses her well-trained theatre voice to interpret the pop-jazz style that has become signature to this couple, and doesn’t disappoint especially on the slow ballad arrangement of “I’m Just Wild About Harry” as it moves into Sondheim’s “Everybody Loves Louis.”  

John’s velvety “Meditation” (Jobim) into Billy Joel’s “Summer Highland Falls” takes us from madness to euphoria and sadness to gladness, with a segue into fast talking “Happy Talk.” All the while, the repartee between songs is chock full of understated comic relief with a series of funny quips and personal stories.

A highlight is their original “Hiding in Plain Sight,” described as a post-modern Harburg/Arlen "Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block.’"  “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” paired with “Children Will Listen” is a brilliant winding/weaving of music for Ms. Molaskey.  Mr. Pizzarelli walks the walk, talks the talk and scats the riffs as his fast moving fingers play Rodgers & Hart’s “Johnny One Note.”

“Tea For Two” is the catalyst to finding out that if Mr. P wants to take Mrs. P somewhere new and exciting; he takes her to the kitchen!  Encore, “I Like Jersey Best,” could be a non-ending theater piece as each verse portrays another performer style and story: from Bruce Springstein to the Beach Boys, from Billie Holiday to Johnny Cash and James Taylor. . .”Me and Mrs. Jones, we got a thing in Fairlawn.”  (you get the picture!)

Pizzarelli & Molaskey are each celebrating the release of their latest individual recordings, “With A Song in My Heart”(he) and “A Kiss to Build a Dream On”(she).  Backing up this fabulous duo is brother Martin Pizzarelli, bass, Larry Fuller, piano and Tony Tedesco, drums.

They are appearing at the Café Carlyle thru November 1^st.

Sandi Durell
Cabaret Scenes
September 9, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org