On air, they host Radio Deluxe. In a club, call them Cabaret Deluxe. John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, two of diamonds on any stage, return to the Café Carlyle for another run of songs and quips.

One of cabaret's most popular married couples, they rarely choose a theme for their shows. This time, however, they confab thoughts about finding love and losing love, or losing love and reviving it. Or just figuring out what love is anyway. Never predictable, always prepared, they present fresh ways of pairing interesting songs, staying away from the clichéd "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, etc." approach.

Take the opener. John Pizzarelli on guitar discovered that "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" (Irving Berlin) and Molaskey added her coy side to the story with "Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast" (Leshay/ Troup). Guess how that tale ends. Hint — "Pass the jam" and listen for the warning riffs on "There may be trouble ahead" from "Let's Face the Music and Dance."

One of the strongest moments begins with Pizzarelli's gentle rendering of George Harrison's incessant lines of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" followed by Molaskey's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (Fox and Gimbel), two songs whose meanings are often debated. Here, however, they clearly blend the intriguing moods of love's mysteries.

Both performers sing their stories discerningly, without frills and flourishes but with strong jazz instincts. A compelling pairing was Molaskey's vocalese lyric to "Lost" (music by Gerald Wilson/Jimmy Hamilton/Clark Terry) leading to Pizzarelli's "Perdido" (Tuzik//Drake/Lenk). On his own, Pizzarelli and guitar let loose with "I Just Found Out About Love," (McHugh and Adamson) and with his quintet delivered Duke Ellington's driving jazz standard, "Cotton Tail." Molaskey was outstanding with Joni Mitchell's tale of hopelessness, "Raised on Robbery." Together, they tied up the theme with Pizzarelli wrapping Rodgers and Hart's "She Was Too Good to Me" around Molaskey with Mitchell's "I Had a King," a definite heartbreaking finale of a romance.

They are quite a team. Pizzarelli has a spontaneous wit and Molaskey a quick intelligent repartee. They were irresistible with their nod to Les Paul and Mary Ford singing "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" (Barris/ Koehler/Moll) and the memorable "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" (Seitz and Lockhart). Rounding out this crack musical ensemble was Larry Fuller who plays every style of piano, Martin Pizzarelli on bass and Tony Tedesco on drums.

John and Jesscia are at the Carlyle through November 7.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
October 15, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org