“I’m a Broadway baby and he’s a jazz baby,” Jessica Molaskey explained during her concert with husband John Pizzarelli. The “42nd Street meets 52nd Street” vibe pervaded with stunning effect during their show.

The couple communicates with the audience, combining the immediacy of the message and story of a song with an overlay of jazz styling, especially effective in a number of selections where Pizzarelli’s performance of a jazz standard is contrasted with Molaskey’s rendition of a pop or show number. Duets using this technique included “Cloudburst”/“Getting Married Today,” “Meditation”/“Summer, Highland Falls,” and “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)”/“Seasons of Love.”

As a performer, Pizzarelli balances a cool jazz persona with an inner heat, not to mention great guitar playing. His squared-off version of “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” was a particular highlight of the evening. Molaskey provides nuanced, highly musical, highly focused readings of lyrics, as in her persuasive version of “Small World.” She also has an amazing Keely Smith-like ability to be both inconspicuous yet riveting onstage during numbers where she isn’t singing.

But it’s in a song like “Perdido” when the couple is singing together, breathing and scatting as one that the real sparks fly. Of course, they also benefited from the terrific support of Larry Fuller on keyboard, Tony Tedesco on drums, and Martin Pizzarelli on bass.

Michael Miyazaki
Cabaret Scenes
June 4, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org