Posted By Tulis McCall on Apr 23, 2015

Five Stars *****

John Pizzarelli believes that life should be easy. And he works damn hard to make it that way. “Tonight we are the flying Wallenda’s of Jazz,” he whispers to no one on the way to the stage. He is gracious, accommodating and talented. Walking on water is coming any minute.  He even announces himself when he is performing at the Café Carlyle because, hey, isn’t that the easiest way to start a show? Of course.

And easy is the way you want it when Pizzarelli is sharing the stage with Daniel Jobim (yeah THAT Jobim) for Strictly Bossa Nova II now in residence at the Carlyle through May 2. They are in the company of equally fine musicians: Martin Pizzarelli on Bass, Daduka Dafonseca (say that three times fast), whose given name is Eduardo, but this nickname is so much better, on Drums and Helio Alves on Piano...

John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey at the Café Carlyle

By STEPHEN HOLDENOCT. 31, 2014

Of how many nightclub acts could you say that you experienced two rich, full lifetimes in the course of 70 minutes? The ability to infuse pop and jazz with a Chekhovian wisdom about life’s ups and downs is the special gift of John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, long-married musical partners whose work gets deeper each year. When these musical opposites combine forces, the whole they embody is much greater than the sum of its two equally formidable parts. And at the opening-night performance of their new show, “Grownup Songs,” at Café Carlyle on Tuesday, they hit a new peak.

At this point in his career, Mr. Pizzarelli could easily coast on the tried-and-true stage persona of a happy-go-lucky extrovert, spreading joy with his jet-propelled vocal scatting in unison with his guitar. One of the many high points of “Grownup Songs” is that he broke out of that mold with a reflective, intricately textured instrumental rendition of “How High the Moon.”

Ms. Molaskey is an interpreter whose acute attunement to the subtext of lyrics, which she imbues with a subtle rhythmic buoyancy, lends songs, especially those of Stephen Sondheim, the depth of great short stories. She’s an instinctive truth-teller. And when she and her husband engaged in a hers-and-his musical conversation, like “The Little Things You Do Together,” from “Company,” which opened the show, the distance between the performers and their audience seemed to melt away, and you had the sense of being privy to a couples counseling session elevated into a philosophical discourse.

The couple outdid themselves in choosing inspired song matches that mirrored the differences in their personalities. Adam Guettel’s introspective “Dividing Day” (from “The Light in the Piazza”), linked with Billy Joel’s “Lullaby,” became a dialogue about thinking versus feeling, torment versus tenderness.

In a coupling of “Remember” (from “A Little Night Music”) and “The Road You Didn’t Take” (from “Follies”), nostalgia vied with a world-weary knowledge of impending mortality and a sense of accelerating time in which Mr. Pizzarelli’s usual lightheartedness gave way to a deeper sense of foreboding. Over the years, his crooning has grown quieter and more thoughtful.

The show’s final number paired Irving Berlin’s “Count Your Blessings” with Jonathan Larson’s more sophisticated metric “Seasons of Love,” from “Rent,” in which every precious moment of a life is accounted for.

With the exception of the Bud Powell composition “Parisian Thoroughfare,” made famous by Clifford Brown and Max Roach, the band maintained a lower than usual profile. But the impeccable contributions of Kevin Kanner on drums; Mr. Pizzarelli’s younger brother, Martin, on double bass; and Konrad Paszkudzki on piano lent the evening an extra musical dimension. In a phrase, this was it.

A Conversation with John Pizzarelli

For a father and son team who has performed together for more than 33 years, you might think that Bucky and John Pizzarelli would have seen it all. Between them, they’ve certainly played with almost everyone who’s anyone, from Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra, to James Taylor and Paul McCartney. Despite the heavy names they’ve rubbed elbows with, John says that playing with Bucky is always something special. These two jazz guitar giants make it look easy, and leave their audiences convinced that it must be genetics—or perhaps something in the New Jersey water—which allows such great talent to bloom in one family. The pair will be performing in St. Louis at Jazz at the Bistro on December 18 to 21, with two sets each night at 7:30 and 9:30. Last week, John made time in his busy schedule to talk with us about performing with Bucky, his recent and current projects, and of course, his favorite St. Louis eateries.

Pizzarelli and Molaskey, Together Onstage and Off

New York Times

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Published: October 31, 2013

photo by Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times

“Children and Art,” John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey’s wonderful new show at the Café Carlyle, isn’t just the title of a Stephen Sondheim song from “Sunday in the Park With George.” This reflection on what matters most is paired with “Children Will Listen,” from “Into the Woods,” to make a sweeping reflection on the rewards and stresses of balancing the roles of parent and artist by musicians who are married with two children. Both songs address personal responsibility for that which we create and leave behind: “Careful the things you say/Children will listen.”

Mr. Pizzarelli, a jazz guitarist and crooner, and Ms. Molaskey, a hybrid of Broadway and jazz baby whose penetrating psychological radar locates the truth of a song lyric wherever it leads, have been married for 15 years and recently renewed their vows. Their satisfaction — and perhaps their amazement — at having stayed the course echoed through Tuesday’s opening-night performance in which two new young band members, the pianist Konrad Paszkudzki and the drummer Kevin Kanner, (replacing Larry Fuller and Tony Tedesco) joined the group. Martin Pizzarelli, John’s younger brother, remains on bass.

Although the revised ensemble has more percussive edge, what is lost is considerable. Mr. Fuller and Ray Kennedy, his predecessor on piano, brought a high polish and astonishing technical virtuosity to arrangements that showcased the group as world-class musical unit. Their replacements, though competent, are far from the best of the best.

What matters above all is the couple’s musical and personal chemistry in which each stretches to accommodate the other. Although Mr. Pizzarelli is happiest scatting in unison with his jet-propelled guitar, his quiet crooning in duets with Ms. Molaskey brings out an undertone of dreaminess in this supreme musical extrovert.

Ms. Molaskey is an expert at outfitting tricky tunes by the jazz pianist Horace Silver with smart, complicated lyrics that use the staccato, multisyllable language of bebop as a platform for witty, emotionally charged streams of consciousness.

A running theme of all their shows is the delight and sometimes the anxiety of seeing yourself through the eyes of your partner. It found its most rhapsodic expression on Tuesday in the pairing of “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “It Amazes Me,” sung with such quiet intensity that it sounded almost like pillow talk.

posted by Li Robbins

Guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and bandleader John Pizzarellihas played the Montreal International Jazz Festival many times. He’s what you could call a regular. So it seemed the natural thing to ask him about his relationship with the city.

Pizzarelli, if you don’t know his work, can be credited with helping popularize jazz, in part through projects like his latest,Double Exposure, which mashes up the pop music of his youth in the 1960s and ‘70s with jazz. For example, Lee Morgan’s “Sidewinder” and the Beatles' “I Feel Fine”, which you can hear in this behind-the-scenes take, below, on Double Exposure.

Watch it then read on to find out what Pizzarelli thinks about bagels, his command of French and which movie star Montreal most resembles, among other things.

Q: What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had at the Montreal Jazz Festival?

A: Well, the first night, the first time at the Club Soda was amazing. Twenty years ago. It was so unexpected. I think the other two would be the Beatles concert and the bossa nova concert. They were all amazing. The energy of the Place des Arts is incredible. Then again, 1994 at The Spectrum (RIP) with my trio was pretty good, too. I got to meet Pat Metheny in 1992 at The Spectrum and he said he had heard how well we were doing at the Club Soda before I got to say anything to him. That was pretty crazy.

Q: How’s your French?

A: My French is very high school, if you will. Ou est Sylvie? Au lycée. Claude est la? Non, il est au zoo. I do have a few concert-ready phrases, but nothing terrific.

Q: Montreal bagels vs. New York bagels: go ahead, make your case!

A: Are there any bagels other than N.Y. bagels? I have an extra day [at the festival] this year, which means an extra morning, and will let Montreal make its case for their bagels, OK?

Q: Favourite Montreal night spots or restaurants/bars?

A: The easy winners are Le Latini and Gibbys. They are perennials and hold wonderful memories of my first trips to Montreal. I had a great Chinese meal after a concert with the band in Chinatown that was great. Twenty years ago, I took the Nat Raider band out to an Italian dinner in midtown which began around midnight and ended around 3:30. Amazing. Also, during that run we went to L'Express a lot post gig. I am a bit of a foodie and I watch a lot of the cooking network. Should I make my way to Garde Manger? Le Bremner? WillChuck let me in?

Q: Where would you go in the city for some quiet time?

A: The old town seems very lovely and peaceful to me. I don't get to walk around a lot, but walks back from Gibbys have always been enjoyable. I know, I am a tourist.

Q: Poutine – are you a fan?

A: Haven't experienced them. Your suggestions here, or leave them at the hotel.

[Editor’s note: A publicist for the Montreal International Jazz Festival assures us he will introduce John Pizzarelli to poutine. Then, whether or not he likes it, he will at least understand they aren’t a “them.”)

Q: Who are your Montreal heroes?

A: The people of Montreal have been so supportive. I would imagine any Montreal Canadien hockey player. When they come to NYC with those beautiful sweaters it's always a great hockey original six moment. What about Jean Beliveau orMaurice Richard? Hockey heroes are the best!

Q: If Montreal were a movie star, who would the city be?

A: Charlize Theron.

Q: What advice would you give to first-time Montreal jazz festival-goers?

A: Take your time and soak it all in and remember that the best music can be on a street corner for free, not just the obvious great acts in the big room.

by John Pizzarelli, Joseph Cosgriff

Hardcover

304 pages

John's funny and heartwarming book continues to receive raves from critics and fans alike. With individual early chapters devoted to Bucky Pizzarelli, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and Rosemary Clooney, World on a String goes on to describe John's exciting later-career collaborations with James Taylor and Paul McCartney. He also touches on his Broadway debut in 1997, as well as his work on the mound in Central Park's Broadway Show League. The book even manages to sneak in his mom's recipe for eggplant.