John Pizzarelli: Midnight McCartney
John Pizzarelli
Midnight McCartney
Birdland, NYC, July 28, 2015
Reviewed by Annamaria Alfieri for Cabaret Scenes
John Pizzarelli brought the whole mishpocheh and then some to Birdland for this preview of his forthcoming recording of Paul McCartney songs. The project gives the songwriter’s lesser-known compositions the full jazz treatment and, in many cases, shows them off as worthy of wider performance.
“Silly Love Songs” started matters off with a great bossa nova arrangement that included a guitar duet between John and his daughter Madeline, age 17, playing her first public gig. Another Latin arrangement of “Maybe I’m Amazed” was a sterling family trio with John and Madeline on guitar and vox and Maddie’s mom (and John’s wife), Jessica Molaskey, singing backup.
The packed bandstand included Pizzarelli’s quartet: Martin Pizzarelli (bass), Kevin Kanner (drums), and pianist Konrad Paszkudzki. Added in were four brass players and a string quartet. They gave “Heart of the Country” a swinging treatment that included a nice violin riff by Paul Williams. With a bossa nova beat, “My Valentine” came across like a genuine jazz standard. “Waterfall,” sung to a duet of John’s guitar and Mairi Dorman’s splendid cello, was a sweet and quiet treat. “Junk,” “Coming Up,” “Hi, Hi, Hi,” and others— all in styles from mellow and lyrical to blaring big band—changed the rock and roll songs into something you never realized they could be.
Between numbers, Pizzarelli’s engaging patter included a description of a letter from McCartney suggesting the project. John’s imitation of the former Beatle’s Liverpudlian accent is quite good, but sometimes sounded more like Ringo than Paul—adding charm to the proceedings.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
