John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey: My Generation

John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey

My Generation

Café Carlyle, NYC, November 3, 2015

Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes

John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey once again prove their creativity and musicality in My Generation, an exceptional new show at Café Carlyle. In their ninth season at the elegant nitery, they open with Stephen Sondheim’s wry patter lyrics of “Buddy’s Blues,” taking a turn toward the perturbed, betwixt and between moments in life.  We’re talking the ’60s, when the Beatles led the way for some of the most literate social observers in the music scene, musician-songwriters like Paul Simon, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Paul McCartney.  The world was their syllabus.

Examining the music of My Generation, Pizzarelli revisited “The Boy in the Bubble” from the Graceland album, described by Paul Simon as a “balance between dread and hope.”  Despite the references to the “the bomb in the baby carriage” and “lasers in the jungle,” the recurrences of the line “These are the days of miracle and wonder”  point to the song’s focus on hope.  Simon’s “The Late Great Johnny Ace” referred to the gunshot deaths of some “Johns,” including R&B singer Johnny Ace, John Lennon and  JFK.   Moving to more personal relationships, Pizzarelli added Billy Joel’s “Summer, Highland Falls,” the “sadness and euphoria” of a struggling relationship.  “Send in the Clowns” (Sondheim) was expressed through Pizzarelli’s soft, delicate guitar.   

Molaskey delivered her acting acumen and cool, clear vocals to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” an intensely meaningful rendition of this song musing about social and individual changes through life and how viewpoints shift over the years.  She ends poignantly with, “It’s life’s illusions I recall/I really don’t know life…”    This was a highlight of the show.  The flawless band features Kevin Kanner on drums, Martin Pizzarelli on double bass and pianist Konrad Pazkudski.  A salute went to his late talented pianist, Ray Kennedy, with a rendition of “Oscar Night,” Kennedy’s salute to Oscar Peterson.
My Generation reveals numerous memorable moments, including the lovely standard feel in “Warm and Beautiful” by Paul and Linda McCartney.  To “Maybe I’m Amazed,” Pizzarelli adds a Sondheim finesse from “Finishing the Hat.”  Molaskey also added her own lyrics to a Miles Davis tune, “Twelve Steps to Heaven,” emphasizing the intrusions of social media and with Molaskey, Pizzarelli sums up “the trouble with the world today” with Kander and Ebb’s “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup.”  

John & Jessica continue at Café Carlyle through November 28.