Captured on a carousel of time, Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli’s teenage daughter Madeleine Pizzarelli made her professional debut on Thursday, February 20th, 2014. singing back up and playing guitar for her Mom’s American Songbook “Portrait’s Of Joni” performance. “She’s been begging to be in showbiz her whole life and I’ve said no ‘Don’t put your daughter on the stage Mrs. Worthington’ but I thought tonight would be a perfect chance. ” Two year ago I watched Madeleine’s Grandfather Bucky take two guitar solos while playing with Deana Martin’s band at the late lamented Feinstein, solos of incomparable succinctness and beauty. Last year, I watched Madeleine’s father John’s own Picarelli Seven at Summerstage play an epic “Ring-A-Ding-Ding” and here we are full circle with the daughter on acoustic guitar backing her mother, the glorious Broadway singer Jessica Molaskey. on the set highlight, “Little Green”.
Jessica compared the song to a note pinned on the daughter Joni Mitchell left for adoption and the the sense of a circle fulfilled by the two joining together, and the sense of family destiny, of the round and round and round of the circle game, was moving. I was happy to be there and I almost missed it. In the circle game, I had written at East Village Eye in the early 1980s and was friends with editor Celeste Lindsey. And then I fell out of touch for thirty years. I went on to a life selling Led Zeppelin records on television and Celeste had a son, now about to go to Graduate School, and got into banking. Celeste had started listening to Iris Dement on NPR and decided to research her and found my review. From there to friending me on Facebook was but a small step.
So we met for dinner and Celeste joined me for the show. But that’s not why we were late. We were late because I forgot to check the time of the show and assumed it was 830p when it was 730p. I missed the first 35 minutes of a 70 minute set. How was “In France They Kiss On Main Street”? “The Last Time I Saw Paris”? “Raised On Robbery”. Good question but I have no idea. How was “All I Want”… ? That I can tell you. It was a lovely and haunting solo by pianist Larry Goldings who, referring to his back up on “Both Sides Now”, Jessica nails with a “That might be the darkest song ever, he makes it that way. It’s the Russian in you, Larry.”
If Larry makes things dark, John makes songs swing, a light hearted romp through the Mingus composed “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines” has the entire band -Madeleine’s school friend from New Music Ensemble at Laguardia High School Julia Gargano, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca, and bassist Leo Traversa, as well as Jessica and Larry, let loose with a shaggy long shot. And later on, a show stopping “Chelsea Morning” is jazzy and lovely with three point harmonies.
All of this revolving around Jessica Molaskey both Matriarch and stylish sex symbol center stage. She isn’t using all of her gifts here, while adept about the jazz folk flung Joni’s songs, she is perfection purring her way through the Great American Songbook (try her “Tea For Two” someday). Celeste claimed she was a weak center figure but I admire her control,a deconstructed “Blue” was a vocal masterclass and what appeared to be a certain reticence in taking over every song was more like a family member leading the way. In the New York Times Stephen Holden compared her to an actress (Jessica compared her husband to an actor as well) and I appreciate the comparison without quite getting it that way. But leading this top notch band? Leading her husband? That I understand.
As I was walking in, Jessica was singing “Carey” and it was just so beautiful, so moving, like the fragile and heartbreaking “Little Green”, the dark “Both Sides Night” and the shared verses of “Big Yellow Taxi”… like song after song with not a mistake for the way too short 35 minute set I saw!
On a carousel of time, I was happy to have the opportunity to help welcome another Pizzarelli to show biz.
Grade: B+