BWW Reviews: John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molasky Bring WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE to the Carlyle

By: Nov. 03, 2011
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About one half mile south of The Carlyle Hotel stands a symbol of the perfection achieved when the best of creativity, artistry, and technical virtuosity collide. That symbol is Steve Job's Apple Store, and all that's in it. So it is with John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey's show "When Worlds Collide". The evening that they have created is about the best collisions of musical diversity that I've heard.

John and Jessica have a way of making their casual and laid-back approach intensely exciting. Sometimes when an artist is so adept and technically confident in their ability, the performance can drift into a smoothness that makes it almost feel casual. It is paradoxical in this show, how John and Jessica make you so comfortable with the complete mastery they have of the music's complexities, and yet at the same time put you on edge waiting for their next creative burst.

I was remembering the first time I heard stereophonic sound, my senses intrigued at the separation, but marveling at the intermixed result. The counterpoint created by the mixture of songs from different styles and periods would on paper not seem to work. However the unique and creative way they were put together amplified and enhanced the subject matter of each. From Irving Berlin to The Beach Boys the evening was a fantastically knitted musical fabric.

Enough can't be said about the musicians on the Carlyle stage last night Their tightness and perfect blending can only be created by a group of virtuosos who live and play together constantly. Larry Fuller's extraordinary melodic lines fit perfectly with John's harmonics. The contradiction of Jessica's theater voice and John's Jazz sound is a magnificent collision. This is a show not to be missed.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff


Jessica Molasky & John Pizzarelli


John Pizzarelli


Jessica Molasky


John Pizzarelli


John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molasky


John Pizzarelli


John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molasky


Jessica Molasky


John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molasky


Jessica Molasky


Larry Fuller


Jessica Molasky


John Pizzarelli, Robyn & David Steinberg


Two Guitars


Cafe Carlylr



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