Molaskey and Pizzarelli to Open Tanglewood's Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival 9/4

On Saturday, September 4th at 2PM, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molskey will tape their popular radio program, "Radio Deluxe," at the festival for later broadcast on more than 60 stations nation-wide.

Normally broadcast from their living room "high atop Lexington Avenue", the Tanglewood program will officially take "Radio Deluxe" on the road for the first time. The show's format, marked by the duo's urban, sophisticated humor, inventive playlist and extensive knowledge of the Great American Songbook, is expanding its repertoire to include such rock era voices as Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell. "Radio Deluxe" from Tanglewood will feature guest artists guitarist (and John's father) Bucky Pizzarelli, violinist Aaron Weinstein and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. "Radio Deluxe" will be preceded at 12:30 pm by pianist and vocalist Michael Kaeshammer. His upcoming CD, Lovelight, will be released in May.

"Radio Deluxe" will be taped at Seiji Ozawa Hall at the Tanglewood Festival in Lenox, MA. For information on ticketing and other shows, visit www.bso.org.

Tickets for the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival are available by calling SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200 or online at tanglewood.org and in person at the Symphony Hall Box Office. For further information, please call the Boston Symphony Orchestra at 617-266-1492 or visit tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.

Tanglewood Jazz Festival prices range from $18-77. One day jazz lawn passes are $34. Tickets are available online (beginning at 8 a.m. on February 14), by calling SymphonyCharge at 617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200 (beginning at 10 a.m. on February 14), or by visiting the Boston Symphony Orchestra Box Office at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA (beginning at 10 a.m. on February 14). The Symphony Hall Box Office is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Beginning June 21, it will be open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Jessica Molaskey is a veteran of a dozen Broadway shows: Sunday in the Park with George (2008 revival), A Man of No Importance at Lincoln Center written by Terrance McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Parade (directed by Hal Prince), Dream, Tommy, Crazy For You, Les Miserables, City of Angels, Chess, Cats and Oklahoma! and she has performed off Broadway and regionally in dozens of productions. Molaskey has premiered music written by Ricky Ian Gordon, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Michael John LaChiusa, and Stephen Sondheim and John Bucchino. Other recordings include Fine and Dandy, Myths And Hymns, Parade, Songs For a New World, Weird Romance, Chess, Oklahoma!, Windflowers: The Music of Jerome Moross, Fred Hersch's CD Two Hands, Ten Voices, It's only Life. The songs of John Bucchino and the upcoming cast album of Dream True by Tina Landau and Ricky Ian Gordon.

John Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Internationally known for classic standards, late-night ballads, and the cool jazz flavor he brings to his performances and recordings, he has recently established himself as the consummate entertainer and radio program host with the launch of "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli" a nationally syndicated radio program co-hosted with his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey. John Pizzarelli has recorded as a bandleader for RCA, Chesky, Stash and Novus, and in 1997 appeared in the Broadway musical Dream, a revue of Johnny Mercer songs. A veteran radio personality, Pizzarelli hosted "New York Tonight" on WNEW from 1984-1988. Now, with the launch of "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli," he brings warmth, humor and that long-lost "live" feel back to radio. The show takes place in their "deluxe living room," where he and his guests play live and recorded music, and enjoy conversation that is relaxed, candid, and off-the-cuff. Recent guests include Regis Philbin, Liza Minnelli, Peter Cincotti, Keely Smith, Steve Tyrell and Tony Danza.

John has performed numerous times on the country's most popular national television shows such as "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Live With Regis & Kelly," "The Tony Danza Show," "The CBS Early Show," Fox News Channel and Jerry Lewis's Labor Day Telethon.

The Tanglewood Festival annually draws over 350,000 visitors. Each season offers not only a vast quantity of music but also a vast range of musical forms and styles, all of it presented with a regard for artistic excellence that makes the festival unique.

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