John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey Present New Shows At Bay Area Cabaret

Bay Area Cabaret welcomes back world-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli and singer Jessica Molaskey, a duo Time Magazine calls the "Astaire-Rodgers of the cabaret world." Bay Area Cabaret audiences will have the chance to see, or choose between, two varied programs: The first, at 3:30 is a centennial tribute to Nat King Cole, a Venetian Room regular, whose work is celebrated on Mr. Pizzarelli's upcoming CD, Centenially Yours. The second show, American Stories, at 7:30, is a duo show by John and his talented wife Jessica that debuted at Café Carlyle and features an eclectic mix of music by George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Paul Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Stevie Nicks and the couple's signature mashups and medleys. Aligned both in their love of the American Songbook and their desire to expand and present it to new audiences, Bay Area Cabaret and John Pizzarelli and his wife Jessica enjoy a partnership that reaches back well over a decade.

John Pizzarelli has been hailed by the Boston Globe for "reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz." The Toronto Star pegged him as "the genial genius of the guitar," and the Seattle Times saluted him as "a rare entertainer of the old school." Established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim and The Beatles.

Pizzarelli has toured North America, South America, Asia and Europe performing shows centered on Frank Sinatra's centennial, the songs of Johnny Mercer and Paul McCartney. While plenty of jazz greats influenced his work, Cole has been Pizzarelli's hero and foundation over the last 25 years. He devoted two albums to his music, Dear Mr. Cole in 1994 and P.S. Mr. Cole, recorded and released five years later. In addition to being a bandleader and solo performer, John has been a special guest on recordings for major pop names such as James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones and Dave Van Ronk, as well as leading jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen and, of course, Bucky Pizzarelli. He was featured opposite Donna Summer, Jon Secada and Roberta Flack on the GRAMMY Award-winning CD, Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mr. Rogers in 2005.

Nightlife Award-winner Jessica Molaskey is a veteran of a dozen Broadway shows including the revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards. She has appeared in A Man of No Importance at Lincoln Center, Parade (directed by Hal Prince), Dream, Tommy, Crazy for You, Les Misérables, City of Angels, Chess, Cats and Oklahoma! She most recently played the role of "Marie" in The Encores critically acclaimed production of The Most Happy Fella at City Center. Off Broadway: Songs For A New World, Dream True, Wise Guys, and Weird Romance (All Original Cast Recordings).

Molaskey has five critically acclaimed solo CDs and has performed in concert from Lincoln Center to Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall to the Montreal and Monterey Jazz festivals. Recently, she performed her solo concert, Portraits of Joni Mitchell, as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series at The Allen Room. For the past nine years she and her husband, John Pizzarelli, have enjoyed a two month sold-out engagement at the Café Carlyle in New York about which Stephen Holden wrote in the New York Times: "They are as good as it gets in any entertainment medium. They are caviar in a world of canned tuna. Once you've acquired the taste, there is no substitute." She and John do a weekly radio show called Radio Deluxe that airs in 60 cities around the US and in Canada.

Tickets to Pizzarelli's Nat King Cole Centennial and Pizzarelli & Molaskey American Stories are each $65 with no food or drink minimum required. Information and tickets are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400. When ordering, please specify which of these shows you'd like to attend.

Bay Area Cabaret, now in its 15th season of presenting world-renowned Broadway, pop and jazz vocalists, marks its eighth consecutive season in San Francisco's legendary showroom, the Venetian Room, at the historic Fairmont San Francisco. The remaining lineup of performers to come in the 2018-2019 season, in addition to John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, includes jazz vocalist Catherine Russell (3/24) and Tony-winner LaChanze (5/19). For Bay Area Cabaret 2018-2019 season information and video clips of performers visit www.bayareacabaret.org

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