Monday, June 3rd, was something else. First was the Taste of Times Square street party on 46th Street. As always, my home base was Swing 46, where the George Gee Orchestra played and my friend Sarah Hayes sang. Sarah is about to go off on a three-month cruise, so I may not see her until the fall.
Then it was off to Birdland. First, I saw a terrific show by Broadwsay/cabaret star Melissa Errico downstairs at the Birdland Theater. I had to leave early, however, as my main reason for being at Birdland was Jim Caruso’s Cast Party. If you haven’t yet been to this, it’s one of the best things in New York. For some eighteen years, Jim Caruso has had an ongoing open mic event every Monday night, where “some of the most talented people in the world will perform…. also other people.” The great Billy Stritch accompanies everyone on the piano, along with Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. On this particular, night, there were no duds. My dear friend Susie Clausen, surely my female counterpart as a Boulevardier of New York (when she’s not home in California), made her world debut on a stage, playing the sax and singing on “Hey Big Spender,” having been personally coached by the legendary Marilyn Maye, who came both to cheer Susie on and to sing a song herself. At 91, she’s nothing short of indomitable, selling out entire runs at Feinstein’s/54 Below, no easy feat for anyone. Susie’s song was a blast. She’s only playing sax for a few years, and singing for only a few months (at Marilyn Maye’s insistence). Susie has the kind of appeal that makes everyone adore her instantly., from the club owners down to the busboys. What she lacks in chops is more than made up for by her vivacious persona, authenticity, and her beauty.
Clint Holmes, remembered by most for his 1972 hit “Playground In My Mind” (“My Name is Michael…”), is today a renowned jazz singer with a wonderful voice. He sang. Marilyn sang. The wonderful entertainer Susie Mosher (who hosts a weekly show called The Lineup every Tuesday at the Birdland Theater) sang. A number of other singers, most of whom I know personally, sang. And oh yes, I sang. This was my seventh time at Cast Party. I tend to play more fun numbers or even novelty bits at this show, because of the “party” nature. (“No ballads!”) Four of the first six times I played ukulele as well as sang, and once I played guitar. On this occasion, I decided to sing jazz in a jazz club. I sang the Cole Porter classic, “What Is This Thing Called Love,” singing the song through in rubato before swinging it, and ending it with a powerful note. I got major kudos from Jim Caruso, Susie Mother, Clint Holmes, and most importantly, Marilyn Maye, who passed along some notes to Susie Clausen for me, since I’m also one of Marilyn’s students.
I’ll continue this week in separate posts.