Jim Caruso's 12 Days of Christmas... Liza Minnelli & Billy Stritch Have A Merry Little Christmas

I was lucky enough to join Liza Minnelli on a three-year tour of what became "Liza's At The Palace." We traveled the globe singing, dancing and celebrating the songs and arrangements of Liza's godmother, the late, great Kay Thompson, and had the wondrous thrill of playing The Palace Theater on Broadway in December, 2008. It was a holiday season I'll never, ever forget. During Christmas week, as an encore, Liza decided to break her rule of never singing her mother's songs. Pouring her heart out on the piano bench next to Billy Stritch, this moment managed to supersede all the production, lighting, arrangements, choreography and general mishegas we'd worked on. It's performing delirium by a world-class entertainer doing what she does better than anyone.

Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award-winning Liza's At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. He has won six MAC Awards for his nightclub appearances, performed with the New York Pops in a tribute to Kander & Ebb, performed with Rosemary Clooney in a celebration of Bing Crosby, and sang songs of Hope & Crosby with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall. Jim was honored to sing with Barbara Cook at President Clinton's First State Dinner at the White House. For the past fourteen years, he has hosted the weekly showbiz bash "Jim Caruso's Cast Party" at Birdland, Town Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center and across the globe. He also produces the Broadway at Birdland concert series and has a weekly segment on Legends Radio 100.3 FM called "A New York Minute with Jim Caruso." As a crooner, he performs regularly with Billy Stritch at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel. His two cds, "The Swing Set" and "Caruso Live and In Person" are available online.