Feature: Cabaret Community Joins In Sorrow to Mourn Rick Jensen

On March 24th the cabaret and nightclub community was dealt a heavy blow when their friend Rick Jensen died suddenly. More than just a friend, Mr. Jensen was family to the members of the community that he served for many years as musical director and accompanist who usually supplied the arrangements being sung on the stage, singer-songwriter who provided many an artist with original material, and a teacher, mentor and producer. Mr. Jensen played almost every room in New York City, and he won every award there is to win in the industry, but mostly he won hearts and played for his friends.

A Minnesota boy, Rick Jensen hailed from a town called Wobasso, and grew up with four siblings. He made New York his home for some four decades, working with renowned artists from Tovah Feldshuh to Jason Graae. The associations for which Rick is most well-known are his life-long partnership with Lina Koutrakos, with whom he wrote, recorded and appeared in live performance, and Nancy LaMott, who, memorably, recorded his song "In Passing Years" on her debut album Beautiful Baby.

At the sudden news of Rick Jensen's passing, the cabaret community flooded his social media with tributes, which can be seen HERE. On Cabaret Hotspot David Sabella and Sue Matsuki offered their condolences and a beautiful compilation of testimonials from friends and colleagues HERE, and NiteLife Exchange offered a lovely memorial for Jensen HERE. Nobody in the industry has been left untouched by the death of the 63-year old prodigy, and those of us who didn't know Rick Jensen are certainly left, after reading all the public comments honoring him, feeling sorry that we were among the unlucky few who did not share in his glory and in his story.

Jamie deRoy had recently been looking at footage of Mr. Jensen from her Jamie deRoy & friends archive and had this to offer:

Thru the pandemic, I kept editing my TV Shows using my Archives of the last 30 years!

Oddly enough, I had Rick Jensen on two of them: First he was part of the ASCAP FOUNDATION Jamie deRoy & friends Award Shows (Part 2) on December 6, 2020 as he won this Award in 2017. We highlighted each Winner, beginning with MAC Award Winner Barry Kleinbort (2007), followed by a slew of very talented songwriters, most of whom are MAC Members. 2008: Johnny Rodgers, 2009: Christine Lavin, 2010: Marcy Heisler AND Zina Goldrich, 2011: Lance Horne, 2012: Michele Brourman, 2013: David Buskin, 2014: Deborah Abramson & Amanda Yesnowitz, 2015: Benjamin Scheuer, 2016: Shelly Markham, 2017: Rick Jensen, 2018: Cheryl Stern, 2019: Rick Crom and finally in 2020: Paul Rolnick won the Award, the first (and hopefully only) one to be given virtually.

Michael Kerker serves on MAC's Advisory Board and heads up the ASCAP Musical Theater Department, he also helps choose the winner for this award, along with a few other judges. The second time Rick Jensen appeared on my cable show during the pandemic, was March 14, 2021 - a year after lockdown started, as part of the GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SONGS, Rick performed Billy Joel's "My Life" from Joel's Award Winning Album of the Year "52nd Street." In true piano bar tradition, Rick got my audience to join in singing with him. That is the first time any performer has done that. It was awesome. The funny thing too, is that this performance was filmed at The Laurie Beechman Theater at The West Bank Cafe on February 15, 2003.

Over the years, many MAC Member have appeared on my shows, so many of them have gotten some exposure over the last year, without leaving their homes, or even having to warm up or put on makeup. The joy of revisiting these performances has not only brought happiness to many, but is a reminder of how much we all miss being live in the clubs.

Sadly, many of our MAC members have passed away over the years, so I have done many "Gone But Not Forgotten" shows, starting last August. The Sixth of this series will 6th in the Remembrance Series air July 26, 2021. This helps us remember such talents as Margaret Whiting, Julie Wilson, Susannah McCorkle, Ray Jessell, Julie Kurnitz and Doreen Montalvo, to name a few. Sadly Rick Jensen join the ranks of "Gone" but we will always remember him, and his enormous talent. RIP Rick Jensen.

Broadway World Cabaret joins the community in their sorrow and offer our heartfelt wishes that his family and loved ones will find comfort in passing years.

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