Performers Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch Return To Bemelmans Bar At The Carlyle

On Sunday, April 7, Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch will hold court at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel for the thirteenth year, entertaining with their evening of swinging standards on Sunday nights from 9pm to midnight. Bassist Steve Doyle will once again join the duo. 

Caruso and Stritch, who have performed extensively on their own, gained national exposure together as the host and musical director of the wildly popular open mic, Cast Party, which celebrates talent every Monday at Birdland in NYC, and tours nationally. Over the years, the duo has received critical acclaim at Bemelmans, and made international news when rock legend Bono joined them in an impromptu performance. 

The musical pair has also become the darling of the show biz set, welcoming spontaneous performances by stars including Liza Minnelli, Michael Feinstein, Jane Monheit, Clint Holmes, Marilyn Maye, Stephanie J. Block, Steve Ross, Linda Lavin, Darren Criss, Tony Danza, Christine Ebersole, and Steve Tyrell.

Bemelmans Bar is located in The Carlyle Hotel (35 East 76th Street @ Madison Avenue). Reservations not accepted; tables available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, visit www.thecarlyle.com.

About the Artists

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 began his nightclub career in Dallas, Texas, where he formed the vocal/comedy trio Wiseguys.  He has won six MAC Awards and nine BroadwayWorld Awards for his nightclub and virtual performances.  He's performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops celebrating Kander & Ebb, with Rosemary Clooney honoring Bing Crosby, and singing the songs of Hope & Crosby with Michael Feinstein.   Jim was honored to sing with Barbara Cook, Lauren Bacall and a bevy of Broadway stars at President Clinton's First State Dinner at the White House. For eighteen years, he has hosted the weekly showbiz bash "Jim Caruso's Cast Party” at Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center and across the country, and has produced over 900 Broadway at Birdland concerts.  He's been crooning most Sunday nights at Bemelmans Bar at the iconic Carlyle Hotel.  During the pandemic, he created and hosted “Pajama Cast Party,” a star-studded virtual variety show that ran 83 consecutive weeks.  His two solo cds, “The Swing Set” and "Caruso Live and In Person" are available online, and his latest duo cd with Billy Stritch, “The Sunday Set,” was released on the Club 44 record label last month.

Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony's pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as music director for such leading vocalists as Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole and Paulo Szot. He is the co-writer of the number one Grammy-winning song “Does He Love You” recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. Lightning struck twice for this song as a new version was released in 2021 by Reba and the legendary Dolly Parton. When he's not on the road, he is the pianist for Jim Caruso's Cast Party open mic night every Monday at New York's legendary Birdland Jazz Club and he and Jim hold forth on Sunday nights at Bemelmans' Bar in Manhattan's fabled Carlyle Hotel. During Covid-19, he created his own weekly Facebook live-stream show “Billy's Place”, celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career. He has recorded five solo CDs, including the recent “Billy's Place” (Club44 Records) and “The Sunday Set” with Jim Caruso (Club44 Records). 

Photo Credit: Christopher Boudewyns

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