Storm Large, Marc Cherry, And Michael Feinstein Headline JIM CARUSO'S CAST PARTY At Birdland

Jim Caruso and his usual suspects--Billy Stritch on piano, Daniel Glass on drums, and Steve Doyle on bass--have been entertaining audiences at Birdland on Monday night for quite a while, but something about the energy lately seems to have infected the host and the merry band with even more panache and, I daresay, extra excitement. The maestro of Manhattan’s Monday evenings (Caruso) continues to wow an audience. He and the crew played host to a packed crowd on Monday night, who were treated to some great performances by stellar individual talents whose own shows cause throngs to gather around stages and TV--well at least when those TV shows are written by Marc Cherry, whose appearance between Storm Large's and Michael Feinstein’s (Feinstein is pictured at the piano to the right) songs on stage was perhaps as or more impressive. Of course, Caruso led things off with ‘We’re in the Money’ blended with ‘Pennies from Heaven,’ wonderfully gliding through lines while guiding the audience to the tone of the evening: wonderful guests, a variety act, a packed house, and some of the best to do it. This is all par for the course and usual for Monday nights at Birdland, though they don’t ask Stritch to play past one in the morning anymore.

Stritch and Gabrielle Stravelli reprised a song from the early show, the “Mel and Ella” medley, paying homage to Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald’s few recorded duets, to start things off with a bang. They were followed by a visitor who made his Birdland Jazz Club debut, a common theme of the wonderful Cast Party, where anyone with a stage sense and a rehearsed performance can gather their wits and wow an audience. Jordan Hernandez sang “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” to roaring applause with a wonderfully clean vocal line and a flair for the dramatic. On the other end, a welcome voice returned to the stage to belt beautifully, as the lungs of the talented Jenna Esposito filled the room with a romantic, bluesy, “Where the Boys Are.” The lines “My true love will be, he's walking down some street in town, and I know he's looking there for me,” truly pulled at the heart strings.

A tale of the evening could not be told without reference to the trio of Storm Large, Marc Cherry, and Michael Feinstein, who stole the show like a crescendo of benevolent competition among friends. Large’s blue hair caught the reddish hue of the light, like her smile tore through the murky gloom of an evening of listless love songs as she sang out ‘Summertime and the living is easy...” a Gershwin classic that has taken on new life as a song about being stuck in an ill-fated romance. However, she chose the former to showcase her tremendous vocal range. Similarly, Cherry, whose claims to fame lie off-stage and behind our screens, had the audience in complete awe by the end of “The Impossible Dream.” His voice rising, his stature strong and patient, he belted out a beautiful and melancholic, “To right the unrightable wrong, and to love pure and chaste from afar,” as if it was his own life he sang of. Not to be outdone, the great Michael Feinstein sang the wordy, “If I Only Had a Brain/Heart/Nerve”-- the full version of the song, split throughout the Wizard of Oz--from behind the piano.

There were a smattering of other performers, and the night continued after I left for an early evening, with more talented performers to come. However, the dimly lit stage, the yellow glow over the corner bar, and the stiff cocktails make an evening at Birdland always a worthwhile trip, especially on a Monday night when you know Caruso and company will showcase a sneak peak into the diverse array of talent that graces the stages of New York City’s cabaret worlds.

Find great shows to see on the Birdland website HERE.

THIS is the Jim Caruso website and the Billy Stritch website is HERE.

Photos provided by Birdland's resident photographer Kevin Alvey.