Interview: Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch Talk THE SINATRA CENTURY

By: Oct. 10, 2015
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Performers Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch will be premiering their brand new show, "The Sinatra Century," on the Main Stage at Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario on Thursday, October 15 at 8pm. Caruso and Stritch, who have performed extensively on their own, gained national exposure together as the host and musical director of the wildly popular variety show, "Cast Party," which celebrates talent every Monday at Birdland in NYC, tours nationally, and was part of last season's Lincoln Center American Songbook series. They are also in residency at Bemelmans at The Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, where the duo is constantly in the news when showbiz heavy-hitters like Liza Minnelli, Bono and Michael Feinstein join them in impromptu performances. The duo is currently touring the world with Liza Minnelli's new concert, "Great Day."

Below, check out an interview with the performers!


What made you decide to create a Sinatra celebration together?

JC: I've always shied away from theme-driven concerts. Perhaps I've never been drawn to one specific topic, performer or songwriter enough to want to delve that deeply. But when Paul Horton of CAMA Artists saw Billy and I sing at Carnegie Hall, he suggested we had a rat-pack-ish energy. He thought it might be fun to bring that vibe into a Sinatra tribute. When Billy and I discussed it in those terms - all the fun, personality and impromptu merry-making Frank, Sammy and Dean had on stage - it seemed like a perfect fit! We've been bff's for over 30 years. We know what makes each other laugh, and are in-synch, musically. Why wouldn't it be a blast to sing some of the best songs ever written together?

BS: I've known Frank Sinatra's catalogue forever, because basically it's every great song from the golden age of American popular music. However, I'm not sure I would have selected him as a subject for a show until Paul Horton of CAMA Artists suggested it. He'd seen Jim and I in a Margaret Whiting tribute at Carnegie Hall and thought we'd be a good fit for Sinatra. I suppose he responded to our ease and fun together and it's not too dissimilar to the energy Frank had with members of the Rat Pack. I must say it's been a nice project to work on!

You guys are all over the place! Together you're performing at Birdland every Monday, at Bemelmans at The Carlyle Hotel every Sunday, and on the road with Liza Minnelli. Billy performs his own concerts, and is musical director for Liza, Linda Lavin, Marilyn Maye and many more. Jim produces the weekly Broadway at Birdland concert series. When did you have time to put this brand new concert together?

BS: We got our first booking for this upcoming show in Brampton back in January so we've had the luxury of being able to put it together in a fairly leisurely fashion. We learned about a third of it by May and then made a big push over the summer to complete it. We're still putting on the finishing touches.

JC: It's indeed a busy time, but once we started putting the show together, the incredible Sinatra songbook energized us. Billy's arrangements energize me. We get hysterical over the stupidest things during rehearsals. We take breaks and drink iced coffee and eat cookies. We google lyrics we don't understand. (In "Ring A Ding Ding," the lyric "do a skull" had us stumped. We finally found that it meant to do a double take.) In short, we have so much fun creating that we can't wait to get together and work. You make time for the things you want to do!

What makes your Sinatra show different?

BS: I think a lot of tribute shows rely on imitations or just the most basic recreations of the subject's recordings. There's no sense in trying to imitate Frank Sinatra, but I think I've been able to put a few different spins on the arrangements. Of course, there's no denying that Jim and I have a great chemistry together and that alone will make our show different and fun. Also, I was fortunate to meet Frank and Barbara Sinatra on a number of occasions and was even their houseguest on two trips to Palm Springs (courtesy of Liza Minnelli, whom he adored) - so I'll tell a bit about that in the show.

JC: Apart from the fact that Billy and I have a ball working together, I think the audience will sense our passion for the songs, and for the kind of performer Sinatra was. He was musical, he was glib, and he loved singing with his friends. And thanks to some of our fancy friends, we have insider information and personal stories nobody else has. To find a way into "New York, New York," one of the most performed songs of all time, was tricky. But I think we've done it, thanks to our friend and the song's composer, John Kander.

Do you have a favorite Sinatra song to perform?

JC: We do a medley of his best saloon songs; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "One For My Baby," and "Angel Eyes." My friends all know that I love singing upbeat, swinging tunes, but these three are absolute killer ballads. They take me right into a darkened bar filled with cigarette smoke, Scotch and regret.

BS: There are so many to choose from but the one I'm really enjoying now is "All The Way" by the Jimmy Van Heusen and the great Sammy Cahn (who I also knew).

Have you been to Toronto before?

BS: Oh yes. The first time was almost thirty years ago when I had my vocal group Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. We had a three-week engagement in the Imperial Room at the Royal York Hotel opening for Bobby Rydell! The room was a very grand showroom that seated about 400 and the hotel is like Toronto's version of the Plaza - very glamorous in a way that you don't see often anymore. Since then, I've returned several times, most recently with Liza.

JC: I've never been to Toronto! And I have so many brilliant friends from the area! I only wish we could stay in town longer, so that I could do some serious sight-seeing! The photos I've seen of the Rose Theatre are extraordinary! It's going to be a thrill to sing on that stage!

Where else are you taking The Sinatra Century?

JC: So far, we're booked at the Lenfest Center in Lexington, Virginia (January 13, 2016), the Harris Theater in Brookfield, Wisconson (April 13), the Long Center in Austin (May 6, 7 & 8), a date on Long Island and a few in Florida!

What Sinatra song title best describes your life?

BS: "The Song's Gotta Come From The Heart" - a song Frank sang with Jimmy Durante very early on in a movie called "It Happened In Brooklyn." It's featured in our Gigantic Sinatra Movie Medley and it's also by the great Sammy Cahn. The title certainly sums up how I feel about performing in general.

JC: I'd like to say "Strangers In The Night" or "I Cover the Waterfront," but I'll go with "Young At Heart."



"The Sinatra Century" Starring Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch Premieres at Rose Theatre, Brampton, Ontario Thursday, October 15 at 8pm Performers Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch will be premiering their brand new show, "The Sinatra Century," on the Main Stage at Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario on Thursday, October 15 at 8pm.

Caruso and Stritch, who have performed extensively on their own, gained national exposure together as the host and musical director of the wildly popular variety show, "Cast Party," which celebrates talent every Monday at Birdland in NYC, tours nationally, and was part of last season's Lincoln Center American Songbook series. They are also in residency at Bemelmans at The Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, where the duo is constantly in the news when showbiz heavy-hitters like Liza Minnelli, Bono and Michael Feinstein join them in impromptu performances. The duo is also touring the world with Liza Minnelli's new concert, "Great Day."

Join the party as Billy Stritch and Jim Caruso celebrate the historic centennial of Frank Sinatra's legacy. This evening of sensational musical fun features world-class musicianship, brilliant comedic timing and the unique vocal and musical stylings of two of New York City's multi-award winning, internationally acclaimed performers. Enjoy the hits "Come Fly With Me," "Nice and Easy," "All the Way," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "(Love is) The Tender Trap," "New York, New York," and many more. The duo will also delve into the songs Mr. Sinatra performed on film, with their "Gigantic Movie Medley."

"The Sinatra Century" is an insider's look into the legendary crooner's musical career by two entertainers who knew the cast of characters involved, including Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Sammy Cahn, John Kander and Fred Ebb.

JIM CARUSO made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award-winning smash hit Liza's At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. For his nightclub work, Caruso has won six MAC, two Nightlife and two BackStage Bistro Awards for his sold-out New York shows at Birdland, the Algonquin Hotel, and Arci's Place; and has also performed in clubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Palm Beach Hotel and London. He sang with the New York Pops in an all-star tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, and returned to "The Hall" in a tribute to Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, hosted by Michael Feinstein. Jim and his vocal trio, Wiseguys, were invited to sing at President Clinton's Inaugural and First State Dinner at the White House, and celebrated Bing Crosby in concert at Carnegie Hall with Rosemary Clooney. For the past thirteen years, he has hosted a Monday night Manhattan showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso's Cast Party," which has also celebrated talent in Los Angeles, London, Las Vegas, Chicago, Austin, Pittsburgh and on the high seas with the "Dave Koz & Friends" jazz cruise. His cd, "The Swing Set," was released in 2011.

BILLY STRITCH is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scene. His most recent nightclub act "Billy Stritch Sings the Mel Tormé Songbook" earned rave reviews from the New York critics. Stritch has appeared in cabaret venues across the nation as well as concert performances at the London Palladium, NHK Hall in Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro's Municipale Auditorium. In New York, he has performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and was onstage in the 2001 Broadway revival of 42nd Street, which starred Christine Ebersole. Their friendship laid the groundwork for a musical collaboration resulting in the CD, "In Your Dreams," available on Ghostlight Records. Billy is also a songwriter and arranger, and his composition "Does He Love You" was recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. The single reached the number one spot on the Billboard Country chart, winning a Grammy Award and selling over five million copies along the way. He has arranged for many top performers and is a frequent collaborator with Liza Minnelli, having written the arrangements for Minnelli On Minnelli at the Palace Theater, Liza's Christmas at Town Hall, and was musical supervisor and pianist for the Tony Award-winning, Liza's At The Palace. Billy has played and sung on numerous television shows including "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Oprah," "The CBS Morning Show," "The Today Show" and "Inside The Actor's Studio". He is the winner of the Nashville Music City News Award, a BMI Song of the Year Award, and four awards from the Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets.



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