Review: At the Dutch Treat Club, the Stars Aren't Just Onstage

The October 27 gathering was a perfect example, with author James Gavin and jazz singer Anaïs Reno the headlined entertainment, and member guest Michele Lee

By: Stephen Sorokoff Oct. 29, 2026

Review: At the Dutch Treat Club, the Stars Aren't Just Onstage

The Dutch Treat Club consistently delivers terrific guest speakers and entertainers, but the Tuesday Dutch Treat lunches have another delightful distinction: the impressive guests members invite. The October 27 gathering was a perfect example, with author James Gavin and jazz singer Anaïs Reno the headlined entertainment, while among the members’ special guests was none other than Tony- and Emmy-nominated Michele Lee. She joined in the festivities with characteristic warmth and graciously posed for selfies with fellow Dutch Treaters, making an already memorable afternoon even more special!

James Gavin, called “a killer biographer” by The Hollywood Reporter, started his presentation at the Dutch Treat Club with a vintage video of jazz legend, Anita O’Day, the subject of his latest biography, Cool Heat: The Dangerous Jazz Life of Anita O’Day. It was a fascinating glimpse into the life of this incredibly talented and troubled performer. Gavin related how she went from near death due to heroin addiction, to headlining at the JVC Jass Festival. We learned that her doctors had to manage her substance abuse by keeping her on a codeine-laced cough syrup for the rest of her life, after she lived through 13 years of heroin addiction, followed by alcohol and marijuana, all while keeping up a brutal performing pace with cheer and stunning vocals. The particularly fun surprise in Gavin’s talk was the inclusion of a video featuring Sidney Myer interviewing O’Day at Michael’s Pub. Myer, legendary, long-time booking manager, host, and award-winning cabaret artist, was in attendance on Tuesday, and added his remembrances of a rainy night where only 6 people were in the audience. Concerned, because of O’Day’s addiction reputation, he soon had nothing to fear, because she said she was a band singer and had a job to do. Myer said, “She wanted to lift up her audience whether there were 6 or 60, and she did!”

A Grammy nominee and two-time recipient of the ASCAP Deems Taylor-Virgil Thomson Award, Gavin is also a celebrated music journalist and worldwide public speaker. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, and other major publications, and he has made hundreds of radio and television appearances, including on NPR, the BBC, Today, Good Morning America, and PBS NewsHour.

Gavin then presented the dynamic young jazz interpreter, Anaïs Reno, a New York City-based singer and composer, who has headlined and been featured in venues such as Birdland, Dizzy’s, Ronnie Scott’s and the Edinburgh Jazz Festival. In 2021, she released her debut album, “Lovesome Thing,” celebrating Ellington and Strayhorn, and she recently released her second studio album titled “Lady of the Lavender Mist”. Accompanied on bass by the incredibly talented Sameer Shankar, you could have heard a pin drop as she commanded the space with a polish far beyond her years, on gorgeous arrangements of “Night and Day”, “A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square” and “As Long As I Live”. Reno told us that she was intimidated to discover that she was the ONLY singer Gavin had requested for this day, and related that although she did not share the addictions of O’Day, she was inspired by her in many ways - but Reno clearly has her very own delightful charm and authenticity, holding us all spellbound as she wove a magical spell with her unique style and lush vocals.

Learn more about the Dutch Treat Club at www.dutchtreatny.org