Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch Return To Bemelmans At The Carlyle Hotel For Sixth Year

For the sixth year in a row, Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch return to Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel with their evening of swinging standards starting Sunday, September 2, then running every Sunday through December 30, from 9pm to midnight. Bassist Steve Doyle will 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. During the six years at Bemelmans, the duo has received critical acclaim, and made international news when rock legend Bono joined them in an impromptu performance.

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

Rex Reed, of the New York Observer, called the show "a nimble, nonstop musical show-business bonanza with as much rhythm and class as the feet of Fred Astaire. This is the happiest little show in town."

Bemelmans Bar is located in The Carlyle Hotel (35 East 76th Street @ Madison Avenue). Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch will play Sundays in September through December at 9pm. Reservations not accepted; tables available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, visit www.thecarlyle.com. BIOS 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 has won six MAC Awards for his nightclub appearances, four BroadwayWorld Awards, has performed with the New York Pops in a tribute to Kander & Ebb, with Rosemary Clooney celebrating Bing Crosby, and singing the songs of Hope & Crosby with Michael Feinstein, all at Carnegie Hall. 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 sixteen years, he has hosted the weekly showbiz bash "Jim Caruso's Cast Party" at Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center and across the country. He has produced over 800 Broadway at Birdland concerts, and his weekly radio segment, "A New York Minute with Jim Caruso" can be heard on Legends Radio 100.3 FM. Jim also writes a monthly column for W42St Magazine. His two cds, "The Swing Set" and "Caruso Live and In Person" are available online.

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 has three CDs to his credit and his latest "Jazz Live," was released on Fynsworth Alley Records. 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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