Ladies Day Jazz Quartet to Perform at Metropolitan Room

The quartet, composed of vocalist MJ Territo; pianist Linda Presgrave; bassist Iris Ornig; and drummer Barbara Merjan, has been collecting and showcasing under-performed compositions by female composers and lyricists since 2012.

"I started to put these tunes together after an "aha" moment," says the group's founder, MJ Territo. "I realized that many of the lesser-known tunes I loved to sing happened to have been written by women. People were surprised when I told them that." Territo continues, "At first, it was just for fun, but as we got deeper into the music and the research, I began to see common themes - resilience, humor, self-awareness, self-reliance, curiosity about the wider world. There are love songs and heartbreak songs, sure, but what I didn't find were torch songs - those all seem to have been written by men."

Some of the composers to be highlighted on January 14 include pianists Marian McPartland and Bertha Hope; the singer Peggy Lee; and singer/songwriters Nellie McKay and Patricia Barber.

The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street in New York City. The show begins at 7 pm. There is a $24 cover charge and a 2-drink minimum. Tickets may be purchased at http://metropolitanroom.com/event.cfm?id=217988.