From Johnny Carson to 22nd Street
Marilyn Maye was a regular headliner in New York for years. People knew her for her incredible number of "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" appearances (76 to be exact), her recordings (34 singles with RCA, including "Too Late Now" picked by the Smithsonian as one of the 100 best recordings of the 20th century).
Ms. Maye's appearance at the Metropolitan Room on West 22nd Street, running March 22 through April 1, marks the first time she's had an extended nightclub engagement since she performed at Michael's Pub in the early '90s.
"An Evening with Marilyn Maye" is a new show featuring some of Maye's all-time favorite songs. Maye, who's from Kansas City and whose straightforward, easy-going singing style perfectly epitomizes her Midwestern roots, will perform numerous songs from soon-to-open Broadway shows such as "Cabaret," "Step to the Rear," "Sherry," and "If My Friends Could See Me Now."
Last year, Rex Reed raved in The Observer that, "Marilyn Maye is a true original, she sounds like a 35-year-old. Who knew she could still do it all and leave the audience screaming for more?" Despite having come of age in a different generation, Ms. Maye still casts a unique spell on the young. As Johnny Carson liked to say, "and there, young singers, is the way it's done!"
DeSare at the Oak Room
Twenty-two blocks north of the Metropolitan Room, the ambiance of New York's famed Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel recreates the glamour of the 1920s and 1930s and was where Michael Feinstein, Andrea Marcovicci, and Harry Connick Jr. first gained national acclaim.
This week pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare is performing selections from his new Top 10 CD, "Last First Kiss." His show combines his own distinctive songwriting with a refreshingly contemporary selection of songs including Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" to classics like "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to," and "How Deep Is the Ocean." DeSare is accompanied by legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and sidemen Mike Lee on bass and Brian Czach on drums.