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The dog days of summer cannot stop cabaret. The shows must go on….. and they do!! Read on to learn how you can get in for free to an event by winning our contest.
With many cabaret choices, and limited exposure, what is a new-to-cabaret or semi-uninformed music-lover to do to decide what show to see? My advice is always to go where they can be sampled! When I was a kid, I discovered my new favorite breakfast cereals by sampling them in that Kellogg’s Variety Pak where you got a small box of each of several cereals along with the usual suspects of Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies. The cabaret Variety Paks that pack a lot of entertainment include the variety shows where you can hear many singers in one night, often offering previews of their upcoming shows. This Wednesday, August 3, at 6:30 PM is the free outdoor Tudor City Greens concert (see ad on our website’s home page).
And every Wednesday, there’s a potpourri of performance upstairs at the Iguana on West 54 Street, hosted by Dana Lorge. And then there are the weekly open mics. Several are listed at the end of this article, but right now I’d like to focus on one that used to be monthly and recently went weekly – MetroJam at Metropolitan Room at 34 West 22 Street, every Friday at 10pm. They are offering free admission for the lucky winners of our contest and free home-made cookies for everyone. Two-beverage minimum applies for all. By the way, the regular admission is $20 per person, but if you sing at the open mic, you only pay half that!
Jenna Esposito is the effervescent and gracious singing hostess and the house band is excellent. As a regular attendee, I am increasingly impressed with their skills, especially when they wing it in any requested style for all kinds of singers,
some presenting obscure or original songs. And the joie de vivre of the players is, well, a joy. They may indeed be air-conditioned cool cats of jazz, but they are not blasé or uninvolved. The camaraderie is uncommon. They have fun and it’s contagious, their licks even more delicious as the lick-your-lips flavor of the cookies. And that’s saying a lot. Bobby Sher is a veteran drummer-percussionist who has creativity and drive. The remarkable pianist John DiPinto and irrepressible, titanically-talented bassist Ritt Henn have a charming running bit going to celebrate the open mic going weekly. Ritt is presenting one of his original, ever-clever songs each week, working his way through his catalogue alphabetically, but backwards, having started with Z for “Zoo.” John is presenting favorites alphabetically, but started at the beginning of the 
alphabet -- not quite coincidentally with Paul Simon’s “At the Zoo.” The atmosphere is relaxed, the chatter friendly and folksy, and the talent level of singers higher than many an open mic I have attended over the years. There are loyal regulars who happen to be pros, and there’s almost always someone new and rewarding to my ears. For a change of pace, Jenna has invited the occasional comedian to come up to the mic for some jokes. Recent Fridays brought everything from Rodgers & Hart to heartfelt Joni Mitchell songs, from a song about a hamburger to a song that was a hit in Hamburg when Connie Francis recorded it in German. For the uninitiated, Connie is the idol of our hostess.
OK, on to the contest to get into MetroJam for no cover on the August Friday of your choice. It’s a “True or False” quiz, so a few lucky guesses could make you a winner, even if you don’t know the answers. Answer each with “True” or “False” or “Half True/ Half False”!! If no one gets them all right, those coming closest will win.
1. MetroJam is not so named because it is a musical jam session. It was actually named for its first co-hosts, the late tuba player, rap singer and mortician James Jamowitz, whose nickname was Jim Jam AND the now-retired reggae musician and drag queen juggler, whose stage name was Jamaica Queens. …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
2. MetroJam’s Jenna Esposito will perform on Hester Street in Little Italy on August 13, for free AND sing Italian songs at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency on August 30 (not for free). …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
3. Songwriter Richard Eisenberg performed his “The First Time” twice in a week at open mics: the first time for “The First Time” was at MetroJam AND the second time for “The First Time” was at the weekly Sunday open mic, The Salon, at the Etc., Etc. restaurant on West 44th Street where the theme was “That’s Original!: Original Songs.” …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
4. House band bassist Ritt Henn once played at a used auto parts convention in Las Vegas AND as a teenager co-starred in a failed TV pilot with the legendary Gregory Peck called “Henn-Pecked.” …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
5. The homemade blackberry preserves used in April’s special MetroJam cookies got such a positive reaction that Jenna is now selling it on her website as Yummy Blackberry Metro Jam. AND the baby pictured on the label covered in jam is her one-year-old nephew, Vito Espositio III. …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
6. Metropolitan Room bartender Eddie Jacques makes a specialty drink for each MetroJam night AND next week’s drink is made with the aforementioned blackberry jam, which, ironically got accidentally smeared on his Blackberry phone, causing it to ring non-stop during Jenna’s end-of-night midnight rendition of the Petula Clark hit, “Call Me.” …. Both True, Both False, or Half True/ Half False?
Send your answers, in numbered order 1-6, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
OTHER
OPEN MICS AROUND TOWN : The Salon, as mentioned in the quiz, is at Etc. Etc. each Sunday…….On Monday, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party at Birdland and an open mic is also held at New World Stages…….. On Tuesday, Bill Zeffiro welcomes singers at his weekly
piano doings at La Mediterrenee on the East Side, while later in the night at the Iridium the Tuesday Follow Spot carries on with revolving hosts….The Sugar Bar offers a sweet open mic on Thursdays… And when it gets closer to midnight, if you are open to another open mic after MetroJam, head to the Duplex on Fridays where the singing goes on from about 11:30-ish til circa 2:00 AM! And there’s always an open mic at Don’t Tell Mama, with show tunes a specialty late night Fridays and Saturdays in the Show Tunes Room.
Catch-Up on Cabaret is presented through the generosity of Jamie deRoy and friends.
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