The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs and ASCAP are proud to announce its next MAC/ASCAP Songwriters’ Showcase “West Meets East (Coast, That Is…)” – featuring singer-songwriters from the West Coast.

Award-winning songwriters scheduled to appear are Shelly Markham, Geoffrey Leigh Tozer, Mark Winkler and special guest Melissa Manchester. The evening will be hosted by award-winning performer and producer Jamie deRoy. The showcase will begin promptly at 2:00PM on October 31st at The Metropolitan Room. Admission is free for members of MAC and ASCAP; $10 for non-member guests. Membership applications will be available at the door.

MELISSA MANCHESTER is a Grammy Award winning songwriter and performer. Discovered by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow in 1971, she became one of Midler’s “Harlettes.” A string of Billboard hits followed (“Midnight Blue”, “Whenever I Call You Friend”, “Through the Eyes of Love” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud”). She won the Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance for “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” in 1981. Melissa has also appeared on TV, film and stage.

SHELLY MARKHAM is probably now best known as Andrea Marcovicci’s music director. Not only does he play all her concerts, he has served as arranger and producer for her recent CDs including Here, There, and Everywhere; Andrea Sings Astaire, and Kurt Weill in America. Other performers he has played for include Lainie Kazan, Michael Feinstein, Margaret Whiting, Nell Carter, Ann Jillian, Gogi Grant, Julie Wilson, Chad Mitchell, Carol Lawrence, Elaine Stritch, and Bonnie Franklin. He is also an amazing songwriter.  Songs of his are included in the long-running revue Naked Boys Singing.  With lyricist Judith Viorst he has written the show Love and Shrimp as well as children’s musicals based on her Alexander books.  The song “The Sweetest of Nights” from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-God, Very Bad Day has been recorded by Karen Mason, Andrea Marcovicci, Nancy Dussault, and Markham.

GEOFFREY LEIGH TOZER Jazz singer/pianist and radio fabulist Geoffrey Leigh Tozer was born in Englewood, New Jersey . . . a long time ago. He grew up fast on the shores of the Hudson River studying classical music and piano in high school and college and later jazz and cabaret in nightclubs on the upper East Side of Manhattan. Just before graduating from Columbia University with an MBA in Corporate Finance he was offered a gig singing at a piano bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the first leg of a fascinating journey and worldwide singing and storytelling career. Putting his MBA to work he started as an options trader in downtown Manhattan and quickly rose to partner in the investment banking firm of Gilford Securities. But Wall Street wasn’t his passion. After only seven years he gave up his three piece suits and wingtips to concentrate fully on his real love; performing. Soon Hollywood called and he was off to California to begin a career as film and television composer, actor and cabaret singer (9 ½ Ninjas, When The Party’s Over, Sensations, Sunset Heat, Car 54 Where Are You?, “Wild West’s Most Wanted” (Discovery), “Behind The Sun,” “The Dress,” “Mrs. Satan,” “Miss/Match,” “Bella Mafia,” “Spicy Cit”y (HBO), and “Knott’s Landing”(CBS). And all this time he was perfecting his storytelling skills in small theaters, cabarets and major venues. Recently he headlined at the Sixth Annual Los Angeles Storytelling Festival. But his true calling is on the radio as a storyteller. “It’s all I want to do, I absolutely crave it” he says. And he has developed the character and the radio show Sly Crooner of Swanktown to satisfy that hunger.

MARK WINKLER is a platinum award winning singer/lyricist who has had over 150 of his songs recorded and/or sung by such artists as Dianne Reeves, Randy Crawford, Liza Minnelli, Bob Dorough and Lea Salonga. Mark has released 9 CDs in the US. His new CD of mostly original Winkler lyrics, Till I Get It Right was released in March of 2009 on Freeham Records. He is the co-writer of the hit musical revue Naked Boys Singing! in its 10th year playing Off Broadway, and released as a movie on DVD. He is the creator and co-writer of Too Old for the Chorus which has played successful engagements in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego. He has won both L.A. Weekly and Backstage West awards for best score for Naked Boys Singing! He has also co-written songs for the musical revues Bark! and Hangin' Out. His jazz musical Play it Cool which premiered in Los Angeles in 2007 got “Critics Choice” in the L.A. Times was nominated for Best Musical-Off Broadway by GLAAD.