The Piano Bar

An intimate night of song, conversation & cocktails Acclaimed performers Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch bring their new nightclub evening, The Piano Bar, to The Velvet Martini Lounge at Vitello’s in Studio City. Modeled after their ongoing and celebrated fifteen-year residency at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel in New York City, The Piano Bar offers a relaxed, elegant piano bar experience designed specifically for an intimate room. This is not a formal concert or variety show, but a true piano bar night. Billy Stritch anchors the evening at the grand piano while Jim Caruso fronts the room, with both artists singing classic American Songbook favorites, swinging standards, ballads, and signature vocal harmonies. The music is woven together with engaging conversation, easy humor, inside show-business stories, and the natural camaraderie that comes from more than forty years of friendship and collaboration. Of course, there will be a few surprise guests who just might grab the mic for an impromptu performance! Jim Caruso recently played Theodore Whitman in Follies in Concert at Carnegie Hall and made his Broadway debut opposite Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award–winning Liza’s at the Palace!. He has won seven MAC Awards and nine BroadwayWorld Awards, performed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and sang at President Clinton’s first White House State Dinner. For twenty-two years, he has hosted Jim Caruso’s Cast Party at Birdland and around the world. He performs weekly at The Carlyle Hotel and has released four CDs. Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. A longtime collaborator of Liza Minnelli, he also toured as pianist and musical director for Tony Bennett. A solo performer and acclaimed arranger, Stritch has appeared in concert halls and nightclubs across the country and serves as music director for leading vocalists including Christine Ebersole, Paulo Szot, Linda Eder, and Laura Benanti . He is the co-writer of the Grammy Award–winning song “Does He Love You” and has released five solo CDs. PLEASE NOTE that The Velvet Martini Lounge has a nightly $35 per person food and beverage minimum, which will be observed during this event.