Episode 26: Jim Caruso - "Off The Bandstand"

Pajama Cast Party! Liza Minnelli! “Hey, that’s not a handrail!” Consummate entertainer and well of positivity, Jim Caruso is an absolute joy who is living the dream. We hit all the topics: sharing the Broadway stage with Liza Minnelli, institutionalizing “Cast Party” at the jazz corner of world, and recounting experiences that could one day result in “Funny and Gross: The Jim Caruso Story”. Jim has accomplished all these things and more, for one reason: he’s good…really good. - BIO: Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit Liza’s At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. The show was honored with a 2009 Tony Award for Best Special Event and the recording was nominated for a Grammy. For his nightclub work, Caruso has won six MAC Awards, two BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards and five BroadwayWorld Awards for his sold-out shows at Birdland, Arci’s Place, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and The Russian Tea Room. He has also performed runs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Palm Beach, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, and London. Jim’s recent solo studio recording, “The Swing Set,” was called “a top-drawer first-rate swinger” by Jazz Times and “a completely entertaining experience” by All About Jazz. “Christmas at Birdland,” in which he harmonizes with Billy Stritch and Klea Blackhurst, soared to #2 on iTunes and #6 on the Billboard jazz chart. His first CD, "Caruso Live and In Person," went to #1 on both the album and singles charts at Outvoice.com. Caruso was the founding member of the nationally acclaimed, award-winning jazz vocal and comedy trio, Wiseguys. After performing in an all-star Inaugural extravaganza, they were invited to sing at President Clinton’s First State Dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in "the big room" with Rosemary Clooney. As a soloist, Jim was featured in a Tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, backed by the New York Pops, and performed in a Tribute to Hope & Crosby in an evening hosted by Michael Feinstein at Zankel Hall. More recently, he and Billy Stritch have enjoyed an eight-year residency at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel. Since 2002, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso's Cast Party," which has brought him three BroadwayWorld Awards, four New York Nightlife Awards, a MAC Award and the Sidney Meyer Award. He and musical director Billy Stritch have taken the Party on the road, celebrating talent in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and on the high seas with the Dave Koz & Friends Jazz Cruises. He's also hosted a Very Special All-Star Cast Party events for Jazz at Lincoln Center and twice at The Town Hall in NYC. With the 2020 Quarantine in place, Jim stormed the Cast Party Network on YouTube with "Pajama Cast Party," and was joined by some of the greatest talent in the world. - RELEASES THIS WEEK: Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, & Klea Blackhurst “Christmas at Birdland” (2019) Benny Benack III with Steven Feifke and his Big Band “New Year’s Wish” (2020)

Added 30 Mar 2026