This just in…
Dues to popular demand – major league popular demand – octogenarian diva Marilyn Maye will add two shows this Sunday to her string of sold out performances at Jardine’s restaurant and jazz club on the Plaza.
The critically-acclaimed Kansas City crooner has been knocking them dead in NYC in recent years. At an age when she easily could be passing her time sucking down umbrella drinks and kicking back shuffleboard butt aboard cruise ships.
Instead the unflappable
smartman
9 shows at Jardine’s. What’s that 1000 people, maybe 1300? That’s not Major League or even diva-esque. Props to the old gal for answering the call but she ain’t Liza, Barbra or Cher. Quite franly, as I look at those pics I’m seeing Benny Hill.
radiomankc
Yeah, sorry to say, I think Hearne’s being a bit too much of a KC cheerleader to suck up with his audience.
MM was a decent local singer who made off-Garden appearances in NY, but definitely didn’t make the stature of Peggy Lee and the rest of the big names of her genre.
KC night places try soo hard to stay trendy but if you want to see serious talent, you need to book a flight to LaGuardia and take a cab into town. Jardines may be hot shit in KC just now, but that’s ONLY because no place is really hot shit in this hell hole, cow town.
Lets finally quit being pretentious about what big shit we are, shall we? No place, and nobody locally, is gonna show up on Page SIX! But if Hearne’s place is our version of Page Six, well enjoy the imagery of it as long as you can.
hearne
Guys, guys, guys. Seventy-plus appearances on the Tonight Show…
Now how many did Peggy Lee have? A Wall Street Journal schmooze story earlier this year, critical acclaim from NYC critics. The venue may only hold 110 people but try selling it out nine times in this economy. And it’s a $33 ticket plus drinks and food. Yeah, it’s a far smaller venue than Arrowhead Stadium, too – what about it?
L.P.
I’ve been critical of Hearne before when he’s hyped his girlfriend’s club (such as when announcing Marilyn’s coming with a lead that was just plain false), but this time he’s right. If she sells out 9 shows, more fans will have turned out for her than for any of the Folly jazz series shows this season. And that’s after a few hundred saw her just a month ago at the Gem, and knowing she’s returning to play Quality Hill in the fall.
Maybe sometimes a person becomes an icon by living long enough. But that has to be backed by talent. I’m not sure who still with us besides Marilyn Maye and Tony Bennett have been singing the American songbook long enough to have personally known some of its writers. I don’t know who besides Marilyn Maye that Ella Fitzgerald called the best white singer out there.
She’s an icon. If you don’t believe me, you should snap up a couple of those Sunday tickets and see for yourself.
smartman
Bobby Short held residence at the Cafe’ Carlyle in NYC for many, many years. At least 2000 shows if not more. People traveled from all over the WORLD to see him. He was a TRUE icon. Half the people going to see MM at Jardines are going so they can say they saw her. “Oh yeah, got my new Lexus last night and took the wife to see Marilyn Maye at Jardines.” They have no real love, passion or knowledge of the Great American Songbook. The more I look at those pictures I’m seeing Abe Vigoda in drag.
MandDShagger
smartman, Bobby Shorts gig at The Carlyle ran for 35 years. So he probably played at least 5000 to 7000 shows.