PAMELA CLAY
2024-05-17 19:00 - 23:00 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Fri., May 17. PAMELA CLAY. Possessing a “power belt,” solid and confident pitch, a party-girl charisma, and a repertoire that broadens what patrons have come to expect as “Gardenia fare,” Pamela Clay celebrates her 31st wedding anniversary by singing “something for everyone,” accompanied by her longtime musical director David Moscoe at the piano, “Catahoula’s Emperor” Lindsay Gillis on guitar, Vince Tividad on upright bass, Kendall Kay on drums, and her artist-musician husband, Bruce Bermudez, as guest vocalist. One can expect the unexpected from this chanteuse who has established herself as the Southland’s premier interpreter of chansons…and Edith Piaf in particular. (But be forewarned: “Non, Je ne Regrette Rien” is NOT the anthem of a sensitive waif or a “wounded sparrow.”) Ms. Clay has appeared at the John F. Kennedy Center, the John Anson Ford Theatre, the Wilshire-Ebell Theatre, Feinstein’s 54 Below in Manhattan, and on-screen opposite Tommy Lee Jones. Fluent in French, she lived in Paris and Bordeaux for many years, and performed her self-penned one-woman show, Toujours l’Amour!, directed by Chase Matthews, to sold-out crowds in several Southland venues. More can be learned at www.PamelaClay.com.

Singers' OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, Host
2024-05-21 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-05-28 19:00 - 23:30 UTC | CA
Tuesdays, May 7, 14, 21, & 28. The Gardenia’s OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, host. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Keri Kelsey hosts a Singers’ Open Mike Night—the best in town, now in its twenty-fourth year. Sign-up, libations, and noshing begin at 7 p.m.

DEMETRI THOMAS
2024-05-23 19:00 - 23:00 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Thu., May 23. DEMETRI THOMAS. Former child actor turned singer/songwriter, Greek American Demetri Thomas focuses on country pop, and brings his recently released fare to the intimate setting of The Gardenia with guests Sandra Piller and Shannon Rae, and a talented group of seasoned musicians.

GEORGE STEEVES
2024-05-24 19:00 - 23:00 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Fri., May 24. GEORGE STEEVES. Singer, songwriter, stand-up comedian, and short-film-maker (Noirdivergent,) Mr. Steeves returns to The Gardenia 9 years after his first show here. He presents his “third and final” one-man show, which completes his “Spectrum Trilogy:” 1.) “Magic 8-Ball, My Life with Asperger’s;” 2.) “Love & Sex on the Spectrum;” and this show, 3.) “Songs in the Key of “A” for Asperger’s,” which includes new songs and stories chronicling the vicissitudes of a romantic relationship complicated by the characteristics of his diagnosis. (He laughs that his childhood dream of becoming a Spice Boy may have foreshadowed that he might not grow up to be straight.)

DENISE MORGAN
2024-05-25 19:00 - 23:00 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sat., May 25. DENISE MORGAN. A Los Angeles native, Ms. Morgan studied performing arts, classical vocals, and acting at LACC, USC, and the Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and has performed with many gospel choirs and groups She studied with the late Howlett Smith, and was a member of his World Stage Jazz Workshop in Leimert Park. She has also sung with the Angel City Chorale and in Gustav Mahler’s Symphony #8 with the LA Philharmonic under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. She made her solo jazz debut in 2010, deservedly accumulating quite the following since.

JOHN CICCOLINI
2024-05-31 19:00 - 23:00 UTC | CA
Fri., May 31. JOHN CICCOLINI continues to inhabit Goombah “Johnny Balboa,” who began his slightly tarnished yet formidable comeback at The Gardenia in February after “many years of boozing and carousing.”
John Ciccolini’s shows at The Gardenia have become legendary for the humor infusing his impressive command of the material. Nominated for an LA Weekly Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for his cabaret show, “Frank Sinatra F#@ked Up My Life,” Mr. Ciccolini, the consummate entertainer, has also guest-starred on Raising Hope, Castle, No Ordinary Family, Dexter, Justified, ER, The Sitter, Dirty Sexy Money, Las Vegas, Everybody Hates Chris, Veronica Mars, Joey, Becker, Boston Public, Live From Baghdad, The Division, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and Push, Nevada.

ANDREA MARCOVICCI and MAUDE MAGGART
2024-06-02 18:00 - 22:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sun., June 2 at 8 p.m. (Door opens and dinner service begins at 6 p.m.) ANDREA MARCOVICCI and MAUDE MAGGART present “The Love Songs of WWII.” Perhaps the most popular of Andrea’s earlier shows and recordings, “The Love Songs of WWII” has been updated and re-imagined in this third in their series of monthly performances echoing the heady ‘80’s days of the weekly “Marcovicci at Midnight.”
Frequently introduced as “the Queen of Cabaret,” Ms. Marcovicci transformed the “cabaret genre,” has created over 35 nightclub acts at The Gardenia, and holds the record—an unprecedented 25 seasons—at the legendary Oak Room of The Algonquin Hotel—as well as the distinction of being the Oak Room’s final performer before its closing. She combines forces with Maude Maggart, considered by many to be Marcovicci’s heir apparent, who can boast her own cabaret beginnings at The Gardenia a half generation later. Our favorite endorsement of Ms. Maggart comes from Jim Bruce: “If you have not yet heard Maude Maggart sing, I envy you the moment of discovery because there is nothing quite like the very first time you realize what a talent she is. Then again there is also nothing quite like every single time after.” Musical Director is Gerald Sternbach. More can be learned at andreamarcovicci.com

SINGERS' OPEN MIKE, with KERI KELSEY, HOST
2024-06-04 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-11 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-18 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-25 19:00 - 23:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Tuesdays, June 4, 11, 18, & 25. The Gardenia’s OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, host. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Keri Kelsey hosts a Singers’ Open Mike Night—the best in town, soon celebrating its twenty-fourth year anniversary. Sign-up, libations, and noshing begin at 7 p.m.

CAROLYN HENNESY
2024-06-06 19:00 - 23:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Thu., June 6. CAROLYN HENNESY. The “deliciously vicious” “Penelope Ellis” on the ABC series, Revenge; “Rosalyn” on True Blood; “Diane Miller” on General Hospital (“17 years and counting;”) and “Mrs. Valentine” on Dawson’s Creek, Ms. Hennesy received training at the American Conservatory Theater and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She is also seen on the “big screen” in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker; Legally Blonde 2; and Terminator 3. She has been a member of The Groundlings, and received the L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Award for “Best Actress in a Play” for her role as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally’s Master Class, presented at the Garry Marshall Theatre. She has received multiple additional awards for her stage work, and has hosted the red carpet reception for the Daytime Emmy Awards. She has also met success as a writer, having created the popular Pandora children’s book series and the N.Y. Times Bestseller, The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli. Adding to her list of creative accomplishments, she continues to explore her musical side at The Gardenia, with a display of “vocal chops,” well-chosen material, and performance presentation so compelling, (with pitch-perfect tonality and a belt worthy of Broadway,) that the cognoscenti have taken notice and eagerly await this return.

JOHN DESTLER
2024-06-08 19:00 - 23:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sat., June 8. JOHN DESTLER, in “Setting the Standards,” featuring Julie Gile and Kevin Sasaki. With a lifetime love of jazz and The American Songbook, Mr. Destler performed as an actor in theater and television in New York after serving three years in the U.S. Navy, then started a new career as an international advertising agency executive. He returned to his first love with a delightful Gardenia show in February, the success of which led to this repeat booking which emphasizes American Songbook Standards. Charlie Harrison, musical director, supports on piano, and Henry Newmark supports on drums.

KAREN MORROW'S SINGERS' WORKSHOP SHOWCASE
2024-06-09 18:00 - 22:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sun., June 9. (Doors open at 6 p.m., show at 8 p.m.): KAREN MORROW’s SINGERS’ WORKSHOP. Karen Morrow, Broadway, TV, and cabaret personality, brings her Singers’ Workshop students, “An eclectic, loving group with many a twinkle in its eye” to share their talents, personalities and songs, with musical direction provided by Greg Schreiner. This season’s participants are Dave Ritchie, Vince McCord, Anne Heger, Diane Jubelier-Light, Kenn Schmidt, Jeannie Hudak, Judi Freed, Daniel McVey, Kate Fuglei, Tom Nobles, Maris Clement, Stevie Stern, and Inga Neilsen.

LAURAL MEADE, in "Ms. Tucker Will See You Now."
2024-06-14 19:00 - 23:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Fri., June 14. LAURAL MEADE, in “Ms. Tucker Will See You Now.”
During nearly all of 2023, Laural Meade continued to perfect her rollicking Sophie Tucker show, tinkering with each iteration to ever more closely approach the asymptote of perfection. Those in attendance in December who had previously seen the show only in its infancy were moved to remark how seemingly completely different, how delightful, and how terrific, the show now inarguably is. One longtime Gardenia patron even remarked that this show has become what is “maybe the best show I have ever seen at The Gardenia.”
An established member of the theater faculty at Occidental College, playwright and musical performer Ms. Meade has sung in Southern California venues “both sacred and profane,” and directs a choir for The Secret City. Her vocal musicianship has turned heads at The Gardenia Open Mike, where we were delighted to learn that she has penned this performance piece in which she exposits Sophie Tucker, “the Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” arguably the most popular entertainer of Tucker’s day, in a bawdy cabaret exploration of Tucker’s extraordinary personal life, career, and risqué song catalog. Because its subject “worked Blue,” the show is constructed not for the faint of heart nor for the pearl-clutching pretenders of easy offence. Using hilarity as pedagogue’s tool, Ms. Mead also mobilizes impressive musical forces to allow her audience to conclude the evening “educationally enriched.” Repeat audience members are now bringing friends—quite the testimonial as word of mouth spreads……

PHYLLIS CAUSEY
2024-06-15 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sat., June 15. PHYLLIS CAUSEY. Having studied with Barbara Morrison and Howlett Smith, Ms. Causey now conducts her own vocal workshops in her hometown of Detroit and at West L.A. College. In addition to appearances in Los Angeles and Detroit, she has also taken her shows to Houston, Atlanta, and Paris, France. She is the 2016 Recipient of the Living Legend of Jazz Award from the Duke Ellington Society of Southern California. “She has been compared to the likes of Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, and Billie Holiday, but her style is clearly her own.”—NDJamzradio.

CRAIG POMRANZ
2024-06-28 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-06-29 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Fri. & Sat., June 28 & 29. CRAIG POMRANZ. Making his professional debut at age 12 in the St. Louis Municipal Opera production of Camelot, Mr. Pomranz became a headliner in the cabaret and jazz rooms of Manhattan, where he still performs and lives. He has recorded with Barbara Cook, Kaye Ballard, and Faith Prince, was hailed as “Tenor of the Times” by GQ Magazine, and received the New York MAC Award for “Best Male Vocalist 2012.” The second vocalist to re-open The Gardenia in 2021 following the pandemic closure, he returns to his West Coast home with a brand new show.

SINGERS' OPEN MIKE with KERI KELSEY, HOST
2024-07-02 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-09 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-23 19:00 - 23:30, 2024-07-30 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Tuesdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30. The Gardenia’s OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, host. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Keri Kelsey hosts a Singers’ Open Mike Night—the best in town, celebrating its twenty-fourth year anniversary this month. Sign-up, libations, and noshing begin at 7 p.m.

PRIVATE PARTY
2024-07-06 18:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States

ANDREA MARCOVICCI (with guest BARBARA BRUSSELL)
2024-07-07 18:00 - 22:30 UTC | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sun., July 7 at 8 p.m. (Door opens and dinner service begins at 6 p.m.) ANDREA MARCOVICCI presents “A Stephen Sondheim Evening,” with guest BARBARA BRUSSELL.
Stephen Sondheim (Oscar, Pulitzer, and 9-time Tony winner,) gets the Marcovicci treatment in this fourth in this series of monthly performances which echo the heady ‘80’s days of the weekly “Marcovicci at Midnight.”
Frequently introduced as “the Queen of Cabaret,” Ms. Marcovicci transformed the cabaret genre, has created over 35 nightclub acts at The Gardenia, and holds the record—an unprecedented 25 seasons—at the legendary Oak Room of The Algonquin Hotel—as well as the distinction of being the Oak Room’s final performer before its closing.
Supporting Ms. Marcovicci for this evening’s show is Gardenia pal and guest Barbara Brussell, yet another luminary in the pantheon of “must-see ladies of cabaret.”
Born in L.A., but raised in Carmel, Barbara Brussell also made her cabaret debut at The Gardenia in 1985, having had starring and featured roles in Pirates of Penzance, A Little Night Music, The Fantasticks, and Fiddler on the Roof. After many Gardenia shows, she moved to New York in 1994, becoming the recipient of 1997’s Backstage Bistro Award for “Outstanding Vocalist,” and seven MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) Award nominations, including the Award for “Major Artist” in 2008. She matured into one of cabaret’s most arresting talents, and her debut CD, Patterns, was chosen for In Theater Magazine’s “Top Ten” list for 1998. Her CD, Lerner in Love, was included in Rob Lester’s Top Ten CD’s of 2005. Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised “the gifted Los Angeles-born cabaret performer…Ms. Brussell, as a singer and storyteller ready to join the dozen or so performers on cabaret’s top rung…”
And for yet an additional bonus: musical support is supplied not only by musical director and pianiste extraordinaire Gerald Sternbach, but also by Nate Light on bass and Danica Pinner on cello. Although on its face the combination of piano, cello, and bass seems (and is) unconventional for a contemporary trio, it also produces an uncommonly effective “goosebump experience.” Come dare to have your bumps goosed.

SINGERS' OPEN MIKE with KERI KELSEY, HOST
2024-07-14 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Tuesdays, Aug. 6, 13, 20, & 27. The Gardenia’s OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, host. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Keri Kelsey hosts a Singers’ Open Mike Night—the best in town, now beginning its twenty-fifth year. Sign-up, libations, and noshing begin at 7 p.m.

SINGERS' OPEN MIKE with KERI KELSEY, HOST
2024-07-16 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Tuesdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30. The Gardenia’s OPEN MIKE, with Keri Kelsey, host. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Keri Kelsey hosts a Singers’ Open Mike Night—the best in town, celebrating its twenty-fourth year anniversary this month. Sign-up, libations, and noshing begin at 7 p.m. OP

LEATA GALLOWAY
2024-07-19 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Fri., July 19. LEATA GALLOWAY. Those who have been long-time Gardeniaphiles should be as excited as we are with the news that Leata Galloway returns to The Gardenia. One of the elite performers at The Gardenia in the 1980’s, Miss Galloway and The Gardenia discovered each other during her engagement in Sophisticated Ladies at the Shubert Theatre. Those who attended her Gardenia shows were privileged to have been in the audience—as were scouts from NBC who were as impressed as we were—and booked her on The Johnny Carson Show. Attending one of her performances at The Gardenia, the brilliant late jazz critic Leonard Feather declared her a jazz singer “beyond category,” and she counts among her many impressive accomplishments having been in the original Broadway company of Hair, having sung “Electric Blues” on the film adaptation of Hair, having sung two songs on-screen in the film, Cotton Comes to Harlem, and having sung behind Peggy Lee on tour. Miss Galloway’s many recordings are gems worth seeking out—AND—she laughs, “having given up smoking, [my] voice is clearer and brighter than ever! If only Mr. Feather could hear [me] now!”

THE BRIAN SWARTZ QUARTET
2024-07-25 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Thu, July 25. The BRIAN SWARTZ QUARTET. Jazz trumpeter Brian Swartz has established himself as one of the most influential trumpeters on the West Coast, and has performed with or recorded with Michael Bublé, Patti Labelle, The Chicks, Oingo Boingo, Monk’estra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and many more, as well as having released his own well-regarded albums: There’s Only Me; Portraiture; and 2020’s To Be with You. He is a founding member of the Los Angeles Jazz Collective, an organization formed to promote original jazz in Los Angeles and abroad; he has been music director for the dance ensemble, JazzAntiqua; and his skill as an adventurous arranger earned him the position of staff arranger for the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, John Beasley’s Mon’estra, and the ABC TV show, Duets. He brings his quartet to The Gardenia with this series of four weekly performances.

JEROME PITTMAN
2024-07-28 18:00 - 22:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Gardenia, 7066 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90046, United States
Sun., July 28. Show at 8 p.m. (Doors open for dinner service at 6 p.m.) JEROME PITTMAN. Founder and executive director of the JEXA Awards, which encourage and reward jazz excellence, Jerome Pittman has distinguished himself as a jazz performer himself, and although adept at the more familiar repertoire of the 1930’s and 40’s, has become known for impressive interpretations of the challenging, sophisticated, and complicated jazz music and lyrics of the 1950’s and later. A mainstay, champion of, and benefactor at the Gardenia’s Tuesday night “Open Mikes,” he has assembled a rare and highly anticipated full evening of jazz fare.
