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Biography
Photo by Bill Westmoreland
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 seven MAC Awards (including 2022 Show of the Year), two BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards and nine BroadwayWorld Awards for his sold-out shows at Birdland, Arci’s Place, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, Eighty-Eights, 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 most recent CD is "The Sunday Set," recorded live from Birdland Theater with pianist/singer Billy Stritch. His 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 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. As a soloist, Jim has performed at Carnegie Hall in concerts with the New York Pops along with Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Rosemary Clooney, and Michael Feinstein. He and Billy Stritch have also enjoyed a thirteen-year residency at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel.
Caruso hosted "Broadway On Broadway" in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and co-hosted the Drama Desk Award webcasts for four years. “Cast Party,” his radio series, was heard on BroadwayWorld.com for four years, his thirteen-episode radio series, “Here! On Broadway” was honored with a Summit Award. He interviewed Broadway celebrities for CityBuzz, which was streamed to hotels, taxi cabs and Jet Blue screens. Jim also celebrated Manhattan nightlife every week for five years on “New York Minute,” which was heard on Legends Radio 100.3 FM.
On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” which was written and directed by Charles Busch. He also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons.
As a writer, Jim has contributed to InStyle Magazine, Theatermania and InTheater Magazine. He has produced and booked television talk and entertainment programs like "Jim J. & Tammy Faye" and "Fox After Breakfast," and was a Field Producer for E! Entertainment Television, working on "Celebrity Profiles" and covering the Tony Awards.
Since 2002, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso's Cast Party," which has brought him nine BroadwayWorld Awards, four New York Nightlife Awards, the Sidney Meyer Award, and the 2022 MAC Award for Show of the Year. 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 Very Special All-Star Cast Party events for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and twice at The Town Hall in NYC. During the 2020/2021 quarantine, Jim stormed the Cast Party Network on YouTube with 82 episodes of "Pajama Cast Party," and was joined by some of the greatest musical talent in the world.
For his nightclub work, Caruso has won seven MAC Awards (including 2022 Show of the Year), two BackStage Magazine Bistro Awards and nine BroadwayWorld Awards for his sold-out shows at Birdland, Arci’s Place, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, Eighty-Eights, 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 most recent CD is "The Sunday Set," recorded live from Birdland Theater with pianist/singer Billy Stritch. His 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 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. As a soloist, Jim has performed at Carnegie Hall in concerts with the New York Pops along with Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Rosemary Clooney, and Michael Feinstein. He and Billy Stritch have also enjoyed a thirteen-year residency at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel.
Caruso hosted "Broadway On Broadway" in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and co-hosted the Drama Desk Award webcasts for four years. “Cast Party,” his radio series, was heard on BroadwayWorld.com for four years, his thirteen-episode radio series, “Here! On Broadway” was honored with a Summit Award. He interviewed Broadway celebrities for CityBuzz, which was streamed to hotels, taxi cabs and Jet Blue screens. Jim also celebrated Manhattan nightlife every week for five years on “New York Minute,” which was heard on Legends Radio 100.3 FM.
On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” which was written and directed by Charles Busch. He also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons.
As a writer, Jim has contributed to InStyle Magazine, Theatermania and InTheater Magazine. He has produced and booked television talk and entertainment programs like "Jim J. & Tammy Faye" and "Fox After Breakfast," and was a Field Producer for E! Entertainment Television, working on "Celebrity Profiles" and covering the Tony Awards.
Since 2002, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso's Cast Party," which has brought him nine BroadwayWorld Awards, four New York Nightlife Awards, the Sidney Meyer Award, and the 2022 MAC Award for Show of the Year. 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 Very Special All-Star Cast Party events for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and twice at The Town Hall in NYC. During the 2020/2021 quarantine, Jim stormed the Cast Party Network on YouTube with 82 episodes of "Pajama Cast Party," and was joined by some of the greatest musical talent in the world.
