Those who remember sumptuous evenings at the Persian Room of the Plaza Hotel can resurrect those memories while sipping a drink or eating some food in the new Rose Club (not to be confused with the Rose Room at Lincoln Center) that occupies the same space as the Persian Room did at The Plaza Hotel. The club is but one feature of the spectacular renovations the hotel has undergone as it has become a true destination for New Yorkers and visitors to the city who are looking for old-world elegance with a modern touch.

Do not think of the Rose Club as a cabaret room. Rather think of it as New York's most elegant, upscale piano bar which includes, unfortunately, the buzz of conversations that sometimes competes with the young, enthusiastic entertainers who perform three forty-five minute sets on Wednesday nights, starting at 9 pm. My use of the term “piano bar” is not to be taken literally, for there is no piano, just a cozy corner in which Shawn Balthazor on drums, Julian Smith on double bass, Joe Young on guitar, and Kat Gang as vocalist entertain. Certain kinks have still to be worked out, such as the lighting, which so far does not do justice to the lovely-looking Ms. Gang, whose face is partly hidden in shadows and partly concealed by the mic. Still, she manages to captivate the listener with her voice, her jazz singing, and a very enthusiastic, friendly personality.

Kat is too young to have known the old Persian Room, but she knows that it is part of the history of the American Songbook that she favors. She describes the famous recordings made there, including one by Duke Ellington and his band, and seems to be very happy to be taken over by the illustrious ghosts of past entertainers

There was one feature of her singing that especially impressed itself on me. She sang standards by Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, Rodgers and Hart, and so forth (she also takes requests). But in order to make the lyrics fit a jazz beat, she has to allow syncopation to trump the meaning of the lyrics. For example, in “Cheek to Cheek” she allowed the word “dancing” to be followed by scat singing, and it became apparent that the line between words and scat had almost disappeared. Cabaret afficionados alert to how a singer interprets lyrics might not appreciate this obscuring of emotion and meaning were it not for another feature of Kat's singing. She provides a reminder, if one is sensitive to it, that language itself is musical and that the English lexicon consists of the sounds, vowels and consonants, and the inherent rhythm of accented syllables. This emphasis on the sound of language rather than the meaning of words might be true for most jazz singers, but Kat suddenly makes one very aware of the difference. And once one is aware, it is easy to enjoy what she is doing.

It is good to have entertainment back at The Plaza Hotel. We have to hope for the success of Wednesday nights at The Rose Club so that, perhaps, music will be offered on other nights as well. Meanwhile, if you are looking for a particularly elegant place to go after 9 pm on Wednesdays, head for The Plaza Hotel.

Barbara Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
March 9, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org