Kevin Massey, Lori Marinacci, Matt Lutz, Mick Bleyer, Sierra Rein & "Kay"

Just look at this cast. Aren't they cute? Fun? Talented? — oh my God, yes! They are all doing my new show/gig/concert at The Duplex Oct. 5th, 7pm. You might remember Kevin Massey, because he not only performed in my show HoliDaze, debuted songs of mine at the Lincoln Center Songbook Series and other places, but he also played the creepy doctor (via video) who gave me a hearing test in "Jay Alan Zimmerman's Incredibly Deaf Musical." Oh yeah, and sometimes I let him do other people's shows like Tarzan, Big River, and currently, Little House On the Prairie. Sierra Rein & Matt Lutz you might remember from my show at Dillon's (R.I.P.), and Matt did three more at The Duplex a few months ago — I wrote the "Smokin!" song for him and he knocked it out of the park. This is my first show with Mick and Lori (who just finished Hairspray on Broadway), but Lori's sister Lisa, did my show HoliDaze. They're all coming together for ONE NIGHT ONLY, because they are all crazy busy, so I highly recommend you grab this opportunity to see them. It's gonna be.... SMOKIN'!

new show coming up Oct. 5th

Mark your calendars, folks, I'm doing a new show at The Duplex, on monday 0ct. 5th, 7pm! Before I tell you about it, I'm going to let you in on a couple secrets: First of all, the next day is my birthday, so instead of giving me a present this year please come to the show instead. Second, I'm allergic to smoke, but if I drink enough I want to have a ciggie. It's bizarre, because then I'll start hacking and turning blue which isn't my best color. Plus I might use a lighter on my nose. Why the heck would I want to smoke when I can't? Well... why do YOU do the stuff you know you shouldn't? You know, like smoke, drink, eat donuts, and fall in love with the wrong people? Hmmm. Think about it. Then come to the gig. Cuz it's called "Smokin'!"

Two shows, one night

May 17th, I'm doing two events in one night. If you are in NYC, come and join the parade!

First up, I'll be premiering some songs from a new show I'm developing, called POMES: The Tru Storie of Wergle Flomp and Othr $49.95 Poets. In the late 1990s, the English Poet David Taub set out to expose the International Library of Poetry scam (aka poetry.com) by writing deliberately horrible poems -- which I have set to equally horrible (and hilarious) music. The poems include "Wots A Pome," "Nicky Nacky Noo" and "Yew Gotta Larf." Mr. Taub's creations inspired the annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest, which you are free to enter... Perhaps I'll set your disturbing poem to music as well!

Now, what setting would be perfect for a "deaf composer" to sing horrible poems? Why the Liberace Birthday Bash, of course. The infamous cartist, HOOP, is throwing a party in honor of Liberace at the Westbeth Community Room, 55 Bethune St., NYC. You'll find me there at 6:30pm, it's location "A" on the map below.


Next up, we'll march over to The Duplex (location "B"), for the new cabaret show of Matt Lutz at 9:30pm. He's doing three of my jazzy songs: "Time To Give In," "Nice Guy" and the premiere of "SMOKIN" -- about a guy who looks cool smoking but he's allergic to smoke.

It's a fun filled evening, so don't miss it!

JAY

APRIL 13th @ LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATRE

Raissa Katona Bennett is an amazing singer and Broadway veteran (a Phantom diva), and she also happens to know sign language. So when she saw me signing with Kevin Massey at John Znidarsic's Songbook Series at Lincoln center last December (where we were both performing for the holiday concert), she immediately signed "hi."

She then invited me to the Algonquin Salon -- a very fun gathering of composers, singers, and music lovers at the Algonquin hotel -- and we premiered my new song IN THE MIDDLE. Jennifer Wren saw me there and that lead to my BIG NIGHT OUT at Dillon's last month, with Raissa performing of course. During rehearsals, I showed Raissa some other songs that I thought might be good for her and she said one of them, CHILDREN OF THE WORLD, would be perfect for her benefit for children with AIDS. So I rewrote it for her, and now we're doing it at the Laurie Beechman Theatre at the Westbank Cafe, April 13th, at 9:30 pm!

Just goes to show: 1) it's good to get out of the house, and 2) you never know who you'll meet while signing...

Please join me on April 13th to support such a worthy cause.

BIG NIGHT March 5th

with: Raissa Katona Bennett, Kelly Ellenwood, Doug Shapiro, Kara Lindsay, Sierra Rein, Mark Lutz, and hosts Jennifer Wren & Bill Zeffiro.


I WANT YOU to head down to Dillons Reprise Room (245 West 54th St.) Thursday, March 5th. BIG NIGHT OUT chose me to be their featured composer this month and I just couldn't stop myself from turning it into a big production. Songs from my past, present, and future will be sung by the amazing vocalists above and the whole thing concludes with song premieres from my new show: I.M. -- The Invisible Man Musical !

My music starts at 10pm, and there is a pre-show open mic at 9pm. Cover charge $10 with a one item minimum. It's worth it -- let me be your stimulus!

Blurbs here and there

To catch up: Kara got sick before the Holiday Songbook, but Kevin Massey stepped up to the plate and we debuted my new song, "I'm Listening" -- which I wrote for his upcoming CD. Blurb on the Holiday Songbook here in PLAYBILL. Kara happily has recovered and will debut a new song of mine on March 5th during the Featured Composer's Series at Dillons. More on that event and the other amazing vocalists joining me in a later post. Meanwhile, for those of you just tuning in, here's some old press --
BROADWAY WORLD re: Zipper shows
PLAYBILL re: Zipper shows
WASHINGTON POST re: deaf musical
WASHINGTON POST review of deaf musical
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER re: deaf musical
(p.s. I hate that photo! That's me pretending to be five, and it ain't purty.)