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The Lambs Club Jazz Brunch
www.thelambsclub.com
Melanie & The Bianco Martinis
www.melaniegoerlitz.com
Melanie Goerlitz on Vocals
Danielle Turano on Violin
Seth Johnson on Guitar
Jordan Scannella on Bass
At
The Lambs Club
132 West 44th Street
New York, NY
212.997.5262
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
April 10, 2016
The Lambs Club is one of the most exquisite settings one could imagine for jazz and brunch. America’s first theatrical club was named The Lambs, started by members of the New York theater community in 1874, as a replication of a British 1800’s theatre group, named for drama critic Charles Lamb. The Stanford White-designed, Chatwal New York is the hotel in which this magnificent, two-floor restaurant is housed. The Lambs theatrical group is now in new quarters, but The Lambs Club restaurant, with Executive Chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, is flourishing on West 44th Street, with a Sunday Jazz Brunch and Jazz nights, as well. The red leather banquettes and enlarged historical photos of grand celebrity lunches and parties give splendor to the experience.
On the way to the new Broadway show, Bright Star, at the Cort Theatre, I found the perfect pre-theatre, Sunday brunch, at The Lambs Club. With the help of the Restaurant Manager and staff, I chose a fantastic omelet with escarole and gruyère, along with fresh, hot, whole grain bread, radish and goat cheese spread, steaming cappuccino, and a glass of dry sherry. The ambiance at The Lambs Club is incomparable, and the photos below, of the main dining room space, plus the two bars and adjoining Chatwal New York lobby, give the guest reason to return or even throw a party. Today’s band, Melanie & The Bianco Martinis, was placed in front of the hearth, a lovely sight on this still cold, spring day. The band includes Melanie Goerlitz, a lovely soprano with professionally tuned talent and 1950’s, chic fashion style, Danielle Turano, a vibrant violinist, who also adds retro fashion sophistication, Seth Johnson, guitarist, who adds personality and pulse, and Jordan Scannella, bassist, who creates upbeat, syncopated percussion.
Some of today’s sultry, sassy tunes included “Just a Gigolo”, paired with “I Ain’t Got Nobody”, “You Belong to Me”, “Have a Little Dream on Me”, and “867-5309 / Jenny”. The set I caught was quite generous and lasted throughout the brunch. The band was seasoned in its instrumental and vocal solos, and chorus. Ms. Goerlitz’ lilting renditions of these standards were confident, smooth, and elegant, with an expansive vocal range. Ms. Turano sang “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby”, and Mr. Scannella, on bass, followed with an earthy solo. Ms. Turano’s violin often evoked Grappelli, before another tune called for country bluegrass. Mr. Johnson’s guitar was luscious, when it broke into a Django Reinhardt motif, in “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie”. In “Mambo Italiano”, an old Dean Martin favorite, a violin interlude shifted to a bit of “The Godfather” theme. A Sinatra favorite, “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”, was another 1950’s era pop tune, composed in 1935. With Sunday gospel flair, the band belted out a few verses of “Sweet Jesus”, giving the guitar an electrified spotlight. Lovely brunch, lovely ambiance, lovely music.
Melanie & The Bianco Martinis
(l-r) Danielle Turano on Violin
Jordan Scannella on Bass
Melanie Goerlitz on Vocals
Seth Johnson on Guitar
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Christopher Sanchez, Restaurant Manager
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Fresh, Hot Grain Bread and Raspberry Jam
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Sliced Radish with Goat Cheese Sauce
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Omelet with Escarole, Sweet Onion, and Gruyère
Hashed Brown Potato Rounds, Seven Grain Toast
Gutierrez Colosia, Fino, Jerez, de la Frontera SP Dry Sherry
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Daniel, Table Wait Staff
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Steaming Hot Cappuccino
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Alexandra, Restaurant Staff, with Melanie Goerlitz
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Lambs Club Restaurant Lobby Bar
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Lobby Connecting The Lambs Club and The Chatwal New York
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Lobby Connecting The Lambs Club and The Chatwal New York
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
The Lambs Club Second Floor Bar
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
The Lambs Club Second Floor Bar
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
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