Sing your rendition of ‘Mack the Knife’ with a live band at L.A.’s legendary open mic night

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Elliot Zwiebach was 62 years old when he sang in front of a live audience for the first time.

The retired reporter always enjoyed listening to show tunes, but he’d never thought about performing them himself until now.

“I sang for my own amusement, and I wasn’t very amused,” he said recently.

One evening, after watching several open mic nights at the Gardenia Supper Club in West Hollywood, he finally felt brave enough to perform himself, accompanied by the live band.

He began with a playful song, “Honey Bun,” from the musical “South Pacific.” Though his performance was shaky and not very strong, he bravely returned the next week to perform again.

Now 78 years old, Zwiebach has been a key part of the open mic night for sixteen years. Keri Kelsey, the event’s host for many years, refers to the roughly 25 regular performers as “family.” They perform classic American songs – jazz standards, show tunes, and more – at what’s known as the longest-running open mic night in Los Angeles.

“It feels like one big family,” Zwiebach explained while getting ready to perform “This Nearly Was Mine” from the musical “South Pacific.” “Everybody knows each other here.”

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This must be West Hollywood

There’s an unofficial saying: “So goes WeHo, so goes California, so goes the nation.”

For a quarter of a century, the cozy, L-shaped Gardenia room on Santa Monica Boulevard has been a haven for aspiring jazz and cabaret singers of all kinds. Every Tuesday, people from all walks of life – teachers, coaches, retirees, publicists, and even a few famous faces – pay a small fee to perform. The audience understands the courage it takes to step onto any stage, even a small one, with just a microphone and a song.

“It takes a lot of courage to perform in front of a crowd,” Kelsey observed, having hosted the open mic night for 24 years – she even remembered seeing Molly Ringwald visibly nervous before her turn. “But it’s incredibly rewarding, too.”

The singers perform with a live three-person band, with guitarist Dori Amarilio leading the music. The musicians, some of whom have won Grammys, don’t know what songs they’ll be playing until the night of the show. Some singers provide sheet music or chord charts, while others simply hum the tune and rely on the band to figure it out. Poet Judy Barrat, a frequent guest, often gives the pianist a copy of her poem and asks for musical improvisation during her reading.

You know, as a music lover, I always find it fascinating how artists approach adapting poetry. I was chatting with Andy Langham, a fantastic jazz pianist who’s played with legends like Natalie Cole and Christopher Cross – he’s a regular at the Gardenia – and he described his process as completely free-flowing. He basically reads a poem’s verses and then tries to translate the imagery into music, using notes to create a sonic painting. It’s a really cool way to think about it.

The Gardenia, a cozy cabaret venue established in 1981, is a rare find in Los Angeles. It seats just over 60 people at tables and features a small stage bathed in soft lighting. Though doors open at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, dedicated fans often begin lining up around 6 p.m. to get a good spot on the performer list – even with a limit of one song per person, the night often goes on late. Nichole Rice, the manager, takes food and drink orders until the show begins at 8:30 p.m., when a hush falls over the room.

Singer-songwriter Steve Brock, a regular at the open mic night for over ten years, described the venue as a place truly dedicated to music. Unlike other bars or clubs where the music competes with background noise or sports on TV, Brock explained that when someone performs at this open mic, the entire audience gives them their full attention.

The show started like usual on Tuesday night with a song played by the house band—piano, guitar, and bass—before Kelsey took the stage. She was wearing a black leather dress and boots, and this time she sang “Mack the Knife.” She joked that it might be ‘one of the loungiest lounge songs ever,’ which was why she enjoyed performing it.

Trip Kennedy, a masseuse with a beard, was the first performer. He sang a gentle rendition of “The Rainbow Connection” with his clear tenor voice. After his performance, Kelsey excitedly revealed she’d been cast as an extra in the movie “The Muppets Take Manhattan.”

“It was just silly,” she said, while the next performer spoke with the band. “I was pretending to be a college student, even though I already was one, for the audition.”

Dolores Scozzesi, a singer who performed between comedy acts at the Hollywood Improv in the 1980s, recently sang a soulful version of “What Now My Love.” Before starting, she showed the audience her sheet music, explaining, “This chart is from 2011, and I want to try it out with this amazing group.”

Okay, so last night at the open mic, Zwiebach absolutely nailed a mashup of two classic Broadway tunes – he did “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” but cleverly changed the lyrics to be about “his face,” which was a nice touch! He followed that up with “This Nearly Was Mine,” and his vocals were spot-on. Then, his friend Ian Douglas, who’s fairly new to the scene – I think he started coming in the spring – performed a beautiful rendition of the jazz standard “You Go to My Head.” Zwiebach was really complimentary about Ian’s performance, and rightfully so!

“I know that song very well and you did a great job,” he said.

Monica Doby Davis, a former member of the ’90s R&B group Brownstone who now teaches elementary school, also sang a song. She said discovering the Gardenia’s open mic night 13 years ago rekindled her passion for music after stepping away from the entertainment industry years before.

The evening was full of lovely, personal moments, but one stood out. Tom Nobles, an actor and former psychoanalyst—easily spotted in his purple hat and thick glasses—completely blanked on the lyrics to George Benson’s “Lost in the Masquerade.”

He stumbled for a moment, a bit perplexed, before turning to his friends for help.

“Whoever knows the words, sing it with me,” Nobles said to the crowd.

Quietly at first and then louder and stronger, the whole room broke out into song.

We’re lost in a masquerade. Woohoo, the masquerade.

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2025-10-31 03:02