Roxy Bar Presents: Pianist Michael Garin

Roxy Bar presents its resident pianist, Michael Garin, for live music on Friday evening. Garin’s Roxy performances blur piano playing and DJ-like sequencing, moving through material associated with Shaggy, Om Kalthoum, Rossini, Jobim, Zappa and Raymond Scott. This is a post-work set rather than a conventional recital: Garin takes requests and adds comic, self-deprecating asides, including his occasional “in his office” request announcement. Cocktails and oysters are part of the evening at the downtown room.

A Drama Desk Award winner, Garin has been a fixture of New York City nightlife for decades. His résumé includes Elaine’s, The Monkey Bar, The Rainbow Room and the VIP Room at Limelight. He also hosted midnight burlesque shows in the mid-1990s that helped launch the burlesque revival, co-created and co-starred in the environmental musical Song of Singapore, and has acted with Spike Lee. Beyond the piano, Garin works as a songwriter, singer, poet, actor and song-and-dance performer. He has also built a following for his daily promotional poems, described as being in the style of Ogden Nash, and released the album Hey Look! It’s Michael and Mardie.