Steve Ross: The King of Cabaret

When New York City pianist-singer Bobby Short died in 2005, Steve Ross, the “crown prince of cabaret” as the New York Times dubbed him, became its king. Ross, 79, still wears that crown, even though his kingdom has dramatically changed from the days when every bar had a piano and someone to croon over it. These days, the great cabaret night spots have dwindled to a precious few, but the tuxedo-clad Ross continues to spread the gospel of the Great American Songbook from Manhattan to Brazil. “There seems to be a core interest in it,” Ross tells The Syncopated Times from his Manhattan apartment. “You do see the same people in the audience. (But) there are still places (in New York City) where you can go hear jazz, like Vince Giordano’s marvelous orchestra. The music has pockets of being alive all over town. It seems to be at least maintaining.” Ross, born one of five children in New Rochelle, New York, grew up during the heyday of the big bands. He listened to music constantly on the radio, and remembers his mother playing the piano and his father enjoying opera. While his mother learned classical music, it was the popular tunes of the day that she played while Ross laid “under the piano.” He started working with a teacher and when the family moved to Washington, D.C. in his teen years, he could already play by ear. Ross believes he might have turned out as a diff