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| Live at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater: August 2022 August 1 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Alicyn Yaffee Band Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alicyn Yaffee brings pensive lyrics, fretboard prowess, and lush vocals together with her exciting contemporary jazz band. Part of the movement by young artists from Northern California to blend jazz and indie rock sensibilities, Yaffee has carved out a powerful space for herself in music. Under her belt already are tours of Europe with Becca Stevens (Winner of Downbeat's prestigious "Rising Star Vocalist" award); an endorsement by PRS Guitars; and acting and guitar roles in Bacchae at the Classical Theater of Harlem. Her debut album, Someone Else, features appearances by music greats such as Cindy Blackman Santana, Pepe Jimenez, Jeff Cressman and Ronnie Foster. $30 table / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 1 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Sam Gravitte – "Songs That Raised Me" Sam Gravitte, recently seen as Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway, is teaming up with a quartet of some of New York City's most dynamic young musicians to reinvent some old and new favorites. Led by pianist/composer Jake Landau, with guitarist Ravi Campbell, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, and drummer Zach Mullings, Sam will take you on a journey with standards like "Why Try to Change Me Now, " Sondheim's "Finishing the Hat, " and more. Come for an evening of songs and storytelling that will remind you there's nothing quite like a night of live music in the greatest city in the world. Sam Gravitte is an actor, musician, and writer who recently made his solo show debut at Birdland. Raised by actors Debbie and Beau Gravitte, Sam graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Princeton before formally entering the family business. Sam recently starred as Fiyero in Wicked, and was seen in Almost Famous (Original Cast, Old Globe), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (ACT), and the Wicked national tour. $40 Table/Bar +$20 food/drink minimum August 2 (Tuesday) 5:00 PM – Birdland Theater "Dangerous Rhythms" Book Release Celebration TJ English and the Dangerous Rhythms Allstars Award-winning crime writer and historian TJ English celebrates the release of his new book, Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld, published by HarperCollins. The New York Times best-selling author will be joined for the occasion by an all-star band composed of Bobby Sanabria (drums/musical director), Santi Debriano (bass), Edsel Gomez (piano), Kali Rodriguez-Peña (trumpet), T.K. Blue (sax/flute), and Roman Diaz (congas/percussion) to bring the book to life. English—whose books are riveting accounts on Vietnamese-American and Irish-American mobs, Mexican drug lords, police corruption, the movement for black liberation, and more—will be signing copies of Dangerous Rhythms for audience members to purchase. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 2-6 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/2-4); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/5-6) – Birdland Jazz Club John Pizzarelli Trio John Pizzarelli charms audiences with his warmth, sense of humor, and musical chops. Through his multifaceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader, the son of the legendary New Jersey native guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli has become one of the most recognizable faces and voices in contemporary jazz for his interpretations of classic standards, romantic ballads and the cool jazz flavor he brings to his performances and recordings. While maintaining a busy touring schedule, John also founded "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli, " a nationally syndicated radio program co-hosted with his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey. A modern legend of the music, Pizzarelli is a Birdland favorite. $40 tables / $30 bar seating + $20 food/drink minimum August 4 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater JD Walter With a discography that spans 20 years and over 10 albums as a leader, the Philadelphia-born, New York-based JD Walter—known for his distinctive vocal tone and a sensibility that is both traditionalist and forward-thinking—is one of the world's top modern jazz singers. Recordings such as One Step Away see him teaming up with boundary-pushing trio Tarbaby, with legendary musicians Orrin Evans, Nasheet Waits, and Eric Revis, to unsettle classic conceptions of a vocalist's role in an ensemble. Others, such as White Christmas with Spanish guitarist Ximo Tebar, focus on the quintessential stylings and deliver with great aplomb, feeling, and sincerity. Walter's gift has placed him among the creme de la creme in jazz: he is known for his work with Dave Liebman, Christian McBride, Billy Hart, Bob Dorough, Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell, and many others. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 5-7 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Palladium: Music of Wayne Shorter In 2018, producer Jesse Markowitz began organizing contributions from over 30 musicians into a recording entitled Palladium: an album entirely of Wayne Shorter compositions, performed by the art form's most promising young voices along with seasoned veterans. Markowitz, who served as Shorter's social media manager for years and developed a closeness with the profound artist, turned the project into two beautiful recordings: Don't Look Back, featuring a quintet with the great Victor Lewis on drums, and 2020, featuring the above-mentioned compilation of songs. Debuting at the Birdland Theater early this August, Palladium will feature 6 unique sets of Shorter's songs, with no compositions repeated throughout the run. The group features: Nicole Glover, saxophone (8/5); Ron Blake, saxophone (8/6-7); Sasha Berliner, vibraphone (8/5, 8/7); Chien Chien Lu, vibraphone and sound design (8/6); Joe Block, piano; Russell Hall, bass; and Victor Lewis, drums. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 7 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Alexa Tarantino Quartet An ultra-talented woodwind artist with a serious output of music, Alexa Tarantino has been praised by Wynton Marsalis as "an indomitable force for expression…and absolute excellence." Tarantino has been a frequent hire for Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; given her command of her multiple instruments (saxophones, flute, and clarinet) and her sense of poise as a soloist within a band, it's no surprise. Over the past three years she has released three full-length recordings: Firefly (2021), Clarity (2020), and Winds of Change (2019), all on Posi-Tone Records. A Rising Star for Alto Saxophone in DownBeat Magazine's 2020 and 2021 Critics Polls, and named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by the JazzTimes Critics' Poll, Tarantino's joyful playing has led her to such prestigious venues as Umbria Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac Festival, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 8 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Karen Mason – “30…and Counting” Mason performed her first show with Music Director Christopher Denny in 1992 after losing her first Music Director Brian Lasser to AIDS. Mason and Denny have continued that collaboration to this day. A few years later, Director Barry Kleinbort was added to the mix, and this triad of talent have been creating brand new arrangements and shows ever since. This new show will highlight some of their favorite arrangements including “Help/Being Alive, ” “Watch What Happens/I Will Wait For You, ” and “Pick Yourself Up, ” and many more surprises. Mason was recently seen playing Mrs. Marsh on Ryan Murphy’s “Halston” on Netflix. On tour, was last seen as Madame Giry in the North American premiere of Love Never Dies (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s epic sequel to The Phantom of the Opera). On Broadway, she starred in Wonderland, and originated the role of Tanya in Mamma Mia! (2002 Drama Desk nomination). Her other leading roles include Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and in Los Angeles for three years; Velma von Tussel in the Broadway company of Hairspray; “Monotony” singer and Mazeppa in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. She is a14-time MAC Award winner, and was the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. $40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 9-13 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/9-11); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/12-3) – Birdland Jazz Club Artemis The women of ARTEMIS comprise a jazz supergroup, organized by Blue Note Records. Featuring an internationally diverse lineup of individually-established leaders, ARTEMIS conjures original compositions or arrangements from its members. Bringing together pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, bassist Noriko Ueda, saxophonists Nicole Glover and Alexa Tarantino, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and drummer Allison Miller, the band offers lush, moving orchestrations and explorative solos. The group has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and NPR’s Jazz Night in America. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 11 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Giacomo Gates With 10 recordings as a leader, Giacomo Gates’s ultra-hip vocal stylings pay homage to the lineage of Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, and other vocalese masters of cool. A true jazz artist, his performances are marked not only by his swinging technique but by an element which is, sadly, hardly present in so much jazz today: FUN! Indebted to the great singers of the American jazz tradition, Gates is an entertainer, inflecting his lyrics with humor, joy, and a relatable authenticity. Despite starting his career at the age of 40, an uncommonly courageous Gates began experiencing popular success upon releasing recordings later in life. His 2013 album Milestones – Giacomo Gates Sings the Music of Miles Davis topped the National Jazz Radio playlist at #1 for four weeks, and 2011’s The Revolution Will Be Jazz, the Songs of Gil Scott-Heron (Savant) stayed at #1 for six weeks. This Thursday night performance is sure to bring you into the world of real jazz. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 12-13 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Miss Maybell & the Jazz Age Artistes Miss Maybell and the Jazz Age Artistes play “old music for the young at heart, ” and it’s a sight to behold. Offering an exuberant mix of ragtime, early jazz, blues, and country classics, Maybell (the talented Lauren Sansaricq) and crew transport audiences to a different time, but in their expert hands, the music feels as fresh as ever. Vocalist/washboardist Sansaricq’s lovely connection with pianist Charlie Judkins—called a “genius piano player” by the Syncopated Times—radiates an infectious energy. Their toe-tapping romps will leave audiences smiling.Brian Nalepka (bass and tuba) and Andy Stein (saxophone) round out the group, which was recently featured on The NPR Show “Person Place Thing” with Randy Cohen. Don’t miss these delightful two nights! $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 14 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club John Yao Orchestra; JY-17 Plays Bird Trombonist and composer John Yao is an award-winning, innovative artist whose work includes five albums as a leader and long-term relationships with some of the best in the business, including the Grammy-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Paquito D’Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Chris Potter and Kurt Elling, among many others. In possession of a round, warm sound on his instrument and a clear-headed, lyrical approach as a writer, Yao’s own projects have been both small and large, including John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument as well as his small group, the John Yao Quintet. He serves as a faculty member at both Berklee College of Music and Molloy College. For this Sunday performance at Birdland, Yao brings his Bird Big Band, named in honor of jazz’s heavenly bebop pioneer. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 14 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Jacob Khalil Band Palestinian-American singer-songwriter Jacob Khalil is a Texas-born, New York City-based artist whose hybrid style of jazz and pop brings to mind John Legend and Harry Connick Jr. Pianist, composer, arranger, and vocalist, Khalil is a raw talent, and over the last several years, he has achieved national recognition, appearing across the country: everywhere from New York’s jazz cornerstone, Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem to the Tuscany Casino in Las Vegas, and from NBA games singing the national anthem to composer Frank Wildhorn’s live radio show. His voice has been heard in features films Cryo (2022) and T.C. Christensen’s The Fighting Preacher. For this engagement at the Birdland Theater, Khalil is backed by excellent bassist Corentin Le Hir and talented drummer Donovan Taylor. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 15 (Monday) 7:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Bobby Conte Bobby is currently playing the role of PJ in the Broadway revival of Company. He made his Broadway debut originating the role of Calogero in A Bronx Tale, directed by Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks. Other New York theater: My Fair Lady (Bay Street Theater); Starting Here, Starting Now (York Theatre Company). Regional: Last Days of Summer (George Street Playhouse); all-male A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Two River Theater); the world premiere of Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors (McCarter Theatre Center/Cleveland Play House); three seasons at The Muny, including the regional premiere of Jersey Boys and revised adaptation of Lerner & Loewe’s Paint Your Wagon. Film/TV: If Beale Street Could Talk (directed by Barry Jenkins); “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix); “Madam Secretary”, “The Code” (CBS). His debut studio album, Along the Way, is available across all digital music providers. $30 tables + $20 food/drink minimum August 15 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Summer Camargo Quintet Summer Camargo is a rising star of the jazz trumpet. At only 20 years old, she has won more awards than many do in an entire lifetime. Summer won acceptance into the prestigious Grammy Band, Vail Jazz Workshop, Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, and Next Generation Jazz Orchestra; was named a National YoungArts Foundation Merit Winner in the Jazz Composition category; and she received Downbeat Magazine’s Outstanding Student Jazz Performance Award, as well as the Outstanding Trumpet Soloist award at the Essentially Ellington Festivals in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She has performed as a guest at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala, recently joined the Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Band, and currently studies at Juilliard. Where will this talented young woman go with her music? Find out on this Monday evening performance at the Theater, where she will lead a swinging quintet. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 16-20 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/16-18); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/19-20) – Birdland Jazz Club Gil Evans Project Directed by Ryan Truesdell A Grammy Award nominated large ensemble devoted to the performance and preservation of the music of the famed composer/arranger Gil Evans, the Gil Evans Project make their long awaited Birdland debut with an epic, five night celebration of the historic collaborations between Evans and famed trumpeter Miles Davis. Led by Grammy Award winning producer Ryan Truesdell, each performance will feature music from one of Gil Evans and Miles Davis’ notable collaborations: August 16: Miles Ahead and Birth of the Cool featuring Trumpeter Scott Wendholt August 17: Porgy & Bess featuring Saxophonist Steve Wilson August 18: Porgy & Bess featuring Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar August 19: Sketches of Spain and Quiet Nights featuring Violinist Sara Caswell August 20: Sketches of Spain and Quiet Nights featuring Trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 19-21 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Scott Robinson Quartet Virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson is widely hailed for his unique, eccentric approach and his powerful improvisations. The top call man for baritone saxophone, Robinson has worked with orchestras led by Maria Schneider, Frank Mantooth, Bob Mintzer and John Fedchock, but his skills on tenor sax, trumpet, clarinets, and even the mysterious sarrusophone are well-known. Having appeared on over 275 recordings to date—20 as a leader—Robinson’s music draws from a wide range of traditions. His playing at once wry, humorous, magnetic, and profound, this is the rare musician from whom you don’t know what to expect—and it’s precisely that joy of surprise which makes Robinson so assuredly a wonder to watch perform. He brings a quartet to Birdland for this engagement. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 21 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Augie Haas + 8 In-demand trumpeter, composer and teacher Augie Haas returns to Birdland Theater, performing his octet. Revered among his peers, Haas is a veteran of the bands of Harry Connick Jr., The Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Gil Evans Project, various Broadway shows, and the Birdland Big Band. His five albums as a leader include The Llama, Doing it Augie Style, Baby Jazz, Endless, and most recently, Have We Met? Which highlights the diversity of his musicianship: not only does he play trumpet on the recording, but he also sings. Haas is the author of Build Your Range for both trumpet and trombone, a book which has been sold worldwide. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 22 (Monday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Amy Spanger Spanger, a Drama Desk-nominated Broadway singer and actress, will sing songs from her celebrated career so far, including beloved tunes by Jonathan Larson, Cole Porter, Kander & Ebb and more. She and her musical director, Paul Masse, have created a rocking set with all the feels. Her special guest will be Broadway veteran Brian Shepard (who also happens to be her husband). Spanger has starred in eight Broadway shows, including Kiss Me, Kate; The Wedding Singer; and Rock of Ages, originating roles in five of them. She was the original Susan in the off-Broadway production of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM! and notably played Sally in “Reefer Madness The Movie Musical, ” and recently guest starred on “Chicago Med.” $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 23-27 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/23-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/25-7) – Birdland Jazz Club Bird with Strings: Ken Peplowski Quartet + String Orchestra Named by the BBC as “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist, ” the masterful Ken Peplowski presents “Bird with Strings, ” a celebration of the landmark 1950 Charlie Parker recording that serves as a timeless classic of music. In the dexterous hands of Peplowski and his stellar band, such familiar material will surely become a masterpiece the contemporary moment, given Peplowski’s dedication to collective swinging exploration. The clarinetist’s body of work includes approximately 50 CDs as a soloist and nearly 400 as a sideman. Collaborations with music luminaries Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, the Cincinnati Pops under Erich Kunzel, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Bill Charlap, Benny Goodman, Woody Allen and Madonna have secured his reputation as one of the world’s top clarinet artists, as have his headliner spots at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall—and his induction into the Jazz Cruise Hall Of Fame in 2013. Growing seemingly ever stronger, Peplowski continues to dazzle audiences. With Ken Peplowski (clarinet and tenro sax), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Peter Washington (bass), Willie Jones III (drums), Special Guest Terell Stafford (trumpet), and 8-piece string orchestra. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 25 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Alan Broadbent Trio Pianist Alan Broadbent is a multiple GRAMMY Award-winning composer, arranger, and performer. Celebrated in his late teens and early twenties for his talents orchestrating, arranging, and playing piano with the great Woody Herman, Broadbent went on to achieve great success for the next several decades: writing for Natalie Cole and her father, Nat King Cole, as well as for Shirley Horn, as well as holding the piano chair in legendary bassist Charlie Haden’s Quartet West for years, touring the world with that singular ensemble. He has been beloved his whole career for his moving sonic portraits, his sensitivity, and his pianistic exuberance. Broadbent’s latest recording, Like Minds (Savant 2022), released in May, features bassist Harvie S and drummer Billy Mintz. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 26-28 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater David DeJesus Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration Quintet Alto Saxophonist David DeJesus is a master saxophonist, fluent across Latin, jazz and dozens of other styles. The director of the Birdland Big Band, he has been a fixture on the New York City music scene for three decades, performing with the best of the best: the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Ron Carter’s Great Big Band, and Jimmy Heath’s Big Band; the Grammy-nominated Arturo O’Farrill Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Ruben Blades, Larry Harlow, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. DeJesus is a passionate educator, and serves as Professor of Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase and directs the conservatory’s Latin Jazz Orchestra. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 28 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Yardbird Big Band Birdland celebrates Charlie Parker's birthday all month long! The Yardbird Big Band takes flight with their interpretation of Parker's diverse repertoire. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 29 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Julie Benko & Jason Yeager – “Hand in Hand” Release Funny Girl’s Julie Benko joins forces with jazz pianist (and husband) Jason Yeager for an unforgettable evening performing selections from their new duo album, “Hand in Hand”. The release, out August 26th on Club44 Records, features the pair’s intimate arrangements of songs from Broadway musicals, the Great American Songbook, and Yeager’s original compositions. Joined by Michael O’Brien on bass, Jay Sawyer on percussion, and Patrick Laslie on woodwinds, the talented twosome will put their singular spin on favorites by such legendary composers as Jule Styne, Richard Rodgers, Anaïs Mitchell, Janis Joplin, and others. Benko is currently the standby for Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl. Other Broadway/National Touring credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, and Spring Awakening. A recipient of the Wilde Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Girl in Once, Benko also won the Gold Medal and Johnny Mercer Award at the American Traditions Vocal Competition in 2017. Yeager is a pianist and composer who has performed across five continents at such noteworthy venues as Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Panama Jazz Festival, Qintai Concert Hall, and more. A two-time finalist at the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, Yeager has released five albums as a bandleader. $40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 30-September 3 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/30-9/1); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (9/2-3) – Birdland Jazz Club Emmet Cohen Trio + Special Guests “Uptown in Orbit” Release Celebration Special Guests: Sheila Jordan (vocals, 8/30), Miguel Zenon (alto sax, 8/31), Bruce Harris (trumpet, 9/1) and Ruben Fox (sax, 9/1), Houston Person (tenor sax, 9/2). Virtuoso pianist Emmet Cohen has taken the jazz world by storm. The Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Cohen made a name for himself as the 1st place winner in a number of the United States’ most prestigious piano competitions, including the 2019 American Pianists Awards, the 2014 American Jazz Pianists Competition, and the 2011 Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida—as well as placing as a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. More recently, however, Cohen became a pioneer of a new kind. When the pandemic caused a lockdown in March 2020, he began filming concerts from his Harlem apartment, calling them “Live From Emmet’s Place” and featuring his trio of bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole with special guest friends. The series became an instant hit; now, with over 1, 000, 000 views across more than 300 high-production videos, Emmet’s Place is a (literal) household name in jazz. For this week at Birdland, Cohen will celebrate the release of his latest recording. Be there to see some riveting swing! $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum Monthly Engagements: August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Mondays) 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Jim Caruso’s Cast Party “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, ” a New York institution for almost two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2004. Called “show-business heaven” by The New York Times and “the gold-standard of open mic nights” by The Wall Street Journal, “Cast Party” will take advantage of the city’s post-pandemic nightlife renaissance to keep presenting a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums). $30 + $20 food/drink minimum August 9, 16, 23, 30 (Tuesdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater Ashley Pezzotti Called a “performer to watch” by DownBeat Magazine, Queens-born Ashley Pezzotti takes an early set on the Birdland Theater stage four consecutive Tuesdays in August to deliver her trademark renditions of American standards. This 25-year-old rising star has performed with jazz icon Wynton Marsalis (on his 2020 recording The Ever Fonky Lowdown), country legend Keith Urban, and piano prodigy Joey Alexander. On her debut recording, We’ve Only Just Begun, she was backed by the Emmet Cohen Trio and other young lions. With vocals indebted to the great jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Carmen McRae, Pezzotti offers listeners a chance to relax into the music they know and love, while bringing a freshness of presence that enchants her audiences. She is joined by pianist Miki Yamanaka. $20 + $20 food/drink minimum August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (Tuesdays) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater The Lineup with Susie Mosher “The Lineup with Susie Mosher” is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring entertainers from the Broadway, cabaret and comedy scenes, ranging from today’s hottest headliners to the best up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Mosher – the noted actress and singer from Broadway and beyond, called “one of those talents you need to see to believe” by Time Out New York – hosts the spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday, and each Lineup is unique and promises to deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential New York City entertainment. $20 + $20 food/drink minimum August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Wednesdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band Inspired by the noble jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and their colleagues, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band breathes life and passion into America’s own great art form. Now in its 18th year of residency at Birdland, the weekly post-workday engagement is the city’s best musical bargain! Tuba player David Ostwald leads a rotating lineup that features talents such as clarinetist Anat Cohen, trombonist/vocalist Wycliffe Gordon, pianist Ehud Asherie, drummer Marion Felder and more! $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night It's the best jazz guitar lover's show in the world. Frank Vignola's virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Les Paul, the Boston and New York Pops, and more. Every Wednesday at 8:30pm in the Birdland Theater, Frank leads “Frank Vignola's Guitar Night at Birdland.” Inspired by journeyman jazz guitarist John Pisano's now famous Los Angeles Guitar Night, the Frank Vignola Quartet, featuring pianist John DiMartino, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guests: Warren Vache (trumpet, 8/3), Mike Stern (guitar, 8/10), Will Anderson (clarinet/sax, 8/17), Peter Bernstein (guitar, 8/24), Houston Person (tenor sax, 8/31) $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum August 5, 12, 19, 26 (Fridays) 5:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club The Birdland Big Band Every Friday, and for two headlining weeks a year, the “BBB” roars into action playing a thrilling and original mix of jazz, funk, Brazilian, Latin and world music for sold-out audiences. Featured weekly guest artists drop in from television bands (David Letterman, Saturday Night Live) and pop music touring bands (Rob Thomas, Rod Stewart). Come see for yourself why Time Out New York called the BBB “A completely unique experience… there isn’t another band like this anywhere, ” and why yelp.com proclaims, “If you hear one band in NYC make sure this is it… and prepare to be blown away!” $30 + $20 food/drink minimum August 6, 13, 20, 27 (Saturdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano Hailed as “the truest heir to Bobby Short” in The New York Times, pianist/singer Eric Comstock returns to Birdland with star bassist/composer Sean Smith with songs by everyone from George Gershwin to George Harrison. These two masters met on the Off-Broadway hit Our Sinatra (which Eric co-wrote) and have since worked separately and together around the world. Vocalist Barbara Fasano joins them at Birdland for a swinging Saturday supper where the music and stories are equally great. Sean Smith has been an integral part of the international jazz scene for over 25 years, and has performed with Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Flip Phillips, Clark Terry and many others. Barbara Fasano has been praised as “a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor’s intensity in whatever she sings” by The New York Post and “a lyrically sensitive interpreter” by The New York Times. Her latest album Busy Being Free is the recipient of the MAC Award for “Major Recording of the Year.” $30 + $20 food/drink minimum August 7, 14, 21, 28 (Sundays) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (The New York Times)—leads the GRAMMY® award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring together the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the world’s most accomplished solo musicians. Twelve years of critically-acclaimed performances internationally have firmly established the ALJO as the standard-bearer for creative interpretation of Latin jazz greats such as Tito Puente, Frank “Machito” Grillo, and Chico O’Farrill, as well as the driving force behind new commissions from Latin music’s most talented composers and arrangers. write your comments about the article :: © 2022 Jazz News :: home page |