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| What's Coming Up at Birdland: Jazz Programming April 29th - May 12th April 29 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in January at Birdland Theater! Giordano, the recipient of a GRAMMY Award for his work scoring the HBO show Boardwalk Empire, is a master composer and arranger whose 11-piece band, The Nighthawks, recreate the jubilant 1920s jazz sound with amazing definition, using violins, tubas, banjos, and collector's item drum sets. The band has provided soundtracks for film and television productions including The Cotton Club, The Aviator, Finding Forrester, Revolutionary Road, Cafe Society, Boardwalk Empire, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and many more. Not to be missed! $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum April 30 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater Naama Gheber Quartet: "Songs of Spring" Vocalist Naama Gheber is a self-assured, easygoing talent whose deft melodic sense and pleasing swing feel have brought her to the front lines of the New York jazz scene. Gheber's debut album, 2020's Dearly Beloved, and her 2nd recording, 2022's If I Knew Then, earned her acknowledgment in All About Jazz and Downbeat Magazine, and her 2023, Where Flamingos Fly, featuring vibraphone legend Steve Nelson, received further critical acclaim. Gheber's love for joyously bouncing rhythms and the power of song has led to frequent performances at leading New York jazz institutions Smalls, Mezzrow, the Django at the Roxy Hotel, and Birdland. For this one-set-only engagement, she brings a quartet featuring Dave Baron (bass) and Jeb Patton (piano) singing audiences into spring with a careful selection of Great American Songbook standards. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum April 30 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Dave Stryker Organ Trio Dave Stryker is a fabulous guitarist who has served as the featured accompanist for Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and hundreds of others, as well as leading 30 recording projects of his own. Dave Stryker is a fabulous guitarist who has served as the featured accompanist for Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and hundreds of others, as well as leading 30 recording projects of his own. Stryker's latest recording, 2022's As We Are, features Brian Blade, John Pattitucci, Julian Shore, Sara Caswell, and others, and was named one of DownBeat's top albums of the year. "The jazz gods have alighted on the guitarist and elevated his playing, his composing, his soloing, and his music, " says Jazz Times's Ken Micallef. Meanwhile, Stryker heads into the studio soon with his Organ Trio. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 1 (Wednesday) 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 May 1-4 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/1-2); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (5/3-4) – Birdland Jazz Club Take 6 With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and 3 Gold records, and 16 albums in total, the legendary vocal group Take 6 is synonymous with artistic mastery and indomitable excellence. Quincy Jones has called the group "the baddest vocal cats on the planet, " and aptly so: Take 6's harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic brilliance is simply jaw-dropping. Their first recording, released in 1988, won 2 Grammy awards, and 30 years later, in 2018, they released their most recent recording, "Iconic" (SRG/Universal) — in addition to a PBS special, "The Summit, " which featured their work alongside revered vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Take 6 spans R&B, jazz, hip-hop, pop, soul, gospel, and doo-wop styles with such pinpoint accuracy and overwhelming exuberance that it seems such genre distinctions hardly exist. They perform for a week at the Jazz Club and are sure to deliver breathtaking and inspiring performances nightly. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 1 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Karryn Allison 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 8:30 pm 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 Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummers Vince Cherico or Alex Raderman, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. This week it's the great vocalist Karryn Allison. *Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 2 (Thursday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band Led by veteran trumpeter Simon Wettenhall and Grammy-winning pianist Conal Fowkes, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band is a New Orleans-style Jazz band that for decades has been Woody Allen's band of choice for his movies, concert tours, and weekly performances. The band has appeared on all the premiere concert stages in Europe and the United States. Band members have appeared in and provided music for Woody Allen movies including Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. With Conal Fowkes (piano/vocals co-leader), Simon Wettenhall (trumpet/vocals co-leader), Tom Abbott (clarinet), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), Josh Dunn (banjo), Brian Nalepka (bass/vocals), Kevin Dorn (drums). $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 3 (Friday) 5:30 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!" $35 + $25 food/drink minimum May 3-4 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Shai Maestro Quartet One of the most talented pianists of his generation, Shai Maestro is a wizard on his instrument whose decidedly modern aesthetic combines lush harmonic invention, challenging rhythmic exploration, and heartbreakingly direct melodicism. After 5 years of touring with internationally renowned bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio (featuring Maestro and drum icon Mark Guilliana), Maestro started his own project and began releasing what would, over the course of 13 years, become 6 albums of original music. His latest two recordings, Human (2020) and The Dream Thief (2018), were both released on ECM. Maestro’s work with Gilad Hekselman, Chris Potter, Ari Hoenig, the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the Orquestra de Camara Portuguesa, as well as his composition and arranging for movies, pop musicians, and electronic musicians, have all led to a secure reputation as one of the best keys artists in the contemporary music landscape. $35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 4 (Saturday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Caelan Cardello Trio A talented young pianist with a sensitive touch, a love for swinging, and a robust technical facility, Caelan Cardello started playing piano at the age of 5. Since his early training in both jazz and classical styles, the young artist has been recognized by the music community many times over, including as the recipient of the New Jersey Governor's Award, the James Moody College Scholarship Award for “Outstanding Musicianship, ” the 2021 BMI Foundation’s Future Jazz Master Award, and selection as a Semifinalist in the prestigious Herbie Hancock 2023 International Piano Competition and as a Finalist in the American Pianist Awards. He has performed at some of New York City’s most famed halls of music, including Dizzy’s Club, Minton’s Playhouse, Smalls Jazz Club, and the Jazz Standard. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree at The Juilliard School, Caelan is active in and out of New York City and brings his sparkling trio to Birdland Theater for three Tuesdays and two Saturdays in May. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum May 5 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra The Korean jazz composer/arranger Hyeseon Hong (hay-son · hong) splits her time between New York City and Seoul. Mixing classical music, contemporary jazz, Korean traditional music, and the big band sound, Hong has created a unique corner wherein lush harmonies and impressionistic backgrounds set the scene for Korean rhythms and clear melodies, painting rich sonic portraits of the natural world. Her most recent release, EE-YA-GI (Summit, 2017) was met with critical acclaim, and to Birdland she brings a 17-person band full of New York heavy-hitters including Rich Perry, Jonathan Saraga, Andrew Hadro, and Jeremy Powell. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 5 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Lauren Kinhan Band Join Lauren Kinhan and her trio for an evening rich with her original music. Known for her cinematic lyrics and adventuresome musical imagination, Lauren doesn't wait for inspiration to hit, she serves her muse what she likes with a healthy portion of permission to play. With three solo albums full of her original music and one standard album paying tribute to Nancy Wilson, Lauren's preparing for a new recording project and this is your chance to hear the buds as they blossom. Says Brent Black at Bop-n-Jazz of Lauren's critically acclaimed Circle in a Square that was ripe with her inventions, "There are layers of texture, organic bits of lyrical wonder that magically fuse together to make a contemporary mosaic of harmonic wonder that sets a new standard for improvisational vocalists everywhere. Expect nothing less from her next work of art. Featuring Sean Fitzpatrick, Dean Johnson and Marcello Pellitteri, you don't want to miss a night full of sage insights, cautionary tales and playful walks through a museum. For those of you not hip to her pedigree, she's been a stalwart member of New York Voices for over 32 years, a collaborator in bands such as Moss and JaLaLa, and a curator/producer of a vocal-centric live event, Vocal Mania, with Janis Siegel. Two sets, 7 and 9:30 PM give you ample time to get your tickets and tell your friends. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum May 5 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) brings 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. Thirteen 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. $40 + $30 food/drink minimum May 6 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in January at Birdland Theater! Giordano, the recipient of a GRAMMY Award for his work scoring the HBO show Boardwalk Empire, is a master composer and arranger whose 11-piece band, The Nighthawks, recreate the jubilant 1920s jazz sound with amazing definition, using violins, tubas, banjos, and collector’s item drum sets. The band has provided soundtracks for film and television productions including The Cotton Club, The Aviator, Finding Forrester, Revolutionary Road, Cafe Society, Boardwalk Empire, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and many more. Not to be missed! $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 7 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater Caelan Cardello Trio A talented young pianist with a sensitive touch, a love for swinging, and a robust technical facility, Caelan Cardello started playing piano at the age of 5. Since his early training in both jazz and classical styles, the young artist has been recognized by the music community many times over, including as the recipient of the New Jersey Governor's Award, the James Moody College Scholarship Award for “Outstanding Musicianship, ” the 2021 BMI Foundation’s Future Jazz Master Award, and selection as a Semifinalist in the prestigious Herbie Hancock 2023 International Piano Competition and as a Finalist in the American Pianist Awards. He has performed at some of New York City’s most famed halls of music, including Dizzy’s Club, Minton’s Playhouse, Smalls Jazz Club and the Jazz Standard. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree at The Juilliard School, Caelan is active in and out of New York City, and brings his sparkling trio to Birdland Theater for three Tuesdays and two Saturdays in May. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum May 7-11 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/7-9); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (5/10-11) – Birdland Jazz Club Bill Charlap Trio One of the world’s leading pianists for the past thirty years, Bill Charlap served for many years as Tony Bennett’s primary pianist, all the while leading his working trio with legendary drum/bass team Kenny Washington and Peter Washington to the heights of jazz honor. Nominated for a Grammy for the records Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein and Live at the Village Vanguard, this trio’s communication is finely tuned, its energy boundless, its taste immaculate, and its repertoire expansive. Working together, these three gentlemen of jazz are known for their telepathic connection, admirable restraint, and tight arrangements of standard material. They perform at Birdland for two consecutive weeks. Jazz fans will regret missing this band! $45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 8 (Wednesday) 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 May 8 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night with special guest Bria Skonberg 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 8:30 pm 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 Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummers Vince Cherico or Alex Raderman, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. This week it's Bria Skonberg. *Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 9 (Thursday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band Led by veteran trumpeter Simon Wettenhall and Grammy-winning pianist Conal Fowkes, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band is a New Orleans-style Jazz band that for decades has been Woody Allen’s band of choice for his movies, concert tours, and weekly performances. The band has appeared on all the premiere concert stages in Europe and the United States. Band members have appeared in and provided music for Woody Allen movies including Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. With Conal Fowkes (piano/vocals co-leader), Simon Wettenhall (trumpet/vocals co-leader), Tom Abbott (clarinet), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), Josh Dunn (banjo), Brian Nalepka (bass/vocals), Kevin Dorn (drums). $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 9 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Bacha Mdzinarashvili Quintet A prodigious young pianist from Tbilisi, Georgia, Bacha Mdzinarashvili combines elements of bebop, funk, soul, R&B, and modern jazz to create a powerful musical experience in the tradition of improvising giants Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Parker, and Clifford Brown. His first recording, “The Smile, ” featured all-stars Darren Barrett (trumpet), Corey Fonville (drums), and Myron Walden (sax); and with a record of performances at some of the music’s most illustrious halls and events—including Birdland Jazz Club, Rose Theater in Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Black Sea Jazz Festival—Mdzinarashvili’s artistry has continued to blossom and develop. He leads a quintet at the Theater for one evening. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 10 (Friday) 5:30 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!” $35 + $25 food/drink minimum May 10-12 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Billy Stritch Birdland favorite Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony’s pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as musical director for such leading vocalists as Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole and Linda Lavin. $35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 11 (Saturday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Bill Charlap Solo Bill Charlap has proven himself time and time again as a sensitive interpreter of popular song, a prolific artist whose collaborations with jazz legends—be it Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Houston Person, or his own trio of Kenny Washington and Peter Washington—are always highly satisfying. As a solo performer, he delivers similarly heartwarming renditions of classics from the Great American songbook, with deft fingers, flights of the imagination, and a passionate commitment to the tradition of piano. Twice Grammy-nominated, Charlap is an adored figure in jazz. His trio performs for two full weeks at Birdland this month, and on each Saturday, he will perform solo for one early evening set before joining his trio for another two sets. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum May 12 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Grace Fox Big Band In March of 2022, Grace Fox—a precocious talent then only 19 years old—celebrated the release of her debut album, and premiered her compositions at Birdland with her 17-piece all-female jazz ensemble. On the recording, Eleven O’ Seven (Next Level), Fox assembled a brilliant, multiethnic, and multigenerational cast of jazzwomen from across the country that deftly represented her originals and arrangements—like “Sterile, ” which Fox penned to illustrate the deadening effects of early pandemic quarantine, or “Strasbourg St. Denis, ” the Roy Hargrove anthem which Fox orchestrated for large ensemble. “I had the opportunity to get this band together and I couldn’t say no, ” the trumpeter stated in an interview with Jazz Philadelphia. Since then her career has taken off: performances with the band at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and in last year’s Times Square live music series—as well as trumpet work with Jon Batiste at both Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz Fest—have shown the young talent that she is on the right path. The Big Band delivered another stunning second performance on the Birdland stage late last year; this May, come see what’s in store for Round 3! $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum May 12 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) brings 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. Thirteen 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. $40 + $30 food/drink minimum write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |