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| What's Coming Up at Birdland: Jazz Programming July 1st - July 14th July 1 (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 July 2 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Loston Harris Duo Loston Harris possesses a voice like the great big band singers and the consummate pianism of a Wynton Kelly or a Tommy Flanagan. This combination of outgoing performance and exuberant technical mastery is rare, but Harris has it in spades—and at Birdland, accompanied by the brilliant Gianluca Renzi on bass, Loston will bring his one-two punch to the stage for four Tuesday nights in July. Harris's life in jazz has included tutelage with some of the music's greatest masters. He studied with Marsalis family patriarch, the pianist Ellis, on recommendation by the great Harry Connick Jr. after participating in the first Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C. Since then, Harris has wowed many a special audience: besides tours with the legendary Wynton Marsalis, or an appearance with piano genius Marcus Roberts on the PBS special "Portraits in Blue, " he was also the featured singer at George Clooney's Birthday with John Mayer; Sarah Jessica Parker's private Sex and the City movie after-party; Tom Cruise's ICON Award Ceremony; and the Friar's Club Gala honoring Don Rickles. Don't miss the heavy-hitting crooner! $30 + $20 food/drink minimum July 2-6 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (7/2-4); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (7/5-6) – Birdland Jazz Club Yellowjackets The Yellowjackets are a household name for jazz fusion fans. The band's original flavor, beloved for its long and whirling sing-song melodies and undeniable pocket, has been captivating listeners since the group first burst onto the scene in the late 1970s. Originally the rhythm section behind guitarist Robben Ford, the Yellowjackets became its own entity and—adding the then-trailblazing (and now-legendary) saxophonist Bob Mintzer—turned into one of the most original quartets of the last 40 years, recording 30 albums, winning 2 Grammys, and receiving 17 Grammy nominations. Currently, the lineup includes founding member Russell Ferrante on keys, Bob Mintzer on winds, the spectacular drummer Will Kennedy, and the band's newest member, a young Dane Alderson twisting out brilliant basslines. $45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 3 (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 July 3 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Rodney Jones 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 Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummers Vince Cherico or Alex Raderman, performs tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. Tonight, catch special guest Rodney Jones. *Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 4 (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 are a New Orleans-style Jazz band which for decades have been Woody Allen's band of choice for his movies, concert tours, and weekly performances. The band have appeared on all the premiere concert stages of 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). $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 4 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Benny Benack Quartet A trumpeter's trumpeter and a mature singer with a true entertainer's gift, Benny Benack's boundless energy and charismatic crooning has earned him his spot at the front of his generation's jazz talent. With trumpet chops in the legacy of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Freddie Hubbard—and with a singing voice reminiscent of Sinatra and Mel Torme—Benny has brought his high spirits and remarkable virtuosity across the country and around the world. Appearing as a soloist with Josh Groban, Ben Folds and fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, as well as with jazz bass extraordinaire Christian McBride, cabaret legend Ann Hampton-Callaway (at Birdland!), and several regarded philharmonic orchestras, Benack is a captivating figure to watch and hear. His third release, "Third Time's the Charm, " ascended to #2 on the JazzWeek International Radio Charts in 2023. Join Benny as he performs with brilliant friends Mathis Picard (piano), Russell Hall (bass) and Joe Peri (drums). $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 5 (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 July 5-7 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Celebrating the Slide Hampton Octet The late master trombonist Slide Hampton passed away in November of 2021. In homage to his artistry, veteran drummer Charles Ruggierio and top-call saxophonist Frank Basile bring together an octet to play Hampton’s famous 8-piece orchestrations of the 1950s and 60s. The band recorded together in 2019, bringing these great arrangements to life for an album entitled Slide’s Blues (SmallsLive) which featured the great Hampton himself on two tracks. Slide no longer being with us, the musicians join forces again to honor his life, his legacy, and his amazing music. $35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 6 (Saturday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Esteban Castro Solo Piano A force of indomitable technique, extraordinary passion, and expansive imagination, the 21 year-old Esteban Castro is a jaw-dropping pianist whose capacities on his instrument defy categorization. The First Prize winner at the 2019 MSM Precollege Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the 2017 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, and the 2016 Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition, as well as the recipient of 15 Downbeat Student Music Awards, Castro has worked with musical heroes Ambrose Akinmusire, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Peter Evans, Gilad Hexelman, Billy Drummond, Mark Shim, and Ted Nash, among many others; he has performed to sold-out audiences at The Blue Note, The Montreux Jazz Club, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, as well as in Switzerland, Italy, France, Peru, Canada, and Puerto Rico. He returns to Birdland for the month of July, performing the first two Saturdays solo and the final two Saturdays with his trio of talented Kayvon Gordon (drums) and exceptional Gervis Myles (bass). Castro is a Young Steinway artist. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 7 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club George Gee Swing Orchestra ft. John Dokes: “Our Day” Album Release Celebration After conducting a 1979 radio interview with the legendary William “Count” Basie, George Gee determined he would one day lead his own big band. Now, with nearly 40 years experience as a conductor and 20 years leading weekly shows in Times Square’s SWING46, Gee’s swing band dreams have blossomed wildly, and he leads what is perhaps New York’s most popular swing dance orchestra. Inspired by the styles of Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, and Benny Goodman, Gee—a native New Yorker—began leading his big band in the Big Apple right when swing dancing was revived as an international sensation among young audiences. And—bringing New York’s best musicians along for a stomping-good time—he has been a hit ever since. Now, celebrating the release of their latest recording, Our Day, the Orchestra performs for one swinging Sunday evening in July, featuring vocalist John Dokes. Let Gee and his band swing you into summer cheer! $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 7 (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 July 8 (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 July 8 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Evan Sherman Big Band + Special Guest Vocalist A drummer, composer, and arranger with a wide knowledge of jazz history, Evan Sherman has turned the heads of both the young talents and the master statesmen of jazz since his entrance onto the New York City scene as a teenager. Currently the drummer and musical director for Grammy-winning jazz vocal sensation Samara Joy, Sherman plays and writes with a deep love for both the elegant delivery and the party rhythms of jazz—refined and joyful during both raucous shout choruses and exploratory swinging passages. In 2014, he founded the Evan Sherman Big Band, a 16-piece ensemble in which New York’s most revered elders and its most dynamic young musicians sat side by side. Praised internationally as “big band heroes” by The West Australian, the ensemble held a 6-year residency at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and has headlined Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rainbow Room, Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem, The Django in TriBeca, Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing, Caramoor Jazz Festival, SteelStacks (PA), and the Perth International Arts Festival (Australia). Regular members have included Lew Soloff, James Zollar, Frank Lacy, Ben Wolfe, Bruce Harris, Alphonso Horne, Jerry Dodgion, Patrick Bartley, Godwin Louis, Jerry Weldon, and Patience Higgins; special guests have included Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, Johnny O’Neal, Cyrus Chestnut and many others. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 9 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Loston Harris Duo Loston Harris possesses a voice like the great big band singers and the consummate pianism of a Wynton Kelly or a Tommy Flanagan. This combination of outgoing performance and exuberant technical mastery is rare, but Harris has it in spades—and at Birdland, accompanied by the brilliant Gianluca Renzi on bass, Loston will bring his one-two punch to the stage for four Tuesday nights in July. Harris’s life in jazz has included tutelage with some of the music’s greatest masters. He studied with Marsalis family patriarch, the pianist Ellis, on recommendation by the great Harry Connick Jr. after participating in the first Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C. Since then, Harris has wowed many a special audience: besides tours with the legendary Wynton Marsalis, or an appearance with piano genius Marcus Roberts on the PBS special “Portraits in Blue, ” he was also the featured singer at George Clooney’s Birthday with John Mayer; Sarah Jessica Parker’s private Sex and the City movie after-party; Tom Cruise’s ICON Award Ceremony; and the Friar’s Club Gala honoring Don Rickles. Don’t miss the heavy-hitting crooner! $30 + $20 food/drink minimum July 9-13 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (7/9-11); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (7/12-13) – Birdland Jazz Club Cindy Blackman Santana Band One of jazz’s superstar drummers, Cindy Blackman Santana has performed and recorded with Lenny Kravitz (for no less than 18 years), Carlos Santana (for the last 14 years), Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela and others legends. Her powerhouse, fire-breathing style, deeply devoted to the innovations of Miles Davis drummer and jazz-rock fusion trailblazer Tony Williams, has been recorded on nearly 100 albums, including 11 as a leader. Her latest recording, Give The Drummer Some, features Santana, John McGlaughlin, Vernon Reid (Living Colour) and other greats. Do not miss this icon in this 5-night stint. $45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 10 (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 July 10 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night with special guest Rodney Jones 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 Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummers Vince Cherico or Alex Raderman, performs tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. Tonight, catch special guest Rodney Jones. *Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 11 (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 are a New Orleans style Jazz band which for decades have been Woody Allen’s band of choice for his movies, concert tours and weekly performances. The band have appeared on all the premiere concert stages of 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). $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 11 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater The Piaf Experience by Margot Sergent Transport yourself back to the 1920 and 30s with Margot Sergent. In her native French, the exquisite vocalist and harpist brings you right into the world of romance, despair, and Bohemian grandeur which characterize the favorite songs of Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, and Charles Trenet. Sergent’s trio, So French Cabaret, features double bass and guitar, and together they invite you on a storyteller‘s journey, performing classics like “La Vie en Rose, ” “Non, je ne regrette rien, ” and “l’Hymne à l’Amour.” Sergent has performed across Paris and at France’s legendary l’Olympia. As saxophone legend Archie Shepp describes: “What she does is pure poetry. No doubt she is one of the most captivating artists of her generation.” This summer engagement marks Sergent’s fifth appearance at Birdland. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 12 (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 July 12-14 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater Steve Smith Vital Information Trio A truly unique musician with a fabulous artistic path, the great drummer Steve Smith began playing in big bands in the 1970s as he studied with legendary teachers Alan Dawson and Freddie Gruber. His all-star group Vital Information has performed since the early 1970s, since before Smith joined the iconic rock band, Journey, with whom he rocketed to international fame. After decades of performances that has seen new members join over the years, Vital Information now includes the incredible Manuel Valera (Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy nominated pianist) and the world-class Janek Gwizdala (electric bassist for fusion jazz legends Mike Stern, Randy Brecker and Peter Erskine). Vital Information has, over the years, been a four-member ensemble. This new trio format allows for new possibilities in the group’s miraculous combination of bebop, funk, South Indian traditional, and contemporary influences. And, for Vital Information’s 40th Anniversary celebration in 2023, Wounded Bird Records released Steve Smith and Vital Information: The Complete Columbia Recordings, a four CD set of Vital Information’s first 4 albums. $35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 13 (Saturday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club Esteban Castro Solo Piano A force of indomitable technique, extraordinary passion, and expansive imagination, the 21 year-old Esteban Castro is a jaw-dropping pianist whose capacities on his instrument defy categorization. The First Prize winner at the 2019 MSM Precollege Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the 2017 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, and the 2016 Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition, as well as the recipient of 15 Downbeat Student Music Awards, Castro has worked with musical heroes Ambrose Akinmusire, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Peter Evans, Gilad Hexelman, Billy Drummond, Mark Shim, and Ted Nash, among many others; he has performed to sold-out audiences at The Blue Note, The Montreux Jazz Club, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, as well as in Switzerland, Italy, France, Peru, Canada, and Puerto Rico. He returns to Birdland for the month of July, performing the first two Saturdays solo. Castro is a Young Steinway artist. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 14 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Jon DeLucia Dave Brubeck Octet Project Saxophonist and arranger Jon De Lucia made his recording debut as a leader with 2006’s “Face No Face, ” a sextet session with a cast of young all-stars that JazzTimes called an “astonishing debut.” Ten years of captivating projects later, his Octet emerged as a five saxophone plus rhythm band, releasing a live debut in 2018 with legendary nonagenarian saxophonist Ted Brown (of Lennie Tristano fame). Now in 2024, the Jon De Lucia Octet includes trumpet, trombone, three saxophones and a rhythm section—and they’ve set their sights on Dave Brubeck’s octet repertoire from the late 1940s. In partnership with the Brubeck Living Legacy and the Brubeck Archive, the Octet recorded 11 tunes in December of 2023 with a band of heavy-hitters, including Scott Robinson, Brandon Lee, Glenn Zaleski, and Becca Patterson. Watch them explore this little-known, trailblazing material on this Sunday evening at Birdland. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum July 14 (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 |