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What's Coming Up at Birdland: Jazz Programming January 3 - January 16 Happy new year from Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater! Thank you for all of your support during this most unusual year. We look forward to welcoming you in 2022! January 3 (Monday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Steven Feifke Trio Steven Feifke isn’t just an arranging extraordinaire: he’s also a fantastic pianist. When appearing in trio format, he can’t command the seven voices of his stellar debut album, Peace In Time (2015), nor the eighteen musicians of his two imaginative 2021 big band releases, Kinetic and Prologue. Yet in pared down form, the two-time finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition still brings his music to robust heights, using the more open-ended configuration as a vehicle for bluesy, daredevil improvisations. Feifke—the recipient of the 2020 David Baker Prize in composition from the Ravinia Festival and the musical director for Tony Award-winning actor and singer Santino Fontana—has quickly made a name for himself in the jazz world. His prodigious output includes recording credits on over 30 albums, as well as on television and film. Audiences will experience the artist in a more intimate setting for this one night at Birdland. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 4 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Bill Charlap Solo Piano A thoughtful, pristine voice on the piano, Bill Charlap has collaborated for the last several decades with jazz’s leading artists. While his working trio (with drum and bass stars Kenny Washington and Peter Washington) has earned him years of accolades, he also shines as a solo performer. Notable concerts at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center and Seattle’s KNKX Studios have highlighted the solo genius of this interpreter of American popular song. With four Grammy nominations and one Grammy win under his belt, Charlap is a veteran whose touch and swinging sensibility on the piano combines with a generous storyteller’s approach to make for highly engaging renditions of Songbook classics and lesser-known gems. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 5 (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 January 5-8 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/5-6); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/7-8) – Birdland Jazz Club Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap Music legend Dee Dee Bridgewater remains a force to be reckoned with after fifty years at the top of her craft. Now with 23 albums as a leader, over 125 recording credits, 2 Grammy wins and 8 nominations, as well as several major acting credits (including as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz alongside Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nispey Russell and Diana Ross), Bridgewater continues to wow audiences with her incredible voice, her magnetic personality, and the sheer generosity of her spirit. For four nights, she will join forces with the great Bill Charlap, whose position is secure as one of the world’s finest pianists, accompanists, and interpreters of popular song—himself the recipient of four Grammy nominations and one Grammy win. Charlap is renowned for his duo performances, including the November 2021 shows he performed at Birdland with legends Houston Person, Ron Carter, Jon Faddis, and Chris Potter. Don’t miss Bridgewater and Charlap’s duets—sure to be unforgettable. $50 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 5 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night One of the world’s most exciting jazz guitarists for the last 25 years, Frank Vignola’s virtuosity and pan-stylistic expertise has led to work with such stars as Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Tommy Emmanuel, and the Boston and New York Pops. This December, Vignola will take charge at Birdland every Wednesday (with two exceptions) for a night of brilliant guitar playing. Accompanied by his versatile and masterful quartet featuring Jimmy Bruno (guitar), Peter Washington or Harvie S (bass), and Vince Cherico (drums), + Special guests: Paul Bollenback (Jan 5), Howard Paul (Jan 12), Bill Wurtzel (Jan 19), Dave Stryker (Jan 26). Guitar and music lovers will delight! $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 6-8 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (1/6); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/7-8) – Birdland Theater Lew Tabackin Trio Plus Special Guests Jazz legend Lew Tabackin is a true original. Since the late 1950s, he has cultivated an expression at once raw, passionate, technically masterful and boundlessly imaginative. Adept as both a flautist and saxophonist, Tabackin’s early career included work with jazz luminaries Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, and Clark Terry in the 1960s, as well several years with The Tonight Show band. He formed small and large ensembles with his wife, the masterful pianist and arranger Toshiko Akiyoshi, which toured the world for three decades. Tabackin’s playing remains remarkably vibrant, and he continues to perform regularly. For this four-night engagement, Tabackin’s trio is powered by the ever-swinging Jason Tiemann on drums and the veteran Boris Kozlov on bass—plus special guests he will invite to share the stage each night. They are sure to cook up soulful jazz for the modern moment. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 7 (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 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 January 9 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Ron Aprea Big Band Saxophonist Ron Aprea has performed with some of jazz’s most important figures, including Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Frank Foster, Tito Puente, John Lennon, Nat Adderley, Charlie Persip, Kenny Barron, and Elvin Jones. This January, the 16-piece Ron Aprea Big Band is joined by vocalist Angel DeNiro—herself an accomplished singer who has worked with Lionel Hampton, Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin, and Mark Murphy, among others—to celebrate a new milestone in Aprea’s artistic oeuvre: an autobiography entitled The Era I Almost Missed. The new book offers readers a look at the 1950s and 1960s through the eyes of this jazzman. Aprea will give away one dozen signed copies of the memoir, and books and albums will be available for sale. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 9 (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 January 9 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (New York Times)—leads the GRAMMY® award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) and the pared down, 10-piece Ensemble, 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. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum January 10 (Monday) 8:30 – Birdland Theater Naama Gheber Quartet Naama Gheber is a New York-based jazz vocalist inspired by the emotionally direct compositions of Rodgers and Hart, Fields and Hugh, Cole Porter and other great composers and lyricists of the 1930’s and ‘40’s. Possessed with an urbane and elegant voice, Gheber’s sensitive interpretation and crisp phrasing have become recognizable elements of her signature style and timeless appeal. The Naama Gheber Quartet features pianist Ben Paterson, bassist Neal Miner, drummer Evan Sherman, and special guest Carlos Abadie on trumpet. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum January 11-15 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/11-13); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/14-15) – Birdland Jazz Club Eddie Palmieri 85th Birthday One of the greatest pianists of the 20th century and a pioneering force in Latin Jazz, Master Eddie Palmieri celebrates 85 trips around the sun at the Jazz Corner of the World. Palmieri’s over 45 recordings since 1962 attest to his brilliance combining salsa music with the harmonies of jazz piano masters like Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner. With 8 Grammy wins and 14 Grammy nominations, and his music beloved the world over, it’s no wonder that this great musician still performs at the highest levels of energy and skill. He brings his dynamic group for five dazzling nights at Birdland for APAP Week. Come wish the master a happy birthday! $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 11 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Matt Munisteri What do New Orleans legend Henry Butler, jazz vocal extraordinaires Catherine Russell and “Little” Jimmy Scott, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright have in common? They’ve all called upon the talents of Matt Munisteri, a genre-defying master guitarist whose work has been featured on over 70 recordings. Munisteri, who was asked to be a part of the legendary Bill Frisell’s Guitar Invitational alongside other world-class six-stringers, is adept in a surprising variety of sonic worlds, from noise music to New Orleans jazz, and this has led him to develop a musical personality that is at once gentle—in its lighthearted embrace of so much music—and profound, offering heartfelt melodies and accompaniment in each passing moment. He performs for one night this January at the Theater. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 12 (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 January 12 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night One of the world’s most exciting jazz guitarists for the last 25 years, Frank Vignola’s virtuosity and pan-stylistic expertise has led to work with such stars as Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Tommy Emmanuel, and the Boston and New York Pops. This December, Vignola will take charge at Birdland every Wednesday (with two exceptions) for a night of brilliant guitar playing. Accompanied by his versatile and masterful quartet featuring Jimmy Bruno (guitar), Peter Washington or Harvie S (bass), and Vince Cherico (drums), + Special guests: Paul Bollenback (Jan 5), Howard Paul (Jan 12), Bill Wurtzel (Jan 19), Dave Stryker (Jan 26). Guitar and music lovers will delight! $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 13 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Duchess Recently named Vocal Group of the Year in 2021’s Jazz Journalists Association Awards, Duchess—the vocal trio comprised of Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou—has brought jazz cheer and swinging fun to audiences around the world since 2015. Each accomplished vocalists in their own right, the women of Duchess connect over their love of the 1930s New Orleans vocal group the Boswell Sisters. This adventurous group serves as their inspiration, and with these pioneers in mind, Duchess brings the close-harmony vocal trio concept squarely into the modern day. They are by no means derivative: these ladies perform original music and swing authentically with vibrant personality. 2017’s Laughing At Life (Anzic), 2018s EP Harmony for the Holidays, and 2020’s Live at Jazz Standard (Anzic) have been met with critical acclaim, including Downbeat’s instruction that, “For a good time, call Duchess.” With their swinging band behind them, Duchess will have Birdland audiences in delight. Special guest Brian Newman joins the group for this special occasion. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 14 (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 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 January 14-5 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Tia Fuller Quartet Grammy-nominated saxophonist Tia Fuller is an internationally-regarded performer and composer. Fuller’s career highlights include performances in President Barack Obama’s White House; on morning shows Oprah, Today Show and Good Morning, America; and on tour with Beyonce’s all-female I Am…Sasha Fierce band. The saxophone sound in Pixar’s recent Oscar-winning animated jazz movie, Soul, Fuller’s music has been heard all over the world, and she brings a deeply cultivated power to her lines and melodies. Compositionally, her music draws influence from across many genres beyond just swinging jazz music: she dives into pop, R&B and mixed-meter stylings to create a sound that is uniquely hers. Fuller’s latest release, Diamond Cut, was nominated for a Grammy and features some of jazz’s greatest living masters. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum January 16 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater Sunday Special Performance: 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 January 16 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Loston Harris 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 his brilliant peers, Loston will bring his one-two punch to the stage for two swinging sets. His 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. Indeed it was Marsalis who was responsible for Harris’s decision to shift from his first instrument—drums—to piano. An artist with these three perspectives—rhythm of the drums, harmony of the piano, and melody of the voice—can only wow an audience. He performs for the NYC APAP Week. $30 tables / $20 bar seating + $20 food/drink minimum January 16 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (New York Times)—leads the GRAMMY® award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) and the pared down, 10-piece Ensemble, 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. $30 + $20 food/drink minimum |
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