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Live at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater: March 2023 February 28 – March 4 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (2/28 – 3/2); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (3/3-4) *Livestream March 2 @ 7pm, fly.live/birdland – Birdland Jazz Club James Carter “Lookin at the Lock”: Music of Eddie Lockjaw Davis “To hear saxophonist James Carter is to be blown away, ” says the Washington Post. An indomitable force of imagination and soulful expression, Carter has released 19 records under his own name and nearly 40 as a collaborator with giants of music such as Lester Bowie, Christian McBride, Ginger Baker, Hammiet Bluiett, Steve Turre, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Regina Carter, Benny Golson, Marcus Miller, Madeleine Peyroux, and the World Saxophone Quartet. His playing evokes avant-garde, spiritual, gospel, and modern musical traditions within a single solo. For this week upstairs at the jazz club, Carter will explore the music of Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, the gutsy tenor-man known for his blues-soaked melodies and his heartbreaking, heroic improvisations. James Carter (saxophones), Satish Robertson (trumpet), Gerard Gibbs (piano) Hilliard Greene (bass), Kahlil Kwame Bell (drums). $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 2 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Charu Suri Quartet Charu Suri—the classical piano prodigy turned multi-stylist and powerful composer—performs at Birdland one Thursday night in early March. Her latest work, Ragas and Waltzes, finds Suri confidently reinventing styles and fusing musical worlds. The pianist who Birdland favorite and Afro Latin-jazz legend Arturo O’Farill calls “singular” for her pioneering “raga-based improvisations” released the album after a string of other brilliant genre-transcendent recordings, which included The New American Songbook, The Book of Ragas, and The Book of Ragas II. Her latest work employs the great Preservation Hall Jazz Band drummer Joe Lastie, Jr., a beautiful timekeeper who brings expertise and dancing joy to every beat. An evening not to be missed of Suri’s compositional and pianistic genius. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 3-4 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Ben Allison Quartet A forward-thinker both composer and bassist, Ben Allison has spent over 30 years developing a unique and fresh artistic vision for the contemporary moment. His efforts have made him the recipient of several awards, including the North Sea Jazz Festival’s Bird Award (2005) and Downbeat’s prestigious distinction of Rising Star Bassist (2005, 2006, 2007). His projects, which bring to life folksy sonic landscapes for improvisational play, are original, spacious explorations that cross genres and create visceral moods. He is also a member of powerful collaborations: following 2018’s Quiet Revolution, his beloved collective trio with visceral saxophonist Ted Nash and wry guitarist Steve Cardenas released Somewhere Else—West Side Story Songs, covering their favorites from the legendary musical. For this engagement at Birdland, Allison brings his own Quartet—which recently put out Moments Inside. The band features two master guitarists—Steve Cardenas and Chico Pinheiro—as well as the generous, creative Alan Mednard on drums. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 5 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band Cuban-born pianist Manuel Valera is a force of nature. His resume a list of living legends—Dafnis Prieto, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian Lynch, Yosvany Terry, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Lenny White among them—Valera is a writer, leader, and accompanist extraordinaire, and with this Sunday engagement at Birdland, he brings in his large ensemble: the New Cuban Express Big Band, whose 2020 recording Jose Marti en Nueva York and 2022 Distancia are high energy, clean works of modern large ensemble brilliance. Valera’s New Cuban Express small ensemble was nominated for 2013’s Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year. Catch his Big Band, featuring New York’s finest improvising musicians. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 5 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Sara Caswell Quartet Contemporary violinist Sara Caswell is one of the brightest stars on the instrument today. Nominated for 2018’s Grammy award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo—and winner of 2018’s Downbeat Critic’s Poll award for Rising Star: Violin—Caswell is a moving instrumentalist whose work as a solo artist, a member of the Caswell Sisters, a member of Esperanza Spalding’s Chamber Music Society, and one-third of the chamber jazz group 9 Horses is all top shelf. She brings her quartet to Birdland Theater to celebrate the release of The Way to You (Anzic, 2023), her first solo recording in 18 years. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 6 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club George Abud and Katrina Lenk – “Abud & Lenk: Swung” The duo – who starred together in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Band’s Visit – will return to the club in “Abud & Lenk: Swung.” Following up with a return of their sold-out 2019 Birdland debut, the pair will highlight a new selection of sizzling songs from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Jacques Brel, Marlene Dietrich, Umm Kulthum, and many more. They will be joined by a five-piece band. featuring AJ Luca on piano, Sam Sadigursky on reeds, Dan Berkery on drums, Yuka Tadano on bass, and Harvey Valdes on guitar, for this dreamy, madcap soirée of talk and tunes. Katrina Lenk has had the good fortune to be in several Broadway shows: The Miracle Worker, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Once the Musical, Indecent, Company, and The Band’s Visit, for which she won Tony and Grammy Awards. Her TV and film work includes a stint on the final season of “Ozark, ” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, ” “Tommy, ” and “The Good Fight.” George Abud is a proud Arab-American artist, fresh off the new musical Cornelia Street at the Atlantic Theater, starring Norbert Leo Butz. His Broadway credits include The Band’s Visit, (Daytime Emmy Award, OBC Recording) and The Visit (OBC Recording). $40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 6 (Monday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Tedd Firth Trio Tedd Firth is a renowned pianist, musical director, arranger and orchestrator. The consummate accompanist, Firth has worked with superstars Barbara Cook, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maureen McGovern, Marilyn Maye, Joshua Bell, and many others. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Frank Wess, Mark Whitfield, Red Holloway, Benny Golson and Joe Morello. Firth recently served as the musical director for the original Broadway cast of Into The Woods and for Michael Feinstein’s “Jazz and Popular Song” concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is both a leader in his field and a truly humble music-maker. Appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, and the White House. Firth brings a sensitive, swinging trio to serenade the Birdland Theater. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 7-11 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (3/7-9); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (3/10-11) *Livestream March 9 @ 7pm, fly.live/birdland – Birdland Jazz Club Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Maqueque is the brainchild of Canadian saxophone legend Jane Bunnett: an all-star, all-female group of Cuban musicians, propelled by virtuosic drumming, joyful vocals in harmony, and brilliant melodic improvisations. Bunnett grew her international fame over the course of many decades on recordings with legends Dewey Redman, Don Pullen, Jeanne Lee, Sheila Jordan, Paul Bley, and other masters, receiving the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 2004 for her artistic and social contributions. Her love affair with Cuba and Cuban music began in 1982. Since then, Maqueque, which Bunnett founded in 2014, has won two GRAMMY nominations and a Juno Award. Their beautiful, intricate arrangements are unique in their ability to showcase unbridled technical brilliance while naturally connecting to, enlivening, and inspiring audiences. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 9-12 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (3/9); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (3/10-12) – Birdland Theater Ornette Coleman Birthday Tribute: Jimmy Greene, Ben Allison, EJ Strickland, Steve Cardeans Saxophonist Jimmy Greene, bassist Ben Allison, drummer EJ Strickland, and guitarist Steve Cardenas come together to celebrate the birthday of one of American music’s most beloved, controversial, and wildly brilliant artists: saxophone legend Ornette Coleman, whose natural, heartfelt melodies and fearless improvising broke open the jazz genre entirely in the late 1950s and early 60s. The group is led by powerful saxophonist Greene and innovative composer Allison – both of whom have dug deeply into Ornette’s music. Together they pay tribute to the enigmatic icon whose Free Jazz (1961), The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959), Science Fiction (1972), Song X (1986) and many other recordings each brought jazz as was contemporaneously known down to its essence. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 12 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Steven Feifke Big Band Hot off of a Grammy win for Best Large Ensemble Album of 2023 for his Generation Gap Orchestra with Bijon Watson, Steven Feifke is back at Birdland, this time with his own Big Band. Recognized by GRAMMY.com as one of six big band composers pushing the format forwards and heralded a “masterful pianist” by JAZZIZ magazine, award-winning Yamaha Performing Artist, bandleader and composer Steven Feifke is one of the most in-demand artists of his generation. A two-time semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition, Feifke has been featured on stages around the world alongside premiere artists including Steve Tyrell, Randy Brecker, Chad LB and Veronica Swift, with an impressive performance history at internationally recognized venues and festivals. International tours across Europe, Africa and Asia along with an extensive discography of over 30 albums all before turning 30 have established Feifke’s name as a formidable presence in jazz. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 13 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club The Brat Pack featuring Kathryn Allison, Sam Gravitte, Luke Hawkins, and Jelani Remy Four of Broadway’s brightest stars bring the timeless style and energy of the original Rat Pack to this raucous, roaring, ring-a-ding evening of showtunes and standards. Swing along with Broadway’s own in the debut of “The Brat Pack, ” starring Kathryn Allison, Sam Gravitte, Luke Hawkins, and Jelani Remy. Kathryn Allison is a dynamic singer who was the winner of NYMF’s Next Broadway Sensation and later made her Broadway debut in Aladdin. Since then, Ms. Allison has been in the Broadway musicals Wicked, and the Tony-winning revival of Company. Sam Gravitte is an actor, writer, and guitarist. He starred as Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway. Other major professional credits include Almost Famous at the Old Globe Theatre, Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and his solo show “Songs That Raised Me, ” which debuted at Birdland. Luke Hawkins is a NYC based tap dancer and choreographer who has choreographed for Harry Connick, Jr. and performed alongside him in concerts including The Hollywood Bowl, Wolftrap, and the Palladium in London. Luke also performed in and choreographed Connick’s Broadway show A Tribute to Cole Porter. Luke’s theatre credits include Broadway’s Xanadu, Cirque duSoleil’s Banana Shpeel and New York City Center Encores! productions of No, No, Nanette; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; and On Your Toes. Jelani Remy, a New Jersey native, was last seen on Broadway as Eddie Kendricks in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. He made his Broadway debut playing Simba in Disney’s The Lion King. $40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 13 (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 electrifying contemporary jazz group. Part of the movement by millennial artists from Northern California to blend jazz and indie rock sensibilities, Yaffee represents a particularly intimate and authentic space in jazz music where the authentically modern meets the nostalgic and the reverential. Under her belt already are tours of Europe with Becca Stevens (Winner of Downbeat’s prestigious “Rising Star Vocalist” award); acting and guitar roles in Bacchae at the Classical Theater of Harlem; and an endorsement by PRS Guitars. Her debut album, Someone Else, features appearances by music greats such as Cindy Blackman Santana, Pepe Jimenez, Jeff Cressman and Ronnie Foster. Catch her on this Monday night engagement at the Theater! $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 14-18 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (3/14-16); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (3/17-18) – Birdland Jazz Club The Cookers One of the longest-working supergroups in jazz history, the Cookers have for fifteen strong years brought together seven of the biggest names in jazz. Drummer Billy Hart, bassist Cecil McBee, pianist George Cables, saxophonists Billy Pierce and Donald Harrison, and trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss have each made powerful contributions to the history of the music and can be heard on no less than a collective 1, 000 recordings. Together, they make robust, high-octane statements, bringing back to life the harmonic and melodic sensibilities of the 1960s explorations that made jazz music what it is today. With six full-length recordings to their name—including iTunes 2014 Jazz CD of the Year Time and Time Again—this group of jazz legends has headlined more than twenty major international festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Playboy Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz a Vienne, London Jazz Festival, San Sebastian Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, and Jazz in Marciac. Anyone looking to hear jazz masters hold the flame in fiery form should make a point to witness the Cookers, who hold court at Birdland for five nights. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 16 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Composer’s Concordance Presents Ludwig’s Night Out featuring violinist Anne Akiko Myers Join Anne Akiko Myers, one of the world’s most esteemed concert violinists with nearly 30 albums under her own name, as she performs “Ludwig’s Night Out” by modern composer and veritable mad scientist Gene Pritzker. In the piece, Beethoven wanders the city streets with Sonata No. 4 in his head. He enters several music halls—jazz, rock, metal, techno, and reggae—and the Sonata in his head reflects each style. Akiko Myers, who has premiered new work at the Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, and Walt Disney Hall, was a perfect choice, and she joins the group Sound Liberation to perform the work, which features the great Jay Rodriguez on tenor saxophone and flute. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 17-19 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Orrin Evans Quartet Orrin Evans is a prolific modern jazz composer and performer, a Philadelphia powerhouse, a New York institution; the fearless leader of the Captain Black Big Band, the Eubanks-Evans-Experience (with Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks), Terreno Comun (featuring vocalist Alexia Bomtempo); one-third of Tar Baby (with the iconic Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis), and the second pianist in The Bad Plus. Twice Grammy-nominated for his two big band albums, and simply one of the top musicians in the jazz scene worldwide, Orrin Evans is one of the genre’s most active, exuberant, and imaginative practitioners. His own quartet performs daring, contemporary, and virtuosic music on the front lines of the jazz tradition. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 19 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Jihye Lee The winner of BMI Foundation’s Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, Jihye Lee has a wild imagination which guides her in weaving lyrical melodies throughout her evocative arrangements. Indeed, arranging icon Jim McNeely praises her writing for the “exciting chances” that it takes. A rising voice in large ensemble music, Lee has written for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz. Originally from South Korea, her work breaks traditional boundaries for the genre and fits into no easy boxes. Her 2017 album April responded to a 2014 ferry boat tragedy off the shores of Korea; and with her 2021 record Daring Mind, Lee paints portraits of her New York life. Daring Mind has received worldwide acclaim from the likes of the New York Times, NPR, Jazzwise, Jazz Times and more. Her ensemble performs for one special night at Birdland. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 20 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Karen Mason – “Kander & Ebb… All That Jazz!” Mason returns to Birdland with an encore performance of her show “Kander & Ebb…And All That Jazz, ” which shares her love of songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb. As one of the original stars of the off-Broadway production of And the World Goes ‘Round, Mason has a personal connection to these legends and their music. A night of unforgettable stories, laughter, and music, including “Ring Them Bells, ” “My Coloring Book, ” and “Go Back Home, ” this show highlights Mason’s vocal prowess, charisma, and overall versatility. Mason is the star of Broadway’s Mamma Mia!, Wonderland, Hairspray, and Sunset Boulevard, as well as the first US tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Love Never Dies. She is the also the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. She has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and The Drury Lane Oakbrook, as well as Royal Albert Hall in London. She has eight albums, including her latest release Let the Music Play, featuring the title song from Paul Rolnick and David Friedman. $40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 20 (Monday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Orange Coffee Orange Coffee (formerly Kat Rodriguez) is a multi-talented, Grammy-nominated singer, saxophonist, songwriter, vocalist, and educator. Over her career she has performed with the likes of Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Kelly Clarkson, Kanye West, The Dixie Chicks, Missy Elliott, Anthony Hamilton, Nikki Minaj, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Estelle, and Ciara—some of the biggest musical acts in the past 20 years. As her solo project Orange Coffee, she sings contemporary R&B/hip-hop as naturally as if it had been her calling card all along. Vibe with Orange Coffee on this Monday night at the Theater. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 21 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater Ella Mae Dixon Band Captivating 19 year-old singer Ella Mae Dixon is drawn to the music of a bygone era. Her style, which revives the singers of yesteryear for modern ears, has seen her recreating classics such as “Hawaiian War Chant, ” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, ” and “Hit the Road, Jack” with the all-female 1940s-style singing group The Satin Dollz. Ella Mae recently collaborated with veteran guitarist Sean Harkness, designing a show that reimagines popular songs from the 1950s and 60s. Since the fall of 2021, Ella Mae has been a member of The Juilliard School’s Extension program. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 21-25 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (3/21-23); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (3/24-25) – Birdland Jazz Club SFJAZZ Collective The SFJAZZ Collective’s mission is “to perform fresh arrangements of works by a modern master and newly commissioned pieces by each member….simultaneously honoring music’s greatest figures while championing jazz’s up-to-the-minute directions.” This year’s members include Mike Rodriguez, trumpet; Kendrick Scott, drums; Matt Brewer, bass; David Sanchez, saxophone; Warren Wolff, vibraphone; Chris Potter, saxophone; and Edward Simon, piano. They have studied and performed the work of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, António Carlos Jobim, and Sly Stone, and they have created over 100 new arrangements and original compositions. A masterful lineup, this is a jazz supergroup. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 23 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Monday Michiru The daughter of music masters Toshiko Akiyoshi and Charlie Mariano, as well as reedist Lew Tabackin, Monday Michiru has led an abundantly successful life as a performer across media. First raised as a musician, the gifted young Michiru became famous as an actress in 1987, winning Japan Film Academy’s Best New Actress award for her role in Hikaru Onna by Shinji Somai. She also hosted her own radio programs, modeled, and wrote columns as a journalist, all while performing as a musician. Indeed, Michiru became known as one of the mothers of the Japanese acid jazz movement, releasing several chart-topping hits. Today, her music is a melange of jazz, soul, Brazilian, folk, and other world flavors. Don’t miss this special artist! $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 24-26 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Don Braden Quartet Tenor Saxophonist, flute player, and composer Don Braden has toured the world with jazz legends Betty Carter, Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Terumaso Hino, Mingus Big Band, Geri Allen, Art Farmer, J.J. Johnson, Tom Harrell, Mulgrew Miller and others. His 21 recordings as a leader—not to mention his compositions and arrangements for film and television programs on Nickelodeon and CBS—reveal a distinctive personal sound radiating joy and virtuosity. Braden is widely considered one of his generations foremost reedists and brings a quartet to this weekend at the Theater. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 26 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Hailey Brinnel The excellent Hailey Brinnel is both vocalist and trombonist, bringing a heartfelt lyricism and swing to both. With her band, Brinnel performs jazz from the 1920s-40s, singing with a wry exuberance and hip rhythmic attitude. A performer since age 12 and just recently a finalist in 2021’s Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Brinnel’s music has brought her onto stages with the best of the best, including The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The Philly Pops, Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Ingrid Jensen, Anat Cohen, Tony Glausi, Haley Reinhart, and Camille Thurman. She was featured on Spotify’s Best Vocal Jazz of 2022 editorial playlist and has performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in NYC, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in NYC, and other major jazz venues. Her debut album, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles, peaked at #13 on Amazon’s Jazz New Release chart. Enjoy her lively band and snappy arrangements. $30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 27 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club The Jason Yeager Septet – “Unstuck in Time: the Kurt Vonnegut Suite” with guests Miguel Zenón and Julie Benko Following his Birdland bandleader debut with Broadway singer-actress Julie Benko, Jason Yeager returns to the storied club fronting his own seven-piece ensemble. This time, Yeager & Co. celebrate the release of his seventh recording, “Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite” (Sunnyside Records). Launched on the occasion of Kurt Vonnegut’s centennial, Yeager’s colorful and exuberant suite employs novel approaches to integrate literature with instrumental music, dialoguing with the late master of American Letters through musical onomatopoeia, text painting, and imagined scene scoring. Featuring Yeager’s adventurous and lyrical writing, ranging from straight-ahead to Latin and modern jazz, the album features some of today’s most dynamic improviser-performers, including Miguel Zenón, Lucas Pino, Yuhan Su, Jay Sawyer, and Alphonso Horne, among others. In his fall preview for WRTI, noted jazz writer and former New York Times critic Nate Chinen calls Jason’s new album “a spirited tribute that engages in sneaky ways with the form of Vonnegut’s texts.” $35 tables / $35 bar seating + $20 food/drink minimum March 27 (Monday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Jason Kravits – “Off the Top!” Kravits returns to Birdland with “Off the Top!” after several sold-out shows over the last few years. Whether you recognize him from Broadway (The Drowsy Chaperone, Relatively Speaking) or TV (“Halston, ” “The Undoing, ” “Dr. Death, ” “B Positive, ” “Search Party”), you’ve never seen Jason Kravits quite like this. In a performance London’s Reviewsgate calls “a five-star masterclass in the art of improv, ” Jason invents an entire cabaret, from scratch, right before your eyes. Every song, every lyric, every show-biz anecdote, humblebrag and overshare… made up, on the spot, based on your suggestions. Backed by the most daring band in the business, and featuring very special guests, Jason creates a solo, improvised musical-comedy high wire act you must see to believe. $30 tables / $30 bar seating + $10 food/drink minimum March 28 – April 1 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (3/28-30); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (3/31-4/1) – Birdland Jazz Club Eliane Elias With over 2.2 million albums sold to date, Eliane Elias’ singular sound is one of the most unique and immediately recognizable in jazz. Elias blends her Brazilian roots and alluring voice with her instrumental jazz, classical and contemporary skills as a vocalist and pianist. The New York Times has described Elias’ live concert as “a celebration of the vitality of a culture overflowing with life and natural beauty” and JAZZIZ has called her “a citizen of the world” and “an artist beyond category.” Her most recent recording, MIRROR MIRROR (Candid, 2021) – a set of duets with Eliane and the late Chick Corea, and Eliane and Chucho Valdez – won the 2022 GRAMMY® Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. With her trio of bass master Marc Johnson (Bill Evans Trio) and drummer Rafael Barata (Ivan Lins), plus special guests, she will deliver her trademark brilliance for Birdland audiences. $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 30 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Ariana Neikrug The pure-toned vocalist Ariana Neikrug is no stranger to success. The daughter of musical parents, she began singing at age 3 and went on to win major honors in the world of jazz voice: in 2015, she received an Outstanding Soloist Award at the Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival and won the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. With her 2018 debut of Changes, Neikrug became a Concord Music Group recording artist. Changes, produced by Kurt Elling’s pianist, Laurence Hobgood, includes standards and originals, freshly performed for modern ears. And modern ears delighted in Changes when Neikrug brought the music on her first international tour in 2018. Indeed, the Chicago Tribune named it one of the “Best Jazz Vocal Recordings of 2018, ” calling it “the vocal debut of the year, ” and JAZZIZ and PASTE magazines named the singer one of their “Artists to Watch in 2019.” Ariana’s new sound, captivating performances, and electric band are not to be missed for this Thursday evening performance. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 31 – April 2 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater Emilie-Claire Barlow Album Release: Spark Bird A total performer, the Canadian-born Emilie-Claire Barlow is an award-winning vocalist hailing from a musical family. Barlow is the recipient of 7 Juno Award nominations, winning the Best Jazz Vocal award in 2013 and 2016 for her albums Seule ce soir and Clear Day, and Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2008 National Jazz Awards. Her work—a fusion of popular song, Barlow’s smooth and sultry voice, and the alluring musical textures of Brazil and France—has received nearly 150 million streams on Spotify and nearly 170 million on Pandora. A long-time television actor, the brilliant Barlow has been on hundreds of TV show episodes, playing long-running characters on such beloved shows as Sailor Moon, Almost Naked Animals, Numb Chucks, and Fugget About It. She releases her 13th full-length album, Spark Bird, on March 31st, celebrating the recording’s premiere and her NYC debut at the Birdland Theater. $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum Monthly Engagements: March 6, 13, 20, 27 (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 March 7, 21 (Tuesdays bi-weekly) 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 March 14, 28 (Tuesdays bi-weekly) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks for their final performance in a highly successful 7-week Tuesday night residency at the 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! $30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (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 March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guest guitarists: Saul Rubin (3/1), Dave Stryker (3/8), Ken Peplowski (tenor/clarinet 3/15 & 29), Pasquale Grasso (3/22). $30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Fridays) 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!” $30 + $20 food/drink minimum March 4, 11, 18, 25 (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 March 5, 12, 19, 26 (Sundays) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (Octet 2/12) 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. |
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