Help Save Birdland Jazz Club- How You Can Donate to the Iconic Music Venue Today!
The campaign was launched by Tom D'Angora, who also spearheaded the efforts to save the West Bank Cafe in December 2020.
By: Stephi Wild Jan. 03, 2021
Yet another one of New York's most beloved venues is in danger of closing for good. Birdland Jazz Club, a staple of the New York City jazz community since 1949, needs help with the debt it has found itself in due to the health crisis.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Tom D'Angora, who also spearheaded the efforts to save the West Bank Cafe in December 2020.
"Shortly after the community pulled off the West Bank miracle, my longtime friends, Jim Caruso and Susie Mosher, reached out and let me know that Birdland, was also in danger of closing its doors for good in just a few weeks if something isn't done," D'Angora wrote in the campaign's description.
UPDATE: As of January 18, 2021 the campaign has raised over $250,000.
DONATE TODAY!
In the meantime, tune in every Monday at 8pm for Jim Caruso's Pajama Cast Party!
Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979. A revival began in 1986 with the opening of the second nightclub by the same name that is now located in Manhattan's Theater District, not far from the original nightclub's location. The current location is in the same building as the previous headquarters of The New York Observer.
The club has hosted memorable sets by such musicians as Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, Diana Krall, Roy Haynes, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Pat Martino, Tony Williams, Hank Jones, Michel Petrucciani, Maynard Ferguson, Freddie Hubbard, Marian McPartland, John Pizzarelli, Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, Michael Brecker, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jon Hendricks, George Shearing, James Moody, Yellowjackets, John Scofield, Phoebe Snow, Dave Holland, and Tito Puente, as well as the big bands of Chico O'Farrill, Duke Ellington, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Maria Schneider. In addition, Birdland is home to such popular musical events as the Umbria Jazz Festival in NYC and the Annual Django Reinhardt NY Festival. The club has established itself as an essential part of New York jazz history.
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