Leslie Odom, Jr., Matthew Broderick and More Set for Save Birdland Streaming Concert

Former President Bill Clinton, Tony Award-winner Leslie Odom, Jr., Tony-nominee Jeff Daniels and more have signed on for a concert fundraiser to save iconic New York venue Birdland.

The free streaming concert will take place on January 24 at 7 PM on the Save Birdland website.

Also set to make appearances are Matthew Broderick, Norm Lewis, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, Martha Plimpton, Chita Rivera, Randy Rainbow, Billy Stritch, Mercedes Ruehl, Ken Burns, Peter Cincotti, Giancarlo Esposito, Diana Krall, Melissa Leo, Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Clive Davis, Elvis Costello, John Pizzarelli, Catherine Russell, and Veronica Swift.

Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

A GoFundMe campaign was recently launched by Tom D'Angora to help save the iconic New York Venue, Birdland Jazz Club- D'Angora also spearheaded the efforts to save the West Bank Cafe in December 2020. The GoFundMe campaign has currently raised $229,934 thanks to the help of 3,100 donors.

"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.

To learn more or to donate, click here.

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.