Birdland Jazz To Present Emmet Cohen Trio, Svetlana's Big Band And More This Month
Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Emmet Cohen Trio, Svetlana's Big Band, Jane Monheit and Ken Peplowski: Bird with Strings.
Get all the details on jazz programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater running December 2nd - December 15th.
Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Emmet Cohen Trio, Svetlana's Big Band, Jane Monheit and Ken Peplowski: Bird with Strings.
Downstairs at Birdland Theater catch Vanessa Racci, Anna Kolchina Quartet, Olivia Chindamo and Mathew Sheens, Tatiana Eva Marie, Kat Edmondson and David DeJesus BopTet.
Repeat engagements for the rest of the period include Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band, Birdland Big Band, The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and Bruce Harris.
December 2 (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 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/2, 9, 16); $50 tables / $40 bar / $30 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/23, 30)
December 3 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vanessa Racci and Robert Lamont: Harry Warren - From Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood
Born in Brooklyn as Salvatore Antonio Guaragna, Harry Warren (1893-1981) is one of the greatest composers to emerge from Tin Pan Alley, his compositions forming a core of the American Songbook. He is also the most important Italian-American composer of popular song in the 20th century. With almost no equal in popular music, Warren won three Academy Awards for Best Song and had more than 55 songs that charted in the Top 10 on “Your Hit Parade” with 16 hitting number one. Jazz singer Vanessa Racci and music educator and performer, Robert Lamont will perform a compilation of Harry Warren songs paired with "edutaining" anecdotes and classic movie footage. The musical highlights from Harry Warren's illustrious career, include his work on Tin Pan Alley and moving through Warren's movie hits at four major Hollywood studios.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 3-7 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/3-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (12/6-7) – Birdland Jazz Club
Emmet Cohen Trio (with Houston Person, 12/7)
Virtuoso pianist Emmet Cohen has taken the jazz world by storm. When the pandemic caused a lockdown in March 2020, the pianist—Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, 1st prize winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and Finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition—decided to begin filming concerts from his Harlem apartment, calling them “Live From Emmet's Place” and featuring his trio of bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole with special guest friends. The series became an instant hit; now, with over 1,000,000 views across more than 300 high-production videos, Emmet's Place is a (literal) household name in jazz. He brings his new trio to Birdland for the week to offer some swinging warmth against the December winds. Houston Person is a special guest on the last night.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 3 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Anna Kolchina Quartet
Russian-born, St. Petersburg-trained, and New York-based jazz vocalist Anna Kolchina makes sultry and soulful music that touches jazz lovers' hearts. She has released three albums as a leader: Street of Dreams (2015); Dark Eyes (2016); and Wild Is The Wind (2017), all on the Japanese label Venus Records. Highlights of Kolchina's work include collaboration with piano master Massimo Farao, an invitation to perform at Bobby Durham's Jazz Festival in Isola del Cantone, Italy, and an appearance on the cover of Jazz Perspective. For this engagement at Birdland, she is backed by a swinging outfit of Jinjoo Yoo (piano), Paul Gill (bass) and Evan Sherman (drums). Let yourself be enchanted by Kolchina's smooth, impassioned interpretations of American Songbook standards.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 4 (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!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/4, 11, 18); $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/24-25)
December 4 (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 drummer Alex Raderman, perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. This week, catch special guest Rodney Jones. *Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 5 (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 is a New Orleans-style group which for decades has served as Woody Allen's band of choice in his movies, concert tours and other performances—including, on the silver screen, the celebrated Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. Appearing on all the premiere concert stages of Europe and the United States, the group features 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), and Kevin Dorn (drums). Catch them each Thursday at Birdland Theater.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 5 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Olivia Chindamo & Matthew Sheens: Portraits & Propagations
“Simply the best piano/vocal duo album I have heard in many years,” says piano legend Fred Hersch of “Portraits & Propagations,” the new independently released recording by Olivia Chindamo and Matthew Sheens, out this past October. Both members of this captivating Australian-born, New York-based duo are groundbreaking artists. Chindamo made history as the first ever female jazz voice graduate at The Juilliard School, receiving a Masters degree. Humbly delivering incredible vocal technique and a keen attention to vocal storytelling, she has performed extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia, including at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Club, and Lincoln Center. Sheens is a genre-defying voice himself on the keys, performing with some of modern jazz's most important figures: John Patitucci, Eric Harland, Donnie McCaslin, Jerry Bergonzi, Myron Walden, Ben Wendel, and others. On this joint effort, the two deliver what they call a “democratically curated collection of forgotten Great American Songbook gems, masterfully reworked classics and original composition.”
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 6 (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!”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 6-8 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Tatiana Eva Marie
Tatiana Eva Marie is a transatlantic bandleader, singer, and actress based in Brooklyn. Best known for her work leading the Avalon Jazz Band – a band with a Parisian “vintage” flair that has gathered 80 million views on YouTube – her interests have led her to explore a wide range of musical styles, from 1930s pop to modern jazz. Tatiana Eva-Marie's singing is always inspired by her own French and Romani heritage; a love for the Parisian art scene era spanning the 1920s to the 60s; a passion for Gypsy music and a deep connection to the Great American Songbook. For this Friday-through-Sunday engagement, she brings a different show each night. On Friday, she presents “Paris Chanson: A Tribute to the Edith Piaf & Great French Chanteurs” featuring special guest Ben Rosenblum; Saturday, “Jazz a Saint-Germain: 1920's & 30s Paris Swing!” with special guest Danial Garlitsky; and on Sunday, she presents “From Paris to New Orleans” with special guests Evan Christopher & Sasha Masakowski.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 7 (Saturday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Bruce Harris
A virtuosic trumpet player whose love of the jazz tradition led Wynton Marsalis to name him in Ebony Magazine as one of 5 young jazz musicians to know, the beloved Bruce Harris is an artist, educator, and curator based in New York City. Regular performances at New York's most prestigious venues, including Smalls, Smoke, Dizzy's, Ginny's, Minton's, and Rockwood place Bruce squarely in the center of the city's booming music scene; appearances on CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon have placed him in an international limelight. He serves as Program Director at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. An adept sideman, Harris has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Billy Taylor, The Count Basie Orchestra, Barry Harris, Roy Hargrove, and Tony Bennett. His first recording as a leader, “Beginnings,” was released on Posi-Tone; his second, “Soundview,” was released on Cellar Live and La Reserve. His latest work is “The Lighting of the Lamp” (La Reserve/Cellar Live, 2022) with co-leader Grant Stewart; a tribute recording to his mentor, Barry Harris, is forthcoming. Harris is sure to delight audiences with swinging lines and a clear tone.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 8 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
New York Holidays with Svetlana's Big Band
Sveltana's Big Band, called “lush” (NY Music Daily) and “energetic” (Wall Street Journal), delivers that unmistakable vintage sound you know and love, animated by thrilling arrangements highlighting Svetlana's own captivating frontwoman stage presence and vocals. The band reflects the idealism of the classic swing band sound while offering an exhilarating experience for jazz lovers and 21st century modern audiences alike. For this special evening—named a Time Out NY Critics' Pick 3 years in a row—Svetlana has prepared a heartwarming set of her favorite songs for the holidays. The band is co-directed by Emily Fredrickson (Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band) and features NYC's top talent: the likes of Jason Marshall, Nicole Glover, Willerm Delisfort, Curtis Nowosad, Wayne Tucker, Anthony Hervey, and other city veterans. So “prepare to swing and be moved!” (JazzLives) and experience the “sweet and naughty” (JazzLives) magic in this special New York Holidays show celebrating the things that bring us together—even when it's cold outside!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 8 (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 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 9 (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 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/2, 9, 16, 17); $50 tables / $40 bar / $30 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/23, 30)
December 10 (Tuesday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Kat Edmondson Holiday Show
Critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Kat Edmonson has graced major stages across the United States, Europe, and Japan, performing her unique brand of music—self-described as “vintage-pop.” She has appeared in major motion pictures (with Woody Allen and with Harry Connick, Jr.); performed on radio and television (including several appearances on NPR as well as on Jay Leno's and Dave Letterman's nightly shows); and released nine albums to date, earning her #1 spots on Amazon, iTunes, and Billboard Charts. Arranged in the style of jazz, world music, and chamber-pop, she draws influences from Africa, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Europe, and early to mid-century America. On 2020's Dreamers Do, the vocalist took listeners on a journey through the emotional struggle of daring to dream—all in the course of one sleepless night. More recently, Edmonson dived into a timeless form: a Christmas record! Her Kat Edmonson Christmas Vol.1: Holiday Swingin'! covers a battery of favorites with her characteristic panache, including “White Christmas,” “Let It Snow!,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “O Christmas Tree,” and other classics. On this cold Tuesday evening at the Theater, expect this iconic material for her holidays-themed show.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 10-14 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/10-12); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (12/13-14) – Birdland Jazz Club
Jane Monheit: “The Merriest” Holiday Show
Celebrate the holidays with Jane Monheit as she picks a selection of “The Merriest” holiday songs she knows and loves. With a robust, sultry tone and an uplifting stage presence, Jane Monheit has become a household name among contemporary jazz fans over the last 15 years, who have come to identify her with the living tradition of swinging vocalists. Performing standards from the Great American Songbook in a way that is both all her own and yet deeply dedicated to the great achievements of the Master Singers, Monheit has been the vocalist of choice on recordings by the great Terence Blanchard (Let's Get Lost), Tom Harrell (Wise Children), Harold Mabern (Afro Blue), David Benoit (Two in Love and Believe) and others. As a leader, she has released 13 full-length albums; recent engagements at Birdland Jazz Club celebrated the release of her album Come What May (Club44, 2021) as well as watching her perform a tribute to master female vocalists alongside favorites Champian Fulton and Lezlie Harrison. Monheit is at her peak: sharpened by years on the road, yet calm, since post-pandemic touring schedules have allowed her to stay more frequently inside, nourished by the closeness to her loved ones. Performing with her long-time group that features her husband, Rick Montalbano, on drums, Monheit will bring audiences into her warm holiday world for this cheerful and intimate week of performances.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 11 (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!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/4, 11, 18); $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/24-25)
December 11 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Pasquale Grasso.
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 drummer Alex Raderman, perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. This week, it's Pasquale Grasso.
*Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 12 (Thursday) – 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 is a New Orleans-style group which for decades has served as Woody Allen's band of choice in his movies, concert tours, and other performances—including, on the silver screen, the celebrated Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. Appearing on all the premiere concert stages of Europe and the United States, the group features 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), and Kevin Dorn (drums). Catch them each Thursday at Birdland Theater.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 13 (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!”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 13-15 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
David DeJesus BopTet: Charlie Parker Celebration
David DeJesus is a master of the alto saxophone, fluent across Latin, jazz, and dozens of other styles. The director of the Birdland Big Band, he has been a fixture on the New York City music scene for three decades, performing with the best of the best: the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Ron Carter's Great Big Band, and Jimmy Heath's Big Band; the Grammy-nominated Arturo O'Farrill Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Ruben Blades, Larry Harlow, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. DeJesus is a passionate educator and serves as Professor of Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase where he directs the conservatory's Latin Jazz Orchestra. He leads a quintet featuring some of NYC's brightest at Birdland for this Sunday evening engagement: Nathan Eklund (trumpet), Donald Vega (piano), Ricky Rodriguez (bass), and Chris Smith (drums). They perform a selection of classic Charlie Parker and Parker-inspired contemporary material.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 14 (Saturday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Bruce Harris
A virtuosic trumpet player whose love of the jazz tradition led Wynton Marsalis to name him in Ebony Magazine as one of 5 young jazz musicians to know, the beloved Bruce Harris is an artist, educator, and curator based in New York City. Regular performances at New York's most prestigious venues, including Smalls, Smoke, Dizzy's, Ginny's, Minton's, and Rockwood place Bruce squarely in the center of the city's booming music scene; appearances on CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC's The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon have placed him in an international limelight. He serves as Program Director at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. An adept sideman, Harris has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Billy Taylor, The Count Basie Orchestra, Barry Harris, Roy Hargrove, and Tony Bennett. His first recording as a leader, “Beginnings,” was released on Posi-Tone; his second, “Soundview,” was released on Cellar Live and La Reserve. His latest work is “The Lighting of the Lamp” (La Reserve/Cellar Live, 2022) with co-leader Grant Stewart; a tribute recording to his mentor, Barry Harris, is forthcoming. Harris is sure to delight audiences with swinging lines and a clear tone.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 15 (Sunday) 5:30 & 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Birdland's 75th Anniversary Celebration
5:30 pm: Ken Peplowski Quintet featuring Terell Stafford
8:30 pm & 10:30 pm: Ken Peplowski Quintet and Orchestra featuring Terell Stafford: Bird with Strings
Cleveland native tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Peplowski, “...arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist” (BBC), presents “Bird With Strings”—a birthday celebration of Bird's best-loved album, “Charlie Parker with Strings,” originally released in 1950. For this special engagement at Birdland, the ensemble will perform Bird's recorded arrangements as well as newly discovered and unheard arrangements commissioned by Charlie Parker himself from his favorite contemporaries: Gerry Mulligan, John Carisi, George Russell, John Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Ed Herzog, Neal Hefti. These “unheard” arrangements are featured on Peplowski's latest recording on Arbors Records, “Unheard Bird.” For three special sets, Ken leads a quintet and quartet accompanied by an 8-piece string orchestra. Absolutely don't miss!
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
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