BIRDLAND Announces Programming Through June 5th

Below, you'll find details on all jazz programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater running May 24 - June 5. Artists appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include The Tierney Sutton Band, Robert Edwards Big Band, Brecker-Liebman-Copland Quintet and Greg Ruvolo Big Band.

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, you'll find Bill O'Connell Quartet with Craig Handy, Aaron Diehl & David Wong, Dezron Douglas Quartet, Ed Neumeister Quartet, Ty Stephens and Gil Guttierez Trio.

Regular events include David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Birdland Big Band and Arturo O'Farrill & The Latin Jazz Ensemble. Starting on May 31, vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli will perform with her trio every Tuesday evening in the Birdland Theater.

May 24-28 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/24-6); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (5/27-8) - Birdland Jazz Club / Livestream Event, Thursday May 26
The Tierney Sutton Band
Hailed by The New York Times as "a serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level," Tierney Sutton is an 8-time Grammy nominee, receiving 7 consecutive "Best Jazz Vocal Album" nominations for each project she has released in the last decade. With a recording and touring history spanning over 20 years and 9 CDs, The Tierney Sutton Band is a true collaborative unit with a rich thematic discography that has addressed Americana (American Road, 2011); materialism (Desire, 2009); the pursuit of happiness (On The Other Side, 2007); the musical legacies of Frank Sinatra (Dancing in The Dark, 2003) and Bill Evans (Blue in Green, 2001); as well as scoring Clint Eastwood's Sully. In recent years, Sutton has headlined at The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Jazz At Lincoln Center. Her latest recording, Paris Sessions II, which deepens her musical connection with now-husband Serge Merlaud, is due out in early May. Don't miss this iconic group!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 25 (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

May 25 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater / Livestream Event
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 @ 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/Jimmy Bruno Quartet" featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the Standards repertoire + special guests: John DiMartino (4/6), Aaron Weinstein (4/13), Olli Soikkeli (4/20, Dave Stryker* (4/27), Martin Taylor (5/4). *The last Wednesday of the month is "Solo Guitar Night," a Round-Robin of unaccompanied solo, duo, and trio guitar performances.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 26 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Bill O'Connell Quartet feat Craig Handy
Bill O'Connell's creative career in music has seen him performing with and writing for both straight-ahead jazz legends and Latin jazz all-stars. From Mongo Santamaria and Dave Valentin to Charles Fambrough and Nnenna Freelon, the talented O'Connell has appeared on nearly 100 recordings including nearly 20 of his own. Engagements with Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Astrud Gilberto, and the Fort Apache Band have marked his star-studded life in music, as well four separate years winning the "Jazz Writer of the Year" award from SESAC. The pianist and composer brings a trio to Birdland to explore his flights of fancy across multiple musical worlds.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 27 (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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 27-28 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Aaron Diehl & David Wong Duo in the Theater
Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl mystifies listeners with his layered artistry. At once temporal and ethereal, his expression transforms the piano into an orchestral vessel in the spirit of beloved predecessors Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner and Jelly Roll Morton. He is joined here by bassist David Wong. Wong was born and raised in New York City, and is a graduate of the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts, where he developed his passion for music under the tutelage of tuba master Bob Stewart. This dynamic duo is sure to impress.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 29 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Robert Edwards Big Band
Legendary bassist John Lee has called Robert Edwards "One of the future giants of the jazz trombone." Educated at the prestigious Juilliard School, and an alumnus of the bands of Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, Edwards has proved himself as a highly gifted voice in the upper echelons of the New York scene. "A wonderful trombonist," says the great Steve Turre. Edwards's debut on D Clef Records, Sound Business, features a stellar cast of young talent and the trombonist's arrangements and compositions which range from clever to pensive, from twisting to expansive. For this engagement at Birdland Jazz Club, he assembles a full big band. Edwards plays Michael Rath trombones exclusively.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


May 29 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Dezron Douglas Quartet
Regarded as one of the foremost bassists of his generation, Dezron Douglas is a composer, bandleader, and educator whose presence in the bands of Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Cyrus Chestnut, David Murray, Louis Hayes, Enrico Rava, George Cables, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green, and Trey Anastasio have cemented his reputation as a star. As young man, Douglas was the protégé of the great saxophonist Jackie McLean. Now, recorded on over 100 albums, including 6 as a leader, Douglas is a full-fledged power of his own. He recently released Force Majeure with harpist Brandee Younger (International Anthem, 2020) and the solo bass record Meditations of Faith (2021), and sits on faculty at NYU Steinhardt School of Music.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


May 29 (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" (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.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 30 (Monday) 8:30 - Birdland Theater
Ed Neumeister Quartet
Ed Neumeister's New York small band is a quartet featuring Gary Versace on piano, Drew Gress on bass and Tom Rainey on drums. Neumeister has recently established a new jazz orchestra in New York, the diverse, multi-generational Assembláge, which is the third such large group of his career, after the NeuHat Ensemble (1992-2017, in New York) and ENJO (2006-2011, in Los Angeles). As a trombonist, Neumeister is a member of the Joe Lovano Nonet. Ed Neumeister received a 2020 Composer Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Neumeister's most recent release, is the 2021 critically acclaimed What Have I Done? On Meistero Music Records. He is thrilled to present his small group at Birdland.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 31 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Gabrielle Stravelli Trio
Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli takes over Tuesday nights at Birdland Theater in June with her trademark vocal style and her trio of Pat O'Leary (bass) and Michael Kanaan (piano). Together, they explore both familiar classics and lesser-known gems of the canon that highlight the diversity of creators behind the Great American Songbook-immigrants, black Americans, woman composers and more-and show that the Songbook is for everyone. For her part, Stravelli's clear tone, gutsy rhythm, impeccable scat-singing and contagious joy have delighted audiences the world over. Her recent honors include the Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording (2020); the Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Jazz Vocalist (2019); the MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist (2015); and the Bistro Award as a Jazz Vocalist (2015). Expect a swinging, engaging month of music.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 31 - June 4 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/31-6/2); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (6/3-4) - Birdland Jazz Club
Brecker, Liebman, Copland Quintet
Some of the most adventurous, celebrated improvisers to emerge in the post-Coltrane era, the members of the Brecker/Copland/Liebman Quintet have delivered brilliant performances for the last five decades and have not lost their original fire. With Randy Brecker on trumpet, Marc Copland on piano, Dave Liebman on saxophone, Drew Gress on bass and Joey Baron on drums, they represent a cadre of musicians that have consistently pushed the boundaries of the jazz tradition in multiple directions: toward fusion, the avant garde, into classical territories, and deeper into the spiritual tradition paved by John Coltrane. In 2020, these heavyweights released Quint5t on Innervoice Jazz. They bring their collective powers to Birdland for a week of marvelous performances.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

June 1 (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

June 1 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater / Livestream Event
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 @ 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/Jimmy Bruno Quartet" featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the Standards repertoire + special guests: John DiMartino (4/6), Aaron Weinstein (4/13), Olli Soikkeli (4/20, Dave Stryker* (4/27), Martin Taylor (5/4). *The last Wednesday of the month is "Solo Guitar Night," a Round-Robin of unaccompanied solo, duo, and trio guitar performances.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

June 2 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Ty Stephens
A soulful vocalist whose work bridges the worlds of R&B and jazz, Ty Stephens and his longtime group, Soul Jaazz, bring both smiles and tears to their audiences' faces as Stephens's smooth voice works its storytelling magic. A Philadelphia native, the singer is the 2006 Grand Prize Winner Jazzmobile/Anheuser-Biusch Solo Jazz Vocalist and the 2002 First Place Winner R&B/Blues Category, International Songwriting Competition. A performer across genres, he has worked on Broadway and off-Broadway productions including Sophisticated Ladies; Marilyn, An American Fable; and On Kentucky Avenue; in addition to recording with master musicians Chuck Mangione, Babatunde Olatunji, Harry Belafonte, Peggy Lee, and Nile Rogers. The Philadelphia Tribune says that "Stephens' voice is like honey... pure and sweet." Don't miss this crooner's uplifting show.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

June 3 (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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

June 3-5 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Gil Guttierez Trio
A master of the nylon string guitar, the exciting Gil Guttierez performs an astounding combination of classical Spanish guitar, Cuban son music, jazz, flamenco, and whatever else his brilliant mind wants to throw in. With fourteen records as a leader and decades-worth of concerts in halls across the world, Guttierez is a true veteran of the music world. Maintaining a long-time collaboration with trumpet icon and Tonight Show with Johnny Carson bandleader, Doc Severinsen, has been a recent highlight; but over the course of his career, the guitarist has performed at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Mexican City Palace of Fine Arts with Arturo Sandoval, and countless other prestigious spaces. His trio, which he brings to the Birdland Theater, consists of guitar, violin and upright bass.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

June 5 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Greg Ruvolo Big Band
Trumpeter Greg Ruvolo's Big Band performs swinging, toe-tapping jazz music that brings the golden era of modern large ensemble writing-especially the 1960s Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra-back to life with some of New York's best jazz talent. Ruvolo's writing emphasizes the small ensembles within the larger ensemble, and as such, the music is interactive, delightfully spacious, and fully colorful. Himself a veteran of the orchestras of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Woody Herman, Louie Bellson, and the WDR Big Band directed by Gil Evans-as well as of countless Broadway pit bands-Ruvolo is an engaging trumpeter and arranger with a long history of large ensemble work. If you love warm, big-hearted big band jazz with a creative spirit, don't miss this one-night-only engagement!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

June 5 (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" (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.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

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