Birdland Announces Lineup for August 18-24, Including Dave Douglas Quintet, Rhonda Ross, and More!

Birdland Jazz Club is pleased to announce their amazing line-up of talent for August 18 - August 24.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

August 18 (Monday) at 7PM
Rhonda Ross
The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to announce that after captivating audiences at Madison Square Garden and The Montreal Jazz Festival, singer-songwriter Rhonda Ross, along with her slamming jazz band (Terry Burrus on piano, Dominick Maybank on bass, Kevin Harrington on drums, Terelle Tipton, Keesha Gumbs, & Sheniqua Trotman on background vocals, Duane Eubanks on trumpet, and Darrly Yokely on sax) will appear on the historic stage.

Through Rhonda's individual and creative expression, the legendary Ross sound continues to live on and expand. Last year, she headlined President Obama's 2nd Inaugural Ball, and later performed to rave reviews at The Hollywood Bowl. This year has included performances at The Montreal International Jazz Festival, Wolf Trap, and The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

All seats $30-40, $10 food/drink minimum

August 18 (Monday) at 9:30PM
Jim Caruso's Cast Party
"No one can call themselves a true New Yorker until they've been to the 'Cast Party,' which is to Broadway what the Conde Nast cafeteria is to publishing. Divas and dapper-dans insouciantly sip cocktails while watching each other sing and perform at the open-mic event during Broadway's dark night." (Next Magazine) Broadway impresario Jim Caruso hosts a combination open-mic, networking event and party in which the biggest stars on Broadway relax on their night off by performing their favorite songs in an informal setting.

All tickets $25, $10 food/drink minimum

August 19-23 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30PM & 11:00PM
Dave Douglas Quintet
Hailing down from the NYC area, American jazz trumpeter and composer, Dave Douglas' unique repertoire and style speaks for itself. Since 1993, Douglas has recorded more than forty albums as a bandleader. With his own groups, Douglas has pioneered new settings for the trumpet in jazz. He has produced and recorded countless artists and groups, including all albums released by his independent label Greenleaf Music. Douglas has performed and recorded with dozens of musicians in jazz and has been a member of the SFJAZZ Collective and various John Zorn ensembles. In more recent years, he has explored collaborations involving modern dance, spoken word/poetry, and film. Douglas served as the artistic director of the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music from 2002 - 2012 and is the co-founder of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, a non-profit charity that supports new and pioneering trumpet workshops across genres, genders and communities and is held annually in New York City. The highly anticipated quintet made their debut in 2012, and critics are proclaiming "Douglas' Quintet reflects the independent spirit of a pioneering artist whose intrepid enthusiasm manifests itself in his choice of gifted young collaborators..." and the performance "displays the boundless creativity of a group that derives equal inspiration from both past and future."

All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum

August 20 (Wednesday) at 5:30PM
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 14th 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!

All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

August 21 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
Rotem Sivan Trio
Rotem Sivan is a fascinating new voice in the New York jazz scene. A native of Haifa, Israel, his musical palette draws from classical and jazz influences combined with ethnic elements. In his recent and well-received debut album, "Enchanted Sun," Sivan skillfully fuses these into a new approach to the Jazz Guitar Trio.

All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

August 22 (Friday) at 5:15PM
The Birdland Big Band
Founded by drummer and musical director Tommy Igoe, the Birdland Big Band features the finest musicians in New York! The BBB roars into action every Friday, playing the finest Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music from the world's best arrangers. After work or before a show, drinks or a great dinner, come hear one of the world's best drummers driving the hardest swinging band in New York. Experience why the BBB is fast becoming the must-see weekly jazz event in New York and kick off your weekend with what critics are calling "the best live music bargain in all of NYC!"

All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

August 23 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Jay Leonhart Duo
Combining the skills of an old school entertainer and virtuoso jazzman, bassist, vocalist and composer Jay Leonhart has been a fixture of the New York scene for over forty years. When Jay was fourteen he started playing the bass in The Pier Five Dixieland Jazz Band in Baltimore and never looked back. After studying at The Peabody Institute, Jay attended The Berklee School of Music and The Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, before leaving school to start touring with the traveling big bands of the late 50's and early 60's. Upon moving to New York, Jay eventually began playing for many of the great jazz musicians, big bands, and singers who were to be found in New York - artists like Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and Jim Hall. Jay became a very busy studio musician in New York City, visiting every musical genre from James Taylor to Ozzy Osbourne and Queen Latifah. Between 1975 and 1995 he was named The Most Valuable Bassist in the recording industry three times by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. Jay has now recorded 15 solo albums. His first one-man show "The Bass Lesson" is being received warmly by critics and audiences. Jay's next show "Nukular Tulips" is in the works.

All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

August 24 (Sunday) at 6:00PM
Ellen O'Brien
Ellen O'Brien is a Jazz/R&B vocalist that has performed with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops Taylor Dane, Mary J. Blige, Jim Belushi, Rachelle Ferrell, Jeff Golub, Chris Parker, and Tony Bennet, to name a few. Ellen's Live CD, "Raw Silk", is available August 2014. It features Fan Favorites including "At Last" and "Night In Tunisia."

All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

August 24 (Sunday) at 9:00PM & 11:00PM
Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill -- leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (NY Times) -- was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Son of the late, great composer Chico O'Farrill, Arturo was Educated at Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He played piano in Carla Bley's Big Band from 1979 through 1983 and earned a reputation as a soloist in groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Belafonte.

All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

Purchase tickets at: www.BirdlandJazz.com. For more information and reservations call 212-581-3080. Ticket prices will vary by performer. At the tables, there is a $10 food/drink minimum per person in addition to the music charge. At the bar, the music charge will include one complimentary drink with no additional minimum.

Named for alto saxophonist and jazz pioneer Charlie "Bird" Parker who dubbed it "The Jazz Corner of the World," Birdland opened on December 15th 1949. For 60 years it has been home to jazz legends, from Parker, John Coltrane Duke Ellington and Count Basie to Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones, Diana Krall and everyone in between. The original 52nd street location was a cultural barometer and meeting place, inspiring the songs "Birdland" and "Lullaby of Birdland," and serving as a regular haunt for celebrities and cultural figures. The modern incarnation is a state of the art nightclub featuring award winning Southern and Cajun cuisine, first rate sound and lighting and a who's who of contemporary musical artists, 7 nights a week.

Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues), New York, NY 10036.

Students (with current ID) & Broadway Theatre-Goers (with Broadway ticket stub from same day of performance): 50% off music charge at 11PM shows only.

Birdland serves American Fare with a Cajun Flair nightly from 5PM until Midnight and until 1AM on Friday and Saturdays. Parking is available across the street at 332 West 44th Street.

For more information, visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

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