Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater Reveals November Programming

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this November with a full slate of nightly performances.

At Birdland Jazz Club, catch Karrin Allyson: “A Kiss For Brazil” Release Celebration, Marcello Pellitteri: Benefit for The Veronica Pellitteri Memorial Fund, John Manzari, Django Reinhardt NY Festival All-Stars: 25th Anniversary with Special Guests, Steve Ross, The Hot Sardines, Rachel Therrien: Latin Jazz Project, Karen Akers, Mingus Big Band, Benny Benack III Quartet Birthday Celebration, “Sing Happy: The Lyrics of Fred Ebb,” and Ken Peplowski Quartet: “Ken's American Songbook.”

Birdland Theater will present Houston Person Quintet, A Portrait of June Cavlan, Pasquale Grasso Trio, Jacob Khalil, Steven Feifke Trio, Sheila Jordan, Joanne Halev, Paloma Chesky, Elizabeth Bougerol, Adrian Galante Quartet, Jane Schechter, Jin Joo Yoo Quartet, and Jeremy Pelt Quintet: “Tomorrow's Another Day” Album Celebration.

Repeat engagements include Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Jim Caruso's Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the piano, Our Sinatra, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band, The Birdland Big Band, Miki Yamanaka Trio, and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

See below for the full schedule! More information can be found at www.birdlandjazz.com 

October 29 - November 2 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/29-31); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (11/1-2) – Birdland Jazz Club
Karrin Allyson: “A Kiss For Brazil” Release Celebration
Celebrate this legendary vocalist's latest outing, “A Kiss For Brazil”! Karrin Allyson has been nominated for a whopping 5 Grammy awards and lived a tremendous career in music. Her stylistic palette is broad: she has put out records addressing the music of Chopin, Jobim, Coltrane, Parker, Blakey, Ellington, and many others, all with no sign of losing the edge on her artistic daring. 2019's Shoulder to Shoulder reflected upon woman's suffrage, one of history's most important political movements; next, she visited the music of country legend Bonnie Raitt for five nights at Birdland; and last year she brought audiences to Brazil featuring accordionist/pianist Vitor Goncalves, bassist Harvie S, and percussionist Rafael Barata. This led to her latest album, “A Kiss For Brazil,” featuring Brazilian national treasure Rosa Passos—an album whose weeklong release celebration will take us from the end of October into November at Birdland.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 1-3 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Houston Person Quintet 90th Birthday Celebration
Jazz legend Houston Person has NOT slowed down. In fact, with one or two scattered exceptions, Person has continued to release at least one record per year as a leader for the past nearly 60 years. A jazz lover's jazzman, this great artist plays from his soul with a great mastery of effect, technique, and style. He has served as a sideman for Etta Jones (15 recordings), Joey Defrancesco, Ron Carter, Horace Silver, Richard “Groove” Holmes, and too many others to name. This engagement is sure to be as swinging, blues-soaked, and robust as ever. Don't miss! #HoustonPerson90
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 3 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Marcello Pellitteri: Benefit for The Veronica Pellitteri Memorial Fund
Drummer Marcello Pellitteri's long tenure in music has seen him perform on over 100 recordings; in concert at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The White House, and Boston Symphony Hall; and with music luminaries Joe Henderson, Jon Hendricks, Miroslav Vitous, and Paquito D'Rivera. A teacher at the iconic Berklee College of Music for nearly 35 years, Pellitteri's record of service in music is vast. In this special annual engagement at Birdland, he plays in honor of his daughter, Veronica, who passed unexpectedly in October 2014. A Memorial Fund has been named in her honor at LaGuardia High School of Music and her Art in New York City—where she trained as a vocalist—to benefit young musicians in their studies. This benefit concert, from which proceeds are given to that fund, is dedicated to her.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 4 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
John Manzari – “Recenter”
Broadway tap dancer and singer John Manzari returns with a new evening that seeks to fully embrace the audience, steering everyone away from the hectic nature of reality by utilizing music and dance to relax and ground the room. Selections will include pieces from Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, and much more. Manzari will be joined by Luther S. Allison on piano, Jonathon Muir-Cotton on bass, and Mike Piolet on drums. Manzari is an Ovation Award and Helen Hayes Award-nominated dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. His stage credits include the Broadway production of Funny Girl; Bessie Award-winning production Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, 42nd Street, choreographed by Jared Grimes; Maurice Hines: Tappin' Thru Life, featuring his mentor Maurice Hines; The Wiz Is 40: A Celebration in Dance and Music, directed and choreographed by George Faison; and Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies. Television credits include the PBS special “The Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert,” ABC's “The View,” “Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room” and “The Jerry Lewis Telethon.” Concerts include his one-man show John Manzari: The First Set, NY Pops Up, Ayodele & Friends at Little Island, Spoleto Festival with Caleb Teicher, Fall for Dance, Fall for Dance North (Canada), Amelia Island Dance Festival, Gold Coast Dance Festival, as well as Birdland Jazz Club and Jacob's Pillow with Luke Hickey. John can be seen in the documentary about his mentor Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back and the award-winning short film Slip.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 5 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
A Portrait of June Cavlan
An indisputable talent among the new voices singing standards today, the hypnotizing June Cavlan presents her debut album, “A Portrait of June” (La Reserve). Since her move to New York in 2023, she has been welcomed by leaders in the straight-ahead scene such as Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, and Benny Benack III. June's accomplishments have been plentiful: her vocal trio The Sunhouse Singers, rounded out by award-winning singers Joie Bianco and Kate Kortum, has been featured on “Emmet's Place”; June herself has presented her music on PIX11 New York; Luciana Souza, the Grammy-winning Brazilian vocalist, has called June “someone to watch”; and her videos have garnered her nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok and even the attention of music superstar SZA. Only 23 years old, she won four years' worth of prestigious student music awards from Downbeat Magazine and YoungArts. Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, and Barbra Streisand, June's debut effort showcases her skills in arranging, composing, and improvisation—in addition to her incredible vocal prowess.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 5-9 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/5-7); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (11/8-9) – Birdland Jazz Club
Django Reinhardt NY Festival All Stars: 25th Anniversary with Special Guests
Gypsy jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt's unmistakable sound has made him an icon for a wide range of luminaries: everyone from Carlos Santana to Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix to Willie Nelson. What began as a tribute performance at Birdland in 1999 has developed into the annual Django Reinhardt NY Festival, now in its 25th year. For this year's festival, legendary violinist/guitarist Dorado Schmitt brings his two sons—the virtuosos Samson and Amati Schmitt—to perform with him in what is sure to be a series of show-stopping performances. Joined by Francko Mehrstein on rhythm guitar, Gino Roman on bass, and accordionist Ludovic Beier, the group has performed across the world at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and 24 years at Birdland. They will be joined by an all-star list of special guests, including Bruce Harris (trumpet, 11/15), Helio Alves (piano, 11/6), Tatiana Eva-Marie (vocals, 11/7), Ute Lemper (vocals, 11/8), Lucy Yeghiazaryan (vocals, 11/9). This is a week not to miss!
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 7-10 (Thursday-Saturday) 8:30 PM (11/7); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/8-10) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Pasquale Grasso Trio
Praised by Pat Metheny as “maybe the best jazz guitar player I've heard in my entire life,” the stunning guitarist Pasquale Grasso is one of the most beautiful and innovative musical voices of a generation. Grasso's eloquent classical technique, jazz phrasing, bebop rhythms, and nimble fret fireworks have distinguished him as a celebrated 21st-century virtuoso. He has recorded 11 albums on the Sony Masterworks label, showcasing Grasso in solo-guitar format; and he performed on the 2x-Grammy-winning Samara Joy's two recordings, Linger Awhile and Samara Joy.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 11 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Steve Ross – “Puttin' on the Ritz: Steve Ross Sings Fred Astaire”
The acclaimed pianist and singer returns with “Puttin' on the Ritz: Steve Ross Sings Fred Astaire.” This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Fred Astaire, who is not only acknowledged as one of the all-time great dancers but also the performer who introduced the most standards in the Great American Songbook. Mr. Ross will bring his talents to such songs as “Puttin' on the Ritz,” “Night and Day,” “They Can't Take That Away from Me,” and “Cheek to Cheek.” Ross has been a fixture of the cabaret community in Manhattan for over forty years. In 1981 he re-opened the legendary Oak Room at Manhattan's famed Hotel Algonquin where he held forth for over 15 years. He has appeared on Broadway in Noël Coward's Present Laughter and Off-Broadway in his Fred Astaire tribute I Won't Dance. Internationally, he has performed in London, Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne, and Sydney as well as cabarets and theaters across America and on the high seas. He hosted a live cabaret series for BBC Television, and back in America was host of “New York Cabaret Nights,” a series for National Public Radio.
$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 12 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Jacob Khalil
Celebrated singer and songwriter Jacob Khalil returns with his trio. Since his sold-out Birdland debut in 2022, Jacob has been invited back to the club multiple times. A rising singer-pianist in New York's live music scene, in May 2024 Jacob captivated an audience of 3,000 while opening for Jake Scott. Earlier in January, New York's Fox 5 TV featured a full segment on Jacob, delving into his musical journey and showcasing his original music. Often described as a blend of John Legend and Harry Connick Jr, Jacob brings a unique style that resonates with fans of jazz-influenced artists such as Lawrence and Jacob Collier. He performs regularly in New York City venues such as Birdland, City Winery, 54 Below, Mercury Lounge, The Cutting Room, Minton's, and many others. From performing with Sam Smith on “Saturday Night Live” to headlining sold-out shows at Birdland, Khalil creates music that brings people together. BroadwayWorld described Jacob's concerts as, a “joyful experience of the music, with patrons clapping along and swaying in their chairs.” His debut single, “Rest of My Life (ROML),” was released in January 2024.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 12-16 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/12-14); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (11/15-16) – Birdland Jazz Club
The Hot Sardines
Stars of the trad-jazz world, The Hot Sardines bring early jazz into the modern day. With their love of classic jazz—jazz that feeds the heart and soul—bandleader Evan Palazzo, lead singer Elizabeth Bougerol, and a New York-based ensemble have brought their music across the globe for years. Their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, smooth vocals, and love for audience engagement earned them the respect of Downbeat Magazine, who called the group “one of the most delightfully energetic bands on New York's ‘hot' music scene.” The Hot Sardines have released eight records since 2011 to critical acclaim. “Everything in our DNA is about connecting with the audience,” says Bougerol. Make sure not to miss this exciting night!
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 14-16 (Thursday-Saturday) 8:30 PM (11/14); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/15-16) – Birdland Theater
Steven Feifke Trio
Steven Feifke isn't just an arranging extraordinaire: he's also a fantastic pianist. When appearing in trio format, he can't command the eighteen voices of his Grammy-winning album, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra (2022), nor those from his two imaginative 2021 big band releases, Kinetic and Prologue. Yet in pared-down form, the two-time finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition still brings his music to robust heights, using the more open-ended configuration as a vehicle for bluesy, daredevil improvisations. Feifke—the recipient of the 2020 David Baker Prize in composition from the Ravinia Festival and the musical director for Tony Award-winning actor and singer Santino Fontana—has quickly made a name for himself in the jazz world. His prodigious output includes recording credits on upwards of 30 albums, as well as in television and film. Audiences will experience the artist in a more intimate—but still high-powered—setting for this one night at Birdland.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 17 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Sheila Jordan Birthday Celebration
With Alan Broadbent (piano) and Cameron Brown (bass). Sheila Jordan stands as one of America's last living great jazz vocalists. After moving to New York in 1951, she befriended Charlie Parker; married Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan; studied with Lennie Tristano and Charles Mingus; and performed regularly with jazz royalty. Jordan was raised in poverty in Pennsylvania's coal-mining country, and she faced threats and violence as a white woman for working predominantly with black musicians. But her talent and love for the music allowed her to work with the top proponents of bebop and beyond. The 1970s saw Jordan venturing into innovative, adventurous musical forms with the likes of Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, and Bob Moses; in subsequent decades, she put forth 15 more records as a leader. Now—at 95 years young—Jordan continues to appear on major stages. This November, she brings her dazzling energy to Birdland, gracing us for one solitary, magical night.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 17 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Rachel Therrien: Latin Jazz Project
The award-winning French-Canadian trumpeter, composer, and producer Rachel Therrien presents her Latin Jazz Project at Birdland! The prolific artist's 7 album releases include an experimental work setting (her grandfather's) poetry with music, CAPI: Les poemes de Charles Lebel Therrien en musique (Cornes de Brumes, 2024); Mi Hogar (Outside in Music, 2023), nominated for Jazz Album of the Year at ADISQ 2024; and VENA, recipient of a 4-star review from Downbeat Magazine and nominations for the 2021 JUNO Award and the ADISQ award for Jazz Album of the Year. Therrien has presented her Latin Jazz Project since living in Cuba in 2009; her passion for Latin music creates a show brimming with joy, interaction, and vibrant compositions. She is a member of Arturo O'Farrill Grammy-winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra;a founding member of the JUNO-nominated super-group, The Ostara Project; and a member of the renowned Diva Jazz Orchestra.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 18 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Karen Akers – “Feels Like Home”
Award-winning vocalist Karen Akers returns to the venue with her show “Feels Like Home.” The evening will include songs by Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Randy Newman, Stephen Sondheim, Julie Gold, and many more. Alex Rybeck serves as musical director. Akers is one of America's more arresting and successful concert stars. She is the recipient of the 2005 New York Nightlife Award for Outstanding Female Cabaret Vocalist, as well as the 2009 Nightlife Legend Award. Ms. Akers has appeared in many prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and The Hollywood Bowl, as well as the Cafe Carlyle and The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel.  She has taken her music to the south of France, Russia, and Barcelona's Liceu Opera House. She appeared on Broadway as one of the original stars of the Tony Award-winning musical Grand Hotel. She made her debut on the Great White Way in the original production of Nine, receiving a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award.
$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 19-23 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/19-21); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (11/22-23) – Birdland Jazz Club
Mingus Big Band
Celebrating the music of its founder Sue Mingus's late husband, this Grammy-winning and 4-time Grammy-nominated ensemble plays with fire and imagination. The Mingus Big Band and its two sister ensembles, Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Orchestra, held a famed weekly residency in New York City for decades until the COVID-19 pandemic put them on pause. But they are still swinging as hard as ever, and with this 6-night run at the jazz club, they are bound to knock the socks off of their audience. Charles Mingus was known for powerful bass playing, his groundbreaking compositions of visionary genius, and his openness to the individual personalities of the members of his groups. The Mingus Big Band continues this legacy with a cast of New York's most inventive, accomplished jazz musicians.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 19 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Joanne Halev – “Sailing On”
Joanne will weave her stories through the lens of brilliant music and lyrics by Lerner and Loewe, Carol Hall, Rodgers & Hart, Amanda McBroom, Francesca Blumenthal, Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Dillie Keane, and more. Expect tales of first loves and rites of passage, whooping cough and waterbeds, fate, friendship, and one fabulous farm boy, all shared with keen observations, wry humor, and surprising candor. Alex Rybeck serves as music director. Ray Kilday joins him on bass. The evening is directed by Sara Louise Lazarus. New Yorker Joanne Halev received the Bistro Award in 2020 for her much-lauded debut show, "Like a Perfumed Woman," which premiered in 2019 at Birdland Theater. In addition to her musical accomplishments, Joanne has had a diverse career. She worked in global fragrance development at Firmenich, and in magazine publishing during the '80s and '90s at publications like The New Yorker and W. Joanne was also a co-founding actor/teacher of The Creative Arts Team, an educational theater company originally in residence at New York University and now at CUNY. There she performed in and helped to develop plays addressing topical and social issues for underserved students in New York City's public schools.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 21 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Paloma Chesky
Hard to believe when hearing her powerful and moving singing, but Paloma Dineli Chesky is 15 years old. Despite her youth, her vocal maturity is astonishing. Singing, playing piano, and composing from a very early age, for several years she has performed her own compositions with the New York Philharmonic, has been guest artist with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has held solo concerts at leading NYC venues. On "Soul on Soul," her second album, she demonstrates the breadth of her repertoire, reaching back into the gospel, blues, and soul traditions performing the songs of Robert Johnson, Reverend Gary Davis, James Brown and Bob Dylan. Paloma's band, who call themselves “The Lock” for their telepathic connection, frame and highlight the singer's adventurous stylistic intentions.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 22-24 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Elizabeth Bougerol
Elizabeth Bougerol is well-known at Birdland for her performances with The Hot Sardines—her hugely successful, foot-stomping trad-jazz band with co-leader and pianist Evan Palazzo. The New York Times called The Hot Sardines “potent and self-assured”; Downbeat Magazine called them “one of the most delightfully energetic bands on New York's ‘hot' music scene”; and proving it are their 70 million streams, their eight recordings since 2011, and their performances—at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Blue Note Jazz Festival in Japan, and a sold-out 2024 Carnegie Hall debut. “Everything in our DNA,” says Bougerol, “is about connecting with the audience.” Birdland fans will be happy then, to hear the singer with her first solo project this November. “Appetites” (featuring The Dulcetones) dives into the singer's decision to replace her midtown cubicle with the jazz bandstand. Get ready for an evening of old-school jazz and blues (and a few stories) about taking a seat at the table—and making a feast of life.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 24 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Benny Benack III Quartet Birthday Celebration
A trumpeter's trumpeter and a mature singer with a true entertainer's gift, Benny Benack's boundless energy and charismatic crooning has earned him his spot at the front of his generation's jazz talent. With trumpet chops in the legacy of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Freddie Hubbard—and with a singing voice reminiscent of Sinatra and Mel Torme—Benny has brought his high spirits and remarkable virtuosity across the country and around the world. The #1 for  Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat's 2025 Readers Poll and #8 for Rising Star Trumpet, Benny has appeared as a soloist with Josh Groban, Ben Folds and fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi, as well as with jazz bass extraordinaire Christian McBride, cabaret legend Ann Hampton-Callaway (at Birdland!), and several regarded philharmonic orchestras; his features with the Grammy-winning 8-Bit Big Band, YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, and jazz vocalist Veronica Swift make Benack a captivating figure to watch and hear. His third release, “Third Time's the Charm,” ascended to #2 on the JazzWeek International Radio Charts in 2023. Join Benny as he celebrates his birthday with a cast of his brilliant friends.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 25 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
“Sing Happy: The Lyrics of Fred Ebb”
This special night, hosted by Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch, commemorates the 20th year of the Fred Ebb Foundation. The evening will feature some beloved Kander and Ebb songs as well as some rarely performed gems and a few unheard treasures that were cut out of town. Performers include Kate Baldwin, Heidi Blickenstaff, Luke Hawkins, Telly Leung, Joel Crump, and Julia Murney, with more names announced. Stritch will also serve as music director. Since 2004, The Fred Ebb Foundation has given out The Fred Ebb Award to a songwriter or songwriting team that has yet to achieve commercial success. Past winners include Shaina Taub (Suffs), Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), and Mizer and Moore (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). It is a $60,000 prize. In addition, The Foundation makes an annual gift to Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Since 2004, the Foundation has gifted over $30 million to BCEFA. “Sing Happy: The Lyrics of Fred Ebb” is a presentation of the Fred Ebb Foundation, Tim Pinckney, producer.
$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 26 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Adrian Galante Quartet
The sensational clarinetist and pianist Adrian Galante possesses that rare ability to bring absolutely anyone into his music. Known for his “vocal-like” quality on the clarinet, his swing-styled, bebop-oriented, and blues-steeped expression has led to tours throughout America, Australia, Europe, and Asia and work with artists such as Tamir Hendelman, Alan Broadbent, Rossano Sportiello, Joe LaBarbera, Randy Porter, Larry Koonse, Rebecca Kilgore, James Morrison, Greta Matassa, Ashlin Parker, and Eric Hardgrove, among others.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 26 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Jane Scheckter
Brilliant vocalist Jane Scheckter is a Bistro Award winner and a five-time MAC award nominee. A performer's performer, she delivers purity of purpose on stage: a dignified presenter of lyrical storytelling with a smart smile and the lifting feeling of a truly swinging artist. So much authenticity prevails in her singing that it's no wonder The New York Times praised her “bright clear voice” and “meticulous phrasing”; Downbeat, her “Ella-styled artistry”; New York Daily News, the presence of “a brilliant star”; and Jazzwax, the “finest songbook album of the year” (of her album “Easy to Remember”). Daughter of a harmonica player who headlined theaters across the country in the '30s, Jane began performing while in grade school by joining her father in concert. Her star-studded life in music has included included world-tours with her vocal trio Tuxedo Junction that had the #1 disco album in the U.S.A. in 1978; work with a young Barry Manilow; guest appearances on American Bandstand, Dinah Shore, Midnight Special, Disco Fever and the Jerry Lewis telethon from Las Vegas; appearances at 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists and the syndicated radio show “New York Cabaret Nights”; and the Off-Broadway show “Our Sinatra” during the 2001 season with Peter Cincotti. She appeared on soap operas “Capitol” and “All My Children” and regularly concerts in festivals and venues in France. She received the BackStage magazine Bistro Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 26-30 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (11/26-28); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (11/29-30) – Birdland Jazz Club
Ken Peplowski Quartet "Ken's American Songbook"
Named by the BBC as “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist,” the masterful Ken Peplowski presents “Hidden Treasures,” a celebration of oft-forgotten gems in the Great American Songbook. With a stellar band that has featured Glenn Zaleski (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Willie Jones III (drums), Peplowski vows there will be “No repeats! Every set will feature a completely different song list!” In the dexterous hands of Peplowski and his friends, such diverse and obscure material is sure to turn into masterpieces of collective swinging exploration.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 28 (Thursday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Jin Joo Yoo Quartet
The late, great jazz drummer Jimmy Wormworth exclaimed of pianist Jin Joo: “I LOVE her playing and compositions!!! I hear Thelonious, Bud, John Lewis from her,” he stated. “Jinjoo does not show off. She tells a lot of big story with fewer notes than most young artists of her age.” An internationally-regarded performer, she has played across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and South Korea, and in 2017, the famed Baku Jazz Competition selected her as a Finalist. On her debut album, 2018's I'm Curious (Gut Strings Records), Joo is backed by the great Wormworth and revered bassist Neal Miner. She brings a swinging trio to Birdland Theater playing songbook standards and inspired originals.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 29 - December 1 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Jeremy Pelt Quintet: “Tomorrow's Another Day” Album Celebration
Celebrate Jeremy Pelt's new recording, “Tomorrow's Another Day” (Highnote and Savant Records) as he showcases it at Birdland Theater over the post-Thanksgiving weekend! Pelt's contributions to contemporary jazz have made him one of the music's most in-demand exponents. Voted “Rising Star” on the trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalist Association, it was Pelt's early work with the Mingus Big Band that led to collaborations with the music's greatest: Clifford Barbaro, Keter Betts, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Ravi Coltrane, Frank Foster, Winard Harper, Jimmy Heath, John Hicks, Charli Persip, Ralph Peterson, Lonnie Plaxico, Bobby Short, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, and Nancy Wilson, to name a few. A performer with The Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Big Band, the Lewis Nash Septet and The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes, he has been in touch with the masters of the music on the bandstand and beyond. Indeed, during the pandemic, Pelt put these relationships on paper with two books of interviews, “Griot: Examining the Lives of Jazz's Great Storytellers,” Volumes I and II—acclaimed by The New York Times and other critical outlets for its insights into the music by the masters themselves. Join this creative force as he performs from his newest musical offering!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Monthly Engagements:

November 4, 11, 18, 25 (Mondays) 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

November 4, 11, 18, 25 (Mondays) 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Jim Caruso's Cast Party
“Jim Caruso's Cast Party,” a New York institution for two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2003. Called “show-business heaven” by The New York Times and “the gold-standard of open mic nights” by The Wall Street Journal, “Cast Party” presents a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums). Eric Adams, the Mayor of the City of New York, recently proclaimed, “Whereas, I am enormously proud to lead a city renowned as a global capital of the arts, ‘Jim Caruso's Cast Party' has enriched our dynamic cultural landscape since 2003, and on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, I am pleased to recognize the weekly show's tremendous contributions to our performing arts and nightlife sectors.”
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 5, 12, 19 (Tuesdays except 11/26) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Our Sinatra: A Musical Celebration
Our Sinatra returns to Birdland to celebrate the music of Frank Sinatra. Three performers playfully interact with one another, sharing their joy and passion for this great music as they lovingly sing the hits of Sinatra, individually and in combination, taking the audience back to relive memories. The show includes over 50 songs interspersed with witty banter and humor. The show covers Sinatra's entire musical cannon from the classic ballads of the ‘40s to the saloon and torch songs, the ‘50s and ‘60s swingers and the all-time hits. Our Sinatra steers clear of imitation and impersonation as these accomplished performers deliver the great music of Sinatra. The New York Times calls Our Sinatra “an utterly winning tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes” and “superior entertainment.” After two sold-out national tours, and a recent successful limited engagement at the Birdland, Our Sinatra will celebrate 1500 performances Off-Broadway and its 25th anniversary. Directed by Kurt Stamm, the Production Team also includes Richard Maltby, Jr. (Production Supervisor).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 6, 13, 20, 27 (Wednesdays) 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

November 6, 13, 20, 27 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
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 at 8:30 pm 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. In November, catch Pasquale Grasso (guitar, 11/6, 11/13, 11/27) and Jon Kellso (guitar, 11/20). *Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 7, 14, 21 (Thursdays except 11/28) 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 are a New Orleans style Jazz band which for decades have been Woody Allen's band of choice for his movies, concert tours and weekly performances. The band have appeared on all the premiere concert stages of Europe and the United States. Band members have appeared in and provided music for Woody Allen movies including: Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. With 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), Kevin Dorn (drums).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Fridays) 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

November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (Saturdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Miki Yamanaka Trio
One of the best jazz piano players working in New York today, Miki Yamanaka is the favorite of Antonio Hart, Roxy Coss, Larry Goldings, Frank Lacy, Philip Harper and plenty of other revered musicians. Her powerful and elegant style is deeply rooted in the tradition of jazz piano while extending far beyond mere cliches. During the pandemic, Miki launched Miki's Mood, which became a popular livestream series from her apartment featuring husband and frequent collaborator Jimmy MacBride on drums with a host of New York's most amazing musicians joining in. She released Miki in 2018 (Cellar Live), Human Dust Suite in 2020 (Outside In), and Stairway to the Stars in 2021 (Outside In) featuring the great bassist Orlando Le Fleming and modern saxophone legend Mark Turner. Her latest album was released September 2023: a trio recording entitled Shades of Rainbow.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

November 3, 10, 17, 24 (Sundays) 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 + $30 food/drink minimum

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