Birdland to Present Vocalist Ben Jones and Music Director Ron Abel Saluting Frank Sinatra in LET ME BE FRANK

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present award-winning vocalist Ben Jones and pianist, composer, music director Ron Abel celebrating Frank Sinatra in “Let Me Be Frank” on Monday, December 4 at 7:00 PM. The show includes swinging Sinatra standards and lush blue-eyed ballads from the songbooks of Cy Coleman, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, and Sammy Cahn. In this follow-up to Ben's two “jaw-dropping”(BroadwayWorld) 2022 solo shows – “I Think I'm in Love” and “I Think We Should See Other People” – Ben confronts Frank truths about marriage, family and a life in the entertainment industry. Jones and Abel have brought their magic to stages around the world and together bring an incredible depth and originality to Sinatra's hits and deep cuts alike. There is a $30-40 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York. 

Ben Jones is a singer, comedian, storyteller, and actor who has appeared in front of audiences worldwide, from the Edinburgh International Festival to the Shanghai Concert Hall. He's shared the spotlight with the likes of Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Morgan, Val Diamond and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. His versatile voice has been featured on recordings on the Albany, Naxos and Delos labels, on “A Prairie Home Companion,” on the soundtracks for the best-selling video game franchises Halo and Civilization, and on commercials for Coors Light and Meow Mix. He was most recently seen as Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game in San Francisco, for which he received the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for “Best Performance in a Musical.”

Ron Abel won both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his score for Twist of Fate. His other stage musicals include Is This Your Life?, Rockwell: Life on a Palette, and To Sir, With Love. Ron is the co-creator of the Off-Broadway musical Blame It on the Movies. His musicalization of the Dumas classic Camille premiered in Los Angeles. His film and television credits include composing, arranging and/or orchestrating for Michelle Pfeiffer, Kim Basinger, Lily Tomlin, Bea Arthur, and Carol Burnett. In addition to writing the television theme songs for “Animal Court” and “Nitecap,” Ron was the on-camera musical director for ABC's “Nitecap,” as well as “Name That Tune.” As an actor, he appeared on the hit series “Cheers” in a featured role. Ron was music director and arranger for the long-awaited albums from Petula Clark and Helen Reddy, and helmed the debut album of actress Linda Purl. As an arranger and conductor, Ron has appeared on-stage with Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Jones, Lucie Arnaz, Sam Harris, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Jason Alexander, Joely Fisher, David Hyde Pierce, and opera diva Julia Migenes.

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present Ben Jones and Ron Abel in “Let Me Be Frank” on Monday, December 4 at 7:00 PM. There is a $30-40 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. 

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