Bundy, Block, Douglas, Etc. to Play Birdland in August

Birdland (315 West 44th Street – between 8th & 9th Aves.) has announced its line-up of entertainment for the month of August.

The schedule follows:

·         Lew Tabackin Quartet featuring Toshiko Akiyoshi
"Lew Tabackin is one of the few jazz musicians who has developed completely different musical personalities on two instruments. As a tenor saxophonist, he is a hard-driving, tough-toned player reminiscent of Sonny Rollins, Don Byas, and sometimes tone-wise, Ben Webster. But as a flutist, he sounds like a highly expressive master of Asian classical music. Whether heard as the main soloist with his wife Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra or jamming with a small group, Tabackin has been a masterful player for the past several decades," state press notes.

The show plays Wednesday-Saturday, August 1-4 at 8:30 and 11pm ($30). 

·         Natalie Douglas
"Six time MAC Award-winner, Natalie Douglas brings her show, 'I Sing Because I'm Happy,' back to the Birdland stage for the sixth time!  Douglas and her band of Broadway All-Stars, led by Avenue Q's Mark Hartman, bring a show featuring the gospel music they grew up with.  A gospel choir will aid Natalie and the band as they perform traditional gospel tunes like "Children Go Where I Send Thee," Precious Lord," and secular songs given a gospel treatment."

The show plays Sunday-Monday, August 5-6 at 7pm ($25).

·         Arturo Sandoval
"For over 30 years, Arturo Sandoval has performed in most every major jazz venue on the planet. From New York to Tokyo, Paris to Helsinki, the wild trumpet man from Artemisa, Cuba has showcased his shades of jazz all over the world.  Notorious for hanging high notes with incredible bombast, Arturo has been said to possess the burst of a young Dizzy and the roar of Fats Navarro. As a consummate performer as well as composer, it's easy to forget that the same fingers that dance lightly upon the eighty-eight keys are able to mash his trumpet into submission. His music is one built on swagger and defiance, agility and repose."

Sandoval plays: Tuesday-Sunday, August 7-12 at 8:30 and 11pm ($40 General Admission, $50 VIP).

·         James Moody Quartet
"In 1946, saxophonist James Moody joined Dizzy Gillespie's illustrious bebop big band.  Upon joining Gillespie, Moody was at first awed by the orchestra's incredible array of talent, which included Milt Jackson, Kenny Clark, Ray Brown, and Thelonious Monk. The encouragement of the legendary trumpeter-leader, made an unwavering impression on Moody. Moody has performed with other jazz notables such as Dinah Washington and Mike Longo..  "As a musical explorer, performer, collaborator and composer he has made an indelible contribution to the rise of American music as the dominant musical force of the twentieth century."

The Quartet plays: Wednesday-Saturday, August 15-18 at 8:30 and 11pm (8/15-8/16, $30, 8/17-8/18, $40).

·         Joan Crowe & Sue Matsuki – "It's Jest Jazz" with Tedd Firth (piano), Jay Leonhart (bass)
"Join these jazzy, jive jesters as they team up…to rip it up…both musically and hysterically! Featuring some songs written and performed by the Master Jazz Jester…Jay Leonhart whom Jazz Times calls 'the Fred Astaire of Jazz.' Do not miss this extraordinary, one-night-only event! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll swing, you'll jive and then you'll laugh some more! Be there or be square, Daddy-O!"

The show plays: Sunday, August 19 at 7pm ($25).

·         Laura Bell Bundy
The Tony-nominated actress (Legally Blonde, The Musical) returns to Birdland for an encore performance celebrating the release of her debut country album entitled 'Longing for a Place Already Gone.'  Prior to her current role on Broadway, Ms. Bundy recently starred as Sherrie Christian in the musical Rock of Ages in Los Angeles.  On Broadway, she originated the role of Amber Vin Tussle in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray, and played Glinda in the smash hit, Wicked.  Prior to that, she originated the role of Tina Denmark in Ruthless, The Musical! for which she received the Outer-Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk nominations.  Laura can currently be seen in the hit movie Dreamgirls where she plays the role of Sweetheart, a backup singer for the song, "Cadillac Car." 

Bundy plays: Tuesday, August 20 at 7pm ($25).

·         Gary Peacock, Paul Bley, Paul Motian
"The kaleidoscopic double bassist Gary Peacock is known as a one the great calibrators of bass playing in the beginning of the 1960s.  Having cut his chops with the likes of Ornette Coleman, Jimmy Guiffre and Don Ellis on the West Coast, Peacock emerged as the true chameleon musician that he is.  Upon arriving in New York, Peacock simultaneously played with Albert Ayler and Bill Evans. Fellow jazz pioneer, Paul Motian is hailed as one of the most influential of modern drummers and played an important role in freeing the drummer from strict time keeping duties.  These contributions to the Bill Evans Trio from 1959-64 were unwavering and illustrated The Common ground shared with pianist Paul Bley. Although associated with a freer style of jazz, Bley is esteemed for his strong sense of utilizing space and melodic phrasing.  The 1999 release of 'Not Two, Not One' a hauntingly sagacious collaboration between Peacock, Bley and Motian, seems like an obvious union, but it wasn't until this album did these three artists converge to create an album together."

The show plays: Wednesday-Saturday, August 22-25 @ 8:30 & 11pm (8/22-8/23, $30, 8/24-8/25, $35).

·         Stephanie J. Block
"The Broadway star of The Boy From Oz, Wicked and The Pirate Queen brings her dazzling concert to Birdland for the fifth time!  In addition to singing standards, Stephanie will perform a rarely heard ballad cut from Wicked, swinging duets with musical director/performer Billy Stritch, and a medley of '60s songs."
Block performs: Monday, August 27 at 7pm ($25).

·         Richie Beirach 60th Birthday Celebration with Randy Brecker & Gregor Hubner
"Richie Beirach is a consistently inventive pianist whose ability to play free jazz with palpable lyricism makes him an original. He studied with Stan Getz, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and played electric piano while with Dave Liebman's Lookout Farm in 1974. Important stints with Getz, Lee Konitz, John Abercrombie, and Chet Baker, and Beirach has evoked music ranging from hard bop to totally free. His classical training can sometimes be heard in his more advanced improvisations, along with sensitive nods toward Bill Evans."

They play: Wednesday-Saturday, August 29-September 1 at 8:30 & 11pm ($30).

Regular Monthy Engagements:       

·         Chico O'Farrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band (directed by Arturo O'Farrill, Jr.)
Arranger-bandleader Arturo "Chico" O' Farrill, Sr. began introducing Afro-Cuban rhythms into jazz in the 1940's.  The band bearing Chico's name (directed by his son Arturo) "continues to showcase the most seamless blend of clavè rhythm and bebop harmony anywhere." (Time Out)

They play: Sundays, August 5, 19, 26 at 9 & 11pm ($25).

·         The Music of Duke Ellington with David Berger & The Sultans of Swing
"The Tuesday night residency returns! David Berger -- acclaimed bandleader, composer/arranger, and historical expert on all things Ellington -- leads his 16 piece 'Sultans of Swing' Big Band in a program of authentic, swinging arrangements by Ellington, Basie, and other big band icons."

The show plays: Tuesdays, August 7, 14, 21, 28 at 8:30 & 11pm ($25).

·         Jim Caruso's Cast Party

"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. Performers are accompanied by Billy Stritch, pianist and musical director for Liza Minnelli and Charles Aznavour."

It plays: Mondays, August 6, 13, 20, 27 at 10pm ($10 minimum).

Visit www.birdlandjazz.com for more information.

Photo of Laura Bell Bundy by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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