Cindy Blackman Santana Band, Champian Fulton and Hide Tanaka, and More to Play Birdland This Month

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced jazz programming running from August 14 - August 27, celebrating Charlie Parker's birthday all month long! 

Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Cindy Blackman Santana Band, Champian Fulton and Hide Tanaka, John Yao, Ken Peplowski Quartet with Terell Stafford, and Yardbird Big Band. 

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, catch Nicole Zuraitis, Benny Green and  David DeJesus.

Repeat engagements include Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Birdland Big Band and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. 

Jazz Programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater August 14 - August 27

August 14 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in August 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!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 15 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Nicole Zuraitis
A Grammy-nominated musician, powerhouse vocalist, and New York-based bandleader, Nicole Zuraitis continues to establish herself as an undeniable force in the modern jazz landscape of both NYC and beyond. Nicole is the premier vocalist for both the Birdland Big Band and the Dan Pugach Nonet; her co-produced collaboration “Oil on Water: How Love Begins” with bassist Christian McBride is set to release in 2023. Nicole's touring ensemble, Generations Of Her: Women Songwriters and Lyricists of the Last 100 Years, has played to sold-out houses in NYC and around the country. As a recording artist, Nicole has released four albums as leader, including 2020's All Wandering Hearts on Dot Time Records. In 2019, Nicole was nominated for a Grammy alongside her husband, renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, for their arrangement and performance of Dolly Parton's “Jolene.” Nicole has won awards including the New York City Songwriting Competition Coffee Music Project (2016), the Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer Award (2014), and the Gold Medal, Ben Tucker Jazz Award, People's Choice, and Johnny Mercer Award. In 2015, Nicole was the second runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

August 15-19 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/15-17); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/18-19) – Birdland Jazz Club
Cindy Blackman Santana Band
One of jazz's superstar drummers, Cindy Blackman Santana has performed and recorded with Lenny Kravitz (for no less than 17 years), Carlos Santana (for the last 13 years), Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Joe Henderson, Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela and others legends. Her powerhouse, fire-breathing style, deeply devoted to the innovations of Miles Davis drummer and jazz-rock fusion trailblazer Tony Williams, has been recorded on nearly 100 albums, including 11 as a leader. Her latest recording, Give The Drummer Some, features Santana, John McGlaughlin, Vernon Reid (Living Colour) and other greats. Do not miss this icon in this 5-night stint. With Emilio Modeste (sax), Felix Pastorius (electric bass), Marc Cary (keyboards), David Gilmore (electric guitar).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 16 (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

August 16 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Ted Rosenthal
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 8:30pm 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 Quartet, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, drummer Vince Cherico, and pianist Ted Rosenthal, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, with special guest Ted Rosenthal this evening.
*Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 18 (Friday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Birdland Big Band
Every Friday, and for two headlining weeks a year—including the first whole week of August—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

August 18-20 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Benny Green Solo
With every note, the amazing Benny Green—a modern master of piano—honors his musical mentors: Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Brown, and Oscar Peterson, all of whom he performed and recorded with extensively. A beloved child of the 1980s and 90s New York scene, Green's ultra-swinging, bluesy approach is a developed combination of his all-hearing ears, joyous commitment to jazz, and humbling mastery of both harmony and piano—not to mention his rhythmic slickness and his seemingly endless capacity to generate fresh ideas. He performs solo for three nights.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 19 (Saturday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Champian Fulton Duo with Hide Tanaka
A great jazz singer is something special, and something special indeed is Champian Fulton. Daughter of trumpeter Stephen Fulton, Champian grew up inside the world of music, and as she grew she developed a swinging sound on the piano and a voice beyond her years—a sound reminiscent of the old master vocalists. Named the Hot House Readers Poll 2019 Pianist and Vocalist of the Year, and with more than 15 albums to her name, she is understandably a Birdland fan favorite. Fulton recorded “Birdsong”  in 2020 with the great bassist and drummer team of Hide Tanaka and Fukushi Tainaka. Her latest album “Meet Me At Birdland” is out now and was recorded live at the famed venue. Here she joins us for a special duo performance with Tanaka.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

August 20 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument (JY-17) Plays Bird at Birdland
Trombonist and composer John Yao is an award-winning, innovative artist whose work includes five albums as a leader and long-term relationships with some of the best in the business, including the Grammy-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Chris Potter and Kurt Elling, among many others. In possession of a round, warm sound on his instrument and a clear-headed, lyrical approach as a writer, Yao's own projects have been both small and large, including John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument as well as his small group, the John Yao Quintet. He serves as a faculty member at both Berklee College of Music and Molloy College. For this Sunday performance at Birdland, Yao plays the music of Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, jazz's heavenly bebop pioneer for whom Birdland is named.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 20 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Twelve years of critically-acclaimed performances internationally have firmly established the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, founded by Arturo O'Farrill, 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. Come enjoy this Birdland tradition!
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

August 21 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in August 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!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 22 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Nicole Zuraitis
A Grammy-nominated musician, powerhouse vocalist, and New York-based bandleader, Nicole Zuraitis continues to establish herself as an undeniable force in the modern jazz landscape of both NYC and beyond. Nicole is the premier vocalist for both the Birdland Big Band and the Dan Pugach Nonet; her co-produced collaboration “Oil on Water: How Love Begins” with bassist Christian McBride is set to release in 2023. Nicole's touring ensemble, Generations Of Her: Women Songwriters and Lyricists of the Last 100 Years, has played to sold-out houses in NYC and around the country. As a recording artist, Nicole has released four albums as leader, including 2020's All Wandering Hearts on Dot Time Records. In 2019, Nicole was nominated for a Grammy alongside her husband, renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, for their arrangement and performance of Dolly Parton's “Jolene.” Nicole has won awards including the New York City Songwriting Competition Coffee Music Project (2016), the Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer Award (2014), and the Gold Medal, Ben Tucker Jazz Award, People's Choice, and Johnny Mercer Award. In 2015, Nicole was the second runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

August 22-26 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/22-24); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (8/25-26) – Birdland Jazz Club
Bird With Strings: Ken Peplowski Quartet & Orchestra with guest Terell Stafford
Cleveland native tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Peplowski, “…arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist,” (BBC) presents “Bird With Strings” a  birthday celebration of Bird's best loved album – Charlie Parker with Strings, originally released in 1950. For this special engagement at Birdland the ensemble will perform the recorded arrangements as well as newly discovered and unheard arrangements commissioned by Charlie Parker from his favorite arrangers: Gerry Mulligan, John Carisi, George Russell, John Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Ed Herzog, Neal Hefti. With Ken Peplowski (clarinet), Glenn Zaleski (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Willie Jones III (drums), plus an 8-piece orchestra featuring guest soloist, Terell Stafford (trumpet).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 23 (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

August 23 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Sheryl Bailey
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 8:30pm 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 Quartet, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, drummer Vince Cherico, and pianist Ted Rosenthal, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, with special guests. Tonight it's Sheryl Bailey.
*Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 24-27 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (8/24); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/25-27) – Birdland Theater
Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration with David DeJesus
Celebrate Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, the giant of American music and namesake of Birdland Jazz Club! To honor this legend, Birdland Theater presents David DeJesus and his ensemble. Alto saxophonist DeJesus is a master musician fluent across Latin, jazz and dozens of other styles. The director of the Birdland Big Band, he has been a fixture on the New York City music scene for three decades, performing with the best of the best: the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Ron Carter's Great Big Band, and Jimmy Heath's Big Band; the Grammy-nominated Arturo O'Farrill Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Ruben Blades, Larry Harlow, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. DeJesus is also a passionate educator, serving as Professor of Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase and directing the conservatory's Latin Jazz Orchestra.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 25 (Friday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Birdland Big Band
Every Friday, and for two headlining weeks a year—including the first whole week of August—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

August 27 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Yardbird Big Band
August 29th, 1920 was American music hero Charlie “Yardbird” Parker's birthday. One hundred and three Augusts later, Birdland celebrates Parker's life and legacy with a slew of performances dedicated to Bird's genius. Join the Yardbird Big Band, directed by David DeJesus, on August 27th for a tribute to the great master's music. This band brings together some of the best musicians in New York City to play Bird's songs, and DeJesus—an expert on the life of Charlie Parker—will guide audiences through this evening of iconic music. The songs may be classic, but the arrangements are fresh. Enjoy the Yardbird Big Band!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 27 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
The GRAMMY award winning 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. 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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