Cooper, Shindle, Champlin, Etc. to Play Birdland in Sept.

Birdland (315 West 44th Street – between 8th & 9th Aves.) has announced its line-up ofentertainment for the month of September. A detailed schedule follows:

·         Richie Beirach 60th Birthday Celebration w/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, 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."

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

·         Linda Lavin "Songs and Confessions of a Former Waitress"

Featuring Billy Stritch (piano), Steve Doyle (bass) and John Brown (drums)

"This two-night engagement gives audiences a chance to see Tony Award-winner Linda Lavin up-close and personal as she recalls her roots in the theater (originating Sondheim's 'The Boy From...' in The Mad Show) and her early cabaret trials and tribulations in some less-than-glamorous boites.  Her varied musical choices range from Gershwin to Maltby & Shire and Dave Frishberg to Trisha Yearwood. The musical relationship with pal Billy Stritch at the piano only adds to the party atmosphere this hostess-with-the-mostess exudes."

Monday-Tuesday, September 3 & 4 at 7pm ($35)

·         Dave Leibman "Back On The Corner"

"Saxophonist Dave Leibman delves into the electric world of Miles Davis with the release of his latest album, Back On The Corner, an homage to Miles Davis' controversial On The Corner, which Leibman was originally featured on. This endeavor, which includes electric contrabassist Anthony Jackson and guitarist Mike Stern, concocts a hermetic brew of space, time, and placidity, elements that escaped the congested 1972 recording."

Wednesday-Saturday, September 5-8 at 8:30 & 11pm (9/5-9/6 $30,9/7-9/8 $35)

·         Patrick DeGennaro

"2007 MAC Award winning singer/songwriter Patrick DeGennaro returns to Birdland with his band to perform new originals, as well as pop classics ('Maybe I'm Amazed,' 'She's Leaving Home') in his own style and contemporary Broadway tunes (Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel). DeGennaro's soaring pop-rock tenor voice is at times reminiscent of Steve Perry (Journey) or Lou Gramm (Foreigner), with a silky smooth R&B sound, akin to the likes of George Benson or Peabo Bryson. Patrick has performed at Joe's Pub, Town Hall, The Bottom Line, Symphony Space, and CBGB's, which has garnered him a Nightlife Award nomination and a Back Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Male Vocalist."

Sunday, September 9 at 7pm ($25)

·         "I Feel Good: Broadway Celebrates The Music of James Brown"

 Chester Gregory (Tarzan, Hairspray), Aisha de Haas (Martin Short-Fame Becomes Me, Caroline or Change), Chuck Cooper (Caroline or Change, The Life, Chicago), John Eric Parker (Rent, All Shook Up), Joshua Henry (In The Heights, Godspell at Papermill Playhouse), along with an 8-piece funk band, sing the songs made famous by the hardest working man in show business, James Brown!  Amy Birnbaum produces and directs this event, which will benefit the Broadway Inspirational Voices - a choir that unites people of all races, religions and backgrounds.

Monday, September 10 at 7pm ($25)

·         Pharoah Sanders Quartet

"Possessing one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz, Pharoah Sanders is harmonically rich and heavy with overtones. Sanders' sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible for a saxophonist to be.  Yet, at the same time, he is guided by grace. Highly regarded to the point of reverence by many jazz fans, Sanders has made a name for himself with his expressionistic, nearly anarchic free jazz in the Coltrane ensembles of the mid-'60s. Having played with other jazz charmers such as Sun Ra, Don Cherry and John Hicks, Sanders continues to be one of the last gigging ambassadors of incisive lyricism."

Tuesday-Sunday, September 11-15 at 8:30 & 11pm ($40)

·         Amanda Green

"Amanda Green, winner of two MAC Awards, a Bistro Award, a 2004 Jonathan Larson Award, and co-writer of High Fidelity: The Musical begs the musical question, 'Does this song make my ass look phat?'  Ms. Green will be joined by some swell guest stars as they perform her elegant lyrics. Musical direction by Tom Kitt."

      Sunday, September 16 at 7pm ($25)

·         Kate Shindle and Michael John LaChiusa

"Ms. Shindle (Legally Blonde, The Musical, former Miss America ) & Michael John LaChiusa (5-time Tony nominated composer/lyricist of Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold) perform Broadway standards and original tunes from the LaChiusa trunk!"

Monday, September 17 at 7 PM ($30)

·         Coltrane Revisited

Featuring: Joe Lovano (sax), Steve Kuhn (piano), Andrew Cyrille (drums), Billy Hart (drums) and Lonnie Plaxico (bass)
"An annual all-star gathering in celebration of saxophonist and primary jazz innovator John Coltrane's 81st birthday.  Premier modern jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano and acclaimed pianist Steve Kuhn, along with drummers Andrew Cyrille and Billy Hart with bassist Lonnie Plaxico, are all dedicated proponents of Coltrane's music either by professional association, musical influence, or both."

Wednesday-Saturday, September 19-22 at 8:30 & 11pm (9/19-9/20 $30, 9/21-9/22 $35)

·         Pat Martino

"Virtuoso guitarist Martino got his start on the "chitlin' circuit" with organ groups led by 'Groove' Holmes, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Trudy Pitts, Charles Earland and others. Having fully recovered from a life-threatening illness in the 1980's that caused him to forget how to play the guitar and relearn by listening to his own 1960's recordings, Martino has re-emerged as a veteran presence on the jazz scene due in part to a successful association with Blue Note Records. His playing is as fiery and technically brilliant as ever and he constantly challenges himself with new music and exciting young bandmates. His current CD celebrates the music of Wes Montgomery."

Wednesday-Saturday, September 26-29 at 8:30 & 11pm ($40)

·         Donna Lynne Champlin

"Donna Lynne Champlin, who recently starred in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, as well as James Joyce's The Dead, By Jeeves and Hollywood Arms, brings her one-woman show 'Finishing The Hat' back to Birdland!  It's an inspired pairing of stories and songs from Donna Lynne's professional and personal adventures (such as 'Stalking Brian D'Arcy James' and 'The Worst Audition Ever') that the audience picks randomly from a hat.  David Hurst of Cabaret Scenes Magazine calls the evening 'hilarious, heartbreaking and brilliant,' and Peter Filichia of TheaterMania asks 'Why can't all cabarets be as wonderful as 'Finishing The Hat?' Ms. Champlin will be accompanied on piano by Joseph Thalken."

Sunday, September 30 at 7pm ($30)

Regular Monthly 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)"

Sundays, September 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at 9&11pm ($25, 9/2 $30)

·         "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."

Tuesdays, September 11, 18, 25 at 8:30 & 11pm ($25)

·         Jim Caruso's "Cast Party"

"'Divas and dapper-dans insouciantly sip cocktails while watching each other sing and perform at the open-mic event during Broadway's dark night,' says 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. Performers are accompanied by Billy Stritch, pianist and musical director for Liza Minnelli and Charles Aznavour."

Mondays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 at 10pm ($10 cover/$10 minimum)

Visit www.birdlandjazz.com for more information.

Photo of Kate Shindle by Linda Lenzi

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