Gil Evans Project, Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet, and More to Play Birdland This Month

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced jazz programming running May 8 through May 21.

Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Gil Evans Project Directed by Ryan Truesdell, Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet and Jared Schonig Big Band featuring Michael Mayo.

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, catch The Anderson Brothers Play Ellington, Tony Glausi Presents New Suite in the Theater, Jennifer Wharton's BONEGASM, Richard Cortez and Tyler Henderson and Gil Gutierrez.

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

Jazz Programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater May 8 through May 21

May 8 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening beginning May 8th 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

May 9 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
The Anderson Brothers Play Ellington
Juilliard-trained identical twins Peter and Will Anderson have been hailed as "virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone" by The New York Times. Their passion for classic jazz shines through each time they perform. Having shared the stage with some of the music's biggest straight-ahead jazz acts-including Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D'Rivera, and Wynton Marsalis-the brothers constitute a formidable force. They've headlined shows at Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and live on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion Radio Program. Birdland welcomes them every Tuesday in May as they deliver their no-funny-business, straight-down-the-middle, jazz-lover's type of jazz: this month paying tribute to the great Duke Ellington.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 9-13 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/9-11); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (5/12-13) - Birdland Jazz Club
Gil Evans Project Directed by Ryan Truesdell
Twice Grammy-nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album of the Year (2013 and 2016), the Gil Evans Project is a critically-acclaimed all-star band that delivers rare work by legendary composer/arranger, Gil Evans. For a week at Birdland, the band will celebrate Evans's 111th birthday, fronted by Grammy Award-winning producer Ryan Truesdell. Featuring alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, drummer Lewis Nash, bassist Jay Anderson, tubist Marcus Rojas, and trumpeter Scott Wendholt, the group will perform music by Evans from the 1940s-1960s: from his time with Claude Thornhill Orchestra, as well as from albums Out of the Cool, Individualism of Gil Evans, New Bottle Old Wine, and a variety of vocal numbers featuring audience favorite, Wendy Gilles.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 10 (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

May 10 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with Janis Siegel and 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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guests. This week it's Janis Siegel and Ted Rosenthal.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 12 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 12-14 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Tony Glausi Presents New Suite in the Theater
The award-winning Tony Glausi has long cultivated a sound that defies easy categorization. Even on his 2015 debut, Identity Crisis, the trumpeter and composer presented a mixture of hard-hitting hip-hop styles, straight ahead jazz portraits, and smooth, languishing balladry. In 2016, '17, and '18, Glausi continued to deliver across genres; and in 2021, he released When It All Comes Crashing Down and EVERYTHING AT ONCE, which both offer up a broad spectrum of styles, with Tony singing, playing, and producing a storm of original music that brings his full palette of influences to life. This winner of the 2017 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Solo Competition will surely surprise his audiences in this one-night engagement at Birdland Theater: Classics With Tony Glausi features 2x Latin-GRAMMY-nominated singer Nana Mendoza; pianist Davis Whitfield; bassist Mark Lewandowski; and drummer Charles Goold. Join this dream team of young New York talent for a spectacular evening.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 14 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Jennifer Wharton's BONEGASM
Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton presents her trombone-powered ensemble, Bonegasm, whose second record, Not a Novelty, was released in April 2021. After the group's self-titled album was released in 2019 on Sunnyside Records to great critical and popular acclaim, Wharton knew she had created something important by highlighting the primacy of the trombone in jazz music. Bonegasm features trombonists John Fedchock, Nate Mayland and Alan Ferber, along with the rhythm section of pianist Michael Eckroth, bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Don Peretz. Producing a record during the height of the pandemic-which meant making music while adhering to social-distancing practices-wasn't easy. But Wharton's skills and ambition led her through, having been honed through years performing in some of the world's top modern big bands and Broadway shows: like Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Birdland's-own Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, West Side Story, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Enjoy BONEGASM at Birdland this Mother's Day as they rip through imaginative originals and arrangements with their unique sound.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 14 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill-leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (The New York Times)-leads the GRAMMY award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring 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

May 15 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening beginning May 8th 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

May 16 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
The Anderson Brothers Play Ellington
Juilliard-trained identical twins Peter and Will Anderson have been hailed as "virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone" by The New York Times. Their passion for classic jazz shines through each time they perform. Having shared the stage with some of the music's biggest straight-ahead jazz acts-including Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D'Rivera, and Wynton Marsalis-the brothers constitute a formidable force. They've headlined shows at Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and live on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion Radio Program. Birdland welcomes them every Tuesday in May as they deliver their no-funny-business, straight-down-the-middle, jazz-lover's type of jazz: this month paying tribute to the great Duke Ellington.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 16-20 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (5/16-18); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (5/19-20) - Birdland Jazz Club
Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet
Master saxophonist Donald Harrison is one of America's most influential musicians. A mentor to such legends as bassist Christian McBride, emcee The Notorious B.I.G., guitarist Mark Whitfield, and trumpeter Christian Scott, Harrison's profound contributions to the world of music go far beyond the saxophone. In the 1980s, he served as a member of Art Blakey's last stretch of Jazz Messengers alongside Terence Blanchard, setting the stage for torch-bearing innovations in the 90s wherein Harrison pioneered a fusion of swing music with hip hop, New Orleans street rhythm, R&B and smooth jazz. Such records as the 1997 Nouveau Swing became classics. More recently, Harrison has composed orchestral works for the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Thailand Philharmonic, and the New York Chamber Orchestra. This all while serving in his native New Orleans as Big Chief of Congo Square, where he nourishes and maintains the secret traditions of Afro-New Orleans culture. This powerful figure leads his 5-piece ensemble through a set of contemporary music that is sure to inspire his audience.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 17 (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

May 17 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with Perry Smith and Mark Whitfield
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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guests. This week it's Perry Smith and Mark Whitfield.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 18 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Richard Cortez and Tyler Henderson: Sondheim Explored in the Theater
Appearing for the 5th time at Birdland, song interpreter Richard Cortez returns for one night only with an entirely new show featuring the compositions of Stephen Sondheim reharmonized for jazz. In his most intimate appearance yet, Richard is joined solely by collaborator/pianist Tyler Henderson, and the two bravely explore the complex and expansive works of "the man who reinvented the American musical." With material sourced from Sondheim's most celebrated works like West Side Story, Into the Woods, Gypsy, and the like, and jazz arrangements that harken back to the duo works of Bill Evans and Tony Bennet, this show will feel warm and familiar to any lover of Broadway or Jazz.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 19 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 19-21 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Gil Gutierrez
Mexican guitar virtuoso Gil Gutiérrez is an icon of his instrument, performing around the world with some of music's greatest names. A master of nylon string guitar and tres, he has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Mexican Cultural Institute of the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C., and at Carnegie Hall accompanied by the New York Pops with Doc Severinsen; toured internationally with Arturo Sandoval, Ana Gabriel, Ricardo Arjona, Francisco Céspedes and Pedro Guerrail; and was featured with Severinson in 2022 on PBS American Masters series. Join him at the Birdland Theater for a weekend with his group, featuring violinist Bob Stern (Jerry Miller, Charlie Prichard, Laura Branigan) and bassist Dave Rodriguez (Max Roach, Tito Puente). Alternatively soothing, rhythmic, pyrotechnic, and tender, this band will refresh and uplift its audiences.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 21 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Jared Schonig Big Band featuring Michael Mayo
The drummer of choice for a wide range of Birdland favorites, including the jazz orchestras of Jihye Lee, Miggy Miyajima, Mike Holober, Ariana Neikrug, Augie Haas, Duchess, Lauren Kinhan, and so many others, Grammy-Award winning drummer, composer & bandleader Jared Schonig brings his own large ensemble project to the Theater for one Sunday only in May. Teaming up with modern compositional masters Jim McNeely, Darcy James Argue, Miho Hazama and others, Schonig brought his own ideas to life on Two Takes (Volumes I and II for Qunitet and Big Band respectively) both released on Anzic Records in 2021 featuring cast of the world's finest players: Nir Felder on guitar, Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Marshall Gilkes on trombone, Jason Rigby on saxophone, and many others. Schonig himself has toured and/or recorded internationally with A-listers Kurt Elling, Kristen Chenoweth, Cynthia Erivo, Nicholas Payton, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Tim Hagans, Fred Hersch, Wycliffe Gordon, and Tom Harrell, to name a few. A fixture on the Broadway circuit, he held the drum chair in the Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-award winning Broadway revival of The Color Purple as well as the drum and percussion chairs for Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Enjoy the music of this beloved drummer-composer.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 21 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill-leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (The New York Times)-leads the GRAMMY award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring 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

To post a comment, you must register and login.