Jason Graae, Joey DeFrancesco & More Set for Birdland, 5/12-18

Birdland Jazz Club has announed its schedule for May 12 - 18, featuring Joey DeFrancesco Organ Quartet with guest George Coleman, Miss Coco Peru: Have You Heard?, Jason Graae's "49½ Shades of Graae," the Jay Leonhart Duo, and more!

May 12 (Monday) at 7:00PM
Jason Graae in "49½ Shades of Graae"

"49½ Shade of Graae" is an evening with ex-Broadway-juvenile-turned-Hollywood-misfit Jason Graae (pronounced Grah, which means Grey in Danish) as he explores the many "shades" of his life and career...from hilarity to tragedy all rolled into one madcap, yet heartfelt romp. Jason features old and new songs that explore his life of sex, drugs and musical comedy. This show is directed by Heather Lee with John Boswell as musical director. Jason Graae is currently featured in the York Theatre Company's production of Inventing Mary Martin, and has starred on Broadway in A Grand Night For Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy, and Do Black Patent Leather Shows Really Reflect Up? His Off- Broadway shows include Forever Plaid, Olympus on My Mind, All in the Timing, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Drama Desk Nomination-Best Actor in a Musical) and many more. Jason made his Metropolitan Opera House debut as the male vocalist in Twyla Tharp's Everlast with American Ballet Theatre. He has performed his one man show all over the country from Rainbow and Stars and Birdland in NYC to Feinstein's and the Plush Room in L.A. and San Francisco, winning 4 Bistro Awards and a N.Y Nightlife Award, also making TimeOut NY's Top Cabaret shows of the year. His critically acclaimed show with Faith Prince, "The Prince and the Showboy" won a 2nd Nightlife Award for Best Duo.
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

May 12 (Monday) at 9:15PM & 11PM
Miss Coco Peru: Have You Heard?
Second show added due to demand!

Coco loves to reminisce. In fact, she's very good at it. In Have You Heard? Coco performs some of her favorite monologues and songs spanning her long career, as well as some new stuff too. Whether you've heard all of these stories, or if you're a Coco virgin, come see why Lily Tomlin called Coco "one of the last great storytellers." Experience the trailblazing Queen who elevated drag whilst still wearing sensible heels. Storyteller/monologist Miss Coco Peru aka Clinton Leupp got her/his start as a downtown favorite in the cabaret world of NY after he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in his first show "Miss Coco Peru in My Goddamn Cabaret" over 20 years ago. On screen, Miss Coco is best known for her roles in Jim Fall's feature film, "trick" (Sundance 1999) and Richard Day's "Girls Will Be Girls." (Sundance 2002) For this film Coco shared the Best Actress Award with his two co-stars at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen as well as the Best Actor Award at LA's Outfest Film Festival. Other film appearances include "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar," "Nick and Jane," and "Straight-Jacket." Coco can be heard in the Disney animated feature, "The Wild as Mamma Hippo!" She also appears in the highly-ish anticipated sequel of "Girls Will Be Girls," which will be released someday, hopefully. Coco has appeared on TV in two stand-up comedy specials on LOGO: "Wisecrack" and "Dragtastic," "How I Met Your Mother," "Arrested Development," "Twins," "Will and Grace," "New York Undercover," "Detroit 187," several Bravo reality and clip shows, and in an Orbitz commercial that was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
All seats $25, food/drink minimum $10

May 13-17 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30 & 11PM
Joey DeFrancesco Organ Quartet
With Special Guest George Coleman

Credited with repopularizing the instrument in the late-1980s, Hammond B3 Organist Joey DeFrancesco got an early career start in a musical family. Following his saxophonist grandfather Joseph and his jazz organist father "Papa" John DeFrancesco, Joey began playing at age four. By age ten he played in a Philadelphia band legendary tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and "Philly" Joe Jones on drums. At sixteen Joey signed with Columbia Records and released his first record at seventeen. Soon after, he went on tour and/or recorded with Miles Davis, John Mclaughlin, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, David Sanborn, George Benson and many more. He has gone to win numerous Down Beat Critics and Readers polls and has been nominated for two Grammies. Joey currently splits his time between his own quartet and David Sanborn's band.
All seats $40, food/drink minimum $10

May 14 (Wednesday) at 5:30PM
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 14th 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!
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

May 15 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
Lorin Cohen Quartet

A thrill to watch and sublime to hear, Lorin Cohen is best known for locking down the groove with Monty Alexander, Joe Locke, Guggenheim Fellow Ryan Cohan, and the acclaimed hip-hop-meets-jazz ensemble, Vertikal. While he possesses an expansive palate of expressive devices and techniques, the focus of his playing is always on generating a deep and propulsive groove. This has taken him around the world, allowing him to share his talents with audiences throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. In addition to those mentioned above, he has collaborated with such jazz luminaries as Lew Tabakin, Victor Lewis, Geoffrey Keezer, Von Freeman and Roni Ben-Hur.
All seats $25, food/drink minimum $10

May 16 (Friday) at 5:00PM
The Birdland Big Band
With Guest Conductor Rob Middleton

Founded by drummer and musical director Tommy Igoe, the Birdland Big Band features the finest musicians in New York! The BBB roars into action every Friday, playing the finest Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music from the world's best arrangers. After work or before a show, drinks or a great dinner, come hear one of the world's best drummers driving the hardest swinging band in New York. Experience why the BBB is the must-see weekly jazz event in New York and kick off your weekend with what critics are calling "the best live music bargain in all of NYC!"
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

May 17 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Jay Leonhart Duo

Combining the skills of an old school entertainer and virtuoso jazz man, bassist, vocalist and composer Jay Leonhart has been a fixture of the New York scene for over forty years. When Jay was fourteen he started playing the bass in The Pier Five Dixieland Jazz Band in Baltimore and never looked back. After studying at The Peabody Institute, Jay attended The Berklee School of Music and The Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, before leaving school to start touring with the traveling big bands of the late 50's and early 60's. Upon moving to New York, Jay eventually began playing for many of the great jazz musicians, big bands, and singers who were to be found in New York - artists like Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and Jim Hall. Jay became a very busy studio musician in New York City, visiting every musical genre from James Taylor to Ozzy Osbourne and Queen Latifah. Between 1975 and 1995 he was named The Most Valuable Bassist in the recording industry three times by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. Jay has now recorded 15 solo albums. His first one-man show "The Bass Lesson" is being received warmly by critics and audiences. Jay's next show "Nukular Tulips" is in the works.
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

May 18 (Sunday) at 6:00PM
The Birdland Jazz Party
Featuring Gabrielle Stravelli

Birdland's very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics! This quartet features John Hart (Guitar), Paul Gil (bass), Carmen Intorre (Drums) & Jon Davis (Piano) with special guest vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli! Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal following through her unique take on material from the new American songbook as well as classic standards by artists as varied as Pink Floyd and Duke Ellington, Dolly Parton and Johnny Mercer. A trained actor, Gabrielle has a soulful sensitivity for the story in the lyric and was called "a powerhouse of individual expression" by David Finkle of The Village Voice.
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

May 18 (Sunday) at 9:00PM & 11PM
Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill -- leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (NY Times) -- was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Son of the late, great composer Chico O'Farrill, Arturo was Educated at Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He played piano in Carla Bley's Big Band from 1979 through 1983 and earned a reputation as a soloist in groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Belafonte.
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum

Purchase tickets at: www.BirdlandJazz.com For more information and reservations call 212-581-3080.

To post a comment, you must register and login.