Jazz Masters, Stephen Wallam, Jim Caruso's Cast Party and More Set for Birdland, Aug 2014
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 15, 2014
Birdland Jazz Club has announced their great line-up of amazing talent for the month of August 2014, featuring: The Jazz Masters Quartet, Dave Douglas Quintet, Django Reinhardt NY Festival, Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano, Rotem Sivan Trio, Sean Harkness Duo, Jane Monheit, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more. Details below!
Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:
July 29-Aug 2 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30 & 11:00PM
"Jazz Masters"
Featuring Dave Liebman, Billy Childs, Buster Williams & Billy Hart
David Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a careerstretching over forty years. Thus far, in his career, Childs has garnered ten Grammy nominations and three Grammy awards: two for best instrumental composition (Into the Light from Lyric and The Path Among The Trees from Autumn: In Moving Pictures) and one for best arrangement accompanying a vocalist. Buster Williams is a prodigious artist whose playing knows no limits. He has played, recorded and collaborated with jazz giants such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and Carmen McRae. Billy Hart is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum
August 2, 9 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Formore than a decade Loston has headlined at a "home" that shares his passion for timeless music. The Legendary Bemelmans Bar located in The Carlyle in Manhattan's storied Upper East Side, has a legacy of hosting great cabaret and jazz greats from the likes of Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch, John Pizzarelli and the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). Loston is doing his part to continue a legacy by blending traditional jazz,gospel and blues with his own unique stylings. With early musical inspirations ranging from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Carole King and other notable pop and R & B bands, it was jazz that ultimately chose Loston and Loston chose jazz. For Loston, jazz is "hip, serious, complex, improvisational and limitless."
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum
August 4 (Monday) at 7:00PM
Broadway at Birdland Presents
The evening will feature a list of beloved songs written in decades spanning over 80 years. Reichard writes, "I want this evening to be a celebration of many different eras of music. My heart has always had a deeppassion for the Great American Songbook. I think the songs of the 30s and 40s and 50s are still so stylish and resonant. Songs from the Golden Age of Broadway will be the jumping-off point for this show. We will move on to the incredible music of the 60s and will work our way up to the music played byartists today. This is a show for multiple generations and everyone will hopefully get something out of hearing these brilliant songs played in the same program. Also, I may wear shorts and show off my legs." The evening of treasured songs will feature songs by iconic songwriters such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Johnny Mercer, Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon, and Jason Mraz. Reichard will be joined onstage by a band of five musicians.
All seats $35, $10 food/drink minimum
August 5-10 (Tuesday - Sunday) at 8:30 & 11:00PM
Air France Presents
Django Reinhardt NY Festival "15th Anniversary Celebration"
Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta featuring Samson Schmitt, DouDou Cuillerier, Olli Soikkelii (guitars), Pierre Blanchard (violin) Ludovic Beier (accordion) Peter Beets (piano) Brian Torff (bass) and special guests Joel Frahm (sax, 8/5) Anat Cohen (clarinet, 8/6-7) Jane Monheit (vocals, 8/8) Edmar Castaneda (harp, 8/9) Chris Washburne (trombone, 8/10).
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum
August 12-16 (Tuesday - Saturday) at 8:30 & 11:00PM
The Birdland Big Band
With Special Guest James Genus
Directed by Tommy Igoe and featuring Special Guest James Genus, from SNL and Herbie Hancock!
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 yelp.com proclaims, "if you hear one band in NYC make sure this is it... and prepare to be blown away!"
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum
August 14 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
Sean Harkness Duo
Sean Harkness, a jazz guitarist, is best known for his incredible technique and virtuosic playing. Starting at the early age of eleven, Harkness soon had a weekly theater engagement in Bridgeport, CT months after first picking up his instrument. After high school bands and studies with Brian Keane and Sal Salvador [Stan Kenton Band], Harkness studied at Berklee College ofMusic in Boston. After hearing Sean perform, Randall B. Plourde invited him to study guitar technique. Randall helped Harkness develop a signature touch on the instrument that caught the ears of Windham Hill Records and other producers. At home in New York City, Harkness most recently garnered the Outstanding Instrumentalist of 2011 Backstage Bistro Award, then two MAC Awards [Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets] for his solo shows and most recent CD with duo partner, Canadian trumpeter, Mike Herriot. Harkness has been featured Walden Guitars' cover of their 2011 and 2012 catalogs and the Cabaret Scenes Magazine. Jazz Inside New York proclaims Harkness as, "...a technical virtuoso whose Joe Pass/Tommy Emmanuel fingerstyle approach is always in service to telling a story or creating a feeling within the song; [Harkness] transcends many genres and can touch listeners of many backgrounds."
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum
August 16, 23, 30 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Jay Leonhart Duo
Combining the skills of an old school entertainer and virtuoso jazzman, 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 ThadJones 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
August 17 (Sunday) at 6:00PM
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano
"On the Sunny Side"
These married musical partners -- pianist/vocalist Eric Comstock and vocalist Barbara Fasano ("Exhilarating" - The New York Times) -- are as entertaining as they are musically savvy. Theaward-winning artists
celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary later this summer, so expect lots of laughs and love songs. Sultry, swinging and surprising, they'll turn Sunday supper at Birdland into a fabulous party where the stories are as great as the music. "MASTERFUL AND ENDLESSLY APPEALING ... THEY TAKE IT TO A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL" (Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal)
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum
August 19-23 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30PM & 11:00PM
Dave Douglas Quintet
Hailing down from the NYC area, American jazz trumpeter and composer, Dave Douglas' unique repertoire and style speaks for itself. Since 1993, Douglas has recorded more than forty albums as a bandleader. With his own groups, Douglas has pioneered new settings for thetrumpet in jazz. He has produced and recorded countless artists and groups,including all albums released by his independent label Greenleaf Music. Douglas has performed and recorded with dozens of musicians in jazz and has been a member of the SFJAZZ Collective and various John Zorn ensembles. In more recent years, he has explored collaborations involving modern dance, spoken word/poetry, and film. Douglas served as the artistic director of the BanffWorkshop in Jazz and Creative Music from 2002 - 2012 and is the co-founder of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, a non-profit charity that supports new and pioneering trumpet workshops across genres, genders and communities and is held annually in New York City. The highly anticipated quintet made their debut in 2012, and critics are proclaiming "Douglas' Quintet reflects the independent spirit of a pioneering artist whose intrepid enthusiasm manifests itself in his choice of gifted young collaborators..." and the performance "displays the boundless creativity of a group that derives equal inspiration from both past and future."
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum
August 21 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
Rotem Sivan Trio
Rotem Sivan is a fascinating new voice in the New York jazz scene. A native of Haifa, Israel, his musical palette draws from classical and jazz influences combined with ethnic elements. In his recent and well-received debut album, "Enchanted Sun," Sivan skillfully fuses these into a new approach to the Jazz Guitar Trio.
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum
August 24 (Sunday) at 6:00PM
Ellen O'Brien
Ellen O'Brien is a Jazz/R&B vocalist that has performed withKeith Lockhart and The Boston Pops Taylor Dane, Mary J. Blige, Jim Belushi,Rachelle Ferrell, Jeff Golub, Chris Parker, and Tony Bennet, to name a few.Ellen's Live CD, "Raw Silk", is available August 2014. It features Fan Favorites including "At Last" and "Night In Tunisia."
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum
August 25 (Monday) at 7:00PM
Stephen Wallam
In "A Burly Night Music"
The concert, with direction by Tony-nominee John Tartaglia and musical direction by Beckie Menzie, is a musical and anecdotal retrospective of a very high voice trapped in a very large body. Featuring songs from Wallem's big and/or "simple" guy roles including Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Hazel in Pipe Dreams, and Horton the Elephant in Seussical, as well as songs from Hairspray, Elf, Anna Nicole the Opera, The Land Before Time and The Addams Family, all celebrating the big-boned beauty of Broadway and Hollywood. Directed by Tony-nominee John Tartaglia, with original songs, a three-pieceband and surprise celebrity guest appearances.
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum
August 26-30 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30PM & 11:00PM
Annual Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration
Born August 29th, 1920, Charlie "Bird" Parker was one of the most influential and iconic artists in jazz history. As the central figure in the development of bebop in the 1940s Bird was a legendary figure in his
own lifetime and was idolized by those who worked with him including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell and Miles Davis. He was the inspiration for Birdland andpractically defined its mission as the home for modern jazz in New York City. Since his death in 1955 at age 34 Bird has inspired every subsequent generation of jazz artist and left a rich legacy of distinctive compositions and a signature melodic vocabulary that still informs every style of jazz. For this celebration Birdland presents a group of jazz all-stars who can move seamlessly between classic and contemporary Bird-inspired material.
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum
Birdland will also feature the following recurring monthly engagements:
August 3, 10, 31 (Sunday) at 6:00PM
Jane Monheit's Jazz Party
With Michael Kanan, Neal Miner, Rick Montalbano In just over fifteen years, critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Jane Monheit's honey-smooth vocals, silky phrasing and natural knack for storytelling haveearned her two Grammy nominations and established her as one of her generation's most beloved and accomplished vocalists. Jane's sincere and romantic interpretations of exceptional songs has made her a favorite in both the jazz and cabaret worlds. Jane will debut her forthcoming project, "Hello Bluebird: Celebrating the Jazz of Judy Garland," in NYC during a weeklong engagement in January 2015.
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum
August 3, 17, 24, 31 (Sunday) at 9PM & 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 inCarla 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
August 4, 11, 18, 25 (Monday) at 9:30PM
Jim Caruso's Cast Party
Jim Caruso's Cast Party is a wildly popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night. It's a cool cabaret night-out enlivened by a hilariously impromptu variety show. Showbiz superstars, backed by Steve Doyle on bass, Billy Stritch on piano and Daniel Glass on drums, hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle.
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum
August 6, 13, 20, 27 (Wednesdays) 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
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Fridays) 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 theworld'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 yourweekend with what critics are calling "the best live music bargain in all of NYC!"
All seats $30, $10 food/drink minimum
For more information and reservations, call 212-581-3080. Ticket prices will vary by performer. At the tables, there is a $10 food/drink minimum per person in addition to the music charge. At the bar, the music charge will include onecomplimentary drink with no additional minimum.
Named for alto saxophonist and jazz pioneer Charlie "Bird" Parker who dubbed it "The Jazz Corner of the World," Birdland opened on December 15th 1949. For 60 years it has been home to jazz legends, from Parker, John Coltrane Duke Ellington and Count Basie to Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones, Diana Krall and everyone in between. The original 52nd street location was a cultural barometer and meeting place, inspiring the songs "Birdland" and "Lullaby of Birdland," and serving as a regular haunt for celebrities and cultural figures. The modern incarnation is a state of the art nightclub featuring award winning Southern and Cajun cuisine, first rate sound and lighting and a who's who of contemporary musical artists, 7 nights a week.
Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues), New York, NY 10036. Students (with current ID) & Broadway Theatre-Goers (with Broadway ticket stub from same day of performance): 50% off music charge at 11PM shows only. Birdland serves American Fare with a Cajun Flair nightly from 5PM until Midnight and until 1AM on Friday and Saturdays. Parking is available across the street at 332West 44th Street. Concert Grand Piano By: Yamaha.
For more information, visit www.BirdlandJazz.com. Follow BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB on Twitter: @birdlandjazz, Facebook, Instagram, and on Pinterest.
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