Ken Peplowski Quartet & Orchestra with Terell Stafford, Yardbird Big Band, and More to Play Birdland

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced jazz programming running August 21 - September 3rd.

Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Ken Peplowski Quartet & Orchestra with guest Terell Stafford, Yardbird Big Band, Catherine Russell and Danny Jonokuchi Big Band.

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, catch Nicole Zuraitis, David DeJesus and Miki Yamanaka Trio Feat. Jeff Tain Watts.

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 21 - September 3rd

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 “How Love Begins” with bassist Christian McBride out now. 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

August 28 (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 29 (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 How Love Begins” with bassist Christian McBride is out now. 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 29 – September 2 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (8/29-31); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (9/1-2) – Birdland Jazz Club
Catherine Russell
Internationally-renowned vocalist Catherine Russell is jazz royalty. Her grandfather, Elisha Ray, graduated from Juilliard in 1925 and performed with Harlem Renaissance legend James Reese Europe. Her mother, vocalist Carline Ray, toured with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm and attended The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music in the 1950s. And her father, Luis Russell, was Louis Armstrong's musical director. Born into the music, Ms. Russell possesses an easy feeling and genuine soulfulness, documented on seven acclaimed recordings under her own name and over 200 recordings for and with other major artists. Her two most recent albums as a leader—2019's Alone Together and 2016's Harlem on My Mind—received Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. 2014's Bring It Back (Jazz Village) received a rare 5-star rating from Downbeat Magazine. Russell's style tastefully mixes early Harlem jazz stylings and American Songbook gems with New Orleans music and country blues stylings. Last year, for Valentine's week, Russell celebrated the release of her latest recording, Send For Me (Dot Time). Well, she's back—and the feeling of romance is still hanging in the air.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

August 30 (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 30 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night with special guest Karrin Allyson
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 Karrin Allyson.
*Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

September 1 (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

September 1-3 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Miki Yamanaka Trio Feat. Jeff Tain Watts
This is a special weekend of piano trio music for Miki, since she gets to feature the incredible, Jeff Tain Watts! A piano trio is always the most satisfying configuration of Jazz music to Miki, and yet challenging! Playing the material from amazing pianists such as Ahmad Jamal, George Cables, Mulgrew Miller, and The Great American Songbook in addition to my own compositions. Bassist, Tyrone Allen will be joining us to provide the fundamental groove!
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

September 3 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Danny Jonokuchi Big Band: Album Release Show for "Voices"
Danny Jonokuchi is a multi-talented jazz artist based in New York City and Los Angeles. As a jazz trumpeter, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator, few artists are as diversely involved in their craft. He has been recognized for his performance on two GRAMMY Award-Winning projects, and you can hear his compositions and “world-class arrangements” (Broadway World) in renowned jazz clubs, listen to albums he has arranged and produced, and hear him perform on Broadway stages. His highly anticipated big band album, Voices, features 11 vocalists and will be released summer 2023 on Outside In Music. The four singles, “What a Difference a Day Made”, “All or Nothing at All”, “You Turned the Tables on Me” and “Born to Be Blue” are streaming now on all digital platforms. In 2020, he was unanimously named winner of the inaugural Count Basie Great American Swing Contest by a panel of noteworthy judges. DownBeat Magazine remarked, “The music is expertly executed and offers an infectious, kinetic quality.” Danny was also the recipient of the 2020 ASCAP Foundation Louis Armstrong Award. Danny is joined on stage by Nicole Zuraitis, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Shenel Johns, Charles Turner, Tahira Clayton, Sirintip, Alexa Barchini and Hannah Gill.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

September 3 (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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