Linda Lavin, Arturo O'Farrill, Loston Harris & More Set for Birdland in July

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its July 2014 schedule, featuring Arturo O'Farrill, Loston Harris, Ben Allison Group, John Pizzarelli, Barbara Carroll, Rolando Morales-Matos, Linda Lavin, Jane Monheit, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and MORE!

July 1 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30PM & 11PM
Arturo O'Farrill with Auction Project
Featuring David Bixler and Victor Prieto

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. After leading his late father's orchestra for many years, Arturo formed his own band, The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and the Risa Negra Sextet in order to explore his and other compositions in the panoply of Afro-Latin music.
$40 cover, $10 food/drink minimum

July 6, 13, 27 (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 have earned 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

July 6, 13, 20, 27 (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 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 tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

July 7, 14, 21, 28 (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 tickets $25, $10 food/drink minimum

July 8-12 (Tuesday - Saturday) at 8:30PM & 11PM
Loston Harris

For more 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

July 12, 19, 26 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Barbara Carroll

Barbara is an elegant jazz pianist, composer and vocalist, long recognized as one of the premier players of swinging jazz piano and expressive vocals.
All seats $30-45, $10 food/drink minimum

July 14 (Monday) at 7:00PM
Linda Lavin
Featuring Billy Stritch in "Every Time's The First Time!"

This concert will give audiences a chance to meet Broadway and television star Linda Lavin up-close and personal as she recalls her roots in the theater, her love of torch songs, and a life-long obsession with the big bands of the 1940's. Linda's varied musical choices range from Cole Porter to Trisha Yearwood, and the musical relationship with pianist/singer Billy Stritch only adds to the party atmosphere this hostess-with-the-mostess exudes. Drummer Steve Bakunas will join Stritch in the band.
All seats $35-45, $10 food/drink minimum

July 15-19 (Tuesday - Saturday) at 8:30 & 11:00PM
Ben Allison Group
With Ted Nash, Jeremy Pelt, Steve Cardenas, Rudy Royston

Bassist/composer Ben Allison is one of a few band leaders working in jazz today who has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to 20th century classical and world music traditions, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole. With his groups The Ben Allison Band, Man Size Safe, Peace Pipe, and Medicine Wheel, Ben has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Brazil, winning fans and building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.
All seats $40, $10 food/drink minimum

July 17 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
Rolando Morales-Matos & Forward

Rolando Morales-Matos is currently one of the solo percussionists and assistant conductor with Disney's production of The Lion King, Broadway New York - recipient of six 1998 Tony Awards including Best Musical, as well as the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Rolando holds adjunct professor positions at both Duquesne University and Curtis Institute of Music and maintains a busy schedule giving clinics and master classes at many universities. Rolando is a well sought after Latin Percussionist and performs and records regularly in New York with various Latin jazz groups. Rolando is the percussionist in William Cepeda Afro Rican Jazz. Rolando is a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra Percussion Group, Extra- Percussionist with The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and when needed, with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Allen Farnham on piano, John Benitex on bass, Ivan Renta on tenor sax, Nathan Childers on alto sax, Benny Koonyevsky on drums, Nestor Torres on percussion, Yuri Yamashita on vocal and percussion.
All seats $25.00/$10 food/drink minimum

July 22-26 (Tuesday - Saturday) at 8:30 & 11:00PM
John Pizzarelli & The Swing Seven

The world-renowned jazz guitarist and singer, was called "hip with a wink" by Town & Country, "madly creative" by the Los Angeles Times and "the genial genius of the guitar" by The Toronto Star. Son of the legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, New Jersey native John Pizzarelli has become one of the most recognizable faces and voices in contemporary jazz. John Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader, known around the world for the cool jazz flavor he brings to classic standards, late-night ballads, and each of his hugely entertaining live performances and masterful recordings. His most recent CD release, Rockin' In Rhythm, combines the enduring work of Duke Ellington with Pizzarelli's incredible ability to reinterpret the Great American Songbook. Rockin' In Rhythm is the follow up to Pizzarelli's critically-acclaimed 2008 release, With A Song In My Heart - John Pizzarelli Sings the Music of Richard Rodgers, which featured Don Sebesky's Grammy-nominated arrangement of "Johnny One Note." With his active touring schedule, Pizzarelli continues to charm audiences with his warmth, conversational humor, and musical moxie.
All seats $45, $10 food/drink minimum

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 career stretching 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

July 31 (Thursday) at 6:00PM
James Brandon Lewis
"Divine Travels" CD Release Celebration

Even for an artist hailed by Ebony Magazine as one of "7 Young Players to Watch" who has studied with jazz heavyweights like Charlie Haden, Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Douglas, Joshua Redman, and Matthew Shipp, it takes considerable confidence and courage for a young musician to match wits with veteran improvisers like William Parker and Gerald Cleaver. But on his second release, Divine Travels, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis does just that, not only holding his own with that masterful rhythm section but leading them down fresh and unexpected pathways. Divine Travels melds the holy spirit of a gospel service with the fiery expression of free jazz, the intuitive dialogue of skilled improvisers with the stunning invention of a first meeting. Lewis' music draws in equal parts on his considerable studies and his roots in the church, as well as his considerable curiosity to discover more and deeper connections within his music.
All seats $25, $10 food/drink minimum

Birdland will also feature the following recurring monthly engagements:

July 6, 13, 20, 27 (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 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 tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

July 7, 14, 21, 28 (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 tickets $25, $10 food/drink minimum

July 9, 16, 23, 30 (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

July 11, 18, 25 (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 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

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