MEL AND ELLA SWING! Starring Billy Stritch and Gabrielle Stravelli to Return to Birdland

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present renowned pianist and singer Billy Stritch and award-winning jazz vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli in the return of their special show "Mel and Ella Swing!" on Monday, June 5 at 7:00 PM. The pair will once again combine their considerable talents for an evening of great music celebrating the legendary Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald. They will include beloved favorites from the Great American Songbook ("The Man I Love," "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," "Cheek to Cheek") and swinging standards from the world of jazz ("Too Close for Comfort," "Oh, Lady Be Good!"). These two performers have brought their magic to stages all over the world and together bring an incredible knowledge and feel for this great music. There is a $30 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.

Billy Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony's pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as musical director for such leading vocalists as Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole and Linda Lavin. He is the co-writer of the Grammy-winning song "Does He Love You," recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis, and recorded again last year by Reba and Dolly Parton. When he's not on the road, he is the pianist for Jim Caruso's Cast Party open mic night every Monday at Birdland Jazz Club and he and Jim hold forth on Sunday nights at Bemelmans' Bar in Manhattan's fabled Carlyle Hotel. Named the Best Musical Director four times by BroadwayWorld, Billy's 2022 birthday engagement at Birdland was the winner of Best Vocal Jazz Show of the year. During Covid-19, he hosted his own weekly Facebook live-stream show "Billy's Place," celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career. He has recorded five solo albums and his latest release Billy's Place (Club44 Records) is a collection of his favorite songs from these online concerts.

Gabrielle Stravelli pairs a jazz artist's musicianship with an ability to interpret lyrics and connect with an audience, which has led to a richly varied career. She regularly leads her quartet in performances at the country's finest jazz clubs and performing arts centers and has headlined domestic and international jazz festivals including the 2021 and 2018 WBGO Jazz on the Mountain Festival in New Paltz, NY, the 2019 Providencia Jazz Festival in Santiago, Chile, the 2016 All That Jazz Festival in Eleuthera, Bahamas and the 2014 Maree Sonore Festival in Venice, Italy. As a US State Department "Jazz Ambassador" she has performed and taught throughout Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America. Dream Ago, her 2017 release which consists primarily of original material, received a 5-star review from Downbeat Magazine and her 2019 release Pick Up My Pieces: Gabrielle Stravelli Sings Willie Nelson was featured by noted music critic Will Friedwald in the Wall Street Journal and was honored with the 2020 Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording.

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present Billy Stritch and Gabrielle Stravelli in "Mel and Ella Swing!" on Monday, June 5 at 7:00 PM. There is a $30 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

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UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS AT

BIRDLAND THEATER AND BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB

Every Monday at 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Jim Caruso's Cast Party

"Jim Caruso's Cast Party," a New York institution for almost two decades, is a wildly popular weekly open mic night/variety show that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland since 2004. Called "show-business heaven" by The New York Times and "the gold-standard of open mic nights" by The Wall Street Journal, "Cast Party" will take advantage of the city's post-pandemic nightlife renaissance to keep presenting a potent mix of Broadway stars, jazz swingers and cabaret legends, in addition to new faces and rising talent from every genre. The buoyant, sharp and charming Caruso guides the entire affair, while musical genius Billy Stritch (Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett) holds court at the ivories and leads the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums).

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

The Lineup with Susie Mosher

"The Lineup with Susie Mosher" is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring entertainers from the Broadway, cabaret and comedy scenes, ranging from today's hottest headliners to the best up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Mosher - the noted actress and singer from Broadway and beyond, called "one of those talents you need to see to believe" by Time Out New York - hosts the spontaneous extravaganza every Tuesday, and each Lineup is unique and promises to deliver an unforgettable night of quintessential New York City entertainment.

$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

Every Saturday at 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano

Hailed as "the truest heir to Bobby Short" in The New York Times, pianist/singer Eric Comstock returns to Birdland with star bassist/composer Sean Smith with songs by everyone from George Gershwin to George Harrison. These two masters met on the Off-Broadway hit Our Sinatra (which Eric co-wrote) and have since worked separately and together around the world. Vocalist Barbara Fasano joins them at Birdland for a swinging Saturday supper where the music and stories are equally great. Sean Smith has been an integral part of the international jazz scene for over 25 years, and has performed with Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Art Farmer, Flip Phillips, Clark Terry and many others. Barbara Fasano has been praised as "a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor's intensity in whatever she sings" by The New York Post and "a lyrically sensitive interpreter" by The New York Times. Her latest album Busy Being Free is the recipient of the MAC Award for "Major Recording of the Year."

$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 8 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Victoria Shaw, Jim Brickman, and Peter Cincotti - "Three Friends, One Piano"

This special musical evening with three great musical talents stars Victoria Shaw, Jim Brickman, and Peter Cincotti, in "Three Friends, One Piano." Shaw, the chart-topping songwriter; Jim Brickman, the Grammy-nominated pianist; and Cincotti, the acclaimed vocalist and musician, will create an evening of "musical chairs" as they play their hits and tell the stories behind them. Victoria Shaw's songs have been staples on the charts since the early '90s. Victoria's #1 compositions include Garth Brooks's "The River" and "She's Every Woman," Ricky Martin's "So'lo Quiero Amarte," and Jim Brickman's "Sending You a Little Christmas." Jim Brickman is the best-selling solo pianist of our time, earning 21 #1 albums, 32 Top 20 radio hits, and two Grammy nominations. His star-studded vocal collaborations have crossed genres to feature luminaries like Martina McBride, Michael Bolton, Donny Osmond, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Johnny Mathis, and Kenny Loggins, among many others. Peter Cincotti was called "one of the most promising singer-pianists of the next generation" by The New York Times. A born and bred New Yorker, Cincotti's debut album reached #1 on the Billboard jazz charts, making the eighteen-year-old musician the youngest artist ever to do so. Peter's albums have been produced by legends such as Phil Ramone and sixteen-time Grammy winner David Foster, blending genres from pop to jazz, and leading him to perform in some of the world's most prestigious venues.

$40 tables + $20 food/drink minimum

May 11 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Ty Stephens

Ty Stephens and his SoulJaazz bandmates shift gears to their cooler side with some special guests. Stephens is an award-winning singer/songwriter, entertainer/recording artist co-writer/producer, choreographer and star of the long-running "Shades Of Harlem" revue show; co-writer and original cast of "From My Hometown," appeared on Broadway in the original productions of Sophisticated Ladies and Marilyn, An American Fable. He has performed with Harry Belafonte, Gregory Hines, Phyllis Hyman, Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Phoebe Snow, Smokey Robinson, Jon Hendricks; at Carnegie Hall with Liza Minnelli and Natalie Cole, Ledisi, Savion Glover, and more. SoulJaazz, is entering his 5th Season at the world-famous Sporting Club in Monte Carlo as the Sporting Orchestra (opening for the likes of Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Celine Dion, George Benson, Alicia Keys, Steely Dan, Sting, Eric Clapton and more), and recently returned from Japan with superstar Toshi Kubota's 25 Anniversary "Gold Skool" tour, and his 2nd tour of eastern Russia with his band, SoulJaazz, with the US State Department.

$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 15 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Steve Ross - "They All Fall in Love"

In his salute to spring at Birdland, vocalist and pianist Steve Ross - widely heralded as "The Crown Prince of New York Cabaret" - will cover the concept of springtime love in the lower orders ("Any Little Fish," "The Dolphin"), and vernal celebrations ("In the Spring of the Year, " "Spring, Spring, Spring," "Paris in the Spring"). The lighter side of the season will celebrated with "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here," and "April in Fairbanks." The thoughtful side will include Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe in Spring" and Harry Warren's "Spring Isn't Everything." The rueful side of spring will be represented by "Spring Is Here," and of course, "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." Ross has been a fixture of the cabaret community in Manhattan for over forty years. In 1981 he re-opened the legendary Oak Room at Manhattan's famed Hotel Algonquin where he held forth for over 15 years. He has appeared on Broadway in Noël Coward's Present Laughter and off-Broadway in his Fred Astaire tribute I Won't Dance. Internationally, he has performed in London, Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Melbourne and Sydney as well as cabarets and theatres across America and on the high seas.

$40 + $20 food/drink minimum

May 25 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Jessica Fishenfeld

Award-winning vocalist and actor Jessica Fishenfeld, known for her "crystalline and pure voice" and "spot-on comedic timing" is a natural optimist in a rough-and-tumble town. With a springtime sprinkle of jazz, cabaret, and musical theater tunes, you'll be sure to forget all your troubles and get happy. Joined by pianist/music director Matthew Sheens and Sam Zerna on bass, you'll be gifted with a bouquet of toe-tapping classics and new favorites from Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, John Bucchino, Ann Hampton Callaway, and more. Jessica Fishenfeld recently was featured on "America's Got Talent" as an opera-singing aerialist. She "triumphed" (NY Observer) in New York City Opera's World Premiere of Stonewall, with "clean coloratura," (Opera News) and "spunky personality" (Opera Wire), made a "stand out" (New York Times) off-Broadway debut in Das Barbecü, and appeared in the series premiere of Sony Pictures' Panhandle. She recently released her debut EP The Nothing Lamp with Crossover Records, as well as several singles available on all streaming platforms.

$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

May 29 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Gavin Lee

"Steppin' Out with Fred Astaire"

The two-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Drama Desk winner Gavin Lee makes his Birdland debut. Gavin played two Fred Astaire roles during his award-winning West End and Broadway career, so with a little help from Gershwin, Berlin, Porter and a pair of tap shoes, he will fill this evening with songs and stories that made Fred a true star of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Gavin Lee just returned from the UK where he was playing Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the London Palladium. He previously originated the role of Squidward in The SpongeBob Musical on Broadway (Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nomination). Two of his favourite roles have been Thénadier in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables and the title character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical at Madison Square Garden. He originated the role of Bert in the West End and Broadway productions of Mary Poppins (Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards, Olivier and Tony Award nominations).

$40 + $20 food/drink minimum

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