Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Wagner High School Jazz Orchestra, and More to Play Birdland This Month

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced all jazz programming June 19 through July 2.

Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Wagner High School Jazz Orchestra and Ravi Coltrane. 

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, catch Loston Harris Duo, Frank Vignola Quartet and Steve Smith Vital Information Trio. 

Repeat engagements include Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Birdland Big Band and Arturo O'Farrill. 

Jazz Programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater June 19 through July 2

June 19 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in June 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


June 20 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Loston Harris Duo
Loston Harris possesses a voice like the great big band singers and the consummate pianism of a Wynton Kelly or a Tommy Flanagan. This combination of outgoing performance and exuberant technical mastery is rare, but Harris has it in spades—and at Birdland Theater, accompanied by the brilliant Gianluca Renzi on bass, Loston will bring his one-two punch to the stage every Tuesday night in June. Harris's life in jazz has included tutelage with some of the music's greatest masters. He studied with Marsalis family patriarch, the pianist Ellis, on recommendation by the great Harry Connick Jr. after participating in the first Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C. Indeed it was Marsalis who was responsible for Harris's decision to shift from his first instrument—drums—to piano. An artist with these three perspectives—rhythm of the drums, harmony of the piano, and melody of the voice—can only wow an audience.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum


June 20-24 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (6/20-22); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (6/23-24) – Birdland Jazz Club
Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra
The legendary, groundbreaking composer and arranger Maria Schneider returns to Birdland this June. Ms. Schneider's music, which has received 7 GRAMMY wins and 14 nominations across jazz, classical and arranging categories, is regarded as some of the most evocative work of our contemporary artistic world. Her latest album, Data Lords (2020)—called “the most daring work of Schneider's career” by esteemed critic Nate Chinen—was a Finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. It pits the digital world against the natural one in musical form to warn listeners of the profound dangers of Big Data and reacquaint them with their essential lifeforce. A living icon of music, Ms. Schneider's week-long engagement is not to be missed.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 21 (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


June 21 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night featuring Mike Stern
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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, with special guest, guitar icon Mike Stern every week in June (6/7,14,21,28). *Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 23 (Friday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Birdland Big Band
Every Friday, and for two headlining weeks a year, 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

June 23-25 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola Quartet
With over 1000 engagements in the last five years alone, and performance credits in 14 countries on three continents, Frank Vignola—leader of Birdland Theater's regular Wednesday night classic, Guitar Night—has become one of the most popular and sought after guitarists on the international music scene. His genre-bending virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List: for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola's jaw-dropping technique explains why The New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar.” For this weekend of performances, Vignola brings his celebrated quartet to the stage. With Ted Rosenthal (piano), Gary Mazzaroppi (bass), Vince Cherico (drums), plus special surprise guests.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 25 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Wagner High School Jazz Orchestra
Staten Island's Wagner High School Jazz Orchestra is a crop of dedicated young students led by Paul Corn. In May of this year, they will have competed in the prestigious Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center—indeed, they are the first New York City high school that is not an arts school to place in the competition's 28 year history. Featuring drummer Zack O'Farill—son of Arturo O'Farill, the leader of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra that performs every Sunday night at Birdland—the band will perform its material for Birdland audiences for one night only! Don't miss these next generation musicians in their Birdland debut.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 25 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the “first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz” (The New York Times)—leads the GRAMMY award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring 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


June 26 (Monday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in June 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


June 27 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Loston Harris Duo
Loston Harris possesses a voice like the great big band singers and the consummate pianism of a Wynton Kelly or a Tommy Flanagan. This combination of outgoing performance and exuberant technical mastery is rare, but Harris has it in spades—and at Birdland Theater, accompanied by the brilliant Gianluca Renzi on bass, Loston will bring his one-two punch to the stage every Tuesday night in June. Harris's life in jazz has included tutelage with some of the music's greatest masters. He studied with Marsalis family patriarch, the pianist Ellis, on recommendation by the great Harry Connick Jr. after participating in the first Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in Washington, D.C. Indeed it was Marsalis who was responsible for Harris's decision to shift from his first instrument—drums—to piano. An artist with these three perspectives—rhythm of the drums, harmony of the piano, and melody of the voice—can only wow an audience.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum

June 27 – July 1 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (6/27-29); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (6/30-7/1) – Birdland Jazz Club
Ravi Coltrane Quartet
Beloved saxophonist Ravi Coltrane honors the legacy of his parents John and Alice Coltrane with his powerful, free-thinking musical projects. With six albums as a leader, seven as a co-leader, and over 100 more as a sideman with jazz music's greatest innovators—included Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron, Steve Coleman, and others—the GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist has made a powerful mark on contemporary jazz. His quartet features David Virelles (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass), and Johnathan Blake (drums).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 28 (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


June 28 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night featuring Mike Stern
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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, with special guest, guitar icon Mike Stern every week in June (6/7,14,21,28). *Guitar night streams live every week at YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


June 30 (Friday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Birdland Big Band
Every Friday, and for two headlining weeks a year, 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


June 30 – July 2 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Steve Smith Vital Information Trio
A truly unique musician with a fabulous artistic path, the great drummer Steve Smith began playing in big bands in the 1970s as he studied with legendary teachers Alan Dawson and Freddie Gruber. His all-star group Vital Information has performed since the early 1970s, since before Smith joined the iconic rock band, Journey, with whom he rocketed to international fame. After decades of performances and the changing of group members over the years, Vital Information now includes the incredible Manuel Valera (Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy nominated pianist) and the world-class Janek Gwizdala (electric bassist for fusion jazz legends Mike Stern, Randy Brecker and Peter Erskine). Vital Information has, over the years, been a four-member ensemble. This new trio format allows for new possibilities in the group's miraculous combination of bebop, funk, South Indian traditional, and contemporary influences. And, in anticipation of Vital Information's 40th Anniversary celebration in 2023, Wounded Bird Records has recently released Steve Smith and Vital Information: The Complete Columbia Recordings, a four CD set of Vital Information's first 4 albums.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum


July 2 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill—leader of the “first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz” (The New York Times)—leads the GRAMMY award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring 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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