Review: Luke Hawkins Makes Tap Happy Return To Birdland With LUKE HAWKINS AND HIS MINI BIG BAND

Tapping sensation Luke Hawkins started off his January 23rd return to Birdland (this time, upstairs!) leading the 3-piece brass set through the audience to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In". The aptly titled show "Luke Hawkins and His Mini Big Band" had everyone on their feet before the show had even begun.

A major highlight of the evening were Luke's special guests, particularly the young Addalie Burns, who performed with Luke twice, singing and tapping up a storm to "Side by Side" and "Bear Necessities". Among the guests was also the beautiful Sarah Meahl. The two of them reprised their roles from their recent production of White Christmas and danced a beautiful duet, choreographed by Parker Esse, to "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing", complete with a kiss at the end of the number.

The evening was reminiscent of a lively variety show, particularly when trombonist Jonathan Aarons danced a hilarious number with Luke to "Smooth Criminal", and at another point, played his trombone with his feet.

Despite a few perilous shoe and costume changes, Hawkin's charm, humor and dance chops shone through, and he was able to keep the audience engaged throughout.

Unfortunately, special guests Alex Newell and Max von Essen were both ill and unable to be there, but we were lucky enough to get a bonus performance from Jelani Remy, who dubbed himself the "wunderstudy" of the evening.

The band, led by Balint Varga did a fantastic job not only accompanying Luke's singing, but his tap dancing as well. The "Mini Big Band" included Jen Hodge on bass, Rob Garcia on drums, Jonathan Arons on trombone, James Cronin on trumpet, Ben Golder-Novick on alto sax and clarinet, and Geoff Burke on tenor sax and clarinet.

Toward the end of the set, the audience got an unexpected treat when Luke sat down at the piano to accompany himself for the song "What'll I Do", one of the few ballads of the evening. Overall, "Luke Hawkins and his Mini Big Band" was an absolute joy to witness.

Visit the Birdland website HERE and the Luke Hawkins Instagram page HERE.

Photo of Luke Hawkins (from a different show) by Kevin Alvey.