See Marylin Maye, SWINGIN' SONDHEIM & More at Birdland in January 2023
Performers also include Greg Ruvolo, Richard Cortez, Ben Allison, Ari Axelrod and many more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 28, 2022
Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this January with a full slate of nightly performances!
At Birdland Jazz Club, catch Greg Ruvolo, Richard Cortez, Ben Allison, Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas Play the Music of Carla Bley: "Healing Power" Release Celebration, Joe Lovano 70th Birthday Celebration, Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, Nicole Zuraitis, Celebrating the Slide Hampton Octet, APAP Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra, APAP Joey Alexander, APAP Stacey Kent, Billy Hart Quartet, Evan Sherman Big Band, Luke Hawkins, Frank Wess Octet, Tony Kadleck, Julie Halston, and Mike Stern.
Birdland Theater will present Marylin Maye, Joie Bianco, Swingin' Sondheim with the Ronny Whyte Quintet, Steven Feifke Trio, Ye Huang Quintet, Alexa Tarantino, APAP Magos Hererra, APAP NY Voices, Darmon Meader, APAP Olatuja Project, Bryan Eng Sextet, Houston Person Quintet, Linda Purl, Daniel Glass, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and Ari Axelrod.
Repeat engagements include Jim Caruso's Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the piano, Nicole Zuraitis, Susie Mosher, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, and Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
See below for the full schedule! More information can be found at www.birdlandjazz.com
December 29 - January 1 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (12/29); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/30); 7:00 & 11:00 PM (12/31); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/1) - Birdland Theater
What do these three scenes have in common? 1) Steve Allen discovers a young singer at The Colony in Kansas City and presents her to a national audience. 2) Johnny Carson tells America on live TV, "And that, young singers, is the way it's done." 3) Standing room only audiences gather for a recent 8-day engagement of: "Her Way: A Salute To Sinatra." The answer? They all depend on the talent of musical legend Marilyn Maye. A treasure of American song with 76 appearances on The Tonight Show, a 1966 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and lifetime achievement awards from both the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the American Jazz Museum, Maye will lead audiences into the New Year with the grace that she has brought to her jaw-dropping performances for the past eighty-yes, eighty-years on stage. Without question, these will be nights to remember.
12/29-30, 8:30 PM: $50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
12/31, 7:00 & 11:00 PM: Tiered Seating $75-150 tables / $75 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
1/1, 7:00 & 9:30 PM: $50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 1 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Trumpeter and arranger Greg Ruvolo has performed with Gil Evans, Airto Moreira, Louis Bellson, New York Voices, the WDR Big Band, and many others. As the leader of his big band, Ruvolo brings jazz veterans into the section with young stars, arranging both Songbook classics, jazz standards, and original work for the exciting ensemble. Its members have worked with Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Ray Charles, Buddy Rich, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Count Basie. They perform swinging, dramatic music with brilliant improvisational flourishes and hard-driving interaction.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 2 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Richard Cortez
A leader in the new crop of vocal talents emerging from the New York City jazz scene, Richard Cortez's golden voice handles the Great American Songbook with a deep emotional intelligence, an unbridled passion for song, and-rare and moving-an activist's relationship to both his material and his audience. Cortez's openly gay renderings of timeless treasures by Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Jerome Kern, and so many others deliver sweetness, self-assuredness and disarming vulnerability with a well-timed wit. Splitting his time between a number of weekly residencies at iconic gay venues across the city-among them Club Cumming, Metropolitan Bar, and Rebar-Cortez has focused and refined his artistry while growing his wide fan-base. Recent performances in distinguished productions such as Live at Emmet's Place with the Emmet Cohen Trio, or Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz at Pride with drummer/bandleader Bryan Carter, have marked the vocalist's career for success. For this engagement at Birdland, he will perform standards accompanied by Aaron Kimmel (drums), Adam Birnbaum (piano), and Paul Gill (bass). The singer has played Birdland Theater before; he makes his debut upstairs at the Jazz Club, however, with this fine rhythm section. Don't miss this already legendary new voice.
$30 cover / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 2 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Joie Bianco and Friends - "A New Year!"
After selling out her debut show at Birdland Theater in July, Joie Bianco will return with "A New Year!" Bianco will be joined by friends and musicians she has had the privilege of playing with in her young adult life. Players such as Eric Stern, Cole Davis and Gary Jones III, with special guests Tyreek McDole and Zaq Davis. Joie prioritizes the beautiful melodies of bebop and lyrics of the American Songbook while also providing a new perspective and interpretation. Bringing a classic sound and highlighting the important history of the music to the modern audience is something that Joie has been promoting from a young age. This will be a night of the music that has influenced Joie most while also reflecting on the growth that comes with new beginnings. Joie uses sassy uptempos, the blues and heart wrenching ballads as a vehicle to tell stories from a young woman's perspective on life.
$30 cover / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 3 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Ben Allison, Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas Play the Music of Carla Bley "Healing Power" Release Celebration
Earlier this year, boundary-pushing bassist Ben Allison, beloved guitarist Steve Cardenas, and consummate saxophonist Ted Nash released Healing Power, a drummerless trio that honors the idiosyncratic, humorous, and profound writing of Carla Bley. Bley, a living legend, is one of modern music's most original writers, inspiring generations with her evocative melodies and lifelike sonic portraits. On this Tuesday night at the top of 2023, the group will celebrate the record's release in two sets of trio music. The three musicians have played extensively over the years, and Cardenas has played in iconic groups with Bley herself; thus, the energy of this project is strong. Highlights from the recording include Bley's classic "Ida Lupino," "King Korn," and "Lawns." Do not miss this beautiful set of rich music!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 4-7 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/4-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/6-7) - Birdland Jazz Club
Joe Lovano 70th Birthday Celebration "Streams of Expression"
Renowned for his work with legends Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Elvin Jones, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Abbey Lincoln, Ornette Coleman, and Diana Krall, Joe Lovano stands as one of the titans of jazz music. How better to celebrate this giant's 70th birthday than a week at the Jazz Corner of the World? Birdland hosts this saxophone icon's party for four unforgettable nights as Joe and his Streams of Expression Nonet commemorate 70 years of life in music. Be sure that there will be masters in the house!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 5 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Swingin' Sondheim with the Ronny Whyte Quintet
Considered a world-class interpreter of popular song, Ronny Whyte is a vocalist extraordinaire, a brilliant jazz pianist, and an ASCAP Award-winning songwriter. Inducted into the Cabaret Jazz Hall of Fame, a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, and the star of shows at Carnegie/Weill Hall and New York's Town Hall-as well as in Paris, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Sao Paolo, Caracas, Johannesburg, and many more-Whyte's life in music is legendary. For this one-night engagement at the Theater, he pays tribute to another legend: Steve Sondheim. "I knew Sondheim for years," recalls Whyte, "and in the 60s, he came to see me-and gave me several unused songs which I will perform on January 5th." New Sondheim?! Needless to say, not to be missed.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 6-8 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Steven Feifke Trio
Steven Feifke isn't just an arranging extraordinaire: he's also a fantastic pianist. When appearing in trio format, he can't command the eighteen voices of his Grammy-nominated album, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra (2022), nor those from his two imaginative 2021 big band releases, Kinetic and Prologue. Yet in pared down form, the two-time finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition still brings his music to robust heights, using the more open-ended configuration as a vehicle for bluesy, daredevil improvisations. Feifke-the recipient of the 2020 David Baker Prize in composition from the Ravinia Festival and the musical director for Tony Award-winning actor and singer Santino Fontana-has quickly made a name for himself in the jazz world. His prodigious output includes recording credits on over 30 albums, as well as on television and film. Audiences will experience the artist in a more intimate setting for this one night at Birdland.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 8 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra
Trombonist, composer, arranger and bandleader Scott Reeves is a veteran of the New York City music scene who has performed with Ron Carter, Pete LaRoca, John Fedchock, Clark Terry, and a long list of other jazz masters. Reeves's large ensemble, the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, is a vehicle for his modern swinging writing. The band has featured excellent peers Todd Coolman, Tim Armacost, Steve Wilson, Andy Watson, and Carylon Leonhart, and its two recordings-the heartracing Without a Trace and the beautiful Portraits and Places-bring to life Reeves's moving original music.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 9 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Nicole Zuraitis
Grammy-nominated Nicole Zuraitis is a New York-based vocalist, pianist, and songwriter who took home the Gold Medal and Ben Tucker Jazz Award in the 2021 American Traditions Competition. A musical chameleon, she brings her signature warmth and outstanding vocals to various genres and styles, as demonstrated on her newest multi-hyphenate album, All Wandering Hearts (Dot Time Records). As a bandleader, a recording artist, and the premiere vocalist of the world-famous Birdland Big Band and Dan Pugach Nonet, Nicole has established herself as a staple on the New York City jazz scene and has made a significant mark on the global modern jazz landscape. The 2nd-runner-up in the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition and the winner of the 2014 Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer Award, Zuraitis has been settled in success for years. She is set to release her newest album, Oil on Water: How Love Begins, featuring Christian McBride, in 2023. The vocalist also hosts an intimate weekly Tuesday night residency this month.
$30 cover / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 9 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Ye Huang Quintet
A revered Chinese-born multiinstrumentalist and composer, Ye Huang has performed across the world with Wynton Marsalis, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, and many others. Known for his clarinet, piano, and saxophone playing, Ye is the composer of a wide array of music: four albums, two clarinet sonatas, a clarinet concerto, a 7-movement suite, and an original musical, Jazzing, set to premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai (where he serves as musical director of the big band). Ye's fusion of styles is a unique experience for every listener-a sound quite unlike any before it.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 10-11 (Tuesday-Wednesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Celebrating the Slide Hampton Octet
The late master trombonist Slide Hampton passed away in November of 2021. In homage to his artistry, veteran drummer Charles Ruggierio and top-call saxophonist Frank Basile bring together an octet to play Hampton's famous 8-piece orchestrations of the 1950s and 60s. The band recorded together in 2019, bringing these great arrangements to life for an album entitled Slide's Blues (SmallsLive) which featured the great Hampton himself on two tracks. Slide no longer being with us, the musicians join forces again to honor his life, his legacy, and his amazing music.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 12-14 (Thursday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/12); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/13-14) - Birdland Jazz Club
Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra
The great New Orleans trombonist, producer, composer, and educator Delfeayo Marsalis is a powerful force in the music world. With over 120 recording credits as a producer (including one GRAMMY Award and several nominations) and nearly 50 recordings as a trombonist, Delfeayo could be said to have made his mark. But in 2000, this committed educator created the Uptown Music Theatre, a non-profit that leads musical theater training for youth. The UMT's sister organization is the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, which Marsalis formed in 2008 as the jazz arm of the endeavor. This 18-piece band upholds the traditions of New Orleans swing, ensemble riff-playing, and infectious, soulful dance music that form the foundations of American jazz. With a star-studded cast, they never fail to amaze.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 12 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Alexa Tarantino
An ultra-talented woodwind artist with a serious output of music, Alexa Tarantino has been praised by Wynton Marsalis as "an indomitable force for expression...and absolute excellence." Tarantino has been a frequent hire for Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; given her command of her multiple instruments (saxophones, flute, and clarinet) and her sense of poise as a soloist within a band, it's no surprise. Over the past three years she has released three full-length recordings: Firefly (2021), Clarity (2020), and Winds of Change (2019), all on Posi-Tone Records. A Rising Star for Alto Saxophone in DownBeat Magazine's 2020, 2021, and 2022 Critics Polls-and named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by the JazzTimes Critics' Poll-Tarantino's joyful playing has led her to such prestigious venues as Umbria Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac Festival, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 13 (Friday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Magos Hererra
The Latin Jazz Network has called Magos Herrera "one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of song," and this APAP week, the Mexican-born vocalist's profound skill will be on display in New York City, where she now calls home. Singing in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, Herrera for decades has blended contemporary jazz musicalities with rhythms and melodies from across the world. The only female artist to receive Berklee College of Music's Master of Latin Music Award, Mangos's delivery is spiritual in both its humility and its power; her dazzling voice has placed her on the most revered stages on the planet, including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Duc des Lombardes, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and Festival Internacional Cervantino, among many others. Recent collaborations include work with John Pattitucci, Antonio Sanchez, and Chano Dominguez, as well as with esteemed chamber music ensemble Brooklyn Rider.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 14 (Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
NY Voices
The sensational NY Voices was born in 1988 when a group of busy solo vocalists in New York City decided to join forces. "It's certainly not something that occurred to us when we were thinking about starting a band," says musical director Darmon Meader of the group's 35 year success. But the collective of vocalists was blessed with great chemistry and concept. In the style of vocal groups like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, NY Voices became well known in the 90s and 00s for its inspired takes on jazz classics, putting "vocalese" lyrics to jazz improvisations or melodies by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and others. Over the decades, they have collaborated with the Count Basie Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, the Metropole Orchestra directed by John Clayton, the Bob Mintzer Big Band, guitar legend Jim Hall, and Paquito D'Rivera. They perform as part of NYC's APAP week.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 15 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Joey Alexander Trio
3x Grammy nominee and early piano prodigy Joey Alexander recently released Origin (Mack Avenue, 2022) to critical acclaim. Featuring his heavy-hitting trio of Kendrick Scott and Larry Grenadier, as well as his collaborators Chris Potter and Gilad Hexelman, the passionate virtuoso Alexander is in the company of masters. At only 18 years old, he has already lived a musician's dream life, performing on the world's biggest stages (Obama's White House, the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival) with its most revered names (Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding)-all since the age of 11. For APAP week, Alexander will bring the latest moment of his mature genius to your ears.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 15 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
The multi-talented Darmon Meader is both saxophonist and singer, both arranger and composer, both producer and musical director. A member of New York Voices (which performs as part of APAP NYC+ one night before Meader's Sunday show), Meader has toured the world over with the group, singing with the legendary Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Ray Brown, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, Bernadette Peters, and the Count Basie Orchestra. His solo work-and prolific work as an educator-includes guest artist and artist residency spots around the country at Northwestern University, University of Georgia, and the University of Louisville, as well as internationally at the Inzigkoven Vocal Jazz Workshop in Germany and the IAJE's Teacher Training Institutes. An artist not to be missed at this APAP showcase!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 16 (Monday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Stacey Kent
A singer of marvelous talent, Stacey Kent's beautiful voice and natural musicality have been the feature of 11 studio albums, including Platinum, Double-Gold and Gold records that have garnered her a much-deserved worldwide audience. With performances in over 55 countries during her stellar career, Kent's global fandom makes perfect sense because of her miraculous fluency singing in French, Italian, German, Portuguese and English. Over the course of two decades as a recording artist, Kent's vision has broadened beyond the Great American Songbook: French and Brazilian classics also feature prominently in her contemporary work. Her latest album, Songs From Other Places, was released September of 2021. For this special show as a part of APAP NYC+, Kent is backed by her normal group of veteran collaborators. Her new studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, is set for 2023 release.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 16 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Olatuja Project
Bassist Michael Olatuja and his wife, vocalist Alicia Olatuja, have toured the world with their solo projects for years, each recognized internationally for their popular work hybridizing jazz, African traditional sounds, funk, and modernist aesthetics. They have performed on jazz's biggest stages: Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and countless others. The couple's intimate and powerful collaboration, The Olatuja Project, brought about 2013's critically acclaimed The Promise (World Tune Records)-and while future recordings never materialized, the group reunites to present its music at this APAP NYC+ showcase. Do not miss these modern icons!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 17-21 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/17-19); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/20-21) - Birdland Jazz Club
Billy Hart Quartet
One of the art form's greatest drummers and bandleaders, Billy Hart is an imaginative artist whose innovations on drum language of the 1960s placed him amongst modernists Jack Dejohnette, Joe Chambers, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams to bring jazz forward into the 1970s and beyond. Hart was the drummer in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band and Miles Davis's On the Corner band in the 1970s, recording also with Pharoah Sanders, Stan Getz, Cecil McBee, Kenny Barron, Lee Konitz, John Scofield, and countless others. One of the hardest-working veteran drummers in the music, Hart at 82 years old has been leading and supporting groups of younger stars for the last two decades, with Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street forming the elder master's quartet. Their music is broad, pensive, and exploratory, as well as swinging.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 19 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Bryan Eng Sextet
Bryan Eng, multi-faceted Broadway actor and acclaimed jazz pianist and singer, is one of the most promising and accomplished entertainers of his generation. With a sound and showmanship compared to masters such as Nat King Cole and Harry Connick Jr., Eng's musicality packs a punch of energy that manages to maintain an alluring level of intimacy. At just 24, Eng has begun to make big strides across industries. His talents as an actor and musician have been featured in movies, TV,, and at venues including Broadway, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center. Additionally, his ability to compose and arrange music for all styles has led him to musical collaborations with stars such as Heather Headley, Stephen Colbert, The American Pops Orchestra, and more. Eng attended Northwestern University in Chicago. Holding multiple performance residencies and starring at regional theaters, Chicago Now proclaimed, "Bryan Eng is one of Chicago's bright stars." While in the Windy City, Eng was invited to join the Broadway cast of Plaza Suite with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Now a New York star in ascension, Eng recently acted in an episode of Law and Order and performs around the city.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 20-22 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Houston Person Quintet
The 87 year-old jazz legend Houston Person has NOT slowed down. In fact, with one or two scattered exceptions, Person has continued to release at least one record per year as a leader for the past nearly 60 years. A jazz lover's jazzman, this great artist plays from his soul with a great mastery of affect, technique, and style. He has served as a sideman for Etta Jones (15 recordings), Joey Defrancesco, Ron Carter, Horace Silver, Richard "Groove" Holmes, and too many others to name. This engagement is sure to be as swinging, blues-soaked, and robust as ever.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 23 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Singer/tapper Luke Hawkins will bring an evening of singing, dancing and laughter to the Birdland. The show will be a love letter to these art forms, as Luke pays homage to the history of tap dance greats. Hawkins is a NYC based tap dancer and choreographer. He performed in and choreographed the Broadway show, Harry Connick Jr.- A Tribute to Cole Porter at the Nederlander Theatre in 2019 and has choreographed Connick and performed alongside him in 43 concerts including The Hollywood Bowl, Wolftrap, La Seine Musicale in Paris and the Palladium Theatre in London. Luke's theatre credits include the Broadway production of Xanadu, Cirque du Soleil's Banana Shpeel and Joya as well as New York City Center Encores! productions of No, No, Nanette; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; and On Your Toes. His TV and Film credits include tap dancing alongside Channing Tatum in the Coen Brothers' movie Hail, Caesar!, the 2015 Tony Awards, "Gossip Girl," "One Life to Live," "America's Got Talent," "The Colbert Report," "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and "Annie Live!"
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 23 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Linda Purl - "This Could Be the Start"
Singer and actress Linda Purl (TV's "The Office") returns by popular demand with her new show, "This Could Be the Start." Her chronicle of navigating life on our return trip back through the looking glass, she ponders what can lie ahead in our new beginnings, with songs including "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Blue Moon," "Let's Get Lost," and "This Could Be the Start of Something." Music director Tedd Firth will lead a starry trio. Purl is known for her roles on multiple iconic television series. Besides being Fonzie's fiancée on "Happy Days," Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock, Pam's Mom/Steve Carell's girlfriend on "The Office," she has starred in over 47 made-for-TV movies. A recurring role on "Homeland" has been among her favorites and she is currently recurring on the new HBO Max series, "Hacks." Past concert venues include Jazz at Lincoln Center, Catalina Jazz Club, Colorado Springs Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Club Raye in Paris, and Satin Doll in Tokyo. She has performed with the Glenn Miller, Diva Jazz and Orlando Jazz Orchestras. On Broadway, she appeared in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Getting and Spending, and Off-Broadway in Mr. Toole and The Baby Dance. Her solo albums include Alone Together, Midnight Caravan, Up Jumped Spring, and the new release Taking a Chance on Love.
$30 Cover, $20 food/drink minimum
January 24-28 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/24-26); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/27-28) - Birdland Jazz Club
Frank Wess Octet
Frank Wess was one of jazz's most beloved figures. The tenor and flute man in Count Basie's Orchestra, Wess's smooth sound can be heard on countless recordings, including those for which he assembled an eight-piece band, the Frank Wess Octet. In cooperation with Wess's estate, reedist Scott Robinson and a group of master musicians (Rufus Reid, Dennis Mackrel, Michael Weiss, and Bill Easley and Steve Turre) will perform these beautiful octet arrangements.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 26 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
You might know Daniel Glass as the long-time Monday night house drummer with Jim Caruso's Cast Party. Now Daniel returns to Birdland as a leader with a powerful new trio show and some special guests. He will be joined by guitarist Adam Levy and bassist Michael O'Brien, both masters of their craft and well-loved performers in New York.. The group's repertoire blends original material from all the members with unique arrangements of jazz classics - and a few unexpected surprises. Joining the group will be Izze Stein, an exciting new voice and a rising star on the New York jazz scene. With a musical career spanning more than 30 years, Daniel Glass has established an impeccable resume as an award-winning drummer, author, historian, and educator. He first came to prominence as a member of Royal Crown Revue, the pioneering swing group whose appearances in the blockbuster The Mask and Jon Favreau's Swingers kicked off a worldwide resurgence of swing. As a sideman, Daniel has recorded and performed with Bette Midler, Brian Setzer, Jose Feliciano, Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Freddy Cole, Michelle Shocked, Air Supply's Graham Russell, the Hot Sardines, the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, and Kiss frontman Gene Simmons. For two years running, Daniel was voted one of the top five R&B drummers in the world by readers of Modern Drummer magazine.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 27-29 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks for a weekend of performances after their highly successful two-month, Tuesday-night residency at the 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
January 29 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
The ever-swinging Tony Kadleck Big Band is a veteran large ensemble composed of New York City's finest jazz statesmen. Tony Kadleck's career in music has been marked by top recording work with artists such as Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, Celine Dion, and the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, as well as live performances with the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, Buddy Rich Big Band, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Hayes, Frank Sinatra, Blood, Sweat & Tears, the New York Pops, John Pizzarelli's "Swing Seven," Steely Dan, and many more. With his Big Band, Kadleck focuses on smart arrangements of songs by Stevie Wonder, Michel Legrand, Cannonball Adderly, Marvin Gaye, Michael Brecker, and others.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 30 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Julie Halston - "By Popular Demand!"
The brilliant Tony Award-winning comedic actress returns to Birdland. With her show, "By Popular Demand," Ms. Halston will assess the state of the world, the state of her life and the state of her hair. Halston was awarded the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in 2021 for her advocacy on behalf of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Her extensive Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Tootsie, You Can't Take It with You, Hairspray, Anything Goes, Gypsy, Twentieth Century, Fairycakes, and many more. She is a co-founding member of Charles Busch's legendary theatre company, Theatre-in-Limbo, and has garnered several Drama Desk nominations for her performances with the company including The Divine Sister, Red Scare on Sunset, and The Lady in Question. TV credits include the recurring role of Sharon on HBO's "Gossip Girl," "The Good Fight," "Almost Family," and "Divorce." She also reprised her popular character of Bitsy Von Muffling on HBO's "And Just Like That." She can be seen in the upcoming independent features The Sixth Reel, Intermedium, Simchas and Sorrows, and Dirty Rhetoric.
$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 30 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Ari Axelrod - "A Place for Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway"
Bistro Award winner Ari Axelrod brings his acclaimed award-winning show back to Birdland. Ari will celebrate songs and stories of Jewish composers and their contributions to the American Musical, including beloved songs by Bernstein and Berlin to Sondheim and Schwartz. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Anti-Defamation League. Ari is a multi-hyphenate storyteller and Jewish activist. He received the 2022 Bistro Award for Theatrical Performance in Song. "A Place for Us" began with a sold-out run at Birdland, featuring six-time Emmy and Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh, and has since grown to international acclaim performing to sold-out audiences around the world. In 2020, he received a MAC Award nomination for Best Male Vocalist and won the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Live Zoom Performance. Ari's first solo show, "Taking the Wheel," directed by Tony Award winner Faith Prince, and music directed by multiple MAC Award-winner Alex Rybeck, has been performed in numerous cities around the country. Ari's debut album, Ari Axelrod Live at Birdland, is now available on all streaming platforms.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 31 - February 4 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/31-2/2); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (2/3-4) - Birdland Jazz Club
Mike Stern Band featuring Dennis Chambers and Randy Brecker
Named one of DownBeat's 75 Great Guitarists of All Time, Mike Stern is an iconic figure in post 1960s creative music. A member of Blood, Sweat & Tears in the 1970s-and in the 1980s, a member of groups led by Miles Davis, Billy Cobham, Jaco Pastorius, and Michael Brecker-Stern's fusion of rock and jazz styles was part of a movement of innovators that changed the way guitarists viewed their instrument. In 2009, Stern won the Grammy award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his recording Big Neighborhood. Catch him and his masterful group on their week upstairs at the Jazz Club.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
Monthly Engagements:
January 2, 9, 23, 30 (Mondays except 1/16) 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
January 10, 17, 24, 31 (Tuesdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Nicole Zuraitis
Grammy-nominated Nicole Zuraitis is a New York-based vocalist, pianist, and songwriter who took home the Gold Medal and Ben Tucker Jazz Award in the 2021 American Traditions Competition. A musical chameleon, she brings her signature warmth and outstanding vocals to various genres and styles, as demonstrated on her newest multi-hyphenate album, All Wandering Hearts (Dot Time Records). As a bandleader, a recording artist, and the premiere vocalist of the world-famous Birdland Big Band and Dan Pugach Nonet, Nicole has established herself as a staple on the New York City jazz scene and has made a significant mark on the global modern jazz landscape.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 10, 17, 24, 31 (Tuesdays) 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
January 3 (Final Tuesday night of a 7 week run) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks for their final performance in a highly successful 7-week Tuesday night residency at the 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
January 4, 11, 18, 25 (Wednesdays) 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
January 4, 11, 18, 25 (Wednesdays) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Frank Vignola's Guitar Night
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, inviting up a rotation of special guest guitarists: Sheryl Bailey (1/4), Paul Bollenback (1/11), Perry Smith (1/18), Pasquale Grasso (1/25)
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 6, 13, 20, 27 (Fridays) 5:00 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
January 7, 21, 28 (Saturdays except 1/14) 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
January 1, 8, 22, 29 (Sundays except for 1/15) 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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