See Stacey Kent, Tuck & Patti and More Coming Up at Birdland
Downstairs at Birdland Theater, you'll find Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf and Houston Person Quartet.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 19, 2022
Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced jazz programming running June 21 through July 4. Artists appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Stacey Kent, Ron Aprea Big Band, Tuck & Patti and Eyal Vilner Big Band.
Downstairs at Birdland Theater, you'll find Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf and Houston Person Quartet.
Regular events include Gabrielle Stravelli Trio, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Birdland Big Band and Arturo O'Farrill & The Latin Jazz Ensemble.
June 21 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Gabrielle Stravelli Trio
Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli takes over Tuesday nights at Birdland Theater in June with her trademark vocal style and her trio of Pat O'Leary (bass) and Michael Kanaan (piano). Together, they explore both familiar classics and lesser-known gems of the canon that highlight the diversity of creators behind the Great American Songbook-immigrants, black Americans, woman composers and more-and show that the Songbook is for everyone. For her part, Stravelli's clear tone, gutsy rhythm, impeccable scat-singing and contagious joy have delighted audiences the world over. Her recent honors include the Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording (2020); the Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Jazz Vocalist (2019); the MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist (2015); and the Bistro Award as a Jazz Vocalist (2015). Expect a swinging, engaging month of music.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum
June 21-25 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (6/21-23); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (6/24-25)
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 chanson and Brazilian classics also feature prominently in her contemporary work. Her new album, Songs From Other Places (which includes songs by Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Gershwin, Weil, and Jobim) was released September of 2021. For this special week at Birdland, Kent is backed by veteran collaborators including the great Jim Tomlinson (reeds). Her forthcoming studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, is set for 2022 release.
$50 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
June 22 (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 22 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater / Livestream Event
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 @ 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/Jimmy Bruno Quartet" featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the Standards repertoire + special guests: John DiMartino (4/6), Aaron Weinstein (4/13), Olli Soikkeli (4/20, Dave Stryker* (4/27), Martin Taylor (5/4). *The last Wednesday of the month is "Solo Guitar Night," a Round-Robin of unaccompanied solo, duo, and trio guitar performances.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
June 23-26 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (6/23); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (6/24-26)
Birdland Theater
Allison Miller & Carmen Staaf "Nearness" Release Celebration with Special Guests
In a 2018 Downbeat feature on Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf's last co-led album, Science Fair, the pianist Staaf states: "We kept playing it duo...and it felt like, 'We don't need a bass player. It works as is.'" It's rare to hear a piano and drum duo, but the bass-less configuration allows for great creativity and a fresh approach. And while Staaf and drummer Miller have been playing duo for years, their new album, Nearness, set for June release, is their first full record in that set-up. To celebrate the project, they perform four nights at Birdland Theater. They invite a stellar cast of special guests to join them: Grammy-nominated clarinetist Anat Cohen (6/23), MacArthur Award-winning tap dancer Michelle Dorrance (6/24); and iconic modern jazz saxophonist Dayna Stephens (6/25).
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
June 24 (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 26 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Ron Aprea Big Band: A Tribute to Frank Foster
Saxophonist Ron Aprea has performed with some of jazz's most important figures, including Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Frank Foster, Tito Puente, John Lennon, Nat Adderley, Charlie Persip, Kenny Barron, and Elvin Jones. This past January at Birdland, the 16-piece Ron Aprea Big Band celebrated a new milestone in Aprea's artistic oeuvre: an autobiography entitled The Era I Almost Missed. The new book offers readers a look at the 1950s and 1960s through the eyes of this jazzman and his on-the-ground stories. They convene again on the Birdland stage for this one swinging evening in June.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
June 26 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
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 28 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Gabrielle Stravelli Trio
Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli takes over Tuesday nights at Birdland Theater in June with her trademark vocal style and her trio of Pat O'Leary (bass) and Michael Kanaan (piano). Together, they explore both familiar classics and lesser-known gems of the canon that highlight the diversity of creators behind the Great American Songbook-immigrants, black Americans, woman composers and more-and show that the Songbook is for everyone. For her part, Stravelli's clear tone, gutsy rhythm, impeccable scat-singing and contagious joy have delighted audiences the world over. Her recent honors include the Bistro Award for Outstanding Recording (2020); the Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Jazz Vocalist (2019); the MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist (2015); and the Bistro Award as a Jazz Vocalist (2015). Expect a swinging, engaging month of music.
$20 + $20 food/drink minimum
June 28-July 2 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (6/28-30); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (7/1-2)
Birdland Jazz Club
Tuck & Patti
For 42 years, Tuck and Patti have put audiences worldwide under their unique spell, passionately crossing genres with their vocal/guitar jazz duo and capturing the hearts of lovers, the respect of jazz buffs and the jaw-dropping awe of guitarists and singers. Classically-trained, blues-drenched, and love-infused, the duo continues their tradition of minimalist arrangements that feature Tuck's extraordinary virtuosity and Patti's rich mezzo soprano. It all makes sense when you understand the wellspring of joy that exists between them. Married 38 years, Tuck Andress and Patti Cathcart-having released 9 stunning albums together-continue to stoke the fires of their love of each other, of life, and of making music together. Seeing this pair work their special magic, it's no wonder that Bobby McFerrin called them "The best duo on the planet." They make their first ever appearance at Birdland Jazz Club in June.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
June 29 (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 29 (Wednesday) 8:30 PM
Birdland Theater / Livestream Event
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 @ 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/Jimmy Bruno Quartet" featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the Standards repertoire + special guests: John DiMartino (4/6), Aaron Weinstein (4/13), Olli Soikkeli (4/20, Dave Stryker* (4/27), Martin Taylor (5/4). *The last Wednesday of the month is "Solo Guitar Night," a Round-Robin of unaccompanied solo, duo, and trio guitar performances.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
July 1 (Friday) 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
July 1-4 (Friday-Monday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (7/1-3); 8:30PM (7/4) - Birdland Theater
Houston Person Quartet
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
July 3 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Eyal Vilner Big Band: The Jam! Album Release
Raised in Israel's thriving jazz community and long a supporter of contemporary swing revival, Eyal Vilner has carved a name for himself over the past fifteen years in New York City, bringing his joyful big band sound to top clubs such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Midsummer Night Swing, Birdland, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton's Playhouse, The Django, Battle of the Big Bands on the Intrepid, Swing ReMix, Swing 46 and Central Park SummerStage. The big band's first four albums: Introducing the Eyal Vilner Big Band, Almost Sunrise, Hanukkah and Swing Out! were widely played on US and Canadian radio. With his fifth release, The Jam!, Vilner documents a warm day in quarantine-era 2020 when his band convened in Washington Square Park to bring much-needed joy to local New Yorkers. Don't miss the album release celebration at Birdland!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
July 3 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
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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