Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater: December 1 – December 31st Schedule
Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are proudly open this December with a full slate of nightly performances!
At Birdland Jazz Club, catch Berta Moreno Sextet, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Emmet Cohen Trio, New York Holidays with Svetlana Big Band, Jane Monheit: “The Merriest” Holiday Show, Ken Peplowski: Bird with Strings, “We Love the Winter Weather” with KT Sullivan, Stacy Sullivan, Jeff Harnar and Todd Murray, Stacey Kent, 15th Annual “A Swinging Birdland Christmas” with Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso, and Billy Stritch, Champian Fulton, Yardbird Big Band, David Marino, and Birdland Big Band New Year’s Eve Celebration.
Birdland Theater will present Jeremy Pelt Quintet: “Tomorrow’s Another Day” Album Celebration, Vanessa Racci, Anna Kolchina Quartet, Olivia Chindamo & Matthew Sheens: Portraits & Propagations, Tatiana Eva Marie, Kat Edmondson Holiday Show, James Barbour, David DeJesus BopTet: Charlie Parker Celebration, Harmony With the Holiday With Duchess, Emilie Claire Barlow Holiday Show, and Marilyn Maye’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza.
Repeat engagements include Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the piano, David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola’s Guitar Night, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band, The Birdland Big Band, Bruce Harris, Nicole Zuraitis, and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
See below for the full schedule! More information can be found at www.birdlandjazz.com
November 29 – December 1 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Jeremy Pelt Quintet: “Tomorrow’s Another Day” Album Celebration
Celebrate Jeremy Pelt’s new recording, “Tomorrow’s Another Day” (Highnote and Savant Records) as he showcases it at Birdland Theater over the post-Thanksgiving weekend! Pelt’s contributions to contemporary jazz have made him one of the music’s most in-demand exponents. Voted “Rising Star” on the trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalist Association, it was Pelt’s early work with the Mingus Big Band that led to collaborations with the music’s greatest: Clifford Barbaro, Keter Betts, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Ravi Coltrane, Frank Foster, Winard Harper, Jimmy Heath, John Hicks, Charli Persip, Ralph Peterson, Lonnie Plaxico, Bobby Short, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, and Nancy Wilson, to name a few. A performer with The Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Big Band, the Lewis Nash Septet, and The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes, he has been in touch with the masters of the music on the bandstand and beyond. Indeed, during the pandemic, Pelt put these relationships on paper with two books of interviews, “Griot: Examining the Lives of Jazz’s Great Storytellers,” Volumes I and II—acclaimed by The New York Times and other critical outlets for its insights into the music by the masters themselves. Join this creative force as he performs from his newest musical offering!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 1 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Berta Moreno Sextet
“Berta Moreno has the sound of wisdom, the warmth of spiritualness, and the sparkle of imagination,” says saxophonist Steve Wilson. “Driven and determined,” says Downbeat Magazine; “a storyteller,” says WBGO. Moreno’s music—a combination of her upbringing in Spain, her love of Latin music, and her devotion to the jazz tradition—has led to an award-winning career delivering a captivating blend of genres. Her debut album “Little Steps” won a Global Music Awards Gold Medal for Best Jazz Album in 2017, also receiving a nomination for Best Jazz Album at both the 16th Independent Music Awards (US) and the MIN Music Awards (Spain). Her 2021 sophomore release, “Tumaini,” was nominated by NPR Alt Latino as one of the Top 20 Best Albums of the Year. Berta has collaborated with some of the greatest voices that fuse jazz music with international sounds: Arturo O’Farrill, Francisco Mela, Shai Maestro, Manuel Valera, Troy Roberts, Steve Wilson, Ralph Alessi, and Santi Debriano.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 2 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – “A Jazzy Little Christmas”
The album A Jazzy Little Christmas is a collection of holiday classics and sacred seasonal songs that has not only been a fan favorite, but the sold-out tour dates have yielded in-demand appearances for four consecutive Christmas seasons. The group enlisted Tony Bennett’s former music director and pianist Billy Stritch, award-winning producer Wayne Haun, and some of New York’s finest musicians. With true, four-part harmony and a three-piece jazz band, the live show is reminiscent of the sounds of The Four Freshmen with the jazz of Tony Bennett. A Jazzy Little Christmas debuted at No. 1 on Soundscan’s Christian Seasonal Sales chart and Southern Gospel Sales chart upon its release in 2019. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album for their album Keeping On (2022). Additionally, that album received two Gospel Music Association Dove Award nominations and claimed Southern Gospel Album of the Year (2022). This marked Haase’s ninth Grammy nomination individually and the group’s fourth collective nomination.
$40 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 3 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vanessa Racci and Robert Lamont: Harry Warren – From Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood
Born in Brooklyn as Salvatore Antonio Guaragna, Harry Warren (1893-1981) is one of the greatest composers to emerge from Tin Pan Alley, his compositions forming a core of the American Songbook. He is also the most important Italian-American composer of popular songs in the 20th century. With almost no equal in popular music, Warren won three Academy Awards for Best Song and had more than 55 songs that charted in the Top 10 on “Your Hit Parade” with 16 hitting number one. Jazz singer Vanessa Racci and music educator and performer, Robert Lamont will perform a compilation of Harry Warren songs paired with “edutaining” anecdotes and classic movie footage. The musical highlights from Harry Warren’s illustrious career, include his work on Tin Pan Alley and moving through Warren’s movie hits at four major Hollywood studios.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 3 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Anna Kolchina Quartet
Russian-born, St. Petersburg-trained, and New York-based jazz vocalist Anna Kolchina makes sultry and soulful music that touches jazz lovers’ hearts. She has released three albums as a leader: Street of Dreams (2015); Dark Eyes (2016); and Wild Is The Wind (2017), all on the Japanese label Venus Records. Highlights of Kolchina’s work include collaboration with piano master Massimo Farao, an invitation to perform at Bobby Durham’s Jazz Festival in Isola del Cantone, Italy, and an appearance on the cover of Jazz Perspective. For this engagement at Birdland, she is backed by a swinging outfit of Jinjoo Yoo (piano), Paul Gill (bass), and Evan Sherman (drums). Let yourself be enchanted by Kolchina’s smooth, impassioned interpretations of American Songbook standards.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 3-7 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/3-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (12/6-7) – Birdland Jazz Club
Emmet Cohen Trio
Virtuoso pianist Emmet Cohen has taken the jazz world by storm. When the pandemic caused a lockdown in March 2020, the pianist—Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, 1st prize winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and Finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition—decided to begin filming concerts from his Harlem apartment, calling them “Live From Emmet’s Place” and featuring his trio of bassist Philip Norris and drummer Kyle Poole with special guest friends. The series became an instant hit; now, with over 1,000,000 views across more than 300 high-production videos, Emmet’s Place is a (literal) household name in jazz. He brings his new trio to Birdland for the week to offer some swinging warmth against the December winds. *Special guest: Houston Person (tenor sax, Dec 7 only)
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 5 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Olivia Chindamo & Matthew Sheens: Portraits & Propagations
“Simply the best piano/vocal duo album I have heard in many years,” says piano legend Fred Hersch of “Portraits & Propagations,” the new independently released recording by Olivia Chindamo and Matthew Sheens, out this past October. Both members of this captivating Australian-born, New York-based duo are groundbreaking artists. Chindamo made history as the first-ever female jazz voice graduate at The Juilliard School, receiving a Masters degree. Humbly delivering incredible vocal technique and a keen attention to vocal storytelling, she has performed extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia, including at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club, and Lincoln Center. Sheens is a genre-defying voice himself on the keys, performing with some of modern jazz’s most important figures: John Patitucci, Eric Harland, Donnie McCaslin, Jerry Bergonzi, Myron Walden, Ben Wendel, and others. In this joint effort, the two deliver what they call a “democratically curated collection of forgotten Great American Songbook gems, masterfully reworked classics and original composition.”
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 6-8 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Tatiana Eva Marie
Nicknamed “the Gypsy-jazz Warbler” by the New York Times and acclaimed as a “millennial shaking up the jazz scene” by magazine Vanity Fair, Tatiana Eva Marie is a transatlantic bandleader, singer, and actress based in Brooklyn. Best known for her work leading the Avalon Jazz Band – a band with a Parisian “vintage” flair that has gathered 80 million views on YouTube – her interests have led her to explore a wide range of musical styles, from 1930s pop to modern jazz. Tatiana Eva-Marie’s singing is always inspired by her own French and Romani heritage; a love for the Parisian art scene era spanning the 1920s to the 60s; a passion for Gypsy music and a deep connection to the Great American Songbook. For this Friday-through-Sunday engagement, she brings a different show each night. On Friday, she presents “Paris Chanson: A Tribute to the Edith Piaf & Great French Chanteurs” featuring special guest Ben Rosenblum; Saturday, “Jazz a Saint-Germain: 1920’s & 30s Paris Swing!” with special guest Danial Garlitsky; and on Sunday, she presents “From Paris to New Orleans” with special guests Evan Christopher & Sasha Masakowski.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 8 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
New York Holidays with Svetlana Big Band
Sveltana’s Big Band called “lush” (NY Music Daily) and “energetic” (Wall Street Journal), delivers that unmistakable vintage sound you know and love, animated by thrilling arrangements highlighting Svetlana’s own captivating frontwoman stage presence and vocals. The band reflects the idealism of the classic swing band sound while offering an exhilarating experience for jazz lovers and 21st-century modern audiences alike. For this special evening—named a Time Out NY Critics’ Pick 3 years in a row—Svetlana has prepared a heartwarming set of her favorite songs for the holidays. The band is co-directed by Emily Fredrickson (Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band) and features NYC’s top talent: the likes of Jason Marshall, Nicole Glover, Willerm Delisfort, Curtis Nowosad, Wayne Tucker, Anthony Hervey, and other city veterans. So “Prepare to swing and be moved!” (JazzLives) and experience the “sweet and naughty” (JazzLives) magic in this special New York Holidays show celebrating the things that bring us together—even when it’s cold outside!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 10 (Tuesday) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Kat Edmondson Holiday Show
Critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Kat Edmonson has graced major stages across the United States, Europe, and Japan, performing her unique brand of music—self-described as “vintage-pop.” She has appeared in major motion pictures (with Woody Allen and with Harry Connick, Jr.); performed on radio and television (including several appearances on NPR as well as on Jay Leno’s and Dave Letterman’s nightly shows); and released nine albums to date, earning her #1 spots on Amazon, iTunes, and Billboard Charts. Arranged in the style of jazz, world music, and chamber-pop, she draws influences from Africa, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Europe, and early to mid-century America. On 2020’s Dreamers Do, the vocalist took listeners on a journey through the emotional struggle of daring to dream—all in the course of one sleepless night. More recently, Edmonson dived into a timeless form: a Christmas record! Her Kat Edmonson Christmas Vol.1: Holiday Swingin’! covers a battery of favorites with her characteristic panache, including “White Christmas,” “Let It Snow!,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “O Christmas Tree,” and other classics. On this cold Tuesday evening at the Theater, expect this iconic material for her holidays-themed show.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 10-14 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/10-12); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (12/13-14) – Birdland Jazz Club
Jane Monheit: “The Merriest” Holiday Show
Celebrate the holidays with Jane Monheit as she picks a selection of “The Merriest” holiday songs she knows and loves. With a robust, sultry tone and an uplifting stage presence, Jane Monheit has become a household name among contemporary jazz fans over the last 15 years, who have come to identify her with the living tradition of swinging vocalists. Performing standards from the Great American Songbook in a way that is both all her own and yet deeply dedicated to the great achievements of the master singers, Monheit has been the vocalist of choice on recordings by the great Terence Blanchard (Let’s Get Lost), Tom Harrell (Wise Children), Harold Mabern (Afro Blue), David Benoit (Two in Love and Believe) and others. As a leader, she has released 13 full-length albums; recent engagements at Birdland Jazz Club celebrated the release of her album Come What May (Club44, 2021) as well as watching her perform a tribute to master female vocalists alongside favorites Champian Fulton and Lezlie Harrison. Monheit is at her peak: sharpened by years on the road, yet calm, since post-pandemic touring schedules have allowed her to stay more frequently inside, nourished by the closeness to her loved ones. Performing with her long-time group that features her husband, Rick Montalbano, on drums, Monheit will bring audiences into her warm holiday world for this cheerful and intimate week of performances.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 12 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
James Barbour – Annual Holiday Concert
Broadway leading man James Barbour – star of The Phantom of the Opera and beyond – returns in his annual Holiday Concert. Since its inception in 2008, this cherished event has brought the warmth and cheer of the holidays to thousands around the globe. Enjoy an evening of timeless holiday classics, performed with Barbour’s signature voice. Along with special guest appearances from the Broadway community, Barbour will make this a night to remember. Barbour was nominated for the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Awards for “Best Actor in a Musical” for his portrayal of Sydney Carton in the Broadway musical version of A Tale of Two Cities, and won the Sarasota Magazine “Best Actor” award for the Asolo Rep pre-Broadway production. He has starred on Broadway in such Tony Award-winning shows as Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as The Beast, Carousel as Billy Bigelow, Urinetown as Officer Lockstock, and Jane Eyre as Edward Rochester (Drama League Award nomination).
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 13-15 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
David DeJesus BopTet: Charlie Parker Celebration
David DeJesus is a master of the alto saxophone, fluent across Latin, jazz, and dozens of other styles. The director of the Birdland Big Band, he has been a fixture on the New York City music scene for three decades, performing with the best of the best: the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Ron Carter’s Great Big Band, and Jimmy Heath’s Big Band; the Grammy-nominated Arturo O’Farrill Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Ruben Blades, Larry Harlow, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. DeJesus is a passionate educator and serves as Professor of Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase where he directs the conservatory’s Latin Jazz Orchestra. He leads a quintet featuring some of NYC’s brightest at Birdland for this Sunday evening engagement: Nathan Eklund (trumpet), Donald Vega (piano), Ricky Rodriguez (bass), and Chris Smith (drums). They perform a selection of classic Charlie Parker and Parker-inspired contemporary material.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 15 (Sunday) 5:30 & 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Birdland’s 75th Anniversary Celebration
5:30 pm: Ken Peplowski Quintet featuring Terell Stafford
8:30 pm & 10:30 pm: Ken Peplowski Quintet and Orchestra featuring Terell Stafford: Bird with Strings
Cleveland native tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Peplowski, “…arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist” (BBC), presents “Bird With Strings”—a birthday celebration of Bird’s best-loved album, “Charlie Parker with Strings,” originally released in 1950. For this special engagement at Birdland, the ensemble will perform Bird’s recorded arrangements as well as newly discovered and unheard arrangements commissioned by Charlie Parker himself from his favorite contemporaries: Gerry Mulligan, John Carisi, George Russell, John Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Ed Herzog, Neal Hefti. These “unheard” arrangements are featured on Peplowski’s latest recording on Arbors Records, “Unheard Bird.” For three special sets, Ken leads a quintet and quartet accompanied by an 8-piece string orchestra. Absolutely don’t miss!
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 16 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
“We Love the Winter Weather: Songs of the Season”
Four award-winning New York favorites – KT Sullivan, Stacy Sullivan, Jeff Harnar, and Todd Murray – take the stage with music director and jazz virtuoso Jon Weber to present an eclectic and entertaining holiday cabaret including songwriters Irving Berlin, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, Carol Hall, Danny Apolinar, David Friedman, and Mel Torme. The seasonal spotlight shines musically on traditional favorites as well as on “Grandma,” Elvis, Peggy Lee, and a “short attention span theater” retelling of the holiday film classic White Christmas, with the quartet donning the roles of Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, and Danny Kaye. This show will send you out believing “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 17-21 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/17-19); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (12/20-21) – Birdland Jazz Club
Stacey Kent
A singer of marvelous talent, Stacey Kent’s beautiful voice, and natural musicality have been the feature of 12 studio albums, including Platinum, Double-Gold, and Gold records that have garnered her a much-deserved worldwide audience clocking over 500 million streams. With performances in over 55 countries during her stellar career, Kent’s global fandom makes perfect sense: over the course of two decades as a recording artist, her miraculous fluency in singing in French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and English allows her to relate to audiences across cultural borders. Naturally, Kent’s vision has broadened beyond the Great American Songbook: French and Brazilian classics also feature prominently in her contemporary work. Her September 2021 album, Songs From Other Places, was released to critical acclaim; she released her latest studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me (Naive Records, 2023) in November of last year. Her newest recording is due in the fall of 2025. For this special winter show, Kent is backed by her working group of veteran collaborators.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 19 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Harmony for the Holiday With Duchess
Named Vocal Group of the Year in both 2022 and 2021’s Jazz Journalists Association Awards, Duchess—the vocal trio comprised of Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou—has brought jazz cheer and swinging fun to audiences around the world since 2015. Each accomplished vocalist in their own right, the women of Duchess connect over their love of the 1930s New Orleans vocal group the Boswell Sisters. This adventurous group serves as their inspiration, and with these pioneers in mind, Duchess brings the close-harmony vocal trio concept squarely into the modern day. They are by no means derivative: these ladies perform original music and swing authentically with vibrant personalities. 2017’s Laughing At Life (Anzic), 2018s EP Harmony for the Holidays, and 2020’s Live at Jazz Standard (Anzic) have been met with critical acclaim, including The New Yorker’s praise for their “fresh-voiced” and “straight from the heart” delivery—and Downbeat’s instruction that, “For a good time, call Duchess.” With their swinging band behind them, Duchess will have Birdland audiences in delight.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 20-22 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Emilie-Claire Barlow Holiday Show
A total performer, Emilie-Claire Barlow is an award-winning vocalist hailing from a musical family. Canadian-born Barlow is the recipient of 7 Juno Award nominations, winning the Best Jazz Vocal award in 2013 and 2016 for her albums Seule ce soir and Clear Day, and Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2008 National Jazz Awards. Her work—a fusion of popular songs and the alluring musical textures of Brazil and France, all delivered with her smooth and sultry voice—has received nearly 150 million streams on Spotify and nearly 170 million on Pandora. In addition to her musical success, the brilliant and multitalented Barlow has kept a long career as a television actor, starring on hundreds of TV show episodes playing long-running characters on such beloved series as Sailor Moon, Almost Naked Animals, Numb Chucks, and Fugget About It. She released her 13th full-length album, Spark Bird, in the spring of 2023, celebrating the recording’s premiere and her NYC debut at the Birdland Theater; she returned this past June for a full weekend of performances, and the Theater is happy to have her back this December for the pre-Christmas weekend. Enjoy Ms. Barlow’s holiday imagination.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 22-25 (Sunday-Wednesday) 5:30 PM (12/22, 24-25); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/23) – Birdland Jazz Club
15th Annual “A Swinging Birdland Christmas” – with Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso, and Billy Stritch
This wildly successful extravaganza has been celebrating the holidays at this historic music room since 2010. In the tradition of beloved seasonal specials, the trio of singers will perform swinging arrangements of “The Christmas Waltz,” Kay Thompson’s “Holiday Season,” “Sleigh Ride,” “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” “Snow,” and “It Happened in Sun Valley,” among other favorites. In addition, the show will include holiday selections from Stephen Sondheim and Barry Manilow, both of whom the trio recently celebrated at Carnegie Hall. The vocalists will be joined by Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. Klea Blackhurst is an actress, singer, and comedian known for her award-winning tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything the Traffic Will Allow. She’s performed with symphony orchestras and in theatrical productions across the country and abroad including the London Palladium presentation of Jerry Herman’s Broadway, with Angela Lansbury, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, 15 Mabel Mercer Cabaret Conventions, New York’s Town Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Chicago Humanities Festival. Jim Caruso is the host of “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” the wildly popular weekly open mic night that has brought a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to Birdland in New York City every Monday night since 2003. “Cast Party” has been seen at Jazz at Lincoln Center, across the country, and, most recently, on YouTube as “Pajama Cast Party.” Jim made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the Tony Award-winning Liza’s at the Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. He has won six MAC Awards and eight BroadwayWorld Awards for his work in nightclubs. Billy Stritch is a pianist-singer who has been a presence on the New York and national nightclub scene for nearly four decades. A solo entertainer, he has performed his own shows (including tributes to Mel Tormé and Cy Coleman) in concert halls and nightclubs across the country and his 2022 solo run at Birdland was named Best Jazz Vocal Engagement by BroadwayWorld. Billy is a highly sought after accompanist, currently working with such leading vocalists as Linda Eder, Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Christine Ebersole, and Ann Hampton Callaway.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 24-28 (Tuesday-Saturday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Christmas with Champian Fulton
A great jazz singer is something special, and something special indeed is Champian Fulton. Daughter of trumpeter Stephen Fulton, Champian grew up inside the world of jazz, and as she grew she developed a swinging sound on the piano and a voice beyond her years—a sound reminiscent of the old master vocalists. Named the Hot House Readers Poll 2019 Pianist and Vocalist of the Year, and with 18 albums to her name, she is understandably a Birdland fan favorite. And with Birdland as her home, it was only fitting for her to record one of her latest solo albums at the club: 2023’s Meet Me At Birdland. Fulton has since released “Every Now and Then” (2024, Cellar Live) in collaboration with Cory Weeds, and musical-directed the album “Flying High: Big Band Canaries Who Soared (The Styles and Sounds of the Great Female Jazz Vocalists)” which she also celebrated at Birdland. Fulton returns to her favorite jazz club this entire Christmas week, starting with Christmas Eve, for a run of her trademark entrancing performances that will be sure to bring Yuletide cheer.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 27-29 & December 31 (Friday-Sunday & Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/27-29); 7:30 & 11:00 PM (12/31) – Birdland Theater
Marilyn Maye’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza
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 the legend of American music, 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 Maye will give audiences one final weekend of inspiration right before the New Year, leaving Monday free before she finishes her run on Tuesday night with her special New Year’s Eve Extravaganza. Throughout this string of shows, expect 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.
12/27-29: $60 tables / $50 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
12/31: Tiered Seating $100-150 tables / $75 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 29 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Yardbird Big Band
Join the Yardbird Big Band, directed by David DeJesus, on December 29th for a tribute to the great master saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, whose name and legacy form the backbone of Birdland Jazz Club. This band brings together some of the best musicians in New York City to play Bird’s songs, and DeJesus—an expert on the life of Charlie Parker—will guide audiences through this evening of iconic music. The songs may be classic, but the arrangements are fresh. Enjoy the Yardbird Big Band!
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 30 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
David Marino
A finalist from Canada’s “The Voice,” David Marino is a singer making headway internationally, performing at prestigious venues and jazz clubs across North America. Marino performs regularly at Place des Arts in Montreal, and at Birdland with Billy Stritch. David just completed his West Coast US debut tour starting in San Francisco, and was just in Rome making his European debut in September. Marino is an actor as well, and a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse. He recently played the lead role of Melchior in Contact Theatre’s production of the musical Spring Awakening. Marino is a proud advocate for mental health causes, and has helped raise $50,000 for the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. Next up, Marino will be releasing his first live EP in 2025 and is currently working on his debut studio album. Vocal legend Marilyn Maye said: “One word: phenomenal! He’s just brilliant and his singing is just wonderful.” Jane Monheit, the Grammy Award-nominated Jazz singer: “Truly one of the most gorgeous voices I’ve ever heard. Please go see him.”
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 31 (Tuesday) 11 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Birdland Big Band New Year’s Eve Celebration
Few can lead you into the new year better than the Birdland Big Band. An exhilarating ensemble praised for its ability to switch between multiple musical universes at the drop of a hat, Birdland’s very own comes out roaring to end this year with a bang. Comprised of New York’s premier jazz talent, the band that Time Out New York called “a completely unique experience” seamlessly transitions between classic jazz, Brazilian, and funk styles, all with saxophonist and director David DeJesus—a New York jazz veteran and who also serves as the director of the Latin Jazz Orchestra at prestigious the SUNY Purchase Conservatory—effortlessly leading the way. Audiences will delight as this stellar cast rings in the dawn of a great 2025.
$150 tables / $75 bar
Monthly Engagements:
December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (Mondays) December 17 (Tuesdays) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday evening in January 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!
$40 tables / $30 bar / $20 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/2, 9, 16, 17); $50 tables / $40 bar / $30 partial view table seating + $20 food/drink minimum (12/23, 30)
December 2, 9, 16, 30 (Mondays except 12/23) 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
“Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” a New York institution for 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 2003. Called “show-business heaven” by The New York Times and “the gold-standard of open mic nights” by The Wall Street Journal, “Cast Party” presents 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). Eric Adams, the Mayor of the City of New York, recently proclaimed, “Whereas, I am enormously proud to lead a city renowned as a global capital of the arts, ‘Jim Caruso’s Cast Party’ has enriched our dynamic cultural landscape since 2003, and on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, I am pleased to recognize the weekly show’s tremendous contributions to our performing arts and nightlife sectors.”
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 4, 11, 18, 24, 25 (Wednesdays and Tuesday 12/24) 5:30 PM (12/4, 12/11, 12/18); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/24-25) – 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!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/4, 11, 18); $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum (12/24-25)
December 4, 11, 18 (Wednesdays except 12/25) 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 Quartet, featuring pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Alex Raderman, perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. In December, catch Rodney Jones (guitar, 12/4); Pasquale Grasso (guitar, 12/11); and special guest host Bruce Forman (guitar, 12/18). *Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 5, 12, 19, 26 (Thursdays) 5:30 PM (12/5, 12, 19); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (12/26) – Birdland Theater
The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band
Led by veteran trumpeter Simon Wettenhall and Grammy-winning pianist Conal Fowkes, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band is a New Orleans-style group which for decades has served as Woody Allen’s band of choice in his movies, concert tours, and other performances—including, on the silver screen, the celebrated Wild Man Blues, Sweet and Lowdown, Midnight in Paris, Blue Jasmine, Cafe Society, Magic In The Moonlight, and A Rainy Day In New York. Appearing on all the premiere concert stages of Europe and the United States, the group features Conal Fowkes (piano/vocals co-leader), Simon Wettenhall (trumpet/vocals co-leader), Tom Abbott (clarinet), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), Josh Dunn (banjo), Brian Nalepka (bass/vocals), and Kevin Dorn (drums). Catch them each Thursday at Birdland Theater.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 6, 13, 20, 27 (Fridays) 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!”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 7, 14 (Saturdays except 12/21 & 12/28) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Bruce Harris
A virtuosic trumpet player whose love of the jazz tradition led Wynton Marsalis to name him in Ebony Magazine as one of 5 young jazz musicians to know, the beloved Bruce Harris is an artist, educator, and curator based in New York City. Regular performances at New York’s most prestigious venues, including Smalls, Smoke, Dizzy’s, Ginny’s, Minton’s, and Rockwood place Bruce squarely in the center of the city’s booming music scene; appearances on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon have placed him in an international limelight. He serves as Program Director at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. An adept sideman, Harris has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Billy Taylor, The Count Basie Orchestra, Barry Harris, Roy Hargrove, and Tony Bennett. His first recording as a leader, “Beginnings,” was released on Posi-Tone; his second, “Soundview,” was released on Cellar Live and La Reserve. His latest work is “The Lighting of the Lamp” (La Reserve/Cellar Live, 2022) with co-leader Grant Stewart; a tribute recording to his mentor, Barry Harris, is forthcoming. Harris is sure to delight audiences with swinging lines and a clear tone.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 21, 28 (Saturdays except 12/7 & 12/14) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Nicole Zuraitis
The winner of 2024’s Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album — with her latest recording “How Love Begins” — Nicole Zuraitis is a powerhouse vocalist and bandleader, an undeniable force in the modern jazz landscape of New York City and far beyond. She is the esteemed vocalist for both the Birdland Big Band and the Dan Pugach Nonet; “How Love Begins,” her co-produced collaboration with legendary bassist Christian McBride, was released in 2023 to great critical acclaim, as were her other three albums as a leader; in 2019, Nicole was nominated for a Grammy alongside her husband, renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, for their arrangement and performance of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Success has long been familiar to Zuraitis: back in 2015, she was the second runner-up in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Catch this phenom at Birdland for two Saturdays in December.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
December 1, 8, 22, 29 (Sundays except 12/15) 8:30 & 10:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) brings 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. Thirteen 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.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum