Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are proudly open this January with a full slate of nightly performances!
At Birdland Jazz Club, catch Birdland Big Band, Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective, Julie Halston, Tedd Firth Trio, Kurt Elling With The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band, Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, Isaiah J Thompson Quartet, Emmet Cohen Presents Miles & Trane Centennial, Yellowjackets, Monica Ramey, June Cavlan, George Coleman Quintet, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Andersons Present BIG BAND ROYALTY: The Duke, The Count, and More!, Klea Blakhurst and Ms. Lisa Fischer featuring Orrin Evans Trio.
Birdland Theater will present Harry Allen Quartet, Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman, Caity Gyorgy, Ekep Nkwelle, New Jazz Underground, Daniel Glass Trio Featuring Nicole Zuraitis, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Miss Maybell and the Jazz Age Artistes, Dave Stryker Trio + Special Guests, Tailin Marrero Trio, and Elan Mehler Sextet.
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, Quintin Harris, and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
See below for the full schedule! More information can be found at www.birdlandjazz.com
January 1-4 (Wednesday-Saturday) 5:30 & 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/1-4) – Birdland Jazz Club
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!”
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 2-5 (Thursday-Sunday) 8:30 PM (1/2); 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/3-5) – Birdland Theater
Harry Allen Quartet
The saxophonist that John Pizzarelli has called “Nothing less than perfect,” Harry Allen is the consummate swinger. A veteran of jazz music, he has recorded over 70 discs as a leader—three of which winning Gold Disc Awards from Japan’s Swing Journal, and his album Tenors Anyone? winning both the Gold Disc and the New Star Award. Allen’s work with Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Flip Phillips, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus Johnson, Jeff Hamilton, Johnny Mandel, James Taylor, and Sheryl Crow—to name a few—places him in an elite class, but he is no snob: in fact, what makes Harry Allen so great is his down-to-earth playing, his love of the music. His off-the-cuff style needs no set-lists. For these three nights at Birdland, he is sure to start and end swinging. What happens along the way will undoubtedly be pure magic.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 5 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective
The brilliant trumpeter and arranger Greg Ruvolo leads his sterling large ensemble to ring in the new year. Ruvolo’s work with legendary acts such as Gil Evans, Airto Moreira, Louis Bellson, New York Voices, and the WDR Big Band inform both his writing, playing, and bandleading. In this warm-hearted ensemble, Ruvolo throws both jazz veterans and young stars into the mix, arranging Songbook classics, jazz standards, and original work for the exciting ensemble. The band’s 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.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 6 (Monday) 7:00 – Birdland Jazz Club
Julie Halston Takes The Q Train
Julie Halston is currently appearing in the Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Her previous Broadway credits are numerous but include Tootsie, Hairspray, Gypsy and Anything Goes. She received the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in 2021 for her advocacy on behalf of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, a disease that her husband, anchorman Ralph Howard ultimately succumbed to in 2018. Miss Halston received the Richard Seff Award for her acclaimed performance in You Can’t Take It With You along with 4 Drama Desk Nominations for her Broadway and Off-Broadway work along with 2 Outer Critics Nominations. She was a founding member of Charles Busch’s legendary theatre company and co-starred with Mr. Busch in many productions, including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question and Red Scare on Sunset. She and Mr. Busch were among the first recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards by The Off – Broadway Theatre Alliance. She also co-starred with Mr. Busch in the independent film The Sixth Reel. In 2015, she was awarded a Special Guest Star Award from NYCWEBFEST for her work on The Mentors, a web series episode she co-wrote with Lewis Black. In addition, she can be seen in the independent films, Simchas and Sorrows, Intermedium and the recently released, Chosen Family by Heather Graham. Television credits include guest roles on The Good Fight, Divorce and Almost Family along with a recurring role as Sharon on Gossip Girl. She is most known on television, however as the lovable socialite, Bitsy Von Muffling on Sex and The City and And Just Like That. Miss Halston’s web series, Virtual Halston along with Jim Caruso and Ruby Locknar, became a pandemic hit with 41 episodes. It can be viewed on YouTube. Her one-woman performances at the legendary club Birdland are SRO engagements for which she has received a number of comedy awards.
Livestream: https://veeps.com/birdland/4e364e8f-4918-44b9-8847-a94a2e2dc143
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 7 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Tedd Firth Trio
Tedd Firth is a renowned pianist, musical director, arranger and orchestrator. The consummate accompanist, Firth has worked with superstars Barbara Cook, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Maureen McGovern, Marilyn Maye, Joshua Bell, and many others. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Frank Wess, Mark Whitfield, Red Holloway, Benny Golson and Joe Morello. Firth recently served as the musical director for the original Broadway cast of Into The Woods and for Michael Feinstein’s “Jazz and Popular Song” concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is both a leader in his field and a truly humble music-maker. Appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the Iridium, and the White House. Firth brings a sensitive, swinging trio to serenade the Birdland Theater.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 8-11 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/8-9); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/10-11) – Birdland Jazz Club
Kurt Elling With The Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band
Kurt Elling returns to Birdland! Elling, the winner of 3 Prix du Jazz Vocal (France), 2 German Echo Awards, 2 Dutch Edison Awards, and 2 GRAMMY wins (with 15 GRAMMY nominations), is one of contemporary jazz’s most prolific, celebrated voices. The Guardian has called him “a kind of Sinatra with superpowers” and “one of jazz’s all-time great vocalists.” Elling’s originality is intertwined with his devotion to the masters that came before him, and he regularly writes lyrics to classic melodies and improvisations by iconic artists, such as John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, and Jaco Pastorius. The formidable singer joins modern drummer extraordinaire Ulysses Owens, Jr. and his Big Band for an inspiring four-night run. Owens rose to fame in the trio of bass legend Christian McBride and providing fire in the bands of Nicholas Payton, Mulgrew Miller, and Joey Alexander. His Big Band, filled with central figures of the New York jazz scene, plays heavy-swinging and contemporary arrangements that build on the tradition of Buddy Rich Big Band, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Count Basie’s band. Don’t miss Elling and Owens as they join forces for this post-New Year’s run!
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 9 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Tierney Sutton and Tamir Hendelman
Hailed by The New York Times as “a serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level,” Tierney Sutton is an 8-time Grammy nominee, receiving 7 consecutive “Best Jazz Vocal Album” nominations for each project she has released in the last decade. With a recording and touring history spanning over 20 years and 9 CDs, The Tierney Sutton Band is a true collaborative unit with a rich thematic discography that has addressed Americana (American Road, 2011); materialism (Desire, 2009); the pursuit of happiness (On The Other Side, 2007); the musical legacies of Frank Sinatra (Dancing in The Dark, 2003) and Bill Evans (Blue in Green, 2001); as well as scoring Clint Eastwood’s Sully. Virtuosic and swinging pianist Tamir Hendelman has performed with the Jeff Hamilton Trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, Warren Vache, Houston Person, Jeff Clayton, Nick Brignola, Phil Upchurch, Rickey Woodard, John Clayton and Barbara Morrison. Don’t miss the chemistry of this amazing duo!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 10 (Friday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Caity Gyorgy
The rising star Canadian vocalist Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) delivers bebop and swing stylings around the world. A 2-time JUNO award winner, Gyorgy has performed and recorded with Christine Jensen, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Ira Coleman, Bryn Roberts, Joe LaBarbera and others at jazz clubs and festivals across Canada, Mexico, Japan and the USA. Where many vocalists are content to explore the Songbook for its timeless depth, Gyorgy’s skill as a writer brings her personal voice even further to the front: like Downbeat’s Scott Yanow has noted, fans will love her “originals [that] sound as if they are from the 1950s with more modern lyrics.” In fact, these lyrics were awarded the Grand Prize in the jazz category of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Currently signed to Brooklyn label La Reserve Records, Gyorgy albums “Now Pronouncing” and “Featuring” both received JUNO awards, with “You’re Alike, You Two” receiving a JUNO Nomination; her latest outing, “Hello! How Are You?” was released in August of 2024.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 11 (Saturday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band
An ensemble that represents the underappreciated tradition of Indigenous bandleaders in jazz music, the powerful Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (JKIBB) is an ensemble of Native and Indigenous jazz musicians from across Indian Country. Works by Indigenous figures Mildred Bailey (Coeur d’Alene) and Jim Pepper (Kaw/Mvskoke) stand alongside works by contemporary Indigenous composers. Performances at The Kennedy Center, The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Joe’s Pub in New York City, and a tour with the South Arts grant through the Doris Duke Foundation have helped establish this progressive and moving new band. Featuring a “Who’s Who” of Indigenous bandleaders today—including Mali Obomsawin (Odanak Abenaki), Delbert Anderson (Diné), Chantil Dukart (Tsimshian), and Ed Littlefield (Tlingit), as well as the celebrated vocalist and group leader herself, Julia Keefe (Nez Perce)—this ensemble uses songs as the vessels of stories and lessons for the Indigenous people of the Americas. They deepen and challenge our understanding of the “uniquely American” art form known as jazz.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 11 (Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Ekep Nkwelle
Ekep Nkwelle brings her quartet to the Birdland Theater! The 25-year-old Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist represents the great tradition carved by powerful female artists Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, and Nina Simone, combining soulful phrasing, a rich tone, and an unguarded emotionality. From the esteemed Duke Ellington School of the Arts, through Howard University and The Juilliard School, and onto the bandstand with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, Peter Washington, Emmet Cohen and Endea Owens, Nkwelle has the attention of the jazz listening public. She is the recipient of the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, nominated by none other than Marsalis himself; she has performed on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series; and collaborated with the 3x GRAMMY and Tony award-winner, the legendary Dee Dee Bridgewater during the fourth year of Bridgewater’s exclusive, all-women artistic residency, The Woodshed Network. Nkwelle’s quartet features young talents Anwar Marshall (drums), Julius Rodriguez (piano), and Jeremiah Edwards (bass).
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 12 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Isaiah J Thompson Quartet
One of the brightest young lights in piano today, Isaiah Thompson is the winner of the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. Since graduating only a few years ago from the Juilliard School (with both a Bachelors and a Masters—and where he now serves as a member of the Faculty), the pianist has been working nonstop, nurturing a fully-fledged resume that includes master musicians Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Steve Turre, Buster Williams, and others. For this Sunday night performance, he brings a quartet; and as always, he will offer to audiences his authentic gifts of joy, humility, passion, and spirit.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 12 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
New Jazz Underground
In a world of solo artists, one of the most promising new BANDS in jazz today is 2023 DCJazzPrix Winner, New Jazz Underground. Early viral success online—due to hip-styled videos that showcase the trio’s authentic, youthful artistic brilliance—has set the group on an exciting trajectory to jazz festivals across the country and the world. Since their days at Juilliard, these friends have cultivated a unique chemistry and a robust, dark sound that sings full from just saxophone, bass, and drums. Sebastian Rios (bass), Abdias Armenteros (sax) and TJ Reddick (drums) each have unique musical personalities which blend powerfully as they move through contemporary repertoire, hard-swinging stretches and funky pathways. Rios is a 2024 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award Winner; both Reddick (BM’ 20) and Armenteros (MM’ 22) are Juillard School Graduates, Armenteros the youngest member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Reddick and Rios have played as sidemen for the likes of Jon Batiste, Sullivan Fortner, Emmet Cohen, and ELEW (who frequently guests with the trio in concert) among many more. Don’t miss a new sound!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 13 (Monday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Emmet Cohen Presents Miles & Trane Centennial
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 Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole with special guest friends. The series became an instant hit; his Youtube channel now boasts nearly 1000 videos with an accumulated 45 million views, and Emmet’s Place is a (literal) household name in jazz. For this week at Birdland, he pays tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane with a quintet featuring Jeremy Pelt and Tivon Pennicott on the front line.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 14-18 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/14-16); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/17-18) – Birdland Jazz Club
Yellowjackets
The Yellowjackets are a household name for jazz fusion fans. The band’s original flavor, beloved for its long and whirling sing-song melodies and undeniable pocket, has been captivating listeners since the group first burst onto the scene in the late 1970s. Originally the rhythm section behind guitarist Robben Ford, the Yellowjackets became its own entity and—adding the then-trailblazing (and now-legendary) saxophonist Bob Mintzer—turned into one of the most original quartets of the last 40 years, recording 30 albums, winning 2 Grammys, and receiving 17 Grammy nominations. Currently, the lineup includes founding member Russell Ferrante on keys, Bob Mintzer on winds, the spectacular drummer Will Kennedy, and the band’s newest member, a young Dane Alderson twisting out brilliant basslines.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 16 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Daniel Glass Trio Featuring Nicole Zuraitis
The Daniel Glass Trio will bring a mesmerizing show back to the Birdland Theater with a new set of material that will feature special guest singer/songwriter Nicole Zuraitis, winner of the 2024 Grammy Award for best jazz vocal album. Daniel has enjoyed a three-decade career as an award-winning drummer, author, and educator. As a first-call sideman, he performs more than 200 concerts annually. For two years running, Daniel was voted one of the top five drummers in the world by readers of Modern Drummer and DRUM magazines. Since 2011, he has been the Monday night house drummer for Jim Caruso’s Cast Party at Birdland. Daniel’s trio includes guitarist Sean Harkness and bassist Michael O’Brien, both mainstays on the New York jazz and cabaret scenes. Collectively, the band members have performed and recorded with an incredible array of top tier artists, including Bette Midler, Brian Setzer, Harry Connick Jr., Brian Setzer, Royal Crown Revue, Jose Feliciano, Freddie Cole, Marilyn Maye, Ruben Blades, Jason Marsalis, Kathleen Turner, Lucie Arnaz, Gunhild Carling, Melissa Manchester, KISS front man Gene Simmons, Air Supply’s Graham Russell, and Luann De Lesseps from the Real Housewives of New York. Having worked together since 2016, the members share an eclectic orientation that covers a wide variety of styles and genres. Marilyn Lester from New York Jazz Record calls the Daniel Glass Trio, “… a well-curated, smartly-paced unit. Glass himself is not only personable and delightfully charming, but he knows his way around a drum set backwards and forwards, as one might expect of an A-list player whose resume includes a who’s who of jazz. Glass not only has an impeccable sense of timing and phrasing in his technical tool kit, but plenty of soul to go along with it.”
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 17-19 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Lucy Yeghiazaryan
One of the finest vocalists to emerge from New York City in recent times, the Armenian-born Lucy Yeghiazaryan has received the ringing endorsement of her peers and elders. Master pianist Johnny O’Neal is effusive: “Lucy possesses an engaging tone with a warm flair of musical diplomacy. As smooth as maple syrup on pancakes!” and trumpet great Joe Magnarelli calls her “A breath of fresh air.” A finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, Yeghiazaryan has gone on to release four critically-appraised albums under her name: Blue Heaven (2019), In Her Words with Vanisha Gould (2021), Lonely House (duo with Michael Kanan) (2023), and Some Other Spring (with Grant Stewart) (2023). The La Reserve artist is a frequent guest in the trio of Birdland favorite, Emmet Cohen, and performs regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Mezzrow, Symphony Space, and other venues across the country.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 19 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Monica Ramey
Vocalist Monica Ramey sings with a subtle dynamism and a warm sound, presenting jazz standards and popular songs for delighted audiences. Known for her collaboration with legendary pianist Beegie Adair, Ramey has released a number of recordings in recent years including Make Someone Happy, Monica Ramey and the Beegie Adair Trio, Some Enchanted Evening, and Some Enchanted Christmas. She has developed her artistry alongside, or under the tutelage, of such greats as Michael Feinstein, Beegie Adair, Anthony Wilson, Jeff Coffin, Donna McElroy, and others; regular performances at Birdland, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Nashville Jazz Workshop and other notable venues continue to keep her busy. For this Sunday night performance, she is supported by long-time compatriots Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer and Eric Halvorson.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 20 (Monday) 7:00 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
June Cavlan
An indisputable talent among the new voices singing standards today, the hypnotizing June Cavlan recently presented her debut album, “A Portrait of June” (La Reserve). Since her move to New York in 2023, she has been welcomed by leaders in the straight-ahead scene such as Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, and Benny Benack III. June’s accomplishments have been plentiful: her vocal trio The Sunhouse Singers, rounded out by award-winning singers Joie Bianco and Kate Kortum, has been featured on “Emmet’s Place”; June herself has presented her music on PIX11 New York; Luciana Souza, the Grammy-winning Brazilian vocalist, has called June “someone to watch”; and her videos have garnered her nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok and even the attention of music superstar SZA. Only 23 years old, she won four years’ worth of prestigious student music awards from Downbeat Magazine and YoungArts. Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, and Barbra Streisand, June’s debut effort showcases her skills in arranging, composing, and improvisation—in addition to her incredible vocal prowess.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 21 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
George Coleman Quintet
Tenor saxophone titan George Coleman turns 90 in the spring of 2025. His contributions to American improvised music, forged in the bands of icons Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Lee Morgan, Cedar Walton, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, and his own incredibly swinging projects, have made him a central figure in the jazz history; and Coleman has continued leading groups in New York City’s premier clubs—The Village Vanguard, Smoke, Smalls—until this day, reminding audiences of what it means to truly “lift off” on the bandstand. It has been a while since he played Birdland. Don’t miss this special night with his Quintet—known for their hard-swinging, no-BS approach, with all of the romantic phrasing, technical genius, and guts that Coleman has brought to his 70 years as one of the music’s brightest performers.
$45 tables / $35 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 22-25 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/22-23); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/24-25) – Birdland Jazz Club
Dee Dee Bridgewater
A music legend and an NEA Jazz Master, the great Dee Dee Bridgewater remains a force to be reckoned with after fifty years at the top of her craft. Now with 23 albums as a leader, over 125 recording credits, 3 Grammy wins and 8 nominations, as well as several major acting credits (including as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz alongside Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nispey Russell and Diana Ross), Bridgewater continues to wow audiences with her incredible voice, her magnetic personality, and the sheer generosity of her spirit. For four nights, she will take the Birdland stage with a band of jazz’s top young talent. Don’t miss Bridgewater—as always, she’ll be unforgettable.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 23 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Miss Maybell and the Jazz Age Artistes
Miss Maybell and the Jazz Age artists play “old music for the young at heart,” and it’s a sight to behold. Offering an exuberant mix of ragtime, early jazz, blues, and country classics, Maybell (the talented Lauren Sansaricq) and crew transport audiences to a different time, but in their expert hands, the music feels as fresh as ever. Vocalist/washboardist Sansaricq’s lovely connection with pianist Charlie Judkins—called a “genius piano player” by the Syncopated Times—radiates an infectious energy. Their toe-tapping romps will leave audiences smiling. Brian Nalepka (bass and tuba) and Andy Stein (saxophone) round out the group—and with European touring under their belt, a featured on The NPR Show “Person Place Thing” with Randy Cohen, and concerts around the nation, the Jazz Age Artistes are on a bid for the stars, bringing their idiosyncratic musical fun to audiences near and far. Don’t miss this delightful one-nighter!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 24-26 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Dave Stryker Trio + Special Guests
“One of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years,” states Village Voice, with “one of the most joyous feels around,” according to Pat Metheny. Dave Stryker is a fabulous guitarist who has served as the featured accompanist for Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and hundreds of others, as well as leading 30 recording projects of his own. Stryker’s 2022 recording, As We Are, featured Brian Blade, John Pattitucci, Julian Shore, Sara Caswell and others, and was named one of DownBeat’s top albums of the year. “The jazz gods have alighted on the guitarist and elevated his playing, his composing, his soloing, and his music,” said Jazz Times’s Ken Micallef. Meanwhile, Stryker headed into the studio with his Organ Trio to release Prime in 2023 with bandmates Jared Gold (organ) and McClenty Hunter (drums). It’s the same ultra-swinging group that, with the great Bob Mintzer (of Yellowjackets fame) on saxophone, opened twenty dates in 2022 for Steely Dan and released the critically-acclaimed Groove Street in 2024. For this weekend of performances at the Birdland Theater, Stryker’s Organ Trio will preside, this time featuring two spectacular saxophonists: Troy Roberts (Friday/Saturday) and Rob Dixon (Sunday). Expect head-bobbing, soulful sets: gritty, swinging sounds for contemporary ears.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 26 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
The Andersons Present BIG BAND ROYALTY: The Duke, The Count, and More!
Juilliard-trained identical twins Peter and Will Anderson have been hailed as “virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone” by The New York Times. Their passion for classic jazz shines through each time they perform. Having shared the stage with some of the music’s biggest straight-ahead jazz acts—including Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, and Wynton Marsalis—the brothers constitute a formidable force. They’ve headlined shows at Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and live on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion Radio Program. Birdland welcomes them this Sunday in January as they deliver their no-funny-business, straight-down-the-middle, jazz-lover’s type of jazz: this time paying tribute to the great royal figures of Big Band music—composers and bandleaders such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman (The King), Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Harry James. Don’t miss!
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 27 (Monday) 7:00 – Birdland Jazz Club
Klea Blackhurst: “It Goes Like It Goes”
Known for her powerhouse vocals, brilliant wit, and magnetic stage presence, Klea Blackhurst is set to deliver an evening of unforgettable entertainment. Klea Blackhurst, a celebrated actress and singer, has dazzled audiences across the country with her dynamic performances in award-winning tributes to Broadway and beyond. Her Birdland concert promises an eclectic mix of show tunes, standards, and personal favorites, all delivered with her trademark charm and humor. Backed by a band of New York’s finest musicians, Klea will once again prove why she’s one of cabaret’s most cherished performers. Don’t miss this one-night-only event! Birdland’s intimate setting is the perfect backdrop for Klea’s larger-than-life talent.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 28 – February 1 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/28-30); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/31-2/1) – Birdland Jazz Club
Ms. Lisa Fischer featuring Orrin Evans Trio
Brooklyn-born vocal sensation Lisa Fischer is an international icon of music. Winning a Grammy for her single “How Can I Ease The Pain?” off her 1991 debut; touring with the Rolling Stones for 26 years; singing background for Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, and Sting: this powerhouse singer has shared musical magic with the world for four decades and counting. Her style flexible and her knowledge vast, Fischer can find home within soulful, rocking, funky, and swinging passages all within single song. In this regard, pianist Orrin Evans—symbol of a parallel brand of mastery, both encyclopedic and personal—is a perfect match. Evans’ projects are wide-ranging: from his Captain Black Big Band to his collaborative group Tarbaby (with Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis) to his chair in the Mingus Big Band and his role as the pianist in The Bad Plus. Evans and Fischer collaborate frequently; in this setting, Evans brings a trio to support the incredible Ms. Fischer, who is sure to leave audiences breathless.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 30 (Thursday) 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Tailin Marrero Trio
One of the most promising artists of the young generation in Cuba today, bassist and composer Tailin Marrero brings her trio to the Birdland Theater for a joyful evening of song and groove. Marrero’s talents have been employed by great Latin artists such as Roberto Carcasses and Interactive, Descemer Bueno, Luis Barberia y Sexto Sentido, Liuba María Hevia, Telmary Diaz and Habana Sana, Concha Buika, and many more. She is a member of the Grammy-winning and Juno-winning group, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque—a Birdland favorite. With these and other artists, Marrero has performed at Birdland, Blue Note Tokyo, and Amsterdam’s famed Bimhuis, as well as at the Monterey, Newport, Saratoga, JazzAhead (Germany), Jazz al Parque (Colombia) and Fuji Rock (Japan) jazz festivals. Her recent album, Music In The Soul, highlights her virtuosic bass playing, heartfelt compositions, and rich vocals. Marrero brings Dánae Olano (piano) and María de la Paz Fernández García (percussion) to this Thursday evening performance.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 31 – February 2 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Elan Mehler Sextet
In what is sure to be a moving weekend of performances, pianist and composer Elan Mehler assembles a sextet to bring to life his enigmatic lyrical imagination. Mehler’s pianism is insightful, dextrous, heartfelt and challenging. In his brand of playing, affection for the masters of the jazz tradition meet a modernist’s insistence—and his use of space, long-hanging notes, crunchy lines, sensitive interplay, and creative outburst make his artistry fulfilling to watch, hear, and think over. Recordings with modern greats Bill Frisell, Becca Stevens, and Dave Douglas speak for his abilities, including the gorgeous Stevens collaboration Pallet On Your Floor, the Douglas collaboration If There Are Mountains, and Mehler’s own TJ and the Revenge, featuring Frisell. Mehler is also featured on Kimbrough, the special tribute album to legendary modern pianist Frank Kimbrough. For this three-night engagement he assembles sextets from a mysterious cast—the elusive guitarist Ben Monder, cryptic altoist Loren Stillman, legendary tenorman George Garzone, delightful reedist Scott Robinson, master bass player Tony Scherr, and the exuberant drummers Matt Wilson and Francisco Mela—before heading into the studio with these musicians to cut his 12th recording as a leader.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
Monthly Engagements:
January 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28 (Mondays and Tuesdays) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks
Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday and Tuesday 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
January 6, 20, 27 (Mondays except 1/13) 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.”
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Wednesdays) 5:30 PM (1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29); 6:00 PM (1/1) – 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!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (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 Quartet, featuring pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Alex Raderman, perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in special guests weekly. In January, catch Mike Stern (guitar, 1/1 & 15); Pasquale Grasso (1/8 & 22); Guest hosts James Chirillo and Vinny Raniolo (guitars, 1/29)
*Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (Thursdays) 5:30 PM – 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
January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (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
January 18, 25 (Saturdays except 1/4 & 1/11) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Quintin Harris Trio
A Finalist in the American Jazz Piano Competition in Savannah, Georgia, young Quintin Harris continues a run of successful Birdland Jazz Club performances with two Saturday early evening engagements in January. Leading his trio, Harris performs dexterously on both piano and vocals, employing a suave baritone on American Songbook standards like “What A Difference A Day Makes” and “Day By Day,” and nimbly crafting piano lines over jazz standards like “Tricrotism” and “These Foolish Things.” Students of Birdland favorite and master pianist Bill Charlap at William Paterson University, the members of the group’s rhythm section are frequent guests at the Birdland Theater in Susie Mosher’s “The Lineup” on Tuesdays.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
January 5, 12, 19, 26 (Sundays) 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