Jay Leonhart News

Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights In Jazz, New York's longest running jazz concert series, proudly kicks off it 45th season at 8:00 PM on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center of Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, NYC with The Highlights In Jazz 44th Anniversary Gala featuring the swinging jazz and blues of Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks with vocalist Ms Vinnie Knight and the festive multi-dimensional music of Cynthia Sayer and her Joyride Band featuring clarinetist Adrian Cunningham, plus, as in all Highlights In Jazz concerts, a surprise guest.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

Nat King Cole, one of the most identifiable voices in American popular music was also one of jazz's finest pianists. His unique sound and remarkable sense of swing led him to be a major influence and inspiration. Having sold 50 million records in his lifetime the Capitol Records building in Hollywood is still referred to today as, 'The House that Nat Built'. Despite his stardom in music and television he often encountered a world that was hostile and racist. Despite such personal and professional challenges he projected enormous dignity with the power of his talent, grace and gentle demeanor.

Alex Leonard will present 'L-O-V-E: A Celebration of Nat King Cole' on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 7:30 PM at Pangea.

You might think of Bing, Andy or Perry when you think Christmas Music Specials, but for the past seven years it's been BIlly, Jim, and Klea with an an extraordinary presentation of swinging Holiday music.  This year it's only on the Birdland schedule for 3 nights because the the trios sleigh took them to folks on the other side of the country too.  You can still get this present  on Sat. 12/24 and Sunday 12/25 at Birdland. 

Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights In Jazz, New York's longest running jazz concert series, proudly announces the schedule for its 45th season featuring four monthly star studded Thursday night concerts taking place at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center of Borough Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, NYC.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its January 2017 schedule, featuring The Marcus Roberts Trio, Joey DeFrancesco Quartet, Natalie Douglas, John Abercrombie Quartet,  Randy Rainbow, Danny Bacher, Nicolas King, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more. Scroll down for details!

Husband-and-wife duo John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey made their annual fall pilgrimage to Cafe Carlyle with an all-new show, The Arc of a Love Affair  last night and BroadwayWorld was there. The show runs November 22-December 1.

Husband-and-wife duo John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey make their annual fall pilgrimage toCafe Carlyle with an all-new show, The Arc of a Love Affair, November 22-December 1. They return following last year's universally acclaimed show My Generation. 

On the penultimate night of the 2016 Cabaret Convention, presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, 11 fantastic cabaret artists---those who are celebrated in the form as well as those who are emerging alike---assembled to salute the late and legendary Sylvia Syms. The evening, hosted by one of Syms' closest confidants, the critic Rex Reed, was brassy, delivered wonderful anecdotes, and was ultimately very moving musically, much like Syms herself. A black and white photograph of Syms, accurately capturing her maternal warmth, hung high inside the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center throughout the evening, which was formatted in two distinct segments. Act One was comprised of each performer taking to the stage alone to sing one of Syms' lesser known cabaret staples, or the songs which she "rescued" from obscurity such as those cut from golden age musicals. Act Two saw the performers again take on a Syms staple, but those which were more well-known hits and standards, displaying the full range of Syms' nightclub chops.

KT Sullivan made an astute call and turned over the creation of the third night of the Cabaret Convention to host Rex Reed.  If there is anyone in the world who symbolizes music sophistication with a flawless comprehension of what good cabaret performance is about it is the elegant Mr. Reed. The Convention's final evening is yet to be heard (tonight), but last evening must have been one of the finest chapters in the long history of Donald Smith and the Mabel Mercer Foundation's twenty seven year old creation. The musicians, singers, and material, which honored the legendary cabaret performer Sylvia Syms truly represented the highest quality of cabaret performance. Rex also made an important artistic decision….he included himself as one of the vocalists.  Rex Reed was a participating member of the golden age of New York life and his unique ability to verbally convey it's history honored Sylvia Syms, who as Rex pointed out at the start of the evening…..died the way she wanted, singing in a  nightclub (Oak Room Algonquin)  to a standing ovation.  She collapsed into the arms of audience member Cy Coleman.  

Husband-and-wife duo John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey make their annual fall pilgrimage toCafe Carlyle with an all-new show, The Arc of a Love Affair, November 22-December 1. They return following last year's universally acclaimed show My Generation. 

St. Ann's Warehouse will welcome back In Your Face New York, the new episodic live show and podcast that aims to capture the city's energy through sketches, songs and monologues by an array of New York artists and writers, for a new edition on October 23.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its September 2016 schedule, featuring CHARLIE PARKER'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!, John Pizzarelli, Ron Carter Big Band, Steve Kuhn Trio, Renee Rosnes, ShowBiz After Hours with Frank DiLella, The Cookers, Coltrane Revisited, Natalie Douglas, Barbara Carroll, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso's Cast Party and more.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its September 2016 schedule, featuring CHARLIE PARKER'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!, John Pizzarelli, Ron Carter Big Band, Steve Kuhn Trio, Renee Rosnes, ShowBiz After Hours with Frank DiLella, The Cookers, Coltrane Revisited, Natalie Douglas, Barbara Carroll, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso's Cast Party and more.

A uniquely talented and gifted jazz pianist, jazz critic and writer George Simon called John Bunch, "The Fred Astaire of the piano". This performance celebrates the life and career of John Bunch from his days growing up in the small farming community of Tipton Indiana, his heroic service during World War II to his days of accompanying a who's who list of artists including Tony Bennett and Benny Goodman.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its lineup for August 22-28, including Jazz Masters: John Abercrombie, Joey Baron, Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, Keala Settle and Frank Wildhorn, Ken Peplowski Quartet, and more!

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its lineup for August 15-21, including Music of Joe Henderson With The Phantom Band, ShowBiz After Hours with Frank DiLella, Rolando Morales-Matos Jazz' Y Mambo Band, and more!

the 2016 Cabaret Convention returns to the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, from Tuesday, October 18th through Friday, October 21st  to present four different music programs. More than seventy singers are scheduled to appear, and the productions include specific tributes to the songs of Stephen Sondheim, the lyrics of Sheldon Harnick, the melodies of Charles Strouse, and the repertoire of legendary jazz artist Sylvia Syms.

Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena POPS heat up the Los Angeles County Arboretum on August 20th with an evening solely devoted to one of America's most beloved musical icons for Cole Porter Night.