Kurt Elling News

While all non-essential businesses have closed, Birdland owner Gianni Valenti has been hard at work, preparing for the inevitable day when the legendary Manhattan hotspot will reopen for the throng of fans who call Birdland home.

In response to the continuing situation regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), McCarter Theatre Center has announced the cancelation of all performances and events through June 30, effective immediately.

Please be advised that the Tantleff Box Office will be available only for limited phone hours and closed for in-person visits. Contact us at 516.299.3100 Monday-Friday from 1PM-4PM for any questions. 

Drawing influence from over one hundred years of jazz history, from Django Reinhardt to Ahmad Jamal, and the vivid musical landscapes of Debussy and even Brian Eno, British seven-piece and residents/owners of East London venue/bar of the same name, Kansas Smitty's combine journeying with cinematic textures on new album Things Happened Here via K7's newly revived Ever Records imprint.

The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) continues its 2019-2020 season with a performance by the 17-member NYYS Jazz ensemble on Monday, March 9, 2020 in two sets at 7:30pm and 9:30pm, at Dizzy's Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, led by Director Andy Clausen. Titled Celebrating Charlie Parker @ 100, and featuring saxophonist Steve Wilson, the performances pay homage to Charlie Parker's centennial, musical legacy, and bebop innovations with selections by Parker, Wilson, Bennie Moten, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and more. NYYS Jazz will also give the world premiere of the NYYS First Music commission In the Shadow of Tall Giants by Devin Reilly.

Direct from the Apollo Theater, A Celebration of Ella Fitzgerald will bring singing greats Patti Austin, Kurt Elling, Monica Mancini, Wé McDonald and Ledisi to the McCallum Theatre for a fantastic night of music by one of the most revered vocalists of our time, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29. Each performer embodies a different era of the jazz legend's life, intertwined with stories from her debut as a teenager at New York's Apollo Theater to the peak of her fame. The music highlights Ella's greatest hits, including a?oeA Tisket a Tasket,a?? 'Blues in the Night,a?? a?oeMiss Otis Regrets,a?? a?oeYou'll Have to Swing Ita?? and more. The show features the Ella All-Star Band with Shelly Berg, Nathan East, Brian Nova and Gregg Field.

This coming January, world famous saxophone player, bandleader and producer Igor Butman will travel to the United States for a five-city tour of some of the country's most celebrated jazz institutions. 

Kurt Elling remains as much a luminary of the art form. Kurt feels as much a throwback as he does new age. Joined by some familiar faces, Elling gave the audience a bluesy tune to a'escape the dread of modern day living.'

City Winery Chicago has released its schedule (1200 W. Randolph St) for the month. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless noted.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

Birdland Jazz Club has released its schedule for December 30-January 12. Performers include Marilyn Maye, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey Duo, The Billy Stritch Trio, and more. 

This coming January, world famous saxophone player, bandleader and producer Igor Butman will travel to the United States for a five-city tour of some of the country's most celebrated jazz institutions. The tour will mark the twentieth anniversary of Butman's acclaimed Moscow Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece powerhouse ensemble described by DownBeat Magazine as 'an outfit of virtuosos.' Butman, a firm proponent of cross-border and cross genre-collaboration, has performed with a long roster of jazz greats including Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton, Grover Washington Jr and Wynton Marsalis, among others. The jazz luminary continues his ambassadorship of modern Russian culture with his upcoming Winter tour of the United States. Butman, along with the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, will perform at the Blue Note, in New York City January 30th through February 2nd, at the Keystone Corner in Baltimore on February 5th, at the South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center on February 7th in Cutler Bay, Florida, at The Promontory in Hyde Park, Chicago, on February 9th, at Center Makor in Boston on February 12th, and at the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 13th.

BWW Cabaret Editor invites the journalists on the team to an informal discussion about the art form of cabaret, their passion, and what excited them in 2019.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Elle Varner, French-Dominican jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Friday, November 15 at noon. Tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

A musical coincidence occurred in Manhattan last night. Marilyn Maye was swinging on the West Side at Feinstein's/54 Below and Tom Wopat was doing the same on the East Side at the Beach Cafe. They are a bit similar in Night Club performance. I'm purposely using the word Night Club as opposed to Cabaret because both singers just sing their well chosen song list while exciting you musically with their great voices, jazz infused phrasing, and the secret sauce of being able to Swing. No theme or “theatrical” show here, it's just the extraordinary ability to interpret a song that keeps your eyes and ears focused on the performer from the opening to the closing notes.

A host of special guests have been announced for Guy Barker's Big Band Christmas, as the bandleader's festive showcase returns to the Royal Albert Hall for the fourth time.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:

Events have been announced for October at National Sawdust. See the full lineup below!

Roundabout Theatre Company and Columbia University School of the Arts have announced the winners of Columbia@Roundabout's 2019 New Play Reading Series. As part of the collaborative partnership between Roundabout Theatre Company and Columbia University, the reading series awards three playwrights from the current MFA program and recent alumni with a cash prize as well as a reading in Roundabout's Rehearsal Hall, followed by a post-reading reception. Five finalists have also received cash prizes in recognition of their exceptional work. No other collaborative partnership in the New York area brings together an esteemed Ivy League MFA program with a Tony Award-winning, not-for-profit theatre. The reading series is made possible by a grant from The Tow Foundation.   

Intimate, elegant, cheeky and mischievous as befits its over 21 audience, Circus Center Cabaret roars back to the stage with the 5th anniversary season of its critically acclaimed distillation of top-drawer circus and variety artists, an atmosphere of delightful indulgence, and live music performed by Cabaret Chanteuse Madame Leanne Borghesi and the Roger Glenn Trio. Under the visionary direction of legendary circus teacher and clown Steve Smith, the Circus Center Cabaret is presented in an intimate venue with a full bar at Circus Center's iconic home near Golden Gate Park (755 Frederick Street).  Tickets are $15 for standing room; $45 for main floor seating; $85 for VIP Seating.   Tickets may be purchased by phone at (866) 811-4111 or online at www.circuscenter.org/cabaret beginning Saturday, September 1.

Patsy Cline's trailblazing spirit is remembered in a?oeMy Patsy Cline Songbook,a?? the first-ever, full-length jazz tribute album arriving August 23, 2019.  Drawing on her country roots, vocalist Staci Griesbach's debut album explores looking at the Nashville Songbook as another treasure trove to consider reinterpreting for jazz, much like the traditional Great American Songbook.