Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater Unveils October Programming

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this October with a full slate of nightly performances, running October 1st - October 31st. At Birdland Jazz Club, catch The Hot Sardines, Emily Day & Cosmo Alleycats, Amanda Green & FANTASTIC FRIENDS, THE MICHAEL BRECKER QUINDECTET featuring DONNY MCCASLIN Artistic & Musical Director: Meg Okura, Ron Carter Foursight Quartet (Week 1), Amy London: Alto Madness Album Release, VIRTUAL HALSTON LIVE with Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman, Frank Catalano Quintet feat. Randy Brecker, Ron Carter Duo Featuring Bill Frisell, Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra feat. Jennifer Grimm, Julie Benko: Broadway Goes to the Movies, Anderson Brothers play Benny Goodman, Ron Carter's Great Big Band, June Cavlan, Phillip Officer Sings A Mabel Mercer Broadway Portfolio, Alexa Tarantino Quartet and Ron Carter's Foursight Quartet (Week 2).

Birdland Theater will present BOUNCIN' WITH BUD Bud Powell Birthday Celebration, Thelonious Monk Birthday Celebration, Carole J. Bufford, Curtis Stigers and Senri Oe Trio.

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, Pasquale Grasso Trio, and The Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra.

The Hot Sardines

September 29-October 3 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (9/29-10/1); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/2-3) – Birdland Jazz Club

The Hot Sardines celebrate their latest recording—just out in May of this year—the very swinging Good News! Stars of the trad-jazz world, The Hot Sardines bring early jazz into the modern day. With their love of classic jazz—jazz that feeds the heart and soul—bandleader Evan Palazzo, lead singer Elizabeth Bougerol, and a New York-based ensemble have brought their music across the globe for years. Their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, smooth vocals and love for audience engagement earned them the respect of Downbeat Magazine, who called the group “one of the most delightfully energetic bands on New York's 'hot' music scene.” The Hot Sardines have released seven records since 2011 to critical acclaim. “Everything in our DNA is about connecting with the audience,” says Bougerol. Make sure not to miss this exciting week of shows!

$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

BOUNCIN' WITH BUD Bud Powell Birthday Celebration

October 2-4 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater

Steve Smith presides over 5 exciting weekend engagements across September and October—four of which honor a different master in the jazz tradition on their birthday. In this engagement, he celebrates the life of genius American pianist Bud Powell, the modern jazz innovator of the 1940s and 50s. Over his life in music, the singular master drummer Smith has proven himself a fluid practitioner of big band, rock, fusion, South Indian music, and straight ahead bebop. Joined by guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and pianist Tardo Hammer, the venerable Smith—iconic drummer for the rock megagroup Journey, founder of fusion power trio Vital Information, and long a devotee of the jazz lineage—presents Bud Powell's seminal music, canonized as fundamental and unavoidable for the last 60 years of jazz. Bud Powell was born on September 27th, 1924 and would have just turned 102 on this annual birthday celebration at Birdland. Help Steve and crew wish the beloved pianist a happy birthday as they bounce through his radiant compositions.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Emily Day & Cosmo Alleycats

October 4 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

Called “one of the major singers in her field” by jazz writer Scott Yanow, Emily Day is a singer and songwriter of early jazz—the music of a bygone era. Her own beautiful, creative lyrics sound as if they'd been penned at the height of the Great American Songbook. Supported by her vintage-styled band, the Cosmo Alleycats, Day will present “Old Sweet Songs” for one Sunday set on the Birdland stage, honoring the enduring melodies that have earned their place in the canon of American music. Cosmo Alleycats have been a San Francisco sensation since their founding in 2010; the group is a tight-knit operation, their sound poised, dynamic, soulful, and fun. They released an album of the same name, Old Sweet Songs, in 2022; venues and festivals such as Blue Note Napa, The Sound Room, House of Blues New Orleans, Fillmore Jazz Festival, and San Francisco's Mr. Tipple's have all greeted this hard-swinging, spontaneous bunch, whose music charms like Judy Garland and bops like Ella Fitzgerald.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Amanda Green & FANTASTIC FRIENDS

October 5 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Join two-time Tony Award and Grammy Award-nominated songwriter and performer Amanda Green and a spectacular lineup of Broadway friends for a hilarious evening of Green's songs, including performances from the upcoming musicals Regency Girls, featuring several of the show's stars, and Crazy Rich Asians. Scheduled to perform are Emmy Award winner and three-time Tony nominee Martha Plimpton (Here We Are, The Coast of Utopia); Krystina Alabado (Regency Girls, Hazbin Hotel); Jasmine Forsberg (SIX); Cailen Fu (Mean Girls); Sarah Kay (Here Lies Love); three-time Emmy-nominated composer Curtis Moore (Regency Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls, Bring It On); Ryann Redmond (Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Parody, Frozen); Alanna Saunders (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child); and Ann Fraser Thomas (Titaníque). Musical Direction by AnnBrit Chateau (Once Upon a Mattress, Frozen), with Sean McDaniel (Chess, Smash) on drums. The San Diego Tribune raves: “The song lyrics by Amanda Green are so funny, it's sometimes hard to hear them over the laughter.” Green's Broadway credits include Mr. Saturday Night, Hands On A Hardbody, and Bring It On. She co-wrote and revised Kiss Me, Kate, and co-created Regency Girls with Curtis Moore. Other credits include High Fidelity, Peter Pan Live!, and On The Twentieth Century. She's a Jonathan Larson Award winner and the first female recipient of the Frederic Loewe Composition Award.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

THE MICHAEL BRECKER QUINDECTET featuring DONNY MCCASLIN Artistic & Musical Director: Meg Okura

October 6 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

In 2003, the legendary modern saxophonist Michael Brecker—to whom so many saxophonists owe so very much—released a landmark Grammy-winning recording, Wide Angles, featuring his Quindectet. The Quindectet was a 15-piece group fusing a small jazz big band with a string quartet; the album was a set of lush, high-flying arrangments by the great Gil Goldstein. It won the 2004 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Now, 22 years later, Birdland will feature a one-night-only event reincarnating this seminal work of contemporary jazz. Original Quindectet touring member Meg Okura serves as the project's Artistic Director; playing the role of the late brilliant Brecker is the virtuosic Donny McCaslin. Many original touring Quindectet members will be in the group, and Okura will contribute two arrangments for the show: Brecker's “African Skies” and “Itsbynne Reel.” Brecker aficionados may also expect updated versions of Goldstein's arrangments “Arc of the Pendulum,” “Delta City Blues” and “Syzygy.” The concert will feature a special display of Michael Brecker archival materials presented by Archives curator Dr. David Demsey. Okura, who has led her own ensembles at Birdland, has received praise from The New York Times (“grandiloquent beauty”) and Downbeat (“masterful ear for orchestration”) as well as numerous prizes, awards, and grants for her compositions. McCaslin is known for his work on David Bowie's final album, Blackstar (2016) as well as his Grammy-winning solos for Maria Schneider and his trailblazing saxophone work with a host of contemporary greats. Fans of the genius artist Brecker will find this a special evening indeed; newcomers to his music will be wowed.

$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Ron Carter Foursight Quartet (Week 1)

October 7-10 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/7-8); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/9-10) – Birdland Jazz Club

Each October, the legend Ron Carter—3x Grammy-winner and one of the music's greatest bassists whose credits (on over 2,000 albums) include beloved recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, Roberta Flack, Pharoah Sanders, Lena Horne, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Bette Midler, Shirley Scott, The Manhattan Transfer, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Harry Connick, Jr., Quincy Jones, and countless others—performs four consecutive weeks at Birdland in four different configurations: Duo, Big Band, his longstanding Foursight Quartet, and formerly his Golden Striker Trio. Following the passing of the legendary Russell Malone last summer (who played guitar in the Golden Striker Trio), Carter will bring the Foursight Quartet for two weeks out of the month, each week with a different pianist. In this first week, drummer Payton Crossley and saxophonist Jimmy Greene are joined by pianist Donald Vega. Don't miss the great master Carter at work!

$55 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Thelonious Monk Birthday Celebration

October 9-11 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Steve Smith presides over 5 exciting weekend Theater engagements across September and October—four of which honor a different master in the jazz tradition on their birthday. This weekend, he celebrates the life and unique genius of American pianist Thelonious Monk, modern jazz innovator of the bebop and post-bop eras and composer of some of the music's most important works. The singular master drummer Smith has proven himself a fluid practitioner of big band, rock, fusion, South Indian music, and straight ahead bop over the course of his career. Joined by bassist Ben Allison and pianist Uri Caine, the venerable Smith—iconic drummer for the rock megagroup Journey, founder of fusion power trio Vital Information, and long a devotee of the royal jazz lineage—presents Monk's seminal music, canonized as fundamental and unavoidable for the last 60 years of jazz. Monk was born on October 10th, 1917, and would have turned 109 on this annual birthday celebration at Birdland. Help Steve and crew wish the revered master a happy birthday as they rollick through his wry, intricate works of genius.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Amy London: Alto Madness Album Release

October 11 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

The great jazz vocalist Amy London has graced stages across continents for the last 40 years, delivering a savvy and elegant bravura with lyrical depth, the attitude of hip, and the gorgeous voice to back it up. This month, she will release Alto Madness, a new recording featuring the work of great alto saxophonists Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Louis Jordan, and Richie Cole. An alto herself (as a vocalist), the pun is evident—no surprise for London, whose wry and smart sensibility has put her in projects with heroes of jazz like Jon Hendricks, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Wycliffe Gordon, New York Voices, Meryl Streep, Fred Hersch, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and many more. She has performed New York's top rooms—Dizzy's, The Rainbow Room, Lincoln Center, Birdland, and Blue Note. Her past two releases have developed the sound of her beloved vocal group The Royal Bopsters, featuring the legendary Darmon Meader, Holli Ross, Dylan Pramuk, and Ms. London as a soprano; 2020's Party of Four and 2015's Royal Bopster Project which received a glowing 4 and 1/2 stars in Downbeat and made numerous major Best CDs of 2015 lists. In 1989, London began a 3-year stint performing in the opening cast of the Broadway hit City of Angels which won 6 Tony Awards. Long a serious educator, the gifted London has taught in the vocal studio at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music since 1992 and at Christian McBride and Melissa Walker's Jazz House Kids program since 2014. She leads her own Amy London Vocal Jazz Camp in Vermont and New York.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

VIRTUAL HALSTON LIVE with Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman

October 12 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

The hit web series VIRTUAL HALSTON, created during the global pandemic by Julie Halston, Jim Caruso, and Ruby Locknar, returns to the stage for a special one-night-only live presentation at Birdland on Monday, October 12. Julie Halston brings her signature wit, theatrical storytelling, and backstage brilliance to this special evening, joined by celebrated actress, singer and comedian Jackie Hoffman. The program will feature Halston's trademark stories along with an entertaining and insightful conversation between the longtime friends and collaborators. “Jackie Hoffman is one of the funniest humans alive. We've known each other forever, worked together a number of times, and love to dish, judge, and make each other laugh. We have ALL the stories, and I can't wait to sit down with her on the Birdland stage to discuss all things show biz and, of course, all ongoing medical issues! Hoffman & Halston. Need I say more?” Halston most recently appeared in the Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Her Broadway credits include Tootsie, Hairspray, Gypsy, and Anything Goes. In 2021, she received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy on behalf of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Halston is widely known for her portrayal of Bitsy Von Muffling on Sex and the City and And Just Like That, and her sold-out one-woman performances at Birdland have earned her multiple comedy honors and a devoted following.**This show streams live at: https://veeps.com/birdland/59cdad35-0f37-42d2-9dfe-1287ec8ad45b

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 13 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Frank Catalano Quintet feat. Randy Brecker
Trumpet legend Randy Brecker joins the Frank Catalano Quartet for one night in October! In confident possession of a full-bodied tone and a passion for hard-hitting lines, Frank Catalano’s famed tenor saxophone power has taken him across the world and landed him on Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated recordings with Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child, John Legend, and others. Recent highlights as a coveted guest artist include playing a 7-minute improvised sax solo at The Hollywood Bowl with The Smashing Pumpkins, closing out the Chicago Blues Festival with Los Lobos, and performing with Les Claypool, Sean Lennon, and the Violent Femmes. After signing with Delmark Records at age 18, he became the only saxman to have performed with Miles Davis, Randy Brecker, Charles Earland, Elvin Jones, Stan Getz, Betty Carter, Von Freeman, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, Les Claypool and Louis Bellson while still in high school. Catalano hasn’t let up since: his 11 albums as a leader evince a mighty musician with a broad stylistic palette and a deep commitment to the legacy of his forebears. The connection to Birdland runs deep, too; indeed, serving as Celebrity Endorser for Drambuie Scotch Liqueur, it was Frank who inspired the famous Catalano Sidecar proudly served in The Birdland Theater. Gracing the stage will be Randy Brecker—a household name in modern jazz, renowned for his pioneering jazz fusion work with The Brecker Brothers in the 1970s, his work with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Jaco Pastorius, George Benson, Yoko Ono, Steely Dan, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and his enormous contribution to jazz for now over 50 years. Get ready for a mighty night of high-octane performance from this group.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 14-17 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/14-15); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/16-17) – Birdland Jazz Club

Ron Carter Duo Featuring Bill Frisell
Each October, the legend Ron Carter—3x Grammy-winner and one of the music’s greatest bassists whose credits on over 2,000 albums include beloved recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, Roberta Flack, Pharoah Sanders, Lena Horne, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Bette Midler, Shirley Scott, The Manhattan Transfer, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Harry Connick, Jr., Quincy Jones, and countless others—brings configurations as large as his Great Big Band and as small as a duo to the Birdland stage across 4 consecutive weeks. With this engagement at the Jazz Club, he brings the pastoral prodigy of guitar, Bill Frisell, to engage in a week of intimate duets. Frisell—for decades one of jazz’s leading voices and a sonic partner to masters Elvin Jones, Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charles Lloyd, Paul Motian, Charlie Haden, John Zorn, Jack Dejohnette, and so many others—is a worthwhile companion to Mr. Carter’s brilliance. Don’t miss the great master Carter at work!
$55 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 16-18 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Carole J. Bufford
Step behind the velvet curtain with “Chanteuse,” a celebration of the glamorous torch singers, thrilling jazz singers, and fiery red hot mamas who lit up the iconic nightclubs of yesteryear. Nineteen-year-old Barbra Streisand raising audiences’ eyebrows and ears at The Bon Soir. Judy Garland making her legendary final run at London's Talk of the Town. Bette Midler giving sass and steam at the Ansonia Baths. Paris audiences discovering their “little sparrow,” Edith Piaf at Le Gerny. Eartha Kitt purring through her sets at Cafe Carlye. Alberta Hunter serving double entendres and heartbreak at Chicago's Dreamland Cafe. Sophie Tucker shaking the rafters at her own nightclub, Sophie Tucker's Playground. Ella singin’ and swingin’ her “Twelve Nights in Hollywood” at L.A.'s Crescendo Club. “Chanteuse” invites audiences to revel in the nostalgia, savor the drama, and rediscover the women that left their lipstick marks on the soundtracks of our nights. Carole J. Bufford has become one of the most sought after performers on the American vintage pop and cabaret scenes. Her shows, including “speak easy” (featuring the Grammy Award-winning Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks), “You Don't Own Me: The Fearless Females of the 1960s,” “Come Together,” and “Vintage Pop” earned her rave reviews from The New York Times (“The real thing!”); The Wall Street Journal (“the last of the red hot mamas!”); and The Times (UK). In addition to her solo shows all over the U.S. and in London, as well as regular performances with symphony orchestras across the country, Bufford hosted the weekly “Jazz Party” at NYC's Birdland Jazz Club for a highly praised 10 month run. The recipient of a BroadwayWorld Award, Bistro Award, and Nightlife Award for Vocalist of the Year, she is also the recent Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Vocal Competition.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 18 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra feat. Jennifer Grimm
Join the lush and powerful Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra as they welcome to the stage the stunningly talented vocalist Jennifer Grimm! Israeli-American composer and arranger Adi Yeshaya has worked with major artists such as Prince, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Doc Severinsen and Burt Bacharach, as well as major programs such as The Swiss Jazzaar Jazz Festival and NBC’s The Voice. He currently sits on faculty at Berklee College of Music. For his Big Band, Adi writes and arranges with a wide stylistic range: from a toe-tapping swinging aesthetic to a modern funk-Latin-fusion sound, Yeshaya gets the most out of his arrangements—both danceable and sensitive, adventurous and classic. Vocalist Jennifer Grimm grew up singing on the road with her family’s variety act, “America’s last standing vaudeville family”; since then she has performed at Carnegie Hall, starred in My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, sang on Garrison Keillor’s Rhubarb Show, and had her original music appear in NBC’s Parenthood, NBC’s SingOff, Showtime’s House Of Lies, USA's Suits, TLC’s Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and CW’S Stargirl.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 19 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Julie Benko: Broadway Goes to the Movies
Birdland is happy to announce the return of Julie Benko—fresh off the Tony-winning revival of Ragtime and beloved from her role as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl—with her new show, “Broadway Goes to the Movies,” on Monday, October 19 at 7pm! Broadway’s darling brings the silver screen to the Birdland stage, guiding audiences on a musical trip through Hollywood's most treasured film songs. Grab your popcorn (or your cocktail) and settle in for a night where Broadway meets the movies, one unforgettable song at a time. Julie Benko joined the annals of theatrical lore for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. She received Theatre World’s Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre and was named the 2022 “Breakout Star for Theater” by The New York Times and one of “10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023” by Variety, honored as one of “40 Under 40” for Crain’s New York Business, hailed by CBS Mornings as “Broadway’s breakout star,” and profiled in numerous national media outlets including Time. Following Funny Girl, she returned to Broadway to originate the role of Ruth in Barry Manilow’s long-gestating musical Harmony. Benko has released 3 studio albums, including Hand in Hand (Club44 Records), a duo effort with her pianist-composer spouse Jason Yeager that won the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for “Best Commercial Album” and received a MAC Award nomination for “Best Major Album," as well as Christmas With You (Club44 Records) and Introducing Julie Benko. **This show streams live at: https://veeps.com/birdland/6c988baa-ef37-4605-8703-b22a47c0c25c
$75 VIP / $40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 20 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Anderson Brothers play Benny Goodman
Juilliard-trained identical twins Peter and Will Anderson have been hailed as “virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone” by The New York Times. The twins, whose passion for jazz is palpable in every rhythm, have shared the stage with some of the music’s biggest straight-ahead acts: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, and Wynton Marsalis included. A formidable force, the brothers have 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. They have appeared in the major motion pictures Revolutionary Road, Killers of the Flower Moon, Boardwalk Empire, and The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, and can be heard on Boardwalk Empire’s Grammy-winning soundtrack. Vanity Fair listed their debut album Correspondence in “Four New Releases to Make You Love Jazz,” and the Washington Post called their music “imaginatively unfolding in ways that consistently bring a fresh perspective to classic jazz.” The duo received a Drama Desk nomination for their Off-Broadway Show, Le Jazz Hot, in 2014; in 2017, the Andersons raised over $25,000 to establish the Joe Temperley Juilliard Student Scholarship Fund and create the tribute album Blues for Joe in honor of their late great saxophone mentor. For this performance, they pay tribute to the King of Swing, the great Benny Goodman. Featuring their 15-piece all-star orchestra, expect classics like “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Stompin' at the Savoy,” “Let's Dance,” and “Don't Be That Way.”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 21-24 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/21-22); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/23-24) – Birdland Jazz Club

Ron Carter's Great Big Band
Each October, the legend Ron Carter—3x Grammy-winner and one of the music’s greatest bassists whose credits on over 2,000 albums include beloved recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, Roberta Flack, Pharoah Sanders, Lena Horne, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Bette Midler, Shirley Scott, The Manhattan Transfer, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Harry Connick, Jr., Quincy Jones, and countless others—brings configurations as small as a duo and as large as his Great Big Band to the Birdland stage across 4 consecutive weeks. With this engagement at the Jazz Club, he brings an impressive roster of New York jazz excellence to fill out his very swinging 17-piece Great Big Band.
$55 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 23-25 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Curtis Stigers
Award-winning singer, saxophonist, and songwriter Curtis Stigers defies easy categorization, with a stylistic breadth that includes no-nonsense jazz, adult pop, and rugged folk. The New York Times calls his music an “inspired marriage of visceral clout and intellectual savvy,” and The Wall Street Journal stated that his stage presence “felt as if someone had upped the wattage in the bulbs.” London Sunday Times stated, “I cannot think of another vocalist who creates such an exuberant combination of bebop artistry and raw emotion.” Stigers will perform repertoire from his diverse career that spans nearly three decades and 13 albums. His latest recording is Songs From My Kitchen, Vol. 1 (2025), a simple folk guitar/vocals outing; This Life (2022) and Gentleman (Concord Jazz) were sultry jazz-pop releases, and One More For The Road (with the Danish Radio Big Band) was a 2017 Rat-Pack-style set with the famed jazz orchestra. His 1991 international hit “I Wonder Why” reached No. 5 in the UK and No. 9 in the US. Stigers’s string of hit singles, millions of albums sold, and a 30-year recording career aside, the singer’s commitment to artistic growth, and to bringing new tunes to the Great American Songbook, has become unparalleled in modern music. Along the way, this musician has redefined the constitution of contemporary jazz singing. Stigers found success as a songwriter while co-writing for artists such as Carole King and Barry Mann. As a vocalist, he has performed with the likes of Al Green, Jackson Browne, and Shawn Colvin. Come celebrate a lifetime of musical excellence as Stigers graces the Birdland Theater stage.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 25 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

June Cavlan
An indisputable talent among the new voices singing standards today, the hypnotizing June Cavlan returns to Birdland for the first time since her wildly successful debut at the club, and the release of her 2024 debut album, A Portrait of June (La Reserve). Since Cavlan’s move to New York in 2023, the vocalist has been welcomed by leaders in the straight-ahead scene such as Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, and Benny Benack III. The young 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 Live at 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 130,000 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. Surely someone to watch, this is a don’t-miss performance!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 26 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Phillip Officer Sings A Mabel Mercer Broadway Portfolio
Acclaimed vocalist Phillip Officer celebrates the extraordinary artistry and enduring influence of legendary song stylist Mabel Mercer in “A Mabel Mercer Broadway Portfolio”! Mercer’s impeccable diction, emotional honesty and devotion to the lyric influenced generations of great singers, including Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Bobby Short, Peggy Lee and Nat King Cole. Her repertoire embraced the finest Broadway songwriters of the 20th century, including Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. Officer brings that remarkable repertoire into the present, offering fresh interpretations with an emphasis on storytelling. Joining him will be special guests Alice Ripley, Tony Award-winning star of Next to Normal; and acclaimed vocalists and recording artists Natalie Douglas and Marieann Meringolo. The evening features Mark Hartman as musical director, arranger and pianist, with Jonathan Michel on bass and Mollie Rose on violin. The New York Times complimented Officer as “a master of lyric interpretation…a textbook example of pop understatement.” Phillip made his Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated musical Side Show, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room, Birdland Jazz Club, Symphony Space, 92NY, Rainbow & Stars, and numerous theaters and concert venues across the country. He was featured in the original cast of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, and is the recipient of multiple awards from New York Nightlife and Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs. Officer’s recordings include Fancy Meeting You: The Lyrics of E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, winner of a Bistro Award; Many a New Day: The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II, praised by Billboard as “a shining example of cabaret art”; Heart and Soul: The Musical World of Hoagy Carmichael; and You Keep Coming Back Like a Song. Rex Reed proclaimed, “In a world often devoid of authenticity, the engaging performer, Phillip Officer, is the real deal.”
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 27 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Alexa Tarantino Quartet
Ultra-talented woodwind artist Alexa Tarantino has been praised by Wynton Marsalis as “an indomitable force for expression…and absolute excellence.” Tarantino has been a frequent hire for Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; given her command of her multiple instruments (saxophones, flute, and clarinet) and her sense of poise as a soloist within a band, it’s no surprise. Over three years she released three full-length recordings: Firefly (2021), Clarity (2020), and Winds of Change (2019), all on Posi-Tone Records; most recently, she released the critically-acclaimed The Roar and The Whisper (2026). A Rising Star for Alto Saxophone in DownBeat Magazine’s 2020, 2021, and 2022 Critics Polls—and named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll—Tarantino’s joyful playing has led her to such prestigious venues as Umbria Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac Festival, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl.
$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 28-31 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/28-29); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/30-31) – Birdland Jazz Club

Ron Carter's Foursight Quartet (Week 2)
Each October, the legend Ron Carter—3x Grammy-winner and one of the music’s greatest bassists whose credits on over 2,000 albums include beloved recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, Roberta Flack, Pharoah Sanders, Lena Horne, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Bette Midler, Shirley Scott, The Manhattan Transfer, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Harry Connick, Jr., Quincy Jones, and countless others—performs four consecutive weeks at Birdland in four different configurations: Duo, Big Band, his longstanding Foursight Quartet, and formerly his Golden Striker Trio. Following the passing of the legendary Russell Malone last summer (who played guitar in the Golden Striker Trio), Carter will bring the Foursight Quartet for two weeks out of the month, each week with a different pianist. In this first week, drummer Payton Crossley and saxophonist Jimmy Greene are joined by pianist Renee Rosnes. Don’t miss the great master Carter at work!
$55 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 30-31 (Friday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Senri Oe Trio
An artist unafraid of self-reinvention, Japanese Senri Oe is a superstar of Japanese pop music—the recipient of a Japanese Grammy®, a Platinum recording artist, Billboard chart-topper, and stadium headliner, performing on TV soap operas while his mega-hits were used in major commercials, movies, and more. He’s also an actor and radio host; and in 2008, he left his pop career to pursue his longtime dreams as a jazz pianist. Oe moved to New York and attended the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music to mature his skill. Soon, with his jazz groups, he had played the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Albania Jazz Festival, Blue Note (New York, Tokyo and Hawaii), Smalls, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, Vitello’s in Los Angeles, PianoForte in Chicago, Gregory’s Jazz Club in Rome and many other venues around the world. Relationships with artists such as Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer, the legendary Sheila Jordan, Theo Bleckmann, Becca Stevens and Lauren Kinhan have colored this chapter of his amazing career. With the excellent team of Matt Clohesy on bass and Ross Pederson on drums, he celebrates the worldwide release of his latest album, Homework (out September 4th of this year). It’s Halloween—so, expect a haunting set from this artist who always keeps his audience guessing.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

Monthly Engagements:

October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 (Mondays and Tuesdays) 5:30 & 8:30 PM – Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks

Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks every Monday and Tuesday evening 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

October 5, 12, 19, 26 (Mondays) 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party

Step into the glittering world of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, the legendary weekly open mic night that turns Birdland into the ultimate showbiz playground! Every Monday, the iconic venue transforms into a raucous, star-studded celebration of music, comedy, and jaw-dropping talent, where seasoned pros and up-and-coming performers share the stage in an unforgettable, high-energy variety show. Leading the charge is the ever-dapper Jim Caruso. With his signature charm and boundless enthusiasm, Caruso keeps the night moving at a thrilling pace, welcoming Broadway belters, jazz virtuosos, master tappers, and the occasional surprise megastar drop-in! Fueling the musical magic is the incomparable trio of powerhouse musicians: the dazzling Billy Stritch at the piano, the rock-solid Steve Doyle on bass, and the dynamic Daniel Glass on drums. Together, they create a swinging, electrifying sound that transforms every performance into a showstopping moment. From Tony and Oscar winners to hopeful newcomers, Cast Party is where talent shines, friendships are forged, and the spirit of live performance is alive and thriving. Whether you’re gracing the stage or cheering from the audience, one thing’s for sure—you never know who might take the mic next! Join the party every Monday night at Birdland and witness why Jim Caruso’s Cast Party remains a can’t-miss New York City tradition.
$35 tables / $25 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 7, 14, 21, 28 (Wednesdays) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band

Inspired by the noble jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and their colleagues, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band breathes life and passion into America’s own great art form. Now in its 26th 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
 

October 7, 14, 21, 28 (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 guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, and drummer Alex Raderman, perform tunes from the standard repertoire, bringing in an assortment of special guests. This month, catch talented friends Rodney Jones (10/7), Peter Bernstein (10/14), Matt Munisteri (10/21), and Scott Robinson (saxophone, 10/28). **Guitar night streams live every week at: YouTube.com/RadioFreeBirdland
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 (Thursdays) 5:30 PM & 8:30 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/guitar), Brian Nalepka (bass/vocals), and Kevin Dorn (drums). Catch them each Thursday at Birdland Theater.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 (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
 

October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Saturdays) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club
Pasquale Grasso Trio

Praised by Pat Metheny as “maybe the best jazz guitar player I’ve heard in my entire life,” the stunning Pasquale Grasso is one of the most beautifully innovative musical voices of a generation. Grasso’s eloquent classical technique, jazz phrasing, bebop rhythms and nimble fret fireworks have distinguished him as a celebrated 21st-century virtuoso. He has recorded 15 albums as a leader, including 11 on the Sony Masterworks label which showcase Grasso in solo-guitar format; and he performed on the 2x-Grammy-winning Samara Joy’s two recordings, Linger Awhile and Samara Joy. The prodigious Grasso was recognized early for his virtuosity, handpicked by bebop legend Barry Harris to assist in his international jazz workshops. Taking first place in the 2015 Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition, he has since sustained a robust resume, working with master saxophonist Charles Davis; jazz giant Frank Wess; beloved Barry Harris drummer Leroy Williams; bass great Ray Drummond; saxophone icon Steve Grossman; swinging powerhouse and Birdland favorite Harry Allen; guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli; and Blue Note recording artist Freddie Redd. He honored Pat Metheny with a performance at the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center and, in 2024, he was recognized by DownBeat magazine as Guitarist of the Year in their “Rising Star” category. Grasso performs with his trio every Saturday this October.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum
 

October 4, 11, 18, 25 (Sundays) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
The Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra