Christine Ebersole Brings Garage Band Fantasy To Birdland Tonight, 6/21

Jim Caruso is proud to present the return of Tony Award-winning actress/singer Christine Ebersole in concert on Monday, June 21 at 7pm. This evening is a continuation of the award-winning series, Broadway at Birdland. Joining Ebersole will be jazz violinist Aaron Weinstein.

In this outing, called "Garage Band Fantasy," Ms. Ebersole joins forces with musical director/pianist Bette Sussman (Bette Midler/8 years, Whitney Houston/11 years) to celebrate and re-live her favorite pop songs of all time, composed by female composers and/or covered by girl groups of the 60's, 70's and 80's. With an all-star band that includes Clint DeGannon on drums, Larry Saltzman on guitar and Tabitha Fair on background vocals, the evening is sure to rock the socks off of Christine's Broadway fans, yet still employ Ebersole's vast talents as an actor/singer. This is the second "Garage Band Fantasy" the company will perform at Birdland; the first took place at Birdland in front of a sold-out house in May of 2009.

Christine Ebersole most recently starred on Broadway in Blithe Spirit, and is a two-time Tony-Award winner for Grey Gardens and 42nd Street. She has also garnered universal critical acclaim for her interpretatiosn of beloved classics and standards in nightclubs. The New York Times called her recent performance in the dual roles of Edith Bouvier Beale and "Little" Edie Beale in Grey Gardens as, "one of the most gorgeous performances ever to grace a musical." In addition to stage, Christine Ebersole has delighted audiences with roles in films such as "Tootsie" and "Amadeus," and her television career includes cast roles in "Saturday Night Live" and "One Life to Live."

Joining Ebersole will be Aaron Weinstein. Named a "rising star violinist" by Downbeat Magazine, Aaron Weinstein is quickly earning a reputation as one of the finest jazz violinists of his generation. As a featured soloist, Aaron has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, the JVC Jazz Festival, Blue Note, Iridium, Birdland, and at music festivals in France, England, Iceland, Switzerland, Israel, and China. Aaron has performed and recorded with an array of music icons including: Les Paul, Skitch Henderson, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Annie Ross, and Dick Hyaman. He is a recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was awarded a full four-year talent-based scholarship. With the release of Aaron's Arbors Records debut, "A Handful of Stars," (called "the rebirth of the hot jazz violin" by famed journalist, Nat Hentoff) Aaron has become the youngest jazz musician to have recorded as leader for this prestigious traditional jazz record label. Aaron's latest Arbors Records release is a duo with John Pizzarelli titled "Blue Too."

For this special one-night-only engagement, Christine Ebersole will be joined by Emmy award-winning composer/singer/songwriter/producer/pianist and musical director Bette Sussman. Sussman has worked with artists such as Whitney Houston, Tim Curry, Aretha Franklin, and many more. She most recently musical directed "The Showgirl Must Go On," Bette Midler's extravaganza at the 4200-seat Coliseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Christine Ebersole
"Garage Band Fantasy"
Monday, June 21 at 7pm
Broadway at Birdland
315 West 44 Street, NYC
212-581-3080
www.BirdlandJazz.com
Tickets: $40 General Admission, $50 Premium/$10 food/drink

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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