Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano Come to Birdland Theater in September

Birdland Theater will present the return of pianist and singer Eric Comstock and vocalist Barbara Fasano, for three Tuesdays next month, September 3, 10, and 17 at 5:30 PM. Drawing from an ever-evolving songbook –  Jazz and pop classics by Ellington, Arlen, and Porter to modern masters Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Carole King, plus surprising gems – the married musical couple’s swinging, soulful showmanship has made them the nightclub world’s most celebrated team. Their performances have taken them from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to Saratoga Jazz Festival, Music Mountain Twilight Jazz, London’s Pizza Express, Italy’s Monteverdi Tuscany, and nightclubs and music festivals across the country. Their new album, Painting the Town, featuring tenor saxophone legend Houston Person, drops later this year. There is a $30 music charge. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street in New York.

“It’s our life’s passion to bring these songs and their creators to life, and there’s no better room than Birdland Theater for us to dream out loud,” says Comstock. Fasano adds, “We’re about to celebrate our 20th anniversary in August, so this is a terrific way to keep the party going!”

Joining them will be eminent bassist Sean Smith, known for his collaborations with Jacky Terrasson, Bill Charlap, Benny Carter, and Gerry Mulligan. Barbara, Eric, and Sean have been performing together for 15 years, and their connection with one another and their audiences makes for an exhilarating blend of passion and joy.

The New Yorker praises Comstock’s “expert musicianship and joie de vivre in equal measure.” Fasano has been hailed by The New York Times as "a lyrically sensitive interpreter with a special affinity for Joni Mitchell" and by The New York Post as “a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor's intensity in whatever she sings.” Barbara’s albums Busy Being Free and Written in the Stars both won the MAC Award for Major Recording of the Year, and Eric received the 2024 MAC Award for Major Male Artist. Winners of nine MAC Awards, five New York Bistro Awards and the New York Nightlife Award, Comstock and Fasano recently received the Donald F. Smith Award from the Mabel Mercer Foundation, acknowledging their artistry.

Every bit as entertaining as they are musically savvy, they’ve been compared to Bobby Short and Lena Horne and Fred and Ginger, but Comstock and Fasano’s style is all their own, with a wide choice of material that brings the generations together. They make all of it fresh, new, spontaneous, and fun — and their audiences feel they’ve been to a terrific party where the music and the stories have been equally great. In the words of the late jazz critic Ira Gitler, they “have it all, and then some … artistic, swinging, and superbly entertaining.”

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