Michael Feinstein, A Swinging Birdland Christmas & More Set for Birdland, 12/23-29

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its schedule for December 23-29. Check out the listings below!

December 23-25 (Monday-Wednesday) at 6:00PM
KLea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch in "A Swinging Birdland Christmas"
Birdland is proud to announce the fourth year of "A Swinging Birdland Christmas," starring Birdland regulars KLea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch. This will be a limited engagement of 5 performances, Saturday, December 21 through Wednesday, December 25. All shows are at 6pm, except for the Saturday show, which has a 5:30pm show. In the tradition of beloved seasonal specials, Blackhurst, Caruso and Stritch will perform swinging arrangements of "Christmas Waltz," Kay Thompson's "Holiday Season," "Sleigh Ride," and "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" among other favorites. The singers will be joined by Steve Doyle on bass and Carmen Intorre on drums.
All seats $30, $10 minimum

December 23 (Monday) at 9:30PM
Jim Caruso's Cast Party
Jim Caruso's Cast Party is a wildly popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night. It's a cool cabaret night-out enlivened by a hilariously impromptu variety show. Showbiz superstars, backed by Steve Doyle on bass, Tedd Firth on piano and Daniel Glass on drums, hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle.
All seats $25, $10 minimum

December 24-26 (Tuesday-Thursday) at 9:00PM
December 27-28 (Saturday-Sunday) at 8:30PM & 11PM
Michael Feinstein's "Holiday @ Birdland"
Week two of a special two week engagement
Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is considered one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl as well as the White House and Buckingham Palace. More than simply a performer, Feinstein has received national recognition for his commitment to celebrating America's popular song and preserving its legacy for the next generation. In 2007, he founded the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative, dedicated to celebrating the art form and preserving it through educational programs, Master Classes, and the annual High School Vocal Academy and Competition, which awards scholarships and prizes to students across the country. Michael serves on the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board, an organization dedicated to ensuring the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America's sound recording heritage. Michael's Jazzy Holiday Band features: Warren Vaché (trumpet) Joel Frahm (saxes) Tedd Fith (piano) Sean Smith (bass) Mark McLean (drums)
Tickets are $75-200, $20 minimum per person.

December 25 - 26 (Wednesday & Thursday) at 11PM
William Blake
Birdland is pleased to announce that William Blake will be performing an evening of jazz standards and seasonal favorites for two special late night December sets. He will be joined by Michael Thomas Murray on piano, Lavondo Thomas on bass and Carmen Intorre on drums.
All seats $30, $10 minimum

December 27 (Friday) at 5:00PM
The Birdland Big Band
Founded by drummer and musical director Tommy Igoe, the Birdland Big Band features the finest musicians in New York! The BBB roars into action every Friday, playing the finest Jazz, Latin and Brazilian music from the world's best arrangers. After work or before a show, drinks or a great dinner, come hear one of the world's best drummers driving the hardest swinging band in New York. Experience why the BBB is fast becoming the must-see weekly jazz event in New York and kick off your weekend with what critics are calling "the best live music bargain in all of NYC!"
All seats $30, $10 minimum

December 28 (Saturday) at 6:00PM
Jay Leonhart Duo
Combining the skills of an old school entertainer and virtuoso jazz man, bassist, vocalist and composer Jay Leonhart has been a fixture of the New York scene for over forty years. When Jay was fourteen he started playing the bass in The Pier Five Dixieland Jazz Band in Baltimore and never looked back. After studying at The Peabody Institute, Jay attended The Berklee School of Music and The Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, before leaving school to start touring with the traveling big bands of the late 50's and early 60's. Upon moving to New York, Jay eventually began playing for many of the great jazz musicians, big bands, and singers who were to be found in New York - artists like Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and Jim Hall. Jay became a very busy studio musician in New York City, visiting every musical genre from James Taylor to Ozzy Osbourne and Queen Latifah. Between 1975 and 1995 he was named The Most Valuable Bassist in the recording industry three times by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences. Jay has now recorded 15 solo albums. His first one-man show "The Bass Lesson" is being received warmly by critics and audiences. Jay's next show "Nukular Tulips" is in the works.
$30 all seats, $10 minimum

December 29 (Sundays) at 6PM
The Birdland Jazz Party
Featuring the Birdland Quartet
Plus Hilary Gardner
Birdland's very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics! This quartet features John Hart (Guitar), Paul Gil (bass), Carmen Intorre (Drums) & Jon Davis (Piano) with a special guest vocalist, Hilary Gardner!
$25 all seats, $10 minimum

December 29 (Sunday) at 9:00PM & 11PM
Arturo O'Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill -- leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (NY Times) -- was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Son of the late, great composer Chico O'Farrill, Arturo was Educated at Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College Conservatory and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He played piano in Carla Bley's Big Band from 1979 through 1983 and earned a reputation as a soloist in groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Turre, Freddy Cole, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Belafonte.
All seats $30, $10 minimum

Photo by Stephen Sorokoff

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