Photos: The Daniel Glass Trio in the Birdland Theater

On Thursday January 11th, The Daniel Glass Trio played to a sold out house in the Birdland Theater in midtown NYC.
Percussionist Daniel Glass was joined by band mates Sean Harkness on guitar and Michael O’Brien on upright bass. Stepping into the spotlight for 2 specialty appearances were Dancer/Singer/Bway Choreographer Luke Hawkins (appearing/choreographing on Broadway in Harry Connick Jr’s Cole Porter concert, and consistently in film and in leading stage roles) and Nightclub/Concert singer Eddie Wakes (with C.D. “Street Singer” and whose Nat King Cole tribute show “Unforgettable” can be seen on various Nightclub and Cabaret stages).
 

The Daniel Glass Trio’s newest show theme was dedicated to the American tradition of tap dance, standards, and swing… with a fair amount of rockin rhythm and blues throughout. 
With a musical career spanning more than 30 years, Daniel Glass has established a resume as an award-winning drummer, bandleader, author, historian and prominent musical educator.  Quite a few of the audience members were fellow musicians and percussion students.

The show opened with Mr. Glass joining Harkness & O’Brien by making his back of house entrance playing a gospel tambourine, immediately alerting the audience that they were in for a “unique” kind of musical experience.  The kind of evening where you don’t sit back and take in…you lean forward and participate.
That uniqueness was explained by Glass as influenced from his eclectic (another key phrase for the show) upbringing in Hawaii and his various musical tastes.  It was an evening meant to meld different styles into a cohesive series of toe tapping tunes.
Daniel’s curated set list for the evening included music by Jack Bruce, Pete Brown, Cedar Walton, Sammy Cahn, Quincy Jones, and Simon & Garfunkel among others.  Featured pieces also included individual composition/arrangements by each trio member - Daniel, Sean, and Michael.  It was a testament to the enormous talents of this trio that they could transition from a Sammy Cahn or Quincy Jones piece right into their own original compositions seamlessly and thematically. 

Highlights of the evening were the special guest appearances of Luke Hawkins singing a swinging  “Rhythm Is Our Business” which dovetailed into a surprise tap dance DUO between Luke & Daniel (stepping out from behind the drum kit). 
Dancing Daniel was an audience favorite.
This moment was immediately followed by Eddie Wakes taking the microphone to croon an engaging and velvety “Joe Turner’s Blues”. One could say Eddie is a performer “to be watched”, but more appropriately he’s one you need to hear.
These guest spots had the exact effect such moments should have on an audience. It left the S.R.O. crowd wanting more…
More of the singers and more of these masterful musicians.

The Daniel Glass Trio has produced their own C.D. (among their many solo projects) titled “BAM!” on the Club44 Record label.  Also available on Streaming and Download platforms.

Websites:
Daniel Glass | Award-Winning Drummer, Author, Educator, Speaker
SEAN HARKNESS
Michael O'Brien (@mikebassobrien) • Instagram photos and videos
Luke Hawkins (@luketaps) • Instagram photos and videos
Eddie Wakes Official – Official Site of Singer Eddie Wakes

Home - Birdland Jazz Club

Photos: Kevin Alvey 

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