Richard Cortez, Ben Allison With Ted Nash and Steve Cardenas, And More Coming Up At Birdland, January 2 - January 15

Get the scoop on all jazz programming at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater running January 2 through January 15.

Performers appearing at Birdland Jazz Club include Richard Cortez, Ben Allison with Ted Nash and Steve Cardenas, Joe Lovano feat. Streams of Expression, Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, Nicole Zuraitis, Slide Hampton Octet Celebration, Delfeayo Marsalis' Uptown Jazz Orchestra and Joey Alexander Trio.

Downstairs at Birdland Theater, you'll find also find Vince Giordano & The Nightawks, Ronny Whyte Quintet, Steven Feifke Trio, Ye Huang Quintet, Nicole Zuraitis, Alexa Tarantino, Magos Hererra, NY Voices and Darmon Meader.

Repeat engagements include David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, Birdland Big Band, and Arturo O'Farrill & The Latin Jazz Orchestra.

January 2 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Richard Cortez

A leader in the new crop of vocal talents emerging from the New York City jazz scene, Richard Cortez's golden voice handles the Great American Songbook with a deep emotional intelligence, an unbridled passion for song, and-rare and moving-an activist's relationship to both his material and his audience. Cortez's openly gay renderings of timeless treasures by Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Jerome Kern, and so many others deliver sweetness, self-assuredness and disarming vulnerability with a well-timed wit. Splitting his time between a number of weekly residencies at iconic gay venues across the city-among them Club Cumming, Metropolitan Bar, and Rebar-Cortez has focused and refined his artistry while growing his wide fan-base. Recent performances in distinguished productions such as Live at Emmet's Place with the Emmet Cohen Trio, or Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz at Pride with drummer/bandleader Bryan Carter, have marked the vocalist's career for success. For this engagement at Birdland, he will perform standards accompanied by Aaron Kimmel (drums), Adam Birnbaum (piano), and Paul Gill (bass). The singer has played Birdland Theater before; he makes his debut upstairs at the Jazz Club, however, with this fine rhythm section. Don't miss this already legendary new voice.
$30 cover / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 3 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Ben Allison, Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas Play the Music of Carla Bley "Healing Power" Release Celebration

Earlier this year, boundary-pushing bassist Ben Allison, beloved guitarist Steve Cardenas, and consummate saxophonist Ted Nash released Healing Power, a drummerless trio that honors the idiosyncratic, humorous, and profound writing of Carla Bley. Bley, a living legend, is one of modern music's most original writers, inspiring generations with her evocative melodies and lifelike sonic portraits. On this Tuesday night at the top of 2023, the group will celebrate the record's release in two sets of trio music. The three musicians have played extensively over the years, and Cardenas has played in iconic groups with Bley herself; thus, the energy of this project is strong. Highlights from the recording include Bley's classic "Ida Lupino," "King Korn," and "Lawns." Do not miss this beautiful set of rich music!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 3 (Tuesday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks

Catch Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks at their 7-week Tuesday night residency at the 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!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 4 (Wednesday) 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 18th 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!
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 4 (Wednesday) 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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guests.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 4-7 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/4-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/6-7) - Birdland Jazz Club
Joe Lovano 70th Birthday Celebration: Streams of Expression

Renowned for his work with legends Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Elvin Jones, Michael Brecker, Dave Holland, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Abbey Lincoln, Ornette Coleman, and Diana Krall, Joe Lovano stands as one of the titans of jazz music. How better to celebrate this giant's 70th birthday than a week at the Jazz Corner of the World? Birdland hosts this saxophone icon's party for four unforgettable nights as he commemorates 70 years of life in music. Be sure that there will be masters in the house!
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 5 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Swingin' Sondheim with the Ronny Whyte Quintet

Considered a world-class interpreter of popular song, Ronny Whyte is a vocalist extraordinaire, a brilliant jazz pianist, and an ASCAP Award-winning songwriter. Inducted into the Cabaret Jazz Hall of Fame, a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, and the star of shows at Carnegie/Weill Hall and New York's Town Hall-as well as in Paris, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Sao Paolo, Caracas, Johannesburg, and many more-Whyte's life in music is legendary. For this one-night engagement at the Theater, he pays tribute to another legend: Steve Sondheim. "I knew Sondheim for years," recalls Whyte, "and in the 60s, he came to see me-and gave me several unused songs which I will perform on January 5th." New Sondheim?! Needless to say, not to be missed.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

January 6-8 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Steven Feifke Trio

Steven Feifke isn't just an arranging extraordinaire: he's also a fantastic pianist. When appearing in trio format, he can't command the eighteen voices of his GRAMMY-nominated album, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra (2022), nor those from his two imaginative 2021 big band releases, Kinetic and Prologue. Yet in pared down form, the two-time finalist of the Thelonious Monk Competition still brings his music to robust heights, using the more open-ended configuration as a vehicle for bluesy, daredevil improvisations. Feifke-the recipient of the 2020 David Baker Prize in composition from the Ravinia Festival and the musical director for Tony Award-winning actor and singer Santino Fontana-has quickly made a name for himself in the jazz world. His prodigious output includes recording credits on over 30 albums, as well as on television and film. Audiences will experience the artist in a more intimate setting for this one night at Birdland.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 8 (Sunday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra

Trombonist, composer, arranger and bandleader Scott Reeves is a veteran of the New York City music scene who has performed with Ron Carter, Pete LaRoca, John Fedchock, Clark Terry, and a long list of other jazz masters. Reeves's large ensemble, the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, is a vehicle for his modern swinging writing. The band has featured excellent peers Todd Coolman, Tim Armacost, Steve Wilson, Andy Watson, and Carylon Leonhart, and its two recordings-the heartracing Without a Trace and the beautiful Portraits and Places-bring to life Reeves's moving original music.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 8 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Pianist, composer and educator Arturo O'Farrill-leader of the "first family of Afro-Cuban Jazz" (The New York Times)-leads the GRAMMY award winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), who bring together the drama of big band jazz, the culture of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the world's most accomplished solo musicians. Twelve years of critically-acclaimed performances internationally have firmly established the ALJO as the standard-bearer for creative interpretation of Latin jazz greats such as Tito Puente, Frank "Machito" Grillo, and Chico O'Farrill, as well as the driving force behind new commissions from Latin music's most talented composers and arrangers.
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

January 9 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Nicole Zuraitis

Grammy-nominated Nicole Zuraitis is a New York-based vocalist, pianist, and songwriter who took home the Gold Medal and Ben Tucker Jazz Award in the 2021 American Traditions Competition. A musical chameleon, she brings her signature warmth and outstanding vocals to various genres and styles, as demonstrated on her newest multi-hyphenate album, All Wandering Hearts (Dot Time Records). As a bandleader, a recording artist, and the premiere vocalist of the world-famous Birdland Big Band and Dan Pugach Nonet, Nicole has established herself as a staple on the New York City jazz scene and has made a significant mark on the global modern jazz landscape. The 2nd-runner-up in the 2015 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition and the winner of the 2014 Herb Alpert ASCAP Young Composer Award, Zuraitis has been settled in success for years. She is set to release her newest album, Oil on Water: How Love Begins, featuring Christian McBride, in 2023. The vocalist also hosts an intimate weekly Tuesday night residency this month.
$30 cover / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 9 (Monday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Ye Huang Quintet

A revered Chinese-born multiinstrumentalist and composer, Ye Huang has performed across the world with Wynton Marsalis, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl, Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, and many others. Known for his clarinet, piano, and saxophone playing, Ye is the composer of a wide array of music: four albums, two clarinet sonatas, a clarinet concerto, a 7-movement suite, and an original musical, Jazzing, set to premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai (where he serves as musical director of the big band). Ye's fusion of styles is a unique experience for every listener-a sound quite unlike any before it.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 10-11 (Tuesday-Wednesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Celebrating the Slide Hampton Octet

The late master trombonist Slide Hampton passed away in November of 2021. In homage to his artistry, veteran drummer Charles Ruggierio and top-call saxophonist Frank Basile bring together an octet to play Hampton's famous 8-piece orchestrations of the 1950s and 60s. The band recorded together in 2019, bringing these great arrangements to life for an album entitled Slide's Blues (SmallsLive) which featured the great Hampton himself on two tracks. Slide no longer being with us, the musicians join forces again to honor his life, his legacy, and his amazing music.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 10 (Tuesday) 5:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Nicole Zuraitis

Grammy-nominated Nicole Zuraitis is a New York-based vocalist, pianist, and songwriter who took home the Gold Medal and Ben Tucker Jazz Award in the 2021 American Traditions Competition. A musical chameleon, she brings her signature warmth and outstanding vocals to various genres and styles, as demonstrated on her newest multi-hyphenate album, All Wandering Hearts (Dot Time Records). As a bandleader, a recording artist, and the premiere vocalist of the world-famous Birdland Big Band and Dan Pugach Nonet, Nicole has established herself as a staple on the New York City jazz scene and has made a significant mark on the global modern jazz landscape.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

January 11 (Wednesday) 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 18th 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!
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

January 11 (Wednesday) 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 Trio, featuring bassist Gary Mazzaroppi and drummer Vince Cherico, will perform tunes from the standard repertoire, inviting up a rotation of special guests.
$30 tables; $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 12-14 (Thursday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (1/12); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (1/13-14) - Birdland Jazz Club
Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra

The great New Orleans trombonist, producer, composer, and educator Delfeayo Marsalis is a powerful force in the music world. With over 120 recording credits as a producer (including one GRAMMY Award and several nominations) and nearly 50 recordings as a trombonist, Delfeayo could be said to have made his mark. But in 2000, this committed educator created the Uptown Music Theatre, a non-profit that leads musical theater training for youth. The UMT's sister organization is the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, which Marsalis formed in 2008 as the jazz arm of the endeavor. This 18-piece band upholds the traditions of New Orleans swing, ensemble riff-playing, and infectious, soulful dance music that form the foundations of American jazz. With a star-studded cast, they never fail to amaze.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 12 (Thursday) 8:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Alexa Tarantino

An ultra-talented woodwind artist with a serious output of music, 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 the past three years she has released three full-length recordings: Firefly (2021), Clarity (2020), and Winds of Change (2019), all on Posi-Tone Records. 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.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 13 (Friday) 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!"
$30 + $20 food/drink minimum

January 13 (Friday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Magos Hererra

The Latin Jazz Network has called Magos Herrera "one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of song," and this APAP week, the Mexican-born vocalist's profound skill will be on display in New York City, where she now calls home. Singing in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, Herrera for decades has blended contemporary jazz musicalities with rhythms and melodies from across the world. The only female artist to receive Berklee College of Music's Master of Latin Music Award, Mangos's delivery is spiritual in both its humility and its power; her dazzling voice has placed her on the most revered stages on the planet, including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Duc des Lombardes, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and Festival Internacional Cervantino, among many others. Recent collaborations include work with John Pattitucci, Antonio Sanchez, and Chano Dominguez, as well as with esteemed chamber music ensemble Brooklyn Rider.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 14 (Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
NY Voices

The sensational NY Voices was born in 1988 when a group of busy solo vocalists in New York City decided to join forces. "It's certainly not something that occurred to us when we were thinking about starting a band," says musical director Darmon Meader of the group's 35 year success. But the collective of vocalists was blessed with great chemistry and concept. In the style of vocal groups like Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, NY Voices became well known in the 90s and 00s for its inspired takes on jazz classics, putting "vocalese" lyrics to jazz improvisations or melodies by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and others. Over the decades, they have collaborated with the Count Basie Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, the Metropole Orchestra directed by John Clayton, the Bob Mintzer Big Band, guitar legend Jim Hall, and Paquito D'Rivera. They perform as part of NYC's APAP week.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 15 (Sunday) 8:30 & 10:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club
Joey Alexander Trio

3x Grammy nominee and early piano prodigy Joey Alexander recently released Origin (Mack Avenue, 2022) to critical acclaim. Featuring his heavy-hitting trio of Kendrick Scott and Larry Grenadier, as well as his collaborators Chris Potter and Gilad Hexelman, the passionate virtuoso Alexander is in the company of masters. At only 18 years old, he has already lived a musician's dream life, performing on the world's biggest stages (Obama's White House, the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival) with its most revered names (Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding)-all since the age of 11. For APAP week, Alexander will bring the latest moment of his mature genius to your ears.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

January 15 (Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater
Darmon Meader

The multi-talented Darmon Meader is both saxophonist and singer, both arranger and composer, both producer and musical director. A member of New York Voices (which performs as part of APAP NYC+ one night before Meader's Sunday show), Meader has toured the world over with the group, singing with the legendary Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Ray Brown, George Benson, Nancy Wilson, Bernadette Peters, and the Count Basie Orchestra. His solo work-and prolific work as an educator-includes guest artist and artist residency spots around the country at Northwestern University, University of Georgia, and the University of Louisville, as well as internationally at the Inzigkoven Vocal Jazz Workshop in Germany and the IAJE's Teacher Training Institutes. An artist not to be missed at this APAP showcase!
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

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