Birdland Presents Kurt Elling And More Week Of December 31

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

December 26-31 (Wednesday-Monday) at 8:30PM and 11:00PM

The Birdland Big Band with Special Guest Vocalist Veronica Swift

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 yelp.com proclaims, "if you hear one band in NYC make sure this is it... and prepare to be blown away!"

All tickets $50, $10 food/drink minimum

December 31 (Monday) at 8:00PM and 11:00PM

A Swing Swang Swingin' New Years Eve at the Birdland Theater

Usher in the New Year with some of the brightest and most entertaining performers in New York City! Birdland regulars Veronica Swift, Gabrielle Stravelli, Lesli Margherita and Benny Benack III will dazzle with their musical chops, and Cast Party host Jim Caruso will guide the extravaganza, with Matt Baker at the piano, Pat O'Leary on bass and Curtis Nowosad on drums. There will be hats! There will be horns! There will be balloons! There will be champagne! Birdland (315 West 44 Street) will happily be cordoned off from the Times Square insanity, so transportation to and from will be a snap. Enjoy the a la carte menu, with New Year's specials!

All tickets $50-100, $10 food/drink minimum

January 1-2 (Tuesday-Wednesday) at 7:00PM and 9:45PM

Gabrielle Stravelli at the Birdland Theater

Birdland Theater is proud to announce that singer Gabrielle Stravelli will perform in concert. For this engagement, Ms. Stravelli will celebrate the release of her newest album, "Pick Up My Pieces: The Music of Willie Nelson." The cd is dedicated to the music and life of the "Red Headed Stranger," and covers the full spectrum of Nelson's catalogue: from early hits like "Three Days" and "Blame It On The Times" to favorites from his blockbuster album of American standards like "Stardust," and eternal classics like "Crazy" and "Nightlife." Stravelli will weave stories from Nelson's famously colorful personal life and storied 50-plus year career, while honoring and reimagining the music of one of America's greatest songwriters.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 1 (Tuesday) at 8:30PM and 11:00PM

Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective

The Greg Ruvolo Big Band Collective merges seasoned New York City jazz veterans with young, up-and-coming, future musical giants. This performance will feature an exciting blend of selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and original compositions in the modern Big Band style. The group's resumes span the spectrum of the entertainment business-- from SNL to Frank Sinatra, Steeley Dan to Ray Charles, and the big bands of titans like Buddy Rich, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and Count Basie.

All tickets $30-40, $10 food/drink minimum

January 2-5 (Tuesday-Saturday) at 8:30PM and 11:00PM

Kurt Elling Sings The Heroes: Classic Material for Jazz Voice with Special Guests

GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling is among the world's foremost jazz vocalists. He won the DownBeat Critics Poll for fourteen consecutive years and was named "Male Singer of the Year" by the Jazz Journalists Association on eight occasions. An international jazz award winner, he has also been GRAMMY nominated a dozen times. Kurt will be joined by Stu Mindeman (piano), Clark Sommers (bass), Ulysses Owens (drums) with special guests James Morrison (trumpet) and Troy Roberts (sax).

All tickets $40-50, $10 food/drink minimum

January 2 (Wednesday) at 5:30PM

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 14th 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!

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 3 (Thursday) at 5:30PM

Ulysses Owens Jr.

Owens has established himself as a leader in his generation of jazz artists, admired for his sensitive, fiery and complex playing, vivid display of textural nuance, and gift for propelling a band with charisma and integrity. Both humble in person and imposing behind a kit, he is a graduate of the inaugural Jazz Studies Program at The Juilliard School, a two-time Grammy Award winner, and he earned his stripes as a member of bassist Christian McBride's acclaimed trio and the driving force of McBride's big band.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 3-4 (Thursday-Friday) at 7:00PM and 9:45PM

Frank Catalano Quartet at the Birdland Theater

The Chicago Tenor sax titan Frank Catalano returns to Birdland Theater. Frank Catalano has become a distinctive

improviser, prolific composer, patented inventor, brand ambassador, and unparalleled collector of vintage saxophones. With his distinctive voices, both in speech and on saxophone, Frank exudes infectious enthusiasm. He has been described as a traveling locus of creative energy - seemingly interested in, and good at everything.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 4 (Friday) at 5:15PM

The Birdland Big Band

Founded by drummer and musical director Tommy Igoe, the Birdland Big Band features the finest musicians in New York! Celebrating 10 years at the club, 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 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 tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 5 (Saturday) at 5:30PM

Matthew Whitaker Quartet

Born in 2001, Matthew Whitaker's love for playing music first began at the young age of 3, after his grandfather gave him a small Yamaha keyboard. At 9, Matthew began teaching himself how to play the Hammond B3 organ. Four years later, he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond-in its 80+ year history. He was also named a Yamaha Artist at 15, becoming the youngest musician to join the stellar group of jazz pianists. He's already toured both here in the US and abroad, performing before The Youth Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in NYC, and on other world renowned stages, including: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC; SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco; The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Monterey Jazz Festival and at international venues in France, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan and Morocco.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 5 (Saturday) at 7:00PM and 9:45PM

Veronica Swift and Emmet Cohen Trio at the Birdland Theater

At just 23 years of age Veronica Swift is being recognized as one of the top young singers in jazz. The child of jazz vocalist Stephanie Nakasian and the late bebop pianist Hod O'Brien, Veronica has already appeared at Lincoln Center, Telluride Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, The Jazz Cruise, and Birdland, performing with Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Bob Dorough, Paquito d'Rivera, and other established jazz artists.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Sunday) at 5:30PM

John Beasley Monk'estra Septet

In the course of three decades, Mack Avenue recording artist John Beasley has carved an enviable reputation - or actually, two reputations. First and foremost, he is an uncommonly versatile, unerringly exciting pianist who has worked with such music icons as Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard - playing in the bands of both these trumpet legends while still in his 20s. But Beasley is also an accomplished composer, and a distinctive arranger who works regularly with in film and television, earning five GRAMMY nominations and an Emmy nod along the way. And he has worked extensively on soundtracks, primarily those of famed film scorer Thomas Newman, including the James Bond hits Spectre and Skyfall.

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Sunday) at 7:00PM and 9:45PM

Melissa Aldana Quintet at the Birdland Theater

Still in her 20's, Chilean saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana has had a remarkably rapid evolution from 6-year-old sax prodigy to, "bold new talent," (NPR) and "...one of the more exciting young tenor saxophonists today." (New York Times) As a child, Aldana studied with her renowned saxophonist father Marcos Aldana. In 2007 she moved to Boston to enroll at Berklee College of Music. In 2013 she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American ever to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. She is also a recipient of the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center and a double recipient of the Altazor Award, Chile's prestigious national arts prize. Melissa has released four recordings as a leader, most recently, "Back Home."

All tickets $30, $10 food/drink minimum

January 6 (Sunday) at 8:30PM and 11:00PM

Maria Schneider Orchestra

Maria Schneider's numerous honors include 5 Grammy Awards, the USA's highest distinction in jazz, "NEA Jazz Master," an honorary doctorate from the University of Minnesota, and over 80 DOWNBEAT and Jazz Journalist Awards for her stunning 18-piece ensemble, their recordings, and Schneider's compositions. Critics have described Schneider's music as "evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, and beyond categorization." This group is preparing to record again in 2019 and will be performing many of these unrecorded works in this one-night-only engagement. The orchestra includes: Steve Wilson, Dave Pietro, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin and Scott Robinson (reed), Greg Gisbert, Tony Kadleck, Nadje Noordhuis and Mike Rodriguez (trumpets), Keith O'Quinn, Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes and George Flynn (trombones), Ben Monder (guitar), Gary Versace (accordion), Frank Kimbrough (piano) Jay Anderson (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums).

All tickets $40, $10 food/drink minimum

TICKET INFORMATION:

Purchase tickets at: www.BirdlandJazz.com

For more information and reservations call 212-581-3080.

Ticket prices will vary by performer.

At the tables, there is a $10 food/drink minimum per person in addition to the music charge.

At the bar, the music charge will include one complimentary drink with no additional minimum.

ABOUT BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB:

Named for alto saxophonist and jazz pioneer Charlie "Bird" Parker who dubbed it "The Jazz Corner of the World," Birdland opened on December 15th 1949. For 60 years it has been home to jazz legends, from Parker, John Coltrane Duke Ellington and Count Basie to Oscar Peterson, Hank Jones, Diana Krall and everyone in between. The original 52nd street location was a cultural barometer and meeting place, inspiring the songs "Birdland" and "Lullaby of Birdland," and serving as a regular haunt for celebrities and cultural figures. The modern incarnation is a state of the art nightclub featuring award winning Southern and Cajun cuisine, first rate sound and lighting and a who's who of contemporary musical artists, 7 nights a week.

315 West 44th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)

New York, NY 10036

DISCOUNTS AND SPECIALS:

Students (with current ID) & Broadway Theatre-Goers (with Broadway ticket stub from same day of performance): 50% off music charge at 11PM shows only.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Birdland serves American Fare with a Cajun Flair nightly from 5PM until Midnight and until 1AM on Friday and Saturdays.

Parking is available across the street at 332 West 44th Street.