Count Basie News

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this April with a full slate of nightly performances! 

The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center presents SW!NG OUT, a Joyce Theater production directed by Caleb Teicher, on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 8 p.m. The high-energy performance will showcase the Lindy Hop, an American dance style created by Harlem-based dancers and swing big bands in the 1920s.

It all started in November of 2021 when one of my friends was visiting New York City for the first time. Being the theatre fan I am, I insisted that we saw a Broadway show together. He suggested a show called David Byrne’s American Utopia. “Sounds good to me,” I responded, “but quick question - Who’s David Byrne?”

Algonquin Arts Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for its spring production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The musical will run at Algonquin Arts Theatre from Friday, April 1 through Sunday, April 10.

McCarter continues the season with a jam-packed lineup of music, theater, dance, and family programming.

This April, Flushing Town Hall celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with an incredible line-up of jazz events, both in person and available to stream for free online for those unable to make it to the historic venue, a Smithsonian affiliate in Queens. 

The CJRO returns to the Lone Tree Arts Center (LTAC) for an evening of fantastic jazz with Back by Popular Demand: The CJRO Returns. CJRO fans, both old and new, will hear many of their favorite big band jazz numbers such as “Take the “A” Train,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Moanin,” and “More Today Than Yesterday” along with some new arrangements too! Nationally known, vocalist Marion Powers will be featured.

The Betsy (thebetsyhotel.com), a luxury family-owned and operated hotel on Miami Beach known internationally as a hub for arts, culture, and community, announces its 10th Annual Overture to Overtown (OTO) Jazz Festival, in celebration of National Jazz Appreciation Month (“JAM”) from April 1-April 30, 2022 on Miami Beach. Proud to be joining with other national jazz presenters, the hotel's month-long program co-produced with Carole Ann Taylor, will include over 40 live performances, curated community conversations, curated outdoor exhibits, and the exhibition, Sounds of FREEDOM. 

Phoenix Productions, the community theater arm of the Count Basie Center for the Arts, will present Putting It Together, a musical revue showcasing the music of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at The Vogel, the new performance venue located at the Basie Center in Red Bank.

Swingin' big band music is always alive at the Hershey Area Playhouse, with an unforgettable performance from the Unforgettable Big Band on April 1 and 2, 2022. 

Phoenix Productions, which recently announced its merger with Red Bank, NJ's Count Basie Center for the Arts - home to its productions for more than 30 years - has announced auditions for its upcoming production of The Wizard Of Oz.

 The Broad Stage presents Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra in their Broad Stage debut on Friday, March 11, 2022 at 7:30 PM on the Main Stage.

March 2022 at The Nash will feature some incredible jazz artists inlcuding saxophonist Melissa Aldana on March 26 who will be performing with the SCC Jazz Orchestra as well as her quartet.

The New Jersey Symphony presents four weeks of classical subscription concerts through mid-March, featuring Grammy winner Daniil Trifonov performing Mason Bates' new piano concerto, Karen Gomyo performing Mozart's Third Violin Concerto, Eric Wyrick and Juan Pablo Jofre performing Jofre's Double Concerto for Violin and Bandoneon, Bart Feller performing Nielsen's Flute Concerto and Jonathan Spitz performing Saint-Saëns' First Cello Concerto.

Get full details for all the jazz programming coming up at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater, February 14 - February 27. 

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the company’s 2022-2023 season, which opens with the return of a beloved romantic classic, Giselle, continues with the world’s most adored fairy tale, Cinderella, and concludes with Bliss Point.

They are the songs that turned the worlds of music, fashion, and art upside down and are just as fresh and vibrant six decades later. The British Invasion - Live On Stage today announced its cast of musicians and singers who will jam live to the iconic British pop sound that swept across the world.

Billie! Backstage with Lady Day, written and performed by Synthia L. Hardy, directed by Bryan Rasmussen, and produced by Gary Lamb, will open at the Sierra Madre Playhouse February 25-27, 2022. Fri. & Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:30.

Cortland Repertory Theatre is announcing a full line-up of shows and events for the winter and spring at CRT Downtown.

The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Red Bank-based Phoenix Productions today announced their intentions to merge, allowing the community theatre company to officially become part of the organization which has hosted its productions for more than 30 years.