According to The Hollywood Reporter, Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft and Joey Luft -- Judy Garland's three children -- will reunite at the 2014 Academy Awards this weekend for a tribute to THE WIZARD OF OZ, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Christina Bianco is truly the girl with a thousand voices! She proved it on Monday night during her Birthday Bash at Birdland - which was a jam-packed, super-fun extravaganza! Divas like Celine, Idina, Bernadette, Adele, even Drew Barrymore were represented by the Big Voice of Bianco - and happily, her own sound was an important part of the evening! Accompanied by Brad Simmons, there were songs by John Bucchino and Bobby & Kristen Anderson Lopez, special guests (Michael West, Tamara Paulino, Jessica Vosk, J.P. Hartmann, Jim Caruso and hubby Billy Ernst), and hilarious rants about being 'too cute.'
Christina Bianco performed at New York's Birdland and treated the audience to covers of the Oscar-nominated song 'Let It Go' from Disney's Frozen ala Idina Menzel, Demi Lovato and other famous vocalists.
The Broadway at Birdland concert series presented the songwriting team Tim Rosser and Charlie Sohne in Tim & Charlie Go Solo on Monday, February 3 at 7pm. Check out a look back below!
Liliane Montevecchi - the celebrated actress best-known for her Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning performance in the musical NINE - will lead the line-up for theatre artists paying tribute to the playwright and theater critic Mario Fratti (whose adaptation of the Federico Fellini film 8 ½ became the Broadway musical NINE), when Theater for the New City presents its 11th annual LOVE 'N COURAGE benefit on Monday, February 24 at 6 pm at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) in New York City.
On Monday, January 27, Broadway, jazz and pop performers jammed Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland, as they have every Monday for the past ten years! The evening was made especially meaningful with the 5th 'Mentor Monday,' a monthly musical segment that pairs up and coming composers with established artists. Presenter Trevor McQueen combined Broadway's Lillias White with writers Ethan Pakchar and Douglas Lyons, a young songwriting team who began collaborating while touring with The Book of Mormon. The resulting performance was the song, 'Not Meant To Be in Love,' accompanied by Matt Aument, which gave Lillias ample opportunity to be vampy and campy and otherwise leave the audience helpless with laughter. It was a perfect way to introduce the community to Lyons & Pakchar's clever wordplay and catchy melodies!
On Monday, January 26, the Broadway at Birdland concert series hosted another evening of Jamie deRoy & Friends on the historic stage. Jamie and her guests Dee Snider, Beth Leavel, Isabel Keating, Patrick Paige, Kevin Meaney, Clint Holmes, Michele Brourman, Matthew Stocke, Jeff Kready and Lauren Worsham sang, laughed, cavorted and dazzled the sold-out house. Barry Kleinbort directed and Ron Abel served as musical director. Check out a look back below!
Award-winning singer Natalie Douglas has performed several dozen concerts on the Birdland stage over the past ten years. Each time, she packs the room with an ever-growing fan base eager to cheer her inimitable voice, exquisitely-produced shows and passion-filled, hilarious conversation. This past Monday was no exception when Natalie, musical director Mark Hartman and their band of Broadway All-Stars brought 'The Birthday Show' to the historic music room. Scroll down for photos from the concert!
Today, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) Artistic Director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, announced the program for LUSTER: AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco), on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 8 p.m. A celebration of 20th Century American music, LUSTER will feature the 300 men of the chorus and special guest Ann Hampton Callaway singing timeless classics from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin. The performance will also include the world premiere of 'Tyler's Suite,' a multi-movement work created by top American composers of this century, presented in collaboration with the Tyler Clementi Foundation (TCF). Passionate about the story of Tyler Clementi, composer Stephen Schwartz selected John Bucchino, Ann Hampton Callaway, Craig Carnelia, John Corigliano, Nolan Gasser, Jake Heggie, Lance Horne, and Pamela Stewart to join him as they each created a movement for 'Tyler's Suite.' Tickets for LUSTER range in price from $25 - $75 and are available now by visiting www.SFGMC.org or by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400.
The Broadway at Birdland concert series welcomed Australian jazz pianist Matt Baker in a sold-out concert, 'An Oscar Moment: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Jazz Legend Oscar Peterson' on Monday, January 6. Scroll down for photos from the concert!
Pop superstar and soon-to-be Cinderella Carly Rae Jepsen has been making her presence known around Birdland, the iconic music room. Last night, after catching Matt Baker's sold-out Tribute to Oscar Peterson, the jazz fan revealed that she has enjoyed several concerts at the venue, even catching Cast Party, the weekly open mic!
2014 sees some new names and some returns to The Crazy Coqs. January starts with the London debut of the sizzling cabaret performer Carole J .Bufford and her show Body and Soul (tonight, January 7 - 11) followed by the popular Broadway star Brent Barrett and his show Night Songs (January 14 -18) and then actress and singer Linda Purl with her show Midnight Caravan: Celebrating the Great Ladies of the Glamorous Nightclub Era of the 40s & 50s (January 21 - 25).
The Broadway at Birdland concert series presented acclaimed singers Jenna Esposito and Jim Van Slyke in a sold-out celebration of the music of Connie Francis and Neil Sedaka in "Where The Hits Are: A Tribute to the Songs of Connie Francis and Neil Sedaka" on Monday, December 30. Fortune Esposito was musical director/guitarist, with David Crone on piano, Rob Broelmann on bass, Dan Weiner on drums, Frank Petrocelli on sax, and Kelly Esposito-Broelmann & Rob Langeder were on backup vocals. Check out a look back below!
Now through December 28, Michael Feinstein will be bringing his 'Holiday @ Birdland' to Birdland Jazz Club. Performances run December 24-26 (Tuesday-Thursday) at 9:00PM and December 27-28 (Saturday-Sunday) at 8:30PM & 11PM. Scroll down for photos from one of the concerts!
'A Swinging Birdland Christmas' opened with a bang on December 21! For the fourth year in a row, Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, Klea Blackhurst, and the band (Steve Doyle on bass and Carmen Intorre on drums) kick of Christmas week with their swinging holiday standards, and a few pieces of special material that are impossible to define! Opening night saw Broadway folk like Christine Ebersole, Colleen Zenk, Daniel Rowan and Andrea Prestonario leading the applause. Check out a look back below!
Birdland Jazz Club has announced their thrilling line-up of impressive talent for December 30-January 5, including Jenna Esposito & Jim Van Slyke, Jay Leonhart Duo, The Birdland Big Band, Mentor Monday at Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more.
On Sunday, December 15, the Broadway at Birdland concert series presented multi-Grammy and Tony nominated composer Frank Wildhorn in his "2nd Annual Frank & Friends Holiday Concert." Joining Wildhorn onstage were Broadway performers Jeremy Jordan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Laura Osnes, Christiane Noll, Michael Lanning, Teal Wicks and award-winning jazz vocalist Jane Monheit. Check out a look back below!
The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud present the premiere of Donna McKechnie's new Talk/Variety show on Monday, December 9 at 7pm. Tony-winning choreographer/director Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots) was Donna's Very Special Guest for the evening, with singers Nick Adams and Nikki MacCallum singing songs from Mitchell's hit shows. Donna and Jerry discussed life, love, careers and even ended the evening with a good, old-fashioned soft-shoe, after Mitchell demonstrated his most successful audition tune, 'I Love A Piano!' Scroll down for photos!