WHERE THE RHYTHM SWOOPS AND SWIRLS,
THIS IS THE JAZZ CORNER OF THE WORLD

There is so much excitement this month at Birdland Jazz Club on 44th near Times Square — it’s becoming even more of a hotspot than it used to be. Now when I attend, shows are PACKED. This sophisticated, intimate club hosts regular acts as well as headliners — the best in the Biz — and I recommend you catch any or all of them!

It amazes me how many of my NY friends haven’t been to Birdland (I’m an L.A. boy and have been there more than they). It’s a must-visit for tourists and New Yorkers alike. There are two rooms: The one on top, the club, has the audience curved around the musical acts, sitting at classy tables. The food is astounding and, considering you are in a club, quite affordable. Downstairs at Birdland Theater, where the same fare is available, you will see the bigger bands — the powerful intimacy of both spaces is something to behold. Plus, four tickets and food are less than one ticket for one orchestra seat to a Broadway show.

Here is the upcoming schedule for October, 2023.

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

At Birdland Jazz Club, catch  Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & WHATSNEXT? featuring Anat Cohen & Miguel Zenon,  Jeff Harnar,  Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio,  Jen Brett: “Mosaic,”  Ron Carter’s Great Big Band,  Michael Davis Hip-Bone Big Band,  Maude Maggart,  Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet,  Nick Finzer Big Band,  Jamie de Roy & Friends,  Frank Catalano Quartet,  Karrin Allison: “Brazilian Nights and Beyond,”  Benny Benack III Band: “Third Time’s  the  Charm” Album Celebration,  Steve Ross, and  Mingus Big Band.

Birdland  Theater will present  “Bouncin with Bud” Bud Powell Birthday Celebration,  Bryce Edwards,  Donnie McCaslin, Lonnie Plaxico, and Steve Smith Play  the  Music  of  Sonny Rollins,  John Manzari,  The  Misterioso Quintet Plays Monk:  Thelonious Monk Birthday Celebration,  Bill Mays Trio,  Steve Kuhn Trio,  Gabrielle Stravelli Quintet Feat. Tim Armacost, and  Ethan Iverson Trio with Buster Williams and Billy Hart.

See below for  the  full schedule! More information can be found at  www.birdlandjazz.com

September 29 – October 1  (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM –  Birdland  Theater
“Bouncin with Bud” Bud Powell Birthday Celebration
Over his life in music,  the  singular master drummer Steve Smith has proven himself a dedicated practitioner  of  big band, rock, fusion, South  Indian  music, and straight ahead bebop. In this engagement, he celebrates  the  life  of  genius American pianist Bud Powell,  the  modern jazz innovator  of  the  1940s and 50s. Joined by bassist Lonnie Plaxico (bass) as well pianist Manuel Valera (of  Smith’s Vital Information band), Smith presents Bud Powell’s seminal music, canonized as fundamental and unavoidable for  the  last 60 years  of  jazz. Bud Powell was born on September 27th, 1924 and would be 99 for this birthday celebration. Help Steve and crew wish  the  beloved pianist a happy birthday as  they bounce through his radiant music.
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 1  (Sunday) 5:30 PM –  Birdland Jazz Club
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & WHATSNEXT? Featuring Anat Cohen & Miguel Zenón
An innovative composer and multi-instrumentalist  of  Turkish-American heritage, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol’s award-winning orchestral arrangements blend jazz large ensemble writing with Turkish traditional music, bringing listeners into transfixing sound-worlds and blazing new stylistic territory. With WHATSNEXT, Sanlikol organizes star-studded groups to deliver his original orchestral work, including concerts and recordings featuring saxophonist Dave Liebman, drummer Antonio Sanchez and trumpeter Tiger Okoshi’”or, for this Sunday performance at Birdland,  the  exceptional clarinetist Anat Cohen and virtuosic saxophonist Miguel Zenón.  They celebrate  the  release  of  his new album  Turkish Hipster.  
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 2  (Monday) 7:00 PM –  Birdland Jazz Club
Jeff Harnar – “A Collective Cy:  The  Music  of  Cy Coleman”
Jeff Harnar will return to  the  stage with “A Collective Cy,” celebrating  the  PS Classics album release  of  the  songs  of  master songwriter Cy Coleman. Harnar salutes  the  Emmy, Grammy, Tony winner. Expect to hear standards like “The  Best Is Yet to Come,” “Witchcraft,” “Hey, Look Me Over!,” “When in Rome,” as well as surprises from Coleman’s six-decade career that included Broadway hits like “Sweet Charity.” Alex Rybeck conducts  The  Rhythm  of  Life Quartet, with Jay Leonhart on bass, Ray Marchica on drums, and Marc Phaneuf on saxophone.  The  show is directed by Sara Louise Lazarus. Harnar is an award-winning cabaret, concert and recording artist. His Carnegie Hall appearances include both  the  Cole Porter and Noel Coward Centennial Galas. Jeff’s televised PBS concerts include “The  1959 Broadway Songbook” and NJPAC’s American Songbook, co-starring KT Sullivan. Jeff has won multiple MAC, Bistro and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards and  The  Noel Coward Foundation Cabaret Award. In 2022, Jeff released his fifth solo album,  I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim’s Words, with a twenty-piece orchestra conducted by Jon Weber (PS Classics).
$40 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 3-7  (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/3-5); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/6-7) –  Birdland Jazz Club
Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio
One  of  the  most celebrated bassists in  the  history  of  American music, Ron Carter will call Birdland home for three consecutive week-long engagements in October.  The  legendary artist has performed on over 2,000 albums since starting his career in  the  1960s: besides a five-year stint with  the  iconic Miles Davis Quintet, Mr. Carter’s appearances with Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, and countless others have cemented him as an inspiring sideman with a sound and concept second to none. As a leader, Mr. Carter has commanded ensembles from big band to trio, and with this engagement at Birdland Jazz Club, he opts for  the  trio: particularly, his famed Golden Striker Trio, which includes master musicians Russell Malone on guitar and Donald Vega on piano.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 5  (Thursday) 8:30 PM –  Birdland  Theater
Bryce Edwards’ Frivolity Hour
After years  of  cutting his teeth at Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, Bryce Edwards is thrilled and honored to be making his Birdland debut with his Frivolity Hour, a show that enthusiastically revives traditional jazz and popular music from  the  early 20th century. A vaudevillian troubadour, Edwards is a unique vocalist that takes equal cues from  the  crooners and soft singers  of  the  late 1920s and early ‘30s and from  the  bombastic voices  of  the  acoustic phonograph era, as well as an instrumentalist who plays banjo, ukulele, tenor guitar, and mandolin in  the  modernistic jazz idiom. Leading a hot combination featuring  the  talents  of  extraordinary jazzmen Scott Ricketts (cornet), Ricky Alexander (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Conal Fowkes (piano), and Jay Rattman (bass saxophone), Edwards revels in  the  idiosyncrasies and eccentricities  of  the  sweet and raucous music  of  the  1910s, ‘20s, and ‘30s and brings his singular verve and sensibility to songs made famous by great artists such as Cliff Edwards, Ted Lewis, Jack Teagarden, Rudy Vallée, and Bing Crosby. Steeped in jazz age novelty, Bryce Edwards takes frivolity very seriously, and vows to entertain his audience or die trying.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 6-8  (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM –  Birdland  Theater
Donnie McCaslin, Lonnie Plaxico, and Steve Smith Play  the  Music  of  Sonny Rollins
The second tribute engagement in October with  the  venerable Steve Smith presiding at  the  drum set, this weekend’”in honor  of  Sonny Rollins’”will celebrate  the  saxophonist’s legendary achievements. Expect Sonny’s originals, such as “Airegin,” “Oleo,” and “Doxy,” which he recorded with Miles Davis, and “Strode Rode” and “St. Thomas” from his iconic  Saxophone Colossus  album. In addition,  the  band will perform standard material associated with Rollins, such as “I’m An Old Cowhand,” “Solitude,” and  the  appropriate “There Will Never Be Another You”’”because  There Will Never Be Another Sonny Rollins. Saxophonist McCaslin and bassist Plaxico have been major heavy-hitters  of  jazz for decades.  They join Smith for three swinging nights.  
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 8  (Sunday) 5:30 PM –  Birdland Jazz Club
Jen Brett: “Mosaic”
Acclaimed actress and vocalist Jen Brett brings her group, Mosaic, to Birdland for one Sunday evening performance! Brett has brought her talents across  the  globe’”all  the  way from Alaska to Europe’”and she makes this Birdland appearance back in her home city  of  New York. Playing a wide range  of  repertoire from jazz to rock to pop, Brett’s group will feature bassist Coleman Cook, drummer Ryan Knudsen, and Brett’s husband,  the  renowned Rick Westrip on guitar. Expect some new material as well as time-tested standards.
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 10-14  (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/10-12); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/13-14) –  Birdland Jazz Club
Ron Carter’s Great Big Band
One  of  the  most celebrated bassists in  the  history  of  American music, Ron Carter will call Birdland home for three consecutive week-long engagements in October.  The  legendary artist has performed on over 2,000 albums since starting his career in  the  1960s: besides a five-year stint with  the  iconic Miles Davis Quintet, Mr. Carter’s appearances with Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, and countless others have cemented him as an inspiring sideman with a sound and concept second to none. As a leader, Mr. Carter has commanded ensembles from big band to trio, and with this engagement at Birdland Jazz Club, he opts for  the  big band: particularly, his Great Big Band, which includes an incredible cast  of  master musicians.
$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 12  (Thursday) 8:30 PM –  Birdland  Theater
John Manzari
Tap  dancer and singer John Manzari returns to Birdland  Theater with collaborator and friend, pianist Luther S. Allison. Fresh from his Broadway debut in  Funny Girl, he features a selection  of  standards and debuts  of  original works. Manzari, a talent as melodic as he is rhythmic, promises to delight audiences with his creativity. Allison, a virtuosic musician, is joined by Jonathon Muir-Cotton on bass and Domo Branch on drums. Manzari is an Ovation Award and Helen Hayes Award nominated  dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. Stage credits include  the  Bessie Award winning production  Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic;  42nd Street, choreographed by Jared Grimes;  Maurice Hines: Tappin’ Thru Life, featuring his mentor Maurice Hines;  The  Wiz is 40: A Celebration in  Dance  and Music, directed and choreographed by George Faison, and Duke Ellington’s  Sophisticated Ladies. Concerts include his one man show John Manzari:  The  First Set, NY Pops Up, Spoleto Festival with Caleb Teicher, Fall for  Dance, Amelia Island  Dance  Festival, Gold Coast  Dance  Festival, and Jacob’s Pillow with Luke Hickey. John can be seen in  the   documentary about his mentor “Maurice Hines: Bring  Them Back” and  the  award-winning short film “Slip.”
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 13-15  (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM –  Birdland  Theater
The Misterioso Quintet Plays Monk:  Thelonious Monk Birthday Celebration
For  the  third tribute engagement in October with drummer Steve Smith, this all-star quintet honors  the  great  Thelonious Monk for what would be his 106th birthday.  The  Misterioso Quintet features Greg Osby on alto saxophone, Jon Irabagon on tenor, Ben Allison on bass, and a rotating piano chair  of  heavy-hitters: Helen Sung (Fri), Uri Caine (Sat), and Aaron Goldberg (Sun).  They will perform some  of  Monk’s most beloved compositions: “Ruby My Dear,”  the  ballad for Monk’s first love; “Little Rootie Tutti,” written for his son, and  the  anthem “Thelonious.”  
$30 tables / $20 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 15  (Sunday) 5:30 PM –  Birdland Jazz Club
Michael Davis Hip-Bone Big Band
Michael Davis’s trombone-forward large ensemble features some  of  the  instrument’s greatest virtuosi: Marshall Gilkes, Conrad Herwig, Michael Dease, Andy Martin, Bill Reichenbach, Nick Finzer and Bob McChesney. Davis writes powerhouse horn arrangements and hard-hitting anthems that span stylistic influences, making for modern and exciting listening. On  the  self-titled CD,  Hip-Bone Big Band,  he brings in  the  great Will Kennedy on drums, as well as his many masterful friends Scott Wenholdt, Charles Pillow and other greats. Davis’s resume includes works with  The  Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bob Mintzer, Buddy Rich, Paul Simon, and Sarah Vaughan. Catch his fantastic band for this Sunday performance!
$30 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 16  (Monday) 7:00 PM –  Birdland Jazz Club
Maude Maggart – “Here Come  The  Dreamers”
Maude Maggart,  the  singular cabaret artist, will debut a new show, “Here Come  the  Dreamers,” is a musical journey on  the  subject  of  dreams, and how  they weave  their way through  The  American Songbook and beyond. Since her debut in 2001, Maude has gained a loyal following and critical acclaim, performing across  the  United States and Europe; notably at Cafe Carlyle, and her longtime yearly engagement at  The  Oak Room  of