Birdland Jazz Club and Theater Announce October Performance Lineup

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The venues will feature AMANDA GREEN & FANTASTIC FRIENDS, VIRTUAL HALSTON LIVE with Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman, and more.

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Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are open this October with a full slate of nightly performances, running October 1st - October 31st. At Birdland Jazz Club, catch The Hot Sardines, Emily Day & Cosmo Alleycats, Amanda Green & FANTASTIC FRIENDS, THE MICHAEL BRECKER QUINDECTET featuring DONNY MCCASLIN Artistic & Musical Director: Meg Okura, Ron Carter Foursight Quartet (Week 1), Amy London: Alto Madness Album Release, VIRTUAL HALSTON LIVE with Julie Halston and Jackie Hoffman , Frank Catalano Quintet feat. Randy Brecker , Ron Carter Duo Featuring Bill Frisell, Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra feat. Jennifer Grimm, Julie Benko : Broadway Goes to the Movies, Anderson Brothers play Benny Goodman , Ron Carter's Great Big Band, June Cavlan, Phillip Officer Sings A Mabel Mercer Broadway Portfolio, Alexa Tarantino Quartet and Ron Carter's Foursight Quartet (Week 2).

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Birdland Theater will present BOUNCIN' WITH BUD Bud Powell Birthday Celebration, Thelonious Monk Birthday Celebration, Carole J. Bufford , Curtis Stigers and Senri Oe Trio.

Repeat engagements include Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Jim Caruso 's Cast Party with Billy Stritch at the piano, David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, Frank Vignola's Guitar Night, The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band, The Birdland Big Band, Pasquale Grasso Trio, and The Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra.

September 29-October 3 (Tuesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (9/29-10/1); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/2-3) – Birdland Jazz Club

The Hot Sardines celebrate their latest recording—just out in May of this year—the very swinging Good News! Stars of the trad-jazz world, The Hot Sardines bring early jazz into the modern day. With their love of classic jazz—jazz that feeds the heart and soul—bandleader Evan Palazzo , lead singer Elizabeth Bougerol , and a New York-based ensemble have brought their music across the globe for years. Their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, smooth vocals and love for audience engagement earned them the respect of Downbeat Magazine, who called the group “one of the most delightfully energetic bands on New York's 'hot' music scene.” The Hot Sardines have released seven records since 2011 to critical acclaim. “Everything in our DNA is about connecting with the audience,” says Bougerol. Make sure not to miss this exciting week of shows!

$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 2-4 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM – Birdland Theater

Steve Smith presides over 5 exciting weekend engagements across September and October—four of which honor a different master in the jazz tradition on their birthday. In this engagement, he celebrates the life of genius American pianist Bud Powell, the modern jazz innovator of the 1940s and 50s. Over his life in music, the singular master drummer Smith has proven himself a fluid practitioner of big band, rock, fusion, South Indian music, and straight ahead bebop. Joined by guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and pianist Tardo Hammer, the venerable Smith—iconic drummer for the rock megagroup Journey, founder of fusion power trio Vital Information, and long a devotee of the jazz lineage—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 have just turned 102 on this annual birthday celebration at Birdland. Help Steve and crew wish the beloved pianist a happy birthday as they bounce through his radiant compositions.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 4 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

Called “one of the major singers in her field” by jazz writer Scott Yanow, Emily Day is a singer and songwriter of early jazz—the music of a bygone era. Her own beautiful, creative lyrics sound as if they'd been penned at the height of the Great American Songbook. Supported by her vintage-styled band, the Cosmo Alleycats, Day will present “Old Sweet Songs” for one Sunday set on the Birdland stage, honoring the enduring melodies that have earned their place in the canon of American music. Cosmo Alleycats have been a San Francisco sensation since their founding in 2010; the group is a tight-knit operation, their sound poised, dynamic, soulful, and fun. They released an album of the same name, Old Sweet Songs, in 2022; venues and festivals such as Blue Note Napa, The Sound Room, House of Blues New Orleans, Fillmore Jazz Festival, and San Francisco's Mr. Tipple's have all greeted this hard-swinging, spontaneous bunch, whose music charms like Judy Garland and bops like Ella Fitzgerald .

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 5 (Monday) 7:00 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

Join two-time Tony Award and Grammy Award-nominated songwriter and performer Amanda Green and a spectacular lineup of Broadway friends for a hilarious evening of Green's songs, including performances from the upcoming musicals Regency Girls, featuring several of the show's stars, and Crazy Rich Asians. Scheduled to perform are Emmy Award winner and three-time Tony nominee Martha Plimpton (Here We Are, The Coast of Utopia); Krystina Alabado (Regency Girls, Hazbin Hotel); Jasmine Forsberg (SIX); Cailen Fu (Mean Girls); Sarah Kay (Here Lies Love); three-time Emmy-nominated composer Curtis Moore (Regency Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls, Bring It On); Ryann Redmond (Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Parody, Frozen); Alanna Saunders (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child); and Ann Fraser Thomas (Titaníque). Musical Direction by AnnBrit Chateau (Once Upon a Mattress, Frozen), with Sean McDaniel (Chess, Smash) on drums. The San Diego Tribune raves: “The song lyrics by Amanda Green are so funny, it's sometimes hard to hear them over the laughter.” Green's Broadway credits include Mr. Saturday Night, Hands On A Hardbody, and Bring It On. She co-wrote and revised Kiss Me, Kate, and co-created Regency Girls with Curtis Moore . Other credits include High Fidelity, Peter Pan Live!, and On The Twentieth Century. She's a Jonathan Larson Award winner and the first female recipient of the Frederic Loewe Composition Award.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 6 (Tuesday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Jazz Club

In 2003, the legendary modern saxophonist Michael Brecker—to whom so many saxophonists owe so very much—released a landmark Grammy-winning recording, Wide Angles, featuring his Quindectet. The Quindectet was a 15-piece group fusing a small jazz big band with a string quartet; the album was a set of lush, high-flying arrangments by the great Gil Goldstein. It won the 2004 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Now, 22 years later, Birdland will feature a one-night-only event reincarnating this seminal work of contemporary jazz. Original Quindectet touring member Meg Okura serves as the project's Artistic Director; playing the role of the late brilliant Brecker is the virtuosic Donny McCaslin. Many original touring Quindectet members will be in the group, and Okura will contribute two arrangments for the show: Brecker's “African Skies” and “Itsbynne Reel.” Brecker aficionados may also expect updated versions of Goldstein's arrangments “Arc of the Pendulum,” “Delta City Blues” and “Syzygy.” The concert will feature a special display of Michael Brecker archival materials presented by Archives curator Dr. David Demsey. Okura, who has led her own ensembles at Birdland, has received praise from The New York Times (“grandiloquent beauty”) and Downbeat (“masterful ear for orchestration”) as well as numerous prizes, awards, and grants for her compositions. McCaslin is known for his work on David Bowie 's final album, Blackstar (2016) as well as his Grammy-winning solos for Maria Schneider and his trailblazing saxophone work with a host of contemporary greats. Fans of the genius artist Brecker will find this a special evening indeed; newcomers to his music will be wowed.

$50 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 7-10 (Wednesday-Saturday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM (10/7-8); 8:30 & 10:30 PM (10/9-10) – Birdland Jazz Club

Each October, the legend Ron Carter—3x Grammy-winner and one of the music's greatest bassists whose credits (on over 2,000 albums) include beloved recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet, Bill Evans , B.B. King, Dexter Gordon, Jacki Byard, Cannonball Adderly, Roberta Flack , Pharoah Sanders, Lena Horne , Horace Silver, Joe Henderson , Chick Corea , Branford Marsalis , Lee Morgan , Freddie Hubbard, Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Bette Midler , Shirley Scott , The Manhattan Transfer, McCoy Tyner, Aretha Franklin , The Four Tops , Harry Connick , Jr., Quincy Jones , and countless others—performs four consecutive weeks at Birdland in four different configurations: Duo, Big Band, his longstanding Foursight Quartet, and formerly his Golden Striker Trio. Following the passing of the legendary Russell Malone last summer (who played guitar in the Golden Striker Trio), Carter will bring the Foursight Quartet for two weeks out of the month, each week with a different pianist. In this first week, drummer Payton Crossley and saxophonist Jimmy Greene are joined by pianist Donald Vega. Don't miss the great master Carter at work!

$55 tables / $40 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 9-11 (Friday-Sunday) 7:00 & 9:30 PM - Birdland Theater

Steve Smith presides over 5 exciting weekend Theater engagements across September and October—four of which honor a different master in the jazz tradition on their birthday. This weekend, he celebrates the life and unique genius of American pianist Thelonious Monk, modern jazz innovator of the bebop and post-bop eras and composer of some of the music's most important works. The singular master drummer Smith has proven himself a fluid practitioner of big band, rock, fusion, South Indian music, and straight ahead bop over the course of his career. Joined by bassist Ben Allison and pianist Uri Caine, the venerable Smith—iconic drummer for the rock megagroup Journey, founder of fusion power trio Vital Information, and long a devotee of the royal jazz lineage—presents Monk's seminal music, canonized as fundamental and unavoidable for the last 60 years of jazz. Monk was born on October 10th, 1917, and would have turned 109 on this annual birthday celebration at Birdland. Help Steve and crew wish the revered master a happy birthday as they rollick through his wry, intricate works of genius.

$40 tables / $30 bar + $20 food/drink minimum

October 11 (Sunday) 5:30 PM – Birdland Jazz Club

The great jazz vocalist Amy London has graced stages across continents for the last 40 years, delivering a savvy and elegant bravura with lyrical depth, the attitude of hip, and the gorgeous voice to back it up. This month, she will release Alto Madness, a new recording featuring the work of great alto saxophonists Johnny Hodges , Benny Carter, Louis Jordan , and Richie Cole. An alto herself (as a vocalist), the pun is evident—no surprise for London, whose wry and smart sensibility has put her in projects with heroes of jazz like Jon Hendricks , Tito Puente , Lionel Hampton , Wycliffe Gordon, New York Voices , Meryl Streep , Fred Hersch , Annie Ross , Sheila Jordan , Bob Dorough , Dr. Lonnie Smith, and many more. She has performed New York's top rooms—Dizzy's, The Rainbow Room, Lincoln Center, Birdland, and Blue Note. H

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Birdland-Jazz-Club-and-Birdland-Theater-Unveils-October-Programming-20260929)._