Whatever you are doing on Friday afternoon, ditch it & head over to Birdland for the “Best $10 Jazz Show in New York!”
If you want a good spot, make a reservation or get there before 5:30 & have a ten-spot in your hand; because when it’s go-time, Tommy Igoe gets his BBB (Birdland Big Band) going. It’s a great place to have a drink, listen to a couple of sets, and shimmy off the week.
Birdland opened in 1949 when the hotbed of jazz was in Midtown Manhattan. Charlie Parker, “Bird”, was the club’s inspiration & also a frequent headliner. Other legends who played the club included Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles David, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Lester Young; and attracted celebrity regulars like Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper & the Rat Pack.
The landmark took a break in 1965 & reopened on the Upper West Side twenty years later, but owner John Valenti truly felt that returning Birdland to Midtown “would be the natural continuation of the legendary jazz corner...” Headliners now include artists like Diana Krall, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Mark Murphy & Dave Holland. Check out the current line-up here.
Just keep in mind when you get the itch for a Friday ditch, grab ten bills & a cab to Birdland to see Tommy Igoe – he’s a hottie & man, can he wail on those drums!
Side note: if you sit at the bar, the admission price includes a free drink.
Comments