Established on December 15, 1949, Birdland is a New York City jazz club and is among the most well-known jazz clubs in New York and its fame can be directly attributed to the great Duke Ellington.
There are concerts every day but I suggest the $25 “Birdland Jazz Band” performances on Friday afternoons with its glistening atmosphere, tasty cocktails and excellent music being a must visit.
What Is The History Of Birdland Jazz Club In New York
The original Birdland, at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, had to close in 1965 but reopened for one night only in 1979.
7 years later in 1986, a new club with the same name opened not far from the original club in Manhattan’s Theater District, marking the beginning of the club’s overdue resurrection and is located in the same building that housed the first New York Observer offices.
The club, which relocated to West 44th Street off of Eighth Avenue in 1996, is a staple of the Midtown Manhattan entertainment scene and in this venue on December 29, 2003, Toshiko Akiyoshi’s jazz orchestra performed for the last time and just 3 years later in 2006, the Birdland Big Band was formed.
Many members of the Beat generation’s literary elite spent time in Birdland including Jack Kerouac who mentions Birdland in his book and when singing about the club, Bono of U2 says things like, “Birdland on 53, the streets sounds like a symphony…” in their song “Angel of Harlem.”
The club relocated back to Midtown after a successful decade on the Upper West Side and the new Birdland features award-winning American food and world-class music in an intimate environment with excellent sound acoustics.
Who Has Performed At Birdland Jazz Club New York
Since the club’s revival, residents of midtown Manhattan have been treated to performances by some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians, including Pat Metheny, Diana Krall, Michel Legrand and the big bands of Chico O’Farrill, Duke Ellington, Toshiko Akiyoshi and many more.
In addition, the yearly Umbria Jazz Festival in New York City and the Annual Django Reinhardt NY Festival also take place at Birdland Jazz Club.
Through its Broadway at Birdland concert series, Birdland has broadened its musical reach over the past two decades, bringing greater attention to artists like Liza Minnelli, Michael Feinstein, Betty Buckley and many more and each Monday night, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party has made Birdland the late-night spot to mingle with the stars.
In 2018, the state-of-the-art Birdland Theater opened up, allowing them to book everyone from Broadway’s biggest names to the funniest stand-up comics and the most talked-about newcomers, making Birdland a continual and integral component of New York City’s musical and cultural landscape for almost 75 years.