Birdland Jazz Club in Manhattan’s theater district is presenting its annual holiday show, “A Swinging Birdland Christmas.”
Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch are offering a holiday show at Birdland Jazz Club … [+]
It will be offered five times, from Thursday, December 21 to Monday, December 25 at 5:30 p.m.; the December 22 show also will be livestreamed.
The show—first performed in 2010—will feature vocalists Klea Blackhurst, Jim Caruso and Billy Stritch.
According to Birdland, “the trio of singers will perform swinging arrangements of ‘The Christmas Waltz,’ Kay Thompson’s ‘Holiday Season,’ ‘Sleigh Ride,’ ‘I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,’ ‘Snow,’ and ‘It Happened in Sun Valley,’ among other favorites. The show will also include a musical tribute to Birdland regular Freddy Cole, who was also a holiday tradition.”
Joining the vocalists will be Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums.
The performers also have made an album of their program, Christmas at Birdland, which will be available at their shows.
Blackhurst is an actress, singer, and comedienne known for her tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything the Traffic Will Allow. She recently debuted her new show “One of the Girls: The Words and Music of Jerry Herman,” at Birdland Theater.
Caruso is the host of “Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” a weekly open mic night at Birdland every Monday night since 2003.
According to Birdland, he has won six MAC Awards and eight BroadwayWorld Awards for his work in nightclubs; performed with the New York Pops in a tribute to Kander and Ebb and with Rosemary Clooney celebrating Bing Crosby; and sung the songs of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall.
Stritch is a pianist-singer, performing for nearly four decades. He spent 25 years collaborating with Liza Minnelli as accompanist and opening act; he also toured with Tony Bennett as his pianist and musical director. He currently acts as an accompanist for Linda Eder, Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Christine Ebersole and Ann Hampton Callaway.
