Broadway star Julie Benko—direct from Broadway’s Funny Girl and Harmony—will appear with her band Euphonic Gumbo on Monday, February 12 at 7:00 PM at Birdland. Benko will march her band out to celebrate Mardi Gras with six instrumentalists, including her jazz-pianist spouse Jason Yeager, in addition to Michael O’Brien on bass, Jay Sawyer on drums, Andy Warren on trumpet, Evan Harris on clarinet and Rebecca Patterson on trombone. She is joined by her former Funny Girl castmate and tap dancer John Manzari as special guest.
Performing in the classic New Orleans jazz style, the good times will roll with a potpourri of tunes inspired by Benko’s love of the Crescent City. Songs include selections from Hand in Hand, Benko and Yeager’s recent album from Club44 Records (“Louisiana Fairy Tale,” “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?”), Benko’s debut album (“Love for Sale”) and other classics (“Basin St. Blues,” “When the Saints Go Marching In”). There will be trivia; there will be prizes; and there will be sequins.
There is a $30-40 music charge and a $20 food and beverage minimum. For reservations, please call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.
Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) in Manhattan.
