In honor of Billy Strayhorn’s upcoming 110th birthday (November 29), the Jason Yeager Trio (bassist Danny Weller and drummer Jay Sawyer) presents Such Sweet Thunder: A Tribute to Ellington & Strayhorn at Birdland on Monday, November 3 at 7 PM. The show offers imaginative arrangements and original work with a slate of superb special guests, including Ellington Orchestra alumnus Steve Little.
Pianist Yeager presents a swinging and vibrant evening of Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington and original music featuring hits (“Take the A Train,” “Caravan”) and lesser-known gems (“African Flower,” “Day Dream”) alongside an original composition written in dedication to Strayhorn.
Yeager’s longtime reverence for Strayhorn’s body of work has led to him to become a dedicated advocate of the late pianist-composer’s legacy. In 2015, when Yeager was presenting a clinic on Strayhorn at the Jazz Education Network conference in Lexington, KY, he was approached by members of Strayhorn’s family, who were representing the Billy Strayhorn Foundation. Says Yeager, “Strayhorn is one of my deepest musical influences, so I was floored when his family felt that I was doing justice to his memory.” According to Galen Demus, Billy Strayhorn’s nephew and a Billy Strayhorn Foundation board member, “Jason Yeager’s piano playing combines a unique blend of rhythmic thoughtfulness and an energizing quiet force that creates a comforting sound.”
Tickets are $35 each for table seating, and $25 at the bar. There is a $20 food/drink minimum per person. Tickets are available at birdlandjazz.com
Birdland Jazz Club is located at 315 West 44th St., New York, NY
