David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band

David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band brings its weekly Birdland residency to the early evening, led by Ostwald on tuba and featuring a rotating lineup of New York hot-jazz players. The group draws its repertoire and spirit from the jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton, treating the music as a living body of work rather than a museum piece. This date falls in the band’s 21st year of residency at the club.

The New York-based ensemble plays traditional jazz in a range of styles and music by many composers, aiming, in its own words, to remain “true to the joy and heart of the music.” Over the years, the band has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dick Hyman, Jon Hendricks, Clark Terry and Jon Faddis; its recording with blues singer Big Joe Turner received a Grammy nomination. Producer George Avakian called the ever-changing band “consistently excellent” and one of the world’s best traditionalist groups. Reviews point to both the playing and the presentation: The Syncopated Times cites “top-notch musicianship” and Ostwald’s “dry wit,” while The Front Row Center calls the group “playful and skilled,” with “a deep respect for the material.”