Geoffrey Keezer Trio with Yasushi Nakamura and Billy Kilson
Birdland315 West 44th Street, New York 10036
Geoffrey Keezer brings his trio to Birdland with Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Billy Kilson on drums. The GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer leads this three-piece set, pairing piano with a rhythm section of Nakamura and Kilson for an evening from a musician who has been a major presence in New York’s jazz-piano world since 1989.
A native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Keezer is based in New York City and became Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ last pianist in 1989. His wide-ranging touring and recording credits include Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Chris Botti, Sting, Joe Locke and Christian McBride. Time praised his “virtuosity and sheer musical wit and intelligence” and called the result “an original and compelling whole.” Sting has called him a “superb technician and improviser,” as well as a composer and conceptualist who maintains “the overall line and the DNA of the song in everything he plays.”
Birdland offers a refined jazz experience in a room where the audience sits at tables close to the stage, allowing every note to reach you clearly. The venue features a full menu with dishes like New Orleans-style gumbo alongside a well-stocked bar, making it easy to enjoy a meal or drinks while listening. Each show is ticketed per set, encouraging focused listening as the music unfolds in roughly 45-minute segments. The club’s walls echo decades of jazz history, having hosted legends and continuing to attract top contemporary artists. Located in Manhattan’s Theater District, the space balances a serious music environment with the energy of a night out, where attentive audiences savor the performances without distraction. Booking ahead is essential, as the club fills quickly for its celebrated lineup.