Stacey Kent
Birdland315 West 44th Street, New York 10036
Stacey Kent comes to Birdland for a set built around the multilingual repertoire that has made her a favorite with listeners around the world. The evening spotlights a singer whose performances aim for the emotional heart of a song through delicately nuanced interpretation. Her repertoire includes original work written by her husband, saxophonist, producer, composer and arranger Jim Tomlinson, in collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, a creative partnership active since 2006.
An American jazz singer, Kent has earned a Grammy nomination and sold more than two million albums, alongside Platinum, Double-Gold and Gold releases and chart-topping records. Her 2023 studio album Summer Me, Winter Me, released by Naïve Records, collects requests from concert repertoire she had not previously recorded; it entered the French jazz charts at number one. Kent has also recorded with Brazilian musicians Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi, as well as the French string quartet Quatuor Ébène. Her work moves across languages while retaining the close attention to phrasing and song meaning that defines her recordings.
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.