The Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra

The Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra takes the Birdland stage for a classic Latin jazz big-band set, led by saxophonist David DeJesus. The ensemble draws on the dance-rooted repertoire of mambo, cha-cha, danzón and salsa, with a book shaped by the work of Machito, Tito Puente, Ray Santos, Ray Barretto and Eddie Palmieri. It is a chance to hear those traditions treated as a living orchestra language rather than a historical survey.

The group is a New York ensemble built from rotating local musicians, and DeJesus has been a fixture of the city’s music scene for three decades. Beyond leading this Birdland residency, he has performed with Bobby Sanabria’s Big Band, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Larry Harlow, Carlos Henriquez and the Latin Giants. His New York credits also include the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band and Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra’s identity lies in that overlap of large-ensemble precision, improvisation and Latin dance rhythms. A Birdland visitor summed up a performance as “terrific,” while the club presents the band as a regular tribute to the artists whose arrangements and rhythmic vocabularies continue to define Latin jazz.