Birdland was originally owned by Morris Levy and its namesake, Charlie Parker, and featured double and triple bills with the likes of Bird, Count Basie, George Shearing, Lester Young, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Stan Getz and more. Not only was Birdland home to celebrities on stage, but the audience was filled with other star entertainers including Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sugar Ray Robinson. Birdland closed for two decades in 1965, a victim of the increased popularity of Rock & Roll, reappearing uptown at 105th and Broadway in 1986, and then moving back to midtown and “the jazz corner of the world” in the mid-90s, where it continues to thrive on W. 44th Street under owner John Valenti. Name a jazz star of the past 20 years and he or she has been booked at Birdland—from Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner Roy Haynes, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Betty Carter and Freddie Hubbard to Diana Krall, Pat Martino, John Pizzarelli, Kurt Elling, and Joe Lovano, as well as the big bands of Chico O'Farrill, Duke Ellington, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Maria Schneider. Each year, Birdland hosts the Django Reinhardt Festival and Freddy Cole’s Holiday show. 

Singing their toasts to Birdland are three of the area’s best: Debbie Duncan is known fondly as Minnesota’s First Lady of Song, owing to her 25+years bringing jazz and blues, ballads and swing, and a whole lot of fun to venues all over the area and beyond. Lee Engele, also current President of TCJS, is as comfortable fronting a big band as performing in duo. Bruce Henry recently relocated to his native Chicago, but left behind many fans of his powerful baritone and wide ranging repertoire. He returns often to the Dakota Jazz Club. The supporting musicians have long lists of credits—Tanner Taylor leads his own trio and supports many local and visiting artists from Christine Rosholt to Barbara Morrison; Chris Bates appears with How Birds Work and the Atlantis Quartet; Jay Epstein manages the drum kit for area vocalists and edgy instrumental ensembles like Framework, Impulso and Red Planet; Brandon Wozniak performs with the groups Atlantis Quartet and monk In Motian. 

On December 20th, expect songs to include “Birdland,” “Lullabye of Birdland,” “Symphony Sid” and some holiday fare such as Charlie Parker’s arrangement of “White Christmas” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”  

The Bloomington Center for the Arts is located at 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington. Show begins at 2 pm. Tickets $22 ($19 TCJS members, students and seniors), available at 952-563-8575 or online at www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org