Midtown's Legendary Birdland Jazz Club 'On Brink' Of Closing

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Fresh off a successful fundraiser that rescued a storied cafe-theater in Hell's Kitchen, neighbors have turned their attention to another venue in danger of closing: the legendary jazz club Birdland.

"Like many other independently owned small businesses, Birdland is in desperate need of capital to dig out of the debt caused by the pandemic," wrote Tom D'Angora, a Broadway producer whose recent fundraiser for the West Bank Cafe raised more than $300,000.

Not long after, D'Angora said, he learned that Birdland, a landmark on West 44th Street, was "on the brink of permanent closure," as the club wrote on its Facebook page. So he launched an online fundraiser, which had raised more than $150,000 by Thursday.

Birdland first opened in 1949 on Broadway and West 52nd Street, named after Charlie Parker, the saxophonist known as "Bird" who headlined on the club's first night. Performers in those early years included Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and other legends of the genre.

As jazz declined in popularity, the club closed down in 1965, according to its website. A new owner revived the club in 1986 on the Upper West Side, and it moved back to Midtown 10 years later.

Owner Gianni Valenti told WBGO that the club's pandemic closure has lasted far longer than he had initially expected, forcing him to lay off nearly 60 employees. A brief reopening on Dec. 2 lasted just over a week, before Gov. Andrew Cuomo shut down indoor dining again.

D'Angora told Patch Thursday that he was "blown away by the generosity" of those who had donated so far, adding that Valenti was "moved and overwhelmed by the love being shown to Birdland."

The coronavirus pandemic has posed an existential threat for both restaurants and performance venues around the city. In December, Jazz Standard, another prominent Midtown club, announced it was closing for good.

To read more about Birdland or donate, find the GoFundMe here.