Bird's Basement in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Arts and entertainment

Bird's Basement

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 1300 225 299

Address: 11 Singers Lane 3000 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: https://birdsbasement.com

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• Arts and entertainment
• Performance & event venue
• Live music venue
• Jazz & blues club

20.01.2022 This special vault session features a recording of Dave Graney & the MistLY performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. Get your ticket to live-stream the session at https://liveatbirds.com Dave Graney and Clare Moore released their second album for 2019. Its called ONE MILLION YEARS DC and was recorded and mixed at their studio in the hills of Melbourne, the PONDEROSA. This album follows ZIPPA DEEDOO WHAT IS/WAS THAT/THIS? an album recorded with their band the mistLY which came o...ut in May 2019 and featured the modern classics ULTRAKEEF, SONG OF LIFE and BABY, I WISH I'D BEEN A BETTER POP STAR. The two are companion pieces, in a way. Many songs recorded over the same period. Its an album of songs rather than a representation of a band. It's all to do with their sensibility. They are rock'n'roll people and are steeped in rock'n'roll culture. They will be playing songs from across their career and also nods to artists who have inspired them. Whatever they do, it will be straight from the fridge (i.e. cool). As ever they're on a Birdseye kick, man! Catch them when you can. It's always a live show, jumping off the plate, baby.

18.01.2022 This vault session features a 2020 recording of Steve Smith and Vital Information - NYC Edition performing live at Bird's Basement. Get your ticket to live-stream the session at https://liveatbirds.com STREAMING DATE/TIME BY TIME ZONE January 2, 2020 at 8pm (USA Eastern Standard Time)... January 2, 2020 at 5pm (USA Pacific Standard Time) January 3, 2020 at 12pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) Drummer Steve Smith has been touring and recording with his all-star group Vital Information since 1983. The line-up of Vital Information NYC Edition incorporates players with vast experience. Bassist Kim May performed with Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and Alex Hutchings. The newest member of VI NYC Edition is keyboardist Manuel Valera, born and raised in Havana, Cuba now living in NYC and playing with many of the NY jazz elite like Antonio Sánchez, Dafnis Prieto and John Patitucci. Since 2016 Smith started touring again with the iconic, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted band, Journey. In 2018 alone, Journey played for over 1,000,000 fans in the USA. With VI NYC Edition performing around the world, it's a perfect opportunity to see Smith with his jazz-fusion band in an intimate setting, where you can appreciate the details of their high-level musicianship. Steve Smith had this to say about VI NYC Edition's philosophy: "We thrive on swing, groove and creativity. We want to surprise each other every night on the bandstand with new ideas and in the process keep our audience 'in the moment' with us." Steve has won a number of Modern Drummer Magazine's readers polls including "#1 All-Around Drummer" five years in a row. He was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and named "one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time". "Vital Information is one of improvised music's best-kept secrets, the tunes are adventurous and they always groove. The musicians shoot for, and achieve, real emotion rather than soulless fireworks." - JazzTimes

14.01.2022 This special vault session features a recording of the Jarrod Lawson performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. Get your ticket now to live-stream the session at 8pm this Saturday USA EST (12 noon this Sunday AEDT) at https://liveatbirds.com . Jarrod Lawson is a composer, keyboardist, and singer who is inspired by Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. Like those legends, he incorporates social and spiritual messages into his uplifting sound. His chops suggest a broad range of musical... knowledge, including artists with a deeper connection to jazz; as a vocalist alone, he has been favourably compared to Al Jarreau and Mark Murphy. Lawson grew up surrounded by music. His father operated a recording studio in the family's California home. Attracted to the drums as a toddler, his interest in music continued to develop throughout his childhood. In college, he studied music and participated in a chamber choir and jazz ensemble. His reputation as a solo performer was built through gigs in Portland, opening for highly regarded R&B and jazz artists, and international tours. His harmonically rich self-titled debut album was a favourite of the BBC's Gilles Peterson, among other DJs and R&B fans who dug beneath the surface of commercial radio. There is literally not enough ink in the world to be spilled proclaiming how amazing Jarrod Lawson’s self-titled debut is, we can’t help but feel we’ve not done nearly enough. Behind a deceptively understated and, dare we say, vanilla album cover lies one of the richest, rhythmic, and musically dynamic projects released in 2014. - L. Michael Gipson, SoulTracks.com this soul-jazz jewel of an album is filled with more great songs, musicianship, and vocals than you’d get from any three projects by almost anyone else, not to mention enough addictive, funky riffs and apposite changes to keep you going for months, if not years. I can’t stop playing it and won’t be doing so for some considerable time. Way to set the standard, Jarrod. 5 stars. - Chris Wells, Soul Sides Lineup: Jarrod Lawson Chris Friesen Music - Bass Cory Limuaco - Drums Trent Baarspul (Trent Baarspul Music) - Guitar

11.01.2022 This special Live@Bird's vault session features a recording of Broderick Smith performing at Bird's Basement in Feb 2020. The live stream is on this Saturday at 7:45pm AEDT. We recommend getting your ticket early at https://liveatbirds.com After decades on the Australian music stage, Brod has a long list of credits to his name most notably as chief dog for Australian legends, "The Dingoes". He is considered to be a legend by his legion of fans, a consummate performer by many... of his contemporaries and an elder statesman by the new guard of fellow musicians. In 2018, Broderick released his album Man Out of Time simultaneously with his very first book. A study in vivid storytelling and mature restraint, Man Out of Time arrives 10 years since Brod's last solo album, Unknown Country, and eight since Tracks, his brief return to his legendary '70s band, the Dingoes. It's fair to say that much has changed, not least in the spellbinding tone that can only come with the patience of a seasoned master craftsman. And after all these years, there is still nobody to compare with Broderick Smith. In a special intimate performance, Broderick is accompanied by long-time collaborator, Richard Tankard on the grand piano.

11.01.2022 Once upon a time, Eric Lewis was an up-and-coming jazz pianist, a sideman for Wynton Marsalis, Elvin Jones, and recipient of the Thelonious Monk International Piano competition. A decade into his career, he had an epiphany. The songs he was playing weren't speaking to him the way he wanted them to. On the other hand, there were contemporary rock songs whose lyrics meant the world to him. Lewis re-emerged as ELEW, a revolutionary artist who combines virtuosic skill on the gran...d piano with an unprecedented openness to pop and rock music. Jazz pianists have always interpreted popular songs. But at some point, jazz detached from rock'n'roll. ELEW has fused the two and created a new genre, rockjazz. ELEW has interpreted and reenergized songs by Coldplay, Nirvana, Radiohead, the Foo Fighters, The Bravery and Michael Jackson. ELEW treats the grand piano the way a traditional rock front man treats the guitar, with a physical style that includes entering the instrument to pluck the strings directly. ELEW has provided piano for platinum-selling rapper, Lil Wayne and was Complexions Contemporary Ballet's Composer in Residence. Perhaps the most exciting development in ELEW's evolution is his career as a DJ. ELEW's fans include Josh Groban (who he supported on Groban's tour of North American arenas), Dave Matthews, Naomi Campbell, Forest Whitaker, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brooke Shields, and Woody Harrelson. He has performed for Google, Fendi, Disney, and Mercedes-Benz. Donna Karan included his music on her app. ELEW has even taken rockjazz to the White House! Lately, ELEW has been in the film world working on compositions, screenplays and directing. You can find ELEW anywhere from Sundance Film Festival, DJ'ing at clubs, playing piano at A-list private parties, to touring his new album ELEW plays Rosenwinkel: Cubism that recently hit #1 on the jazz best seller charts in the U.S. This special vault session features a recording of the band performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. "This jazz rocks" - All About Jazz "powerful and passionate...dazzling" - DownBeat Magazine "A hard-nosed, loose-limbed polyrhythmic swagger" - The New York Times "A highlight this year at Sundance Film Festival" - Forbes Magazine Lineup: * ELEW - Piano * Tabari Lake Music - Bass * Lyndon Rochelle - Drums

10.01.2022 Sasha Masakowski splashes New Orleans music with layers of electro pop and art rock. Heavily based on the rhythms of her hometown, from swing to second-lines to bounce music and beyond, her music features traditional songs reimagined and original songs fashioned for a charming, energetic and edgy New Orleans music experience. Vanity Fair Magazine recently listed Sasha as one of the top jazz musicians in the world and DownBeat Magazine named her among the most innovative musi...cians coming out of New Orleans to date. While Sasha still stands as one of the most prominent genre-defying voices on the New Orleans music scene, she recently relocated to Brooklyn, NY, where she continues to earn a reputation as an ingenious improviser, composer and performer. She currently leads two bands of her own that range from traditional New Orleans jazz (Sidewalk Strutters) to experimental electronic art-pop (Tra$h Magnolia), and is also the co-leader of Hildegard, an electro-rock collaboration between Masakowski and guitarist/ sound-designer Cliff Hines. Lineup: Sasha Masakowski (Vocals, Loops, Synth) Max Moran (Electric bass) Cliff Hines (Guitar) Shea Pierre (Piano) Joe Dyson (drums) This special vault session features a recording of the band performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. "A combination of New Orleans-rooted jazz chops, mixed with a fearless ability to stretch her voice into impressive instrumental territory and a willingness to draw on the wider world of pop music into her own works: Sasha may well have one of this year's most remarkable new releases on her hands." - Hot House Jazz Magazine

09.01.2022 This special vault session features a recording of Nicola Són performing at Bird's Basement in 2018. Get your ticket to live-stream the session from https://liveatbirds.com . 8pm USA EST Friday - 20 Nov 2020 12pm AEDT Saturday - 21 Nov 2020 Singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist Nicola Són is certainly the most Brazilian Frenchman you will find.... Of Armenian descent, Nicola grew up in Paris. He fell in love with Brazilian music from the moment he heard it, and has lived in Sao Paulo since 2013. He recorded his debut album, 'Parioca', in 2010, in Lapa, the cradle of samba, It was followed a year later by 'Nord Destin', recorded in Rio de Janeiro. His third album, 'Sampathique', was released to wide acclaim in 2016. His latest release is an EP, 4.The disc features four songs, all co-written in Portuguese with his long-time friend and lyricist, journalist Igor Ribiero. The tracks were recorded with a different producer each, in four cities : (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Belo Horizonte). Don't miss this a fast-rising star of the contemporary bossa nova. Nicola Són will be joined by Joao Faria (bass), Diego De Sa Lisboa (saxophone, flute) and Marcus De Souza.

08.01.2022 This special Live@Bird's vault session features a recording of the band performing at Bird's Basement in 2019 that you can live stream. For tickets visit: https://liveatbirds.com One of Melbourne's most accomplished trumpet / flugelhorn players, Gianni Marinucci has worked with a host of notable Australian artists, from James Morrison to Tony Gould, and has led his own groups ranging from a trio to a nonet (initially formed to play the arrangements from Miles Davis' 'Birth Of... The Cool' album). He has always admired, and related to, the recordings of the late, great Chet Baker : in his view, "Chet was one of the great poets of the trumpet, and of jazz." Trumpeter and singer, Chet Baker was the star of the West Coast jazz scene, centred around Los Angeles, in the mid 1950s. In particular, his work with saxophonist Gerry Mulligan saw him win a legion of fans, attracted by his hip trumpet playing, his intimate vocal style, and his youthful good looks. As Bruce Weber's documentary Let's Get Lost showed, Chet enjoyed a long career, but one marred by physical and legal problems caused by his long-term heroin addiction. In his last career phase, his physical deterioration was shocking, but he still had that ability to play like an angel. In Born To Be Blue, Gianni Marinucci plays many of the jazz standards recorded by Chet Baker. He also sings (in a soft, almost-conversational style quite similar to Chet's) many of the songs associated with Chet, like 'My Funny Valentine' and 'Let's Get Lost'. Gianni will be joined by Paul Williamson (baritone, alto or tenor sax), Craig Fermanis (guitar), Tom Lee (bass) and Ronny Ferella (drums). One of Melbourne's most accomplished trumpet/flugelhorn players, Gianni Marinucci has worked with a host of notable Australian artists, from James Morrison to Tony Gould, and has led his own groups ranging from a trio to a nonet (initially formed to play the arrangements from Miles Davis' 'Birth Of The Cool' album). He has always admired, and related to, the recordings of the late, great Chet Baker: in his view, "Chet was one of the great poets of the trumpet, and of jazz."

07.01.2022 Bird's Basement is proud to introduce Live@Bird's Vault Sessions. A new service where you can purchase tickets to live stream recordings of classic Bird's Basement shows from your own home. For our announced shows and session times visit https://liveatbirds.com

07.01.2022 This special vault session features a recording of The Messenger Legacy performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. Get your ticket to live stream the session at https://liveatbirds.com * AEDT - 12pm Sat 7 Nov * EST - 8pm Fri 6 Nov * PST - 5pm Fri 6 Nov...Continue reading

06.01.2022 This special vault session features a recording of Michael Charles performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. Get your live-stream ticket from https://liveatbirds.com . 8pm Thursday USA EST . 12pm Friday AEST You've heard of selling ice to the Eskimos? How about an Australian guitarist leaving his home in Melbourne, and going to Chicago to play and sing the blues? That is what Michael Charles has done, with remarkable success. While Michael's career was in full force in Australia..., Michael's management received an invitation from Buddy Guy's management to perform at Mr. Buddy Guy's club, Legends in Chicago. Michael made that pilgrimage in 1990, and again and again in the following years. Having felt right at home on the thriving Chicago blues scene, Michael decided to move there permanently in 1995. Has the move been a success? Michael has played alongside such names as Buddy Guy, Phil Guy, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Eddy Clearwater and Jimmy Dawkins; he has played all the best-known blues clubs in Chicago, the Chicago Blues Fest and other major blues festivals in North America. He has earned 8 Grammy nominations. And in 2015, he had the rare honour of being inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame. He has recorded over 30 albums in his time in the States, and was the subject of a documentary, All I Really Know, From A To Z. So yes, on the whole, we can say the move has been a success story. Michael Charles (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals) will be joined by Arch Mattocks (rhythm guitar), Greg Williams (bass guitar) and Taleb Taleb (drums). "Australia's answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan" - Chicago Tribune

06.01.2022 Loston Harris' piano playing has been described as "percussive" and "incredibly fluid." His vocals noted as "suave." For almost two decades, Loston has headlined at a "home" that shares his passion for timeless music. The legendary Bemelmans Bar. After meeting at the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, Harry Connick Jr. led Loston to study with his mentor, Ellis Marsalis, who encouraged him to switch instruments from drums to piano.... Loston blends traditional jazz, gospel and blues with his own unique stylings. With early musical inspirations ranging from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Carole King and other notable pop and R&B bands, it was jazz that ultimately chose Loston, jazz is "hip, serious, complex, improvisational and limitless." Loston has performed with multiple Grammy Awards and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis; appeared on "Portraits in Blue" with Grammy Nominee, Marcus Roberts. Loston is in-demand at celebrity and charity events having performed at George Clooney's Birthday with John Mayer; playing for Sarah Jessica Parker at her private VIP after-party for the "Sex in the City Movie"; was selected by Tom Cruise to sing and play at his ICON Award Ceremony and a personal highlight occurred when Sir Paul McCartney sat in and sang "The Very Thought of You"! Frank Sinatra, Bobby Short and Nat King Cole can rest comfortably knowing that Loston Harris is keeping the flame alive. Lineup: Loston Harris - Piano/Vocal Gianluca Renzi - Bass Mike Lee (Mike Lee Page) - Tenor Sax This special vault session features a recording of the band performing at Bird's Basement in 2019. Get your ticket to live stream the session.

06.01.2022 After numerous Sold Out shows, the mighty 13 piece Grand WaZoo - Kings of Soul are back, with a live concert - streamed from the Live@Bird's Vault tonight at 7.45pm. Secure your $15 ticket now at LiveatBirds.com . Featuring outstanding Soul singers, Wylie J Miller, Samantha Morley & Walter Saluni, 6 piece WaZoo Horns and 4 Rockin Rhythm Masters, this legendary band shall perform timeless songs that get your feet tapping and have you grooving in your seat. This will be anothe...r matchless evening in stellar company, where you round up your friends, secure your tickets and lose yourself in the sweet soul sounds of the great Afro-American artists from the Golden Era of Soul - including hits from Ray Charles, Motown, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Gladys Knight, Wilson Pickett, Ika &Tina Turner, Al Green, James Brown, Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye & many more. Grand WaZoo Kings of Soul was formed in 1981 by the trumpeter-arranger-band leader, John Montesante and under his fine musical direction, has performed continuously ever since - earning the band an enviable reputation as Australia's unmatched Soul Royalty. The full star-studded Grand WaZoo artist line-up for this concert are: Mat Jodrell, John Montesante, Andrew Serpell, Jim Glasson, Russell Praetz, Stuart Byrne, Peter Ford, Shane Goonan, Barney Loveland, Michael Rochford, Wylie J Miller, Samantha Morley & Walter Saluni. Let The Good Times Roll!