Swing On By Dizzy's For Reopening Of Live, In-Person Jazz Shows

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A beloved spot for world-class jazz acts with a lavish Manhattan skyline as a backdrop is about to blow its doors open.

Dizzy's Club, on the top floor of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will reopen to the public Aug. 19 with its evening shows through the summer and fall, the center announced Tuesday.

"Reopening Dizzy's Club is the kick-off to bringing live music and in-person audiences back to each performance space in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in the fall months," said Zooey Jones, spokesperson for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Now that Dizzy’s is reopening, the question isn't to be or not to bop, but to be or to bop?

Drummer Herlin Riley will not only break the season's opening act, but be the first performer since the coronavirus pandemic muted live in-person music at the club.

Jazz at Lincoln Center — or "House of Swing" as some call it — cancelled concerts, classes and events on March 12, 2020. It was the longest closure since the center — the world's first venue created exclusively for jazz —opened in 2004.

"I am so excited about returning to Dizzy's to perform for in-person audiences," jazz singer and native New Yorker Catherine Russell wrote to Patch. "The room always feels like I'm having a party and the audiences are all my guests! Jazz at Lincoln Center's staff and sound crew treat us like family. The intimacy of the room, great sound and spectacular views of Manhattan make Dizzy's unique and special for me."

Dizzy's will be fully reopening with its 140-seat capacity, spacing between guests, enhanced cleaning procedures and HVAC filtration, according to Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test might be required upon entering the venue, depending on national, state and city guidelines at the time of the performance. For contact tracing purposes, contact information may be required as well.

Dizzy's and Jazz at Lincoln Center found a way to beat the blues during the pandemic through its engaging and educational virtual programming. (To quote trumpeter Wynton Marsalis from a 2019 Dizzy's performance: "It's not over till it's over.")

Swing University, which started on Aug. 1, offers a virtual journey through jazz history, saxophone greats and listening techniques that "will improve your concert experience."

Since last March, Jazz at Lincoln Center has hosted over 1,000 original livestream concerts, education programs and live conversations with artists and industry figures. These events included the "Dizzy's Club Jazz From Home" series featuring the wide range of artists who were scheduled to play on the Dizzy’s stage pre-pandemic. As if jazz couldn't get more intimate, these performances were recorded live from the artists' homes.

From October 2020 to late May 2021, Jazz at Lincoln Center brought artists back to Dizzy's for performances — sans live audiences — for a weekly live-streamed series called "Live From Dizzy's."

A live-streamed Q&A with Wynton Marsalis, who is also the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, this past June produced compelling questions about social unrest and civil participation — and how jazz currently fits into these matters.

"I believe the role of music, specifically jazz music, is a vessel for self-expression, connection for every woman, man and child regardless of race, religion, color, creed or sexual orientation," opined Tate Satterlee, a student in the Essentially Ellington High School jazz program.

"I encourage you to be engaged, to be vocal, to be for real about your perspective and the research," responded Marsalis. "You find that in jazz, the level of involvement in civil rights has gone down over the years. It becomes more difficult to find figures with the type of fire in their tongue like [Charles] Mingus, like Max Roach, like [John] Coltrane. You don't find that many figures in the 70s, 80s, 90s, up to today. I encourage you to be for real and to touch on that."

"We forget that we're on a mission," added saxophonist Ted Nash. "As jazz musicians, we have an opportunity to express and talk and engage with people. That's what's so beautiful about jazz."

In continuing with its tradition of making jazz more accessible to all, Jazz at Lincoln Center also recently wrapped up its free six-day virtual Summer Jazz Academy, open to jazz enthusiasts, musicians and students of all ages and skill levels.

In-person performances by Jazz at Lincoln Center have already commenced with Swing in the Streets, a series of free concerts across New York City — Jazz in Times Square, Restart Stages, NYBG Music Series, Picnic Performances and the 28th Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, scheduled for Aug. 29.

Released lineup for Dizzy's Club:

Herlin Riley (Aug. 19-22), Trio Da Paz (Aug. 24-29), Isaiah J.Thompson Quartet (Sept. 2-3), Dave Liebman's Expansions: 75th Birthday Celebration (Sept. 4-5), John Hendricks Centennial Celebration (Sept. 9-12), Catherine Russell (Sept. 16-19), William Parker Celestial Lighthouse (Sept. 23-24), Endea Owens & The Cookout (Sept. 25-26), Brandon Goldberg Quintet (Sept. 30), Joey Alexander Trio (Oct. 1-3), Joey Defrancesco Album Release Celebration (Oct. 7-10), Edmar Castaneda Album Release Celebration (Oct. 14), Mike LeDonne Trio featuring Ron Carter and Joe Farnsworth (Oct. 15-16), Samara Joy (Oct. 17), Christian Sands Group (Oct. 21-23), Ashley Pezzotti and Her Trio (Oct. 24), Jeremy Pelt Quintet (Oct. 28-31), The Trio featuring Ted Nash, Steve Cardenas and Ben Allison (Nov. 3) and Stephane Wrembel's "Django New Orleans" (Nov. 4-7).

To purchase tickets for Dizzy’s Club in-person performances all guests are required to acknowledge and accept Jazz at Lincoln Center's COVID-19 Liability Wavier.

All guests must purchase tickets in advance for Dizzy’s Club in-person performances. There will be a limited amount of walk-up tickets available on the night of each performance.

Visit Jazz at Lincoln Center's website to see more upcoming performances.