GoFundMe Launched to Save Birdland Jazz Club
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to save the historic Birdland Jazz Club, which is in danger of closing for good amid the pandemic. The fundraiser is created by off-Broadway producer Tom D'Angora, who hosted a similar campaign weeks ago to raise funds for the West Bank Cafe.
The original Birdland Jazz Club opened in 1949 at 1678 Broadway, with musician Charlie Parker as its regular headliner, as well as various guest artists ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis. This iteration of the club closed in 1964 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The current Birdland was launched in 1985 by owner Gianni Valenti and has called 315 West 44th Street home since 1996. It is currently home to weekly events like Jim Caruso's Cast Party.
Like many independently owned businesses across the country, Birdland is greatly in need of capital to help get out of the debt caused by the pandemic closure. According to the GoFundMe, if the fundraising goal of $250,000 is reached, it will not only help erase Birdland's debuts, but will allow it to "weather the rest of this storm."
