Wednesday Night Jazz Will Debut at Molly Spillane's Harbor Room in Early May

Mark Morganelli, a veteran jazz musician, concert organizer and former programming director for New York City's Birdland, has signed with Molly Spillane's to perform at its Harbor Room with his Jazz Forum All-Stars. 

Birdland has had a long and historic association with jazz and, while at Birdland or staging concerns on his own, Morganelli booked many of the jazz world's most legendary performers. 

The Harbor Room is located on Molly Spillane's second floor; it has 120 seats and serves contemporary American dishes such as New York strip steak, grilled lamb chops, seafood and pub food including Shepherd's Pie and "Bangers and Mash," which combines savory Irish sausage, scallion mashed potatoes, brown gravy and baked beans. There is no cover charge.

Morganelli—who plays the trumpet and the flugelhorn—and his group will perform on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-10 p.m. beginning May 4. 

On opening night, the program will include the following:  

• “Speak Low” by Kurt Weill and three tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim: “One Night Samba”, “Triste” and “The Girl from Ipanema” (these numbers have been recorded by Morganelli).
• Rodgers and Hart's “I Could Write a Book” and “My Romance.”
• Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's  “All The Things You Are.”
• “All Blues” by Miles Davis.
• "Oleo” by Sonny Rollins.
• A limited number of requests will be honored.

Morganelli—who had signed on as artistic director for the Mamaroneck International Jazz Festival—performed at its kickoff party and reception in January 2011 at Molly Spillane's. Molly Spillane's owner/partner Mike Hines—one of the festival's organizers—said discussions with Morganelli were initiated following the jazz musician's performance at the January gathering. The four-day festival—to include many acts and activities—is tentatively planned for multiple Mamaroneck locations in late spring or early summer of 2012.

During his jazz concert management career after leaving Birdland, Morganelli booked many famous performers including Ahmad Jamal, Billy Taylor, James Moody, Lionel Hampton, Dave Brubeck, Betty Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Herbie Mann, Clark Terry, Chuck Mangione, Cassandra Wilson, Joshua Redman, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Sonny Rollins, Maynard Ferguson and the Count Basie and Duke Ellington Orchestras. 

Morganelli also performed at the Village Gate and the Entermedia Theatre, and organized the celebration of Dizzy Gillespie's 75th birthday at Carnegie Hall. 

Molly Spillane's opened in 2008; it is located at 211 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck, NY and is open seven days a week. A sister restaurant called Mickey Spillane's, opened in 2006 in Eastchester. 914-899-3130.