Monday, August 20, 2012

Birdland rises from the ashes... Again

After almost 4 years away, but safely kept in the inventory of Alma Fushikizoh, Birdland returns to SL. This blog will allow you to know the Bird's history, past and present, as well as what we have in the making. On the right column you will find links to our dedicated pages, including the Events Schedule for the current month, also published on the blog post chain when first out.

We hope you will enjoy swinging through these pages as much as we enjoy writing them. Several authors will write on this blog, so expect a variety of content, ranging from music to work ethics, and always expect the unexpected for, as it is the case with our Misfit DJ sessions, Jazz is about improvisation and feeling. And so is this blog.


Birdland sits by the waterfront again, in The Caribbean. The Waterfall House can be seen behind it. July 2012.

Major changes are, apart from the obvious technical improvements, the regular DJ sessions scheduled for European and American audiences, the regular LIVE shows, featuring some of the best jazz voices in Second Life, and the return of Showgirls & Burlesque, one of the oldest SL burlesque line ups that have been dancing on stages all over the grid since 2006. Birdland is proud to be SG&B's native venue.

Those of you who have been in Second Life for some time already know how we view the Bird, those of you who were born after its disappearance will soon find out what Birdland is. Contrary to many other venues that claim Jazz in their titles, Birdland stays true to its original and many of the songs played there were actually recorded live at Birdland RL. Birdland in SL is far from a commercial venture and it was always the open lounge of Alma Fushikizoh and Blysse Biondi, the SL/RL couple that manages the venue as if it was an entertaining room in their house, a place to visit with friends and spend time dancing and talking with interesting people while listening to the sounds of the Jazz and Swing masters of yesterday and today.

Alma and Blysse dancing to Silje Neergard's rendition of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered". August 2012.

For practical reasons, Alma and Blysse live near the Bird for the first time ever, and private spaces do exist, like their home, the Waterfall House. Visitors can stroll between all private spaces and the security system, though effective, is not aggressive, leaving a reasonable amount of time for the unaware wanderer to get back on public land. Outside the club grounds there are plenty of public spaces to enjoy, with dances available at virtually every corner of the parcel. So whatever you are looking for, whether a night out with friends dancing on the main floor and sea deck, a memorable conversation by the sea on the dinning deck or a private dance by the ocean or overlooking the Bird from the Marina, you will find it here. Again.

The Grand ReOpening is schedulled for the second weekend of September, with multiple events taking place that Saturday and Sunday, but Birdland is already operating and we are spinning the familiar Misfit DJ Sessions by resident DJ Alma Fushikizoh.

See SCHEDULE PAGE for details.

Final note:
A very special thank you to one of Birdland's finest friends, Inara Pey, who wrote a beautiful piece about the Bird in her blog, Living in a Modem World, entitled "Birdland returns to SL". You may find her once more at the Bird, dancing on our marble floors or playing the piano and singing along with Michael BublĂ©...

Welcome back to Birdland! We missed you!

BIRDLAND SL © 2012