Max Pollak Group

Trailblazing musician, composer, and percussive dancer Max Pollak brings his singular, genre-defying artistry to Birdland Jazz Club on Monday, July 27 at 7pm, leading an exceptional ensemble in an evening that blends percussive dance, body percussion, jazz, and Afro-Caribbean traditions into a vibrant chamber music experience.

An Austrian-born virtuoso and internationally celebrated innovator, Pollak has spent more than 25 years expanding the expressive possibilities of rhythm by treating the body as a fully realized musical instrument. Seamlessly integrating tap dance, body percussion, and vocals with instrumental performance, he creates a dynamic concert format that bridges musical cultures and theatrical traditions with precision and imagination.

Joining Pollak for this special engagement are:

Max Pollak, vocals, tap, percussion
Nicki Denner, piano
Jennifer Vincent, bass
Felipe Fournier, vibes
Samuel Torres, percussion
Camila Aldet, vocals, tap
Claudia Rahardjanoto, vocals, tap
Nicholas Young, tap, percussion

Pollak’s remarkable career has taken him to leading concert halls and opera houses around the world, including Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Zurich’s Tonhalle, and Dutch National Opera Amsterdam. A versatile collaborator across musical genres, he has performed with jazz legends Ray Brown, Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera, Pedrito Martinez, and Danilo Pérez, as well as classical luminaries Diana Damrau and Zubin Mehta. Equally at home in folkloric and contemporary traditions, he has also collaborated with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra.

A featured artist on the U.S. Postal Service Forever Stamp honoring Tap Dance, Pollak is also the co-creator of the acclaimed Off-Broadway production Carmen – To Havana and Back. His debut recording RumbaTap was released in 2015, and his new album Viis will be released in July.

This special Birdland performance highlights Pollak’s original compositions alongside inventive rhythmic explorations rooted in jazz and Afro-Caribbean traditions, offering audiences a compelling evening that reimagines rhythm as both sound and movement.