Upper East Side Native Peter Cincotti first started showing prowess on the piano at the age of 3, using a toy piano gifted by his grandmother. He would start lessons on a real piano a few years later, where he would play by ear his favorite tunes. Those included TV show themes from "Batman" and "Jeopardy."

Cincotti has come a long way since those early days, playing his blend of jazz, pop and rock all over the world. He has worked with legendary producers like Phil Ramone and David Foster. Along the way, he has released five albums with a sixth one on the way called "88 keys and Me," a tribute to the piano players who inspired him, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Joel and Lady Gaga.

Cincotti is no stranger to Birdland — it's one of the clubs where he would sit in with musicians as a teenager, working towards his goal of headlining. The legendary jazz club was in danger of closing due to the pandemic, but a fundraising campaign helped save it.

"Being at Birdland for the week means a lot, it means even more after the pandemic", said Cincotti. "I mean, being locked in the apartment in New York looking out of my window on the city that never sleeps and seeing it sleeping, to play music now at all is amazing, but to do it at a place like this, means even more," said Cincotti, who wrote a song called "Heart of the City" during the pandemic as a tribute to his hometown and performed it during the event to help keep Birdland open.

Cincotti has a new Christmas song out written with fellow songwriters Jim Brickman and Victoria Shaw, and is relishing the opportunity to play for audiences again, especially at Birdland, where it all started for him.