NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/15) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 07/15/2019 by

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JULY 15, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (also July 16, 18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

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5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> BETTYE LAVETTE
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Monday Night Magic
>> 47th Annual Dance on Camera Festival

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

BETTYE LAVETTE
at City Winery / 8 p.m.; $35+
“LaVette can straight-talk her way through a crooked tale: With a common-sense delivery and a crinkly-voiced Midwestern air, she injects a sense of tensile restraint into almost every song. You get the sense that she ought to be reading you the riot act but just can’t be bothered to make time. LaVette scored a few hits on the R&B charts in the 1960s and early ’70s, but her career went into a lull until the mid-2000s, when a run of strong records on the Anti- label put her back in the spotlight. And her success continues today: LaVette’s most recent record, “Things Have Changed,” is a collection of stone-cold Dylan covers, and it’s a winner.” (NYT-Giovanni Russonello)

NB: Not only a fine show, but unfortunately July is the last month for City Winery on Varick St. before Disney comes in and demolishes the building.

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $30
the witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Monday Night Magic
Players Theatre, West Village / 8PM, $42.50
“For more than two decades,, this proudly old-school series has offered a different lineup of professional magicians every week: opening acts, a headliner and a host, plus two or three close-up magicians to wow the audience at intermission. Housed for the past seven years at the unprepossessing Players Theatre, it is an heir to the vaudeville tradition.

Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common. (If you have young children, bring them; they make especially adorable assistants.) Shows cost just $37.50 in advance and typically last well over two hours, so you get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar. In contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits.” (TONY)

47th Annual Dance on Camera Festival (LAST DAY)
Walter Reade Theater, 165 W65th St./ M
“Featuring 11 programs over four days, including films from 17 countries, the Dance on Camera Festival celebrates its 47th edition with a selection of films that explore dance from a variety of perspectives. From a film in which a woman dances off a rocky cliff in Greenland, to a tribute to the great Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, to stories of women overcoming extraordinary odds while taking control of their destinies through dance, this festival bears witness to the power of dance to ignite humanity. Highlights this year include a special Charles Atlas tribute to the artistry of legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham with rare footage of their collaborations. For a full festival lineup and location details, visit Lincoln Center’s event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

Continuing Events

“Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival will run from July 10 through August 10, 2019. Harnessing Mozart’s innovative spirit as its inspiration, this edition will feature groundbreaking, multidisciplinary, international productions and acclaimed artists from a variety of genres, introducing the audience to emerging creative voices, commissions and premieres.  The program will include performances from Mark Morris Dance Company, a panel discussion on Mozart’s Magic Flute, a screening of the film The Great Buster: A Celebration, and much more. For a full festival lineup, visit the Mostly Mozart Festival event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

NYC Restaurant Week 2019:
Start making your reservations.

The more than three-week-long promotion featuring two-course lunches ($26) and three-course dinners ($42) at some of the city’s best restaurants is back for its summer edition starting July 22. This time around, the celebration features prix-fixe meals at more than 380 eateries, with deals through Aug. 16.

You can find links to menus and the restaurants involved here, but check out our picks for some of the most enticing deals below.” (amNY)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/15 Bettye LaVette, City Winery
7/17 Okkervil River, City Winery
7/17 Aimee Mann, Music Hall of Williamsburg

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (through Aug. 9, 2020).
“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

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‘ART AFTER STONEWALL, 1969-1989’
at Grey Art Gallery (through July 20) and at Leslie-Lohman Museum (through July 21).
“For this summer’s half-century anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, substantial displays of art produced in the long wake of the uprising are filling New York City museums and public spaces. The largest is this two-part exhibition, organized by Jonathan Weinberg and shared by Grey Art Gallery at N.Y.U. and Leslie-Lohman Museum. The Leslie-Lohman half, which focuses on the 1970s and has lots of archival matter, feels tight and combustible. Much of what’s in it was hot off the political burner, responsive to crisis conditions. The pace at Grey, where much of the work dates from the 1980s, is more measured, but has tensions of its own as the story encompasses AIDS and the culture wars. (NYT-Holland Cotter)

‘2019 WHITNEY BIENNIAL’
at the Whitney Museum of American Art (through Sept. 22).
“Given the political tensions that have sent spasms through the nation over the past two years, you might have expected — hoped — that this year’s biennial would be one big, sharp Occupy-style yawp. It isn’t. Politics are present but, with a few notable exceptions, murmured, coded, stitched into the weave of fastidiously form-conscious, labor-intensive work. As a result, the exhibition, organized by two young Whitney curators, Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta, gives the initial impression of being a well-groomed group show rather than a statement of resistance. But once you start looking closely, the impression changes artist by artist, piece by piece — there’s quiet agitation in the air.” (NYT-Cotter)

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‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Jan. 3).
“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (NYT-Ralph Blumenthal)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/13 and 07/11.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/14) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 07/14/2019 by

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JULY 14, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

RON CARTER QUARTET
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $30-$45
“A bassist who needs no introduction, Carter served as the slippery anchor in Miles Davis’s game-changing quintet of the mid-1960s and, over his career, performed on more than 2,000 recordings. Now 82, he largely sticks to leading his own ensembles and tacks to a relatively straight-ahead approach. This week he appears with Renee Rosnes on piano, Jimmy Greene on saxophone and Payton Crossley on drums.” (NYT)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Jeremy Bosch Plays the Music of Cheo Feliciano
>> ROYAL DANISH BALLET
>> LYNYRD SKYNYRD WITH HANK WILLIAMS JR.
>> Billy Childs
>> FIAF’s Bastille Day Celebration
>> 47th Annual Dance on Camera Festival
>> Dig in at the Smorgasburg outdoor food market

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Jeremy Bosch Plays the Music of Cheo Feliciano
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“In his Dizzy’s Club headlining premiere, vocalist and flutist Jeremy Bosch will perform the music of salsa and bolero pioneer Cheo Feliciano. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Bosch attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship at age 17, and he has since performed all over the world as a bandleader and in groups like the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Sergio George and the Salsa Giants. It’s hard not to love live salsa music, and tonight you can enjoy the legacy of the legendary Cheo Feliciano, who has influenced current greats like Rubén Blades, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Jerry Rivas.”

ROYAL DANISH BALLET (LAST DAY)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m. $70+
“Established in 1748, this company is one of the oldest in the world. In the 1830s, it was headed by the choreographer August Bournonville, and in many ways, it has remained under his thrall ever since. On this return visit to the Joyce, the troupe presents “The Bournonville Legacy,” a compilation of excerpts from his repertoire of charming story ballets, including “Napoli,” “A Folk Tale” and “La Sylphide,” the whimsical work often credited with lifting ballet into its Romantic period. On display will be the Bournonville trademarks: skittering footwork, regal arms, precise head placement and a cheerful buoyancy.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Surely not Manhattan’s WestSide, but this looks well worth the detour:

LYNYRD SKYNYRD WITH HANK WILLIAMS JR.
at Forest Hills Stadium / 6 p.m.; $30+
“Talk of retirement seems to have given way to talk of a new album, and the sense that this free bird might just keep on flapping. Skynyrd has gone from concerts in the early 1970s speckled with Confederate flags to, well, strikingly similar-feeling concerts speckled with the Stars and Stripes today. In addition to the songs you know, like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Simple Man,” the band’s repertoire now includes tunes like “Red, White and Blue (Love It or Leave It)” and “Gimme Back My Bullets” — both of which were featured on their 2018 album, “Live in Atlantic City.” Currently fronted by Johnny Van Zant, a younger brother of the original singer Ronnie Van Zant, Skynyrd appear here with Hank Williams Jr., another legacy figure in Southern rock.” (NYT)

Billy Childs (July 11-14)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“On the inspired recording “Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro,” from 2014, the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Billy Childs paid tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter, touching on both her sophisticated pop creations (“Stoned Soul Picnic”) and her inward-looking reveries (“New York Tendaberry”). Here, two fine singers, Alicia Olatuja and Kate McGarry, join Childs in tackling the int

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

FIAF’s Bastille Day Celebration
Celebrate Bastille Day at New York’s liveliest summer fête presented by FIAF and Côte d’Azur France!
12–5pm / 60th Street, from Fifth Avenue to Lexington Avenue,
“Abounding with French cuisine, musique, dance, and myriad attractions for the whole family, this three-block fête populaire invites New Yorkers to revel in the flavors, sounds, and joie de vivre of France.

For over 20 years, FIAF has hosted New York’s largest public celebration of France’s national holiday, Bastille Day. The day commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the birth of the modern French nation. Don’t miss this festive afternoon of French food, wine, culture, and entertainment.”

47th Annual Dance on Camera Festival (July12-15)
Walter Reade Theater, 165 W65th St./ M
“Featuring 11 programs over four days, including films from 17 countries, the Dance on Camera Festival celebrates its 47th edition with a selection of films that explore dance from a variety of perspectives. From a film in which a woman dances off a rocky cliff in Greenland, to a tribute to the great Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, to stories of women overcoming extraordinary odds while taking control of their destinies through dance, this festival bears witness to the power of dance to ignite humanity. Highlights this year include a special Charles Atlas tribute to the artistry of legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham with rare footage of their collaborations. For a full festival lineup and location details, visit Lincoln Center’s event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

Elsewhere, but this is one tasty day, and worth the detour:

Dig in at the Smorgasburg outdoor food market
Billed as the largest weekly open-air market in the country, the Smorgasburg outdoor food market takes place each weekend through Sept. 7, switching between Williamsburg (Saturdays) and Prospect Park (Sundays) and featuring more than 100 area vendors selling all kinds of food and drink.
WHEN | WHERE 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays at East River State Park, 90 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays, Prospect Park: Breeze Hill at East Drive and Lincoln Road, Brooklyn
INFO Free; smorgasburg.com

Continuing Events

“Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival will run from July 10 through August 10, 2019. Harnessing Mozart’s innovative spirit as its inspiration, this edition will feature groundbreaking, multidisciplinary, international productions and acclaimed artists from a variety of genres, introducing the audience to emerging creative voices, commissions and premieres.  The program will include performances from Mark Morris Dance Company, a panel discussion on Mozart’s Magic Flute, a screening of the film The Great Buster: A Celebration, and much more. For a full festival lineup, visit the Mostly Mozart Festival event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/14 Railroad Earth, Summerstage Central Park
7/15 Bettye LaVette, City Winery
7/17 Okkervil River, City Winery
7/17 Aimee Mann, Music Hall of Williamsburg

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
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A PremierPub / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

HarlHostStandNo food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.

Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.

The blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long (assuming you snagged a table). The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.

Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some long waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a  comment. 

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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/13) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 07/13/2019 by

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JULY 13, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

This is the last of this season’s ‘Midsummer Night Swing’ and we will miss it.

Harlem Renaissance Orchestra
15th Annual Tribute to Illinois Jacquet
plus the Ambassador Prize Lindy Hop Dance Contest
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $22
Dance floor opens at 6:00 pm
Dance lesson at 6:30 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Style: Big Band Swing
Dance Instructor: Margaret Batiuchok teaches Swing
DJ: Ryan Swift

“Swing is the thing at our season finale. The Harlem Renaissance Orchestra keeps the spirit of jazz legend Illinois Jacquet alive with classic big-band tunes and blazing uptown energy. Always one of the best parties of the season, the night reaches its glorious peak when New York’s best dancers compete for the Ambassador Prize, an homage to Lindy hop icon Frankie Manning.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Dr. Eddie Henderson Quintet
>> Mark Morris Dance Group
>> Billy Childs
>> Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz
>> Freddy Cole Quartet 
>> Bal des Pompiers
>> ‘Woodstock–The Director’s Cut’

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

Dr. Eddie Henderson Quintet (July 12–13)
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $45
“The band joining Henderson at this run includes the New Orleanian saxophonist Donald Harrison, the pianist Peter Zak, the bassist Gerald Cannon and the drummer Mike Clark — who, like Henderson, came into his own in the 1970s, playing jazz-funk in bands led by Herbie Hancock. The group’s diversity makes sense for a trumpeter like Henderson, whose idea of jazz encompasses subtle backbeats, swarming atmospherics and virtuoso hard-bop playing.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Mark Morris Dance Group (LAST DAY)
Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St./ 7:30PM, $40+
“Morris, a longtime friend of the Mostly Mozart Festival, returns with a triple bill. It includes a new work, “Sport,” set to Satie’s “Sports et Divertissements,” a suite of witty piano pieces on such subjects as racing, picnicking, and sledding. Morris is also bringing back “V,” a moving, and remarkably redemptive, pure-dance piece set to Schumann’s Quintet in E-Flat Major. It premièred in October, 2001, just a month after 9/11.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Billy Childs (July 11-14)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“On the inspired recording “Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro,” from 2014, the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Billy Childs paid tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter, touching on both her sophisticated pop creations (“Stoned Soul Picnic”) and her inward-looking reveries (“New York Tendaberry”). Here, two fine singers, Alicia Olatuja and Kate McGarry, join Childs in tackling the intricacies of Nyro’s inimitable work.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (also July 15-16, 18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

Freddy Cole Quartet (July 11-13)
Birdland / 8:30PM, +11PM, $30-$40
“The New York Times calls Freddy Cole, “the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive.” People Magazine praises his, “gorgeous autumnal baritone, expressive phrasing and pitch-perfect feel for jazz standards, pop tunes and love ballads.”

Uncle to Natalie Cole, brother of Nat “King” Cole, pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole doesn’t apologize for sounding a little bit like his iconic elder brother as he tantalizes listeners all over the world. Cole’s annual visit is the perfect blend of jazz and great American standards.”

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

These events are not exactly Manhattan’s WestSide, but still worth the detour:

Bal des Pompiers
Learn the words to ‘La Marseillaise’
Jacques Brasserie, Upper East Side /
“In Paris, the night before Bastille Day, Parisians celebrate Bal des Pompiers (translation: Dance of the Firemen), by partying in fire stations (some firemen, one assumes, remain designated drivers in case of an emergency). Jacques Brasserie is hosting a Bal des Pompiers party complete with specialty cocktails like the Jacques 75, which comes with a float of G.H. Mumm champagne. Have a few escargots, play a game of Pétanque, and raise a glass to the French revolutionaries.” (thrillist)
Cost: Free to enter; specialty cocktails are $12; food available for purchase

 

‘Woodstock–The Director’s Cut’
“Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning 1970 documentary on the 1969 music festival that defined a generation, returns in an extended, 225-minute cut that includes additional performances from Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. Associate producer Dale Bell will appear in person at the screening, which is sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Saturday, July 13, at 1 p.m., Metrograph, 7 Ludlow St., Manhattan
INFO $15; 212-660-0312, metrograph.com

Continuing Events

“Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival will run from July 10 through August 10, 2019. Harnessing Mozart’s innovative spirit as its inspiration, this edition will feature groundbreaking, multidisciplinary, international productions and acclaimed artists from a variety of genres, introducing the audience to emerging creative voices, commissions and premieres.  The program will include performances from Mark Morris Dance Company, a panel discussion on Mozart’s Magic Flute, a screening of the film The Great Buster: A Celebration, and much more. For a full festival lineup, visit the Mostly Mozart Festival event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/13 Yeasayer, Webster Hall
7/13 De La Soul, The Rooftop at Pier 17
7/13 The Smithereens with Marshall Crenshaw, Iridium Jazz Club
7/14 Lynyrd Skynyrd, Forest Hills Stadium
7/14 Railroad Earth, Summerstage Central Park
7/15 Bettye LaVette, City Winery
7/17 Okkervil River, City Winery
7/17 Aimee Mann, Music Hall of Williamsburg

============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

Here is one exhibition the New Yorker likes:

and one the NYTimes likes:

‘JEFF WALL’ (extended through July 26)

“Rumination and risk-taking, in equal measure, mark this conceptual photographer’s spellbinding new exhibition. The show, Wall’s first at this Chelsea gallery since ending a 25-year run with the rival dealer Marian Goodman, feels decidedly introspective. Figures alone in contemplative trances, or alienated from their partners in scenes of evident tension, define most of the works. The encyclopedic visual literacy that has long characterized Wall’s pictures (with their compositional echoes of old master paintings) has been pared back, allowing more psychological complexity to emerge. Just as new is an emphasis on narrative and sequence; among the pieces are two diptychs and an enveloping, cinematic triptych.” (Karen Rosenberg)
212-741-1717, gagosian.com

===========================================================================

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 07/11 and 07/09.
=====================================================

Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening discovery and enjoyment.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.

=======================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/12) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 07/12/2019 by

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JULY 12, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Maria Muldaur
sings the songs of Blue Lu Barker and more
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $22
Dance floor opens at 6:00 pm
Dance lesson at 6:30 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Style: New Orleans Jazz, Rhythm & Blues
Dance Instructor: Virginia Jimenez teaches Blues
DJ: Todd-O-Phonic Todd

“With deep roots in folk, rock, and pop, Maria Muldaur has been touring worldwide for more than 50 years. These days she’s digging into the catalogue of New Orleans jazz and blues singer Blue Lu Barker, whose 1930s and ‘40s hits include “Don’t You Feel My Leg” and “Look What Baby’s Got for You.” There is no better pairing than a sultry summer night and some down and dirty New Orleans rhythm and blues.”

====================================================

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Billy Childs
>> Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz
>> Freddy Cole Quartet
>> ROYAL DANISH BALLET
>> The Life & Death of Alexander Hamilton
>> Apollo’s Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography  

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Billy Childs (July 11-14)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“On the inspired recording “Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro,” from 2014, the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger Billy Childs paid tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter, touching on both her sophisticated pop creations (“Stoned Soul Picnic”) and her inward-looking reveries (“New York Tendaberry”). Here, two fine singers, Alicia Olatuja and Kate McGarry, join Childs in tackling the intricacies of Nyro’s inimitable work.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (July 9-13, 15-16, 18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

Freddy Cole Quartet (July 11-13)
Birdland / 8:30PM, +11PM, $30-$40
“The New York Times calls Freddy Cole, “the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive.” People Magazine praises his, “gorgeous autumnal baritone, expressive phrasing and pitch-perfect feel for jazz standards, pop tunes and love ballads.”

Uncle to Natalie Cole, brother of Nat “King” Cole, pianist and vocalist Freddy Cole doesn’t apologize for sounding a little bit like his iconic elder brother as he tantalizes listeners all over the world. Cole’s annual visit is the perfect blend of jazz and great American standards.”

ROYAL DANISH BALLET (July 9-14)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m. $70+
“Established in 1748, this company is one of the oldest in the world. In the 1830s, it was headed by the choreographer August Bournonville, and in many ways, it has remained under his thrall ever since. On this return visit to the Joyce, the troupe presents “The Bournonville Legacy,” a compilation of excerpts from his repertoire of charming story ballets, including “Napoli,” “A Folk Tale” and “La Sylphide,” the whimsical work often credited with lifting ballet into its Romantic period. On display will be the Bournonville trademarks: skittering footwork, regal arms, precise head placement and a cheerful buoyancy.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Life & Death of Alexander Hamilton
Trinity Church, 74 Trinity Pl./ 5:30PM, $20
“Just one day after his notorious duel with Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton died on July 12, 1804. Fraunces Tavern Museum will commemorate the life and death of Hamilton with an evening of special programming. Join us at Trinity Church as we memorialize Hamilton with a reading of his eulogy at his gravesite and speak with Eliza Hamilton, portrayed by Kim Hanley of The American Historical Theatre, about her husband’s legacy, accompanied by a Revolutionary War tour of the churchyard.” (Fraunces Tavern Museum)

Apollo’s Muse: The Moon in the Age of Photography |
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM,
Free with museum admission
“Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, join Metropolitan Museum of Art experts for conversations about works in the new Met photo exhibition. Moon gazing on the roof follows.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

‘Midsummer Night Swing’ (July 2-6, 9-13)
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
“Each summer, some of the dance at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes place outside, in Damrosch Park, where a variety of bands and orchestras will serve up R&B, swing, disco and other styles. Guests can dance the night away — and for those who could use a hand learning steps, group lessons are offered. ($18-$22; 6 p.m.; Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan; lincolncenter.org)” (amNY)

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/11-12 Dar Williams, City Winery
7/12 Chet Faker, Brooklyn Steel
7/13 Yeasayer, Webster Hall
7/13 De La Soul, The Rooftop at Pier 17
7/13 The Smithereens with Marshall Crenshaw, Iridium Jazz Club
7/14 Lynyrd Skynyrd, Forest Hills Stadium
7/14 Railroad Earth, Summerstage Central Park
7/15 Bettye LaVette, City Winery
7/17 Okkervil River, City Winery
7/17 Aimee Mann, Music Hall of Williamsburg

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

==============================================================

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 55th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $9.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
=========================================================
Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk: 1 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
==============================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

============================================================

Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

=======================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/11) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 07/11/2019 by

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JULY 11, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

Frances Ruffelle Live(S) in New York
The Green Room 42 / 7PM, $30
“Ruffelle has a place of her own in the hearts of musical-theater fans for her performance as sacrificial waif Éponine in the original London and Broadway casts of Les Misérables. Having recently relocated to New York City, she returns to the nightclub stage with a charmingly game and gamine monthly set at the Green Room 42.” (TONY)

Eponine has all grown up and she puts on one hot show – don’t miss it.

====================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> QUIANA LYNELL
>> Típica Messiez
>> Tap City – Rhythm in Motion
>> Celisse
>> CHVRCHES
>> Young People’s Chorus of New York City
>> ROYAL DANISH BALLET

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

QUIANA LYNELL
at Dizzy’s Club / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $40
“In 2017, Lynell won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, a prestigious contest for jazz vocalists; earlier this year she released her first full-length album, “A Little Love.” On it she puts her effortless cool and sweeping agility to work with a broad repertoire, reaching back across the past 100 years to retrieve compositions by George and Ira Gershwin, Irma Thomas, Donny Hathaway and various others. At Dizzy’s she appears with the guitarist Alex Wintz, the pianist Willerm Delisfort, the bassist Noah Jackson and the drummer Joe Dyson.” (GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO-NYT)

Típica Messiez
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $22
Dance floor opens at 6:00 pm
Dance lesson at 6:30 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Style: Tango
Dance Instructors: Leonardo Sardella and Mariana Parma teach Tango
DJ: María José Sosa

“Típica Messiez—led by Emiliano Messiez, award-winning pianist of the Broadway and West End sensation Forever Tango—is made up of renowned musicians and tango legends, including Latin Grammy Award–winner Raul Jaurena. This newly formed orquesta típica makes its New York debut with a signature mix of original and classic tango arrangements, keeping dancers and music aficionados alike on their feet all night long.”

Tap City – Rhythm in Motion (July 6-12)
Tonight: Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Symphony Space / 8PM, $50
“For nearly twenty years, the New York City Tap Festival has held on, keeping the flag raised for tap dance without much help. The first of two main events this summer is “Tap Ellington,” a classy tribute to the composer and his tap-friendly music, with accompaniment by a big band at the storied night club Birdland (July 7). The second is “Rhythm in Motion” (at Symphony Space, July 11), a more hit than miss sampler of new tap choreography. The lineup is mostly festival regulars, such as Max Pollak, Caleb Teicher, and Brenda Bufalino, but there’s at least one new twist: tap crossed with bharata natyam.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

Celisse
Atrium, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“With soulful vocals and infectious, blues-tinged hooks, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and spoken-word artist Celisse returns to the Atrium in advance of her first album release. Most recently, she embarked on a sold-out tour with Trey Anastasio’s new group Ghosts of the Forest and performed as part of Greenwich House Music School’s live music series, Uncharted.”

CHVRCHES
at Radio City Music Hall / 8 p.m. $26+
“When the first single from this Glaswegian group — a pulsing synth-pop gem called “Lies” — unexpectedly took off back in 2012, they were so nervous about performing live that they booked their first couple of shows under a pseudonym. The trio, fronted by Lauren Mayberry, has come a long way since then and, on Tuesday, will play one of Manhattan’s most famous stages. Across three albums, Chvrches have churned out sharp, hooky songs noted for their role in the advent of “poptimism”; at Radio City, expect to hear their biggest hits, like “The Mother We Share” and “Leave a Trace.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

Young People’s Chorus of New York City
Jewish Museum / 7:30PM, may need to standby.
“Bang on a Can and the Jewish Museum’s 2019-2020 concert season, pairing innovative music with the Museum’s exhibitions, begins on Thursday, July 11, 2019 at 7:30pm. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), founded and directed by Francisco J. Núñez, perform a concert that will include songs and poems by Leonard Cohen and others, coinciding with the Jewish Museum’s exhibition, Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything.

Recognized throughout New York City and internationally as one of the leading and most diverse children’s choirs, YPC is a longtime and frequent collaborator with Bang on a Can. The chorus has forged a unique presence in the city’s music community both as a champion commissioner and performer of new works by today’s leading composers and for its innovative vocal arrangements that consistently cross all musical borders.” (nyc-arts.org)

ROYAL DANISH BALLET (July 9-14)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m. $70+
“Established in 1748, this company is one of the oldest in the world. In the 1830s, it was headed by the choreographer August Bournonville, and in many ways, it has remained under his thrall ever since. On this return visit to the Joyce, the troupe presents “The Bournonville Legacy,” a compilation of excerpts from his repertoire of charming story ballets, including “Napoli,” “A Folk Tale” and “La Sylphide,” the whimsical work often credited with lifting ballet into its Romantic period. On display will be the Bournonville trademarks: skittering footwork, regal arms, precise head placement and a cheerful buoyancy.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More Smart Stuff coming soon.

Continuing Events

‘Midsummer Night Swing’ (July 2-6, 9-13)
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
“Each summer, some of the dance at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes place outside, in Damrosch Park, where a variety of bands and orchestras will serve up R&B, swing, disco and other styles. Guests can dance the night away — and for those who could use a hand learning steps, group lessons are offered. ($18-$22; 6 p.m.; Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan; lincolncenter.org)” (amNY)

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

see tomorrow’s post.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

“In Praise of Painting” (thru Oct.4, 2020)

“How great are the Met’s holdings in the Dutch golden age? Very. This long-term installation rings the lower level of the Lehman Wing with scores of lesser-known gems from the mid-seventeenth century, many of them rarely on view before, amid masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael. The period, vivified here, began in 1648, when the end of the Eighty Years’ War with Spain brought a boom in wealth and morale, expressed by genre paintings that exalt the national ideal of gezelligheid—social warmth, comfort, belonging. A key figure was Gerard ter Borch, who had travelled widely and worked at the court of Philip IV, in company with Velázquez. Ter Borch’s lustrous, ineffably witty domestic scenes inspired a generation of masters, notably Vermeer, whose genius rather eclipsed his elder’s. The pictures often star ter Borch’s younger sister Gesina, preening in satins or enigmatically musing. Herself a painter, she is cutely funny-looking—pointy nose, weak chin—and desperately lovable. There’s much to be said for a world with such a family in it.”

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/09 and 07/07.
============================================================

Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

=======================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/10) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 07/10/2019 by

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JULY 10, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

ROYAL DANISH BALLET (July 9-14)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m. $70+
“Established in 1748, this company is one of the oldest in the world. In the 1830s, it was headed by the choreographer August Bournonville, and in many ways, it has remained under his thrall ever since. On this return visit to the Joyce, the troupe presents “The Bournonville Legacy,” a compilation of excerpts from his repertoire of charming story ballets, including “Napoli,” “A Folk Tale” and “La Sylphide,” the whimsical work often credited with lifting ballet into its Romantic period. On display will be the Bournonville trademarks: skittering footwork, regal arms, precise head placement and a cheerful buoyancy.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

====================================================

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Emoción: The Sounds of Tango
>> ULYSSES OWENS JR.
>> Eyal Vilner Big Band
>> Mark Morris Dance Group
>> EARTH, WIND & FIRE
>> Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Emoción: The Sounds of Tango
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“Emoción is a vibrant, multinational quintet comprised of virtuoso musicians from Lebanon, Peru, Venezuela, Belgium, and Germany. Originally united by their shared passion for the sounds and rhythms of Tango Nuevo, this ensemble celebrates the universal power of music, and their diverse origins reflect a global fusion of repertoire and influences. With tango music serving as a flexible and often dramatic foundation, the band’s impassioned performances help audiences of all backgrounds make an emotional connection to sounds from around the world.”

ULYSSES OWENS JR.
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. $
“A drummer in his mid-30s, Owens is a first-call side musician for some of jazz’s most prominent performers (Christian McBride, Kurt Elling and Joey Alexander, among others), but as a bandleader he focuses on creating ambitious, message-driven suites — sometimes featuring original music, sometimes working from within a canon of his own making. His fifth album, released in January, is “Songs of Freedom,” devoted to the liberation poetry embedded in the music of Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln and Joni Mitchell. But at the Standard, he presents a new project, “Generation Y,” featuring Alexa Tarantino on saxophone, Drew Anderson on trumpet, Luther Allison on piano and Philip Norris on bass.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Eyal Vilner Big Band
Featuring Brianna Thomas and Brandon Bain
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $22
Dance floor opens at 6:00 pm
Dance lesson at 6:30 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Style: Big Band Swing
Dance Instructor: Sam Coleman teaches Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz
DJ: DJ Ron

“Led by saxophonist, composer, and conductor Eyal Vilner, this 16-piece, multigenerational ensemble has been called “an exciting new sound in the finest tradition of contemporary big band music” (All About Jazz). As a group these international players have collaborated with jazz legends such as Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Owens, and Frank Wess, as well as the new generation of greats. Join them under the stars for this evening of big band swing standards as they celebrate the release of their new album.”

Mark Morris Dance Group (July 10-13)
Rose Theatre, Broadway at 60th St./ 7:30PM, $
“Morris, a longtime friend of the Mostly Mozart Festival, returns with a triple bill. It includes a new work, “Sport,” set to Satie’s “Sports et Divertissements,” a suite of witty piano pieces on such subjects as racing, picnicking, and sledding. Morris is also bringing back “V,” a moving, and remarkably redemptive, pure-dance piece set to Schumann’s Quintet in E-Flat Major. It premièred in October, 2001, just a month after 9/11.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

EARTH, WIND & FIRE (July 9-10)
at the Beacon Theater / 8 p.m.; $180
“As this legacy act nears the half-century mark, the members continue to make the rounds minus the band’s founder and creative center, Maurice White, who died in 2016. After wrapping up a Las Vegas residency in March, the group, responsible for fusing gospel, jazz and disco into some of the most boisterous hits of the 1970s, including “September” and “Shining Star,” have just started a summer tour. This week, the remaining original lineup of Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson, with some new additions, will bring their enduring message of peace and unity to the Beacon.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (July 9-13, 15-16, 18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

MM

Continuing Events

‘Midsummer Night Swing’ (July 2-6, 9-13)
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
“Each summer, some of the dance at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes place outside, in Damrosch Park, where a variety of bands and orchestras will serve up R&B, swing, disco and other styles. Guests can dance the night away — and for those who could use a hand learning steps, group lessons are offered. ($18-$22; 6 p.m.; Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan; lincolncenter.org)” (amNY)

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/9-10 Earth, Wind & Fire, Beacon Theatre
7/9 WFUV’s on Your Radar, Rockwood Music Hall
7/10 Belle & Sebastian, Brooklyn Steel
7/10 Dar Williams, City Winery

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

=====================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL.
As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
==============================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
========================================================

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
========================================================
NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available FALL 2019).
◊ Order before NOV. 30, 2019 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

=======================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (07/09) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 07/09/2019 by

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JULY 09, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

EARTH, WIND & FIRE (July 9-10)
at the Beacon Theater / 8 p.m.; $180
“As this legacy act nears the half-century mark, the members continue to make the rounds minus the band’s founder and creative center, Maurice White, who died in 2016. After wrapping up a Las Vegas residency in March, the group, responsible for fusing gospel, jazz and disco into some of the most boisterous hits of the 1970s, including “September” and “Shining Star,” have just started a summer tour. This week, the remaining original lineup of Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson, with some new additions, will bring their enduring message of peace and unity to the Beacon.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

====================================================

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Elba Ramalho
>> Allan Harris: A Tale of Two Kings
>> Los Campesinos!
>> Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> Cryptocurrency and the Future of Money
You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Elba Ramalho
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $22
Dance floor opens at 6:00 pm
Dance lesson at 6:30 pm
Live music at 7:30 pm
Style: Forró
Dance Instructor: Marizete Browne teaches Forró
DJ: Greg Caz

“Known by many as “The Queen of Forró,” the Brazilian songwriter, singer, poet, and actress Elba Ramalho has been featured on more than three dozen albums since her first solo record, Ave de Prata, took Brazil by storm in 1979. Don’t miss this rare New York appearance by the powerful, multifaceted interpreter of traditional Brazilian styles. With a driving rhythm section made up of triangle, guitar, and accordion, forró is festive music before anything else, and there is no better party hostess than the “dizzying force of nature,” Elba Ramalho (AllMusic.com).”

Allan Harris: A Tale of Two Kings
The Genius of Eddie Jefferson and the Elegance of Nat King Cole
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“The award-winning Allan Harris is a Brooklyn-born, Harlem-raised vocalist, guitarist, and composer with a powerful baritone voice and a huge stylistic range. In his return to Dizzy’s Club, he will pay tribute to two geniuses of jazz vocals: vocalese pioneer Eddie Jefferson and crooner Nat “King” Cole. By taking on both of these artists’ famous songbooks and vocal approaches, Harris will showcase—and perhaps combine—two very different sides of his immense talent in an impressive and entertaining performance.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Los Campesinos!
Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave. / 8PM, $
The exclamation point employed by the members of Los Campesinos! seems to signal a collective that can barely contain its exuberance; the hyperactive punctuation of the band’s biggest single, “You! Me! Dancing!,” from 2007, exemplified the group’s trademark peppiness. In recent years, its acerbic lyrics, which reckon with the perils of aging and the sting of disillusionment, have diverted attention from sprightly choruses and maximalist arrangements, yet there’s still vigor for listeners who miss the liveliness of a bygone indie era.” (Julyssa Lopez, NewYorker)

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (July 9-13,15-16,18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the July 9 edition include Dan Finnerty, Van Hughes, Lauren Mufson, Jodi Bluestein, Jeffery Power, Dylan Hartwell, Miss Maybell, Joe Ardizzone and Carson Scott Higgins.” (TONY)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in Conversation with Ben Mezrich: Cryptocurrency and the Future of Money
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7:30PM, $40
‘Facebook’s recent announcement of its new cryptocurrency Libra makes for an especially well-timed visit from the Winklevoss twins. They’ll talk about their own horoscopic-inspired foray into the ether, Gemini, and what emoney has to tell us about where capitalism is headed. They’ll be joined by Ben Mezrich, author of Bitcoin Billionaires.” (ThoughtGallery)

Continuing Events

‘Midsummer Night Swing’ (July 2-6, 9-13)
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center
“Each summer, some of the dance at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes place outside, in Damrosch Park, where a variety of bands and orchestras will serve up R&B, swing, disco and other styles. Guests can dance the night away — and for those who could use a hand learning steps, group lessons are offered. ($18-$22; 6 p.m.; Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan; lincolncenter.org)” (amNY)

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/9 Citizen Cope, Brooklyn Steel
7/9-10 Earth, Wind & Fire, Beacon Theatre
7/9 WFUV’s on Your Radar, Rockwood Music Hall
7/10 Belle & Sebastian, Brooklyn Steel
7/10 Dar Williams, City WinerY

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
===============================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

American Museum of Natural History

‘T. REX: THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR’  (through Aug. 9, 2020).
“Everyone’s favorite 18,000-pound prehistoric killer gets the star treatment in this eye-opening exhibition, which presents the latest scientific research on T. rex and also introduces many other tyrannosaurs, some discovered only this century in China and Mongolia. T. rex evolved mainly during the Cretaceous Period to have keen eyes, spindly arms and massive conical teeth, which could bear down on prey with the force of a U-Haul truck; the dinosaur could even swallow whole bones, as affirmed here by a kid-friendly display of fossilized excrement. The show mixes 66-million-year-old teeth with the latest 3-D prints of dino bones, and also presents new models of T. rex as a baby, a juvenile and a full-grown annihilator. Turns out this most savage beast was covered with — believe it! — a soft coat of beige or white feathers.” (Farago-NYT)

——————————————————————————————–

‘ART AFTER STONEWALL, 1969-1989’
at Grey Art Gallery (through July 20) and at Leslie-Lohman Museum (through July 21).
“For this summer’s half-century anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, substantial displays of art produced in the long wake of the uprising are filling New York City museums and public spaces. The largest is this two-part exhibition, organized by Jonathan Weinberg and shared by Grey Art Gallery at N.Y.U. and Leslie-Lohman Museum. The Leslie-Lohman half, which focuses on the 1970s and has lots of archival matter, feels tight and combustible. Much of what’s in it was hot off the political burner, responsive to crisis conditions. The pace at Grey, where much of the work dates from the 1980s, is more measured, but has tensions of its own as the story encompasses AIDS and the culture wars. (NYT-Holland Cotter)

‘2019 WHITNEY BIENNIAL’
at the Whitney Museum of American Art (through Sept. 22).
“Given the political tensions that have sent spasms through the nation over the past two years, you might have expected — hoped — that this year’s biennial would be one big, sharp Occupy-style yawp. It isn’t. Politics are present but, with a few notable exceptions, murmured, coded, stitched into the weave of fastidiously form-conscious, labor-intensive work. As a result, the exhibition, organized by two young Whitney curators, Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta, gives the initial impression of being a well-groomed group show rather than a statement of resistance. But once you start looking closely, the impression changes artist by artist, piece by piece — there’s quiet agitation in the air.” (NYT-Cotter)

————————————————————————————————

‘AUSCHWITZ. NOT LONG AGO. NOT FAR AWAY’
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (through Jan. 3).
“Killing as a communal business, made widely lucrative by the Third Reich, permeates this traveling exhibition about the largest German death camp, Auschwitz, whose yawning gatehouse, with its converging rail tracks, has become emblematic of the Holocaust. Well timed, during a worldwide surge of anti-Semitism, the harrowing installation strives, successfully, for fresh relevance. The exhibition illuminates the topography of evil, the deliberate designing of a hell on earth by fanatical racists and compliant architects and provisioners, while also highlighting the strenuous struggle for survival in a place where, as Primo Levi learned, “there is no why.” (NYT-Ralph Blumenthal)

================================================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/07 and 07/05.

============================================================

Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

=======================================================

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

=======================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment