Today’s “Fab Five” / Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, July 15, 2013
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide be sure to check out :
“Notable Events-July”, “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
Isaac ben Ayala, Performing and Film Recording Pianist
“Isaac ben Ayala has performed and recorded with many notable bands and greats – from Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Louis Bellson, Leon Thomas, Frank Foster, David Murray, James Spaulding, Roy Hargrove, and Wynton Marsalis, to The New York City Ballet, The Sultans of Swing, The Donald Byrd Dance Company and Joe Piscipo. He has scored numerous films and can be heard on the piano in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006), The Mark Twain Prize Honors Billy Crystal (2007), and Denzel Washington’s The Great Debaters (2008).”
Bryant Park, Upper Terrace – Sixth Ave. & 42nd St.
At 12:30PM / FREE
1-212-768-4242
The New York Philharmonic performs Dvorak and Tchiakovsky
Program (Alan Gilbert will conduct):
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Central Park, Great Lawn
Directions: Westside entrances: West 81st or 86th Streets at Central Park West;
At 8PM / FREE
1-212-875-5709
Pilobolus (through Aug. 4)
“Any evening with Pilobolus is like a magic show, with bodies balancing and contorting in seemingly impossible ways. In “esc,” a New York premiere in the first of two programs at the Joyce, the troupe joins forces with Penn & Teller, combining its own corporeal stunts with the duo’s Houdini-inspired exploits. Program B features another new work, “Licks,” in which the frequent Pilobolus collaborator Trish Sie envisions a zany world for 6 dancers, 12 ropes and a rollicking soundtrack by Tijuana’s Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible.” (Burke-NYT)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street, Chelsea,
at 7:30 p.m. / $10 to $75.
(212) 242-0800 / joyce.org
Marissa Mulder: ‘Tom…In His Own Words’
“Sometimes, something remarkable can grow from the most unexpected juxtapositions. At 28, Marissa Mulder has a voice like a spring morning and a face to match. Her singing frequently puts experienced cabaret-goers in mind of Blossom Dearie’s little-girl innocence, and therefore the least likely material she could tackle would be the gin-soaked, hard-luck, grimy inner-city stories of Tom Waits.
No, she doesn’t take the easy step of addressing the songwriter’s lighter material, nor does she try to brighten up any of Mr. Waits’s infamously dark, rumpled anthems. Instead, she takes his darkest and most profound songs and looks them straight in the eye. Complementing Ms. Mulder’s starkly honest interpretations is pianist Jon Weber, who helps her extract the majestically dysfunctional beauty of texts like “Broken Bicycles” without merely prettying them up.
…Ms. Mulder has given us a virtual definition of what cabaret is supposed to be about, to project and amplify one’s own soul through the lens of songs written by someone else.” (WSJ)
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.,
At 9:30 / $20
(212) 539-8778 / joespub.com
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
Broadway impresario Jim Caruso hosts a combination open-mic, networking event and party, where on some nights you may hear the biggest stars on Broadway relax on their night off by performing their favorite songs in an informal setting. Always fun.
Birdland – 315 West 44th St (Btw 8th/9th ave)
9:30 pm / $20 (includes a drink if you sit at the bar, which are not bad seats)
(212) 581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com
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Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places / Midtown West
Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd st (btw 7th/8th ave)
Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.
From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys”, just down the block.
Those in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.
Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.
But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.
Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.
It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the night goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
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Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music some nights includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man.
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 