Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, NOV. 08, 2013
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “Notable NYC Events-Nov.”, “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
The Eagles (Friday, Saturday and Monday)
“Reunited rockers” may not be the most precise wording, as the Eagles’ founding guitarist Bernie Leadon has not rejoined the group. (He has made a few cameos onstage, though.) But the Eagles will still have steam behind “Hotel California,” “Take It to the Limit” and other classic radio staples for this three-night engagement at Madison Square Garden. “History of the Eagles,” a recent documentary about the band that was aired on Showtime, had enough fluff to build a fine nest.” (Anderson-NYT)
Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, 7th ave and 33rd St.
At 8 p.m./$49.50 to $199.50
(866) 858-0008, thegarden.com
SINEAD O’CONNOR (through Sunday)
“The Irish singer has been in the headlines recently because of her public feud with Miley Cyrus, but what is missed in the back-and-forth is that O’Connor’s most recent album, “How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?,” is one of the strongest records of her multi-decade career. It includes defiant rockers, introspective ballads, and a cover of John Grant’s “Queen of Denmark” that rivals her breakout version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” (NewYorker mag)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring Street, South Village,
At 8 p.m., / $115-$125 (waitlist)
608-0555, citywinery.com
Michel Camilo Big Band (through Sunday)
“At 59, pianist Michel Camilo roughly parallels his fellow Caribbean keyboardist Monty Alexander: Each is the unchallenged master of a genre that would hardly exist without them (Dominican jazz, Jamaican jazz) but both can also brilliantly play virtually every subgenre of jazz that’s ever been played on the piano.
Although this weeklong run at the Blue Note features the largest ensemble generally found in jazz, Mr. Camilo’s big band, his new album “What’s Up” uses the most intimate kind of format ever used in the music, the solo piano. The album begins with the title track, a hard-driving rhythmic piece that approximates a boogie-woogie but with the rhythmic accents in unexpected places—one could call it a “woogie-boogie.”
Mr. Camilo’s original “Island Beat” sounds less overtly Caribbean and more like a mixture of Ernesto Lecuona and Art Tatum. There are also thoughtful reinterpretations of such warhorses as “Love For Sale,” “Take Five” and a ruminative “Alone Together,” the latter a rather inspired thematic choice for solo keyboard.” (WSJ)
The Blue Note, 131 W. Third St.,
At 8PM & 10:30PM / $30 at bar; $45 at table
(212) 475-8592 / bluenote.net
Tony Malaby’s Paloma Recio (through Saturday)
“Paloma Recio, a vigorous working band led by the tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, explores shadowy postbop terrain with the subtlest of Spanish accents. The band is usually a quartet with the guitarist Ben Monder, the bassist Eivind Opsvik and the drummer Nasheet Waits; for this engagement, there’ll be two drummers, Dan Weiss and Billy Mintz.” (NYT-Chinen)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village,
At 9 and 10:30 p.m./ $10 cover, with a $10 minimum.
989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com
November 21, 1963: The Day Before
As the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination approaches, and with it various artistic tributes, a multimedia event at Symphony Space takes a different tactic: Reimagining the day before JFK’s assassination, when, supposedly, the world was a bit more innocent. Performers include soprano Megan Weston, bass-baritone Robert Osborne, actor Olympia Dukakis and pianist Margaret Kampmeier; there are also visual art and multimedia elements of the event. As most of the composers—including Lera Auerbach, Daniel Felsenfeld and the seemingly ubiquitous Nico Muhly—weren’t around yet in 1963, one hopes that imagination trumps experience.” (CORINNE RAMEY-WSJ)
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
At 7:30PM / $32
864-5400 / symphonyspace.org
Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===========================================================================================
A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating places – 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.
In 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 will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next 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 $6.75, 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).
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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 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 