Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20, 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.
KEKUHI AND KAUMAKAIWA KANAKA’OLE
“The ongoing world-music series “Live@365” brings the celebrated Hawaiian mother-and-daughter duo to play together for the first time in New York City. Coming from a musical lineage that spans seven generations steeped in traditional hula, the pair perform original songs that are deeply rooted in their family’s and the islands’ traditions. Kekuhi is the granddaughter of the noted Hawaiian cultural activist Edith Kanaka’ole, and she was singing and playing the ukulele long before it became a hipster fashion accessory. Kaumakaiwa, for her part, has a voice that swings from rasp to clear, bell-like tones with sincerity, boldness, and beauty.” (NewYorker mag)
Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., at 34th St.
at 7PM / $20
liveat365.org.
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples, the powerhouse former anchor of the gospel greats the Staple Singers, enjoyed an earthy dose of lo-fi Americana on her 2010 album, “You Are Not Alone,” courtesy of its producer, the Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. They reunited this year for “One True Vine,” a more sparsely instrumented outing with plenty of room for her soul to soar.” (Anderson-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring Street, South Village,
At 8 p.m. / $55 to $65.
(212) 608-0555, citywinery.com
Oboe and Piano Works by Chopin, Poulenc and Mozart
Program:
MOZART Sonata in F major
DINOS CONSTANTINIDES Transformations
POULENC Sonata, Op. 185
CHOPIN Variations on a Theme by Rossini
With: Spyros Kontos, Oboe; and Irina Morozova, Piano
Spyros Kontos, a native of Corfu, Greece, graduated from the “Nakas” Conservatory in Athens with the highest degree and distinction and continued his oboe studies with Thomas Indermühle at the State Music College of Karlsruhe (Germany) and Maurice Bourgue at the Conservatoire of Geneva (Switzerland). In 1997 he was appointed principal oboist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Athens. He collaborates as principal with various orchestras, appears regularly as soloist and in recital, and has made recordings for radio and television in most European countries.
Kaufman Music Center, Goodman Recital Hall, 129 W. 67th St.
At 8:00PM / FREE
1-212-501-3330
DOC NYC (November 14 through 21)
Real life, made realer. The definitive documentary festival in New York.
“Too many highlights to name, but check out Michel Gondry’s animated (literally, like cartoons) conversations with Noam Chomsky in Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? and Sini Anderson’s inspiring portrait of the riot-grrrl heroine Kathleen Hanna in The Punk Singer. Errol Morris takes on Donald Rumsfeld in the gala opening, The Unknown Known ..at the IFC Center. —(David Edelstein, NY mag)
IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave.,at 3rd St.
212-924-7771 / details at docnyc.net.
Eli Degibri Quartet (Wednesday and Thursday)
“A tenor saxophonist of vision and self-assurance, Eli Degibri has worked increasingly often in his native Israel, sometimes in his capacity as a cultural ambassador; bookings like these aren’t as common as they used to be for him. He has assembled the excellent team of Omer Avital on bass, Obed Calvaire on drums and on piano, either Aaron Goldberg (on Wednesday) or Gary Versace (on Thursday).” . (Chinen-NYT)
Smalls Jazz Club, 183 West 10th Street, West Village,
From 9:30 p.m. to midnight, $20 cover
(212) 252-5091, smallsjazzclub.com
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 