Today’s “Fab 5” / Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, DEC. 03, 2013

Victory Brewing Company Presents: Take Five Live Jazz Series
“Feel the rhythm and enjoy the sounds of modern jazz alongside specialty craft brews by the award winning Victory Brewing Company for five exclusive evenings beginning Tuesday, December 3rd at Bar Catalonia, the only bar meets art gallery setting in the heart of NYC.

From 6PM to 8PM, Victory will offer up complimentary pours of their latest, craft brews Winter Cheers & DirtWolf Double IPA.

While you whet the palate, The Markham Group, a Brooklyn-based jazz experiment by Luke Markham will play their youthful, modern take on genre classics. While the music plays, happy hour prices will be extended to all Victory draft beers.” (CityGuide)
Bar Catalonia, 206 West 41st St. (btw. 7th & 8th Avenues)
6PM to 8PM
757-947-6731

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander von Humboldt: The Transatlantic Pursuit of Science, Exploration, and Strategy in the Enlightenment
This lecture analyses the personal encounter as well as the subsequent friendship and transatlantic communication between two fascinating personalities: the Prussian explorer, scientist and geographer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and the American statesman, architect, and naturalist Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826).

At the end of Humboldt’s famous expedition through the Spanish colonies he visited the United States in spring of 1804, where he met several times with then-president Jefferson. A cordial and fruitful relationship resulted, and the two men corresponded over the next 21 years, touching in their letters the pivotal events of those times, such as the independence movement in Latin America, the applicability of the democratic model on this region, the relationship between America and Europe, besides rather scholarly topics, such as the latest progress in natural history or geography as well as several technological projects.

The different worlds and the historical context in which these two Enlightenment figures lived will be explained, and how this together with their personal 5-year experience on the other side of the Atlantic, defined their respective convictions.
Deutsches Haus at NYU, 42 Washington Mews, just E of 5th ave and S of 8th St.,
at 6:30 pm / FREE
212-998-8660

Concert: Juilliard Songfest celebrates Benjamin Britten’s centennial
Program:
Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac, Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, and other Britten songs
Juilliard singers share the stage in a concert curated and performed by Brian Zeger, Artistic Director of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts.

Juilliard singers performing are: sopranos Jessine Johnson and Angela Vallone; mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey; countertenor Eric Jurenas; tenors William Goforth, Nathan Haller, Miles Mykkanen, and Michael St. Peter; and baritones Theo Hoffman, Kurt Kanazawa, and Szymon Komasa.
Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway, @ W. 66th St.
At 8:00PM / FREE, tickets required
212-799-5000 / juilliard.edu

The Ben Allison Band
“On the most immediate level, bassist-bandleader Ben Allison’s new album, “The Stars Look Very Different Today,” is less of a purely pleasurable listen than his previous album, “Action-Refraction.” Whereas that 2011 release had a pair of obvious winners in the highly attractive interpretations of “Jackie-ING” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” the new album is all original material. And it is all bass, guitars (Brandon Seabrook, Steve Cardenas) and drums (Allison Miller).

Overall, there are fewer easy hooks to hang one’s ear on. Still it’s a highly compelling work overall, the whole album flows like one extended work, and the nine individual pieces flow very smoothly from one to another and could be part of a single overarching narrative. This collection of soundscapes often, in fact, suggests a background to film or dance visuals. Plus, there’s an especially refreshing use of the banjo in a contemporary jazz concept—one doesn’t get to hear that very often.” (WSJ)
Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., at Astor Place,
At 9:30 p.m./ $20
967-7555, joespub.com

This Christmas: An Evening of Holiday Hits with Michael McDonald
Two notes. That’s all it takes to recognize the voice of Michael McDonald. Distinctive and soulful, it is one of the most yearningly emotive instruments of our times. From ’70s-era Doobie Brothers classics such as “What A Fool Believes” and solo hits like “I Keep Forgettin'” through two highly-acclaimed Motown cover albums and recent genre-busting guest spots with alternative buzz bands Grizzly Bear and Holy Ghost, the five-time Grammy-winning McDonald is that rare thing in contemporary pop – an artist whose work is both timeless and ever-evolving.
Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St.
At 7:30PM / $59-$99
212-531-5305 / www.apollotheater.org

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

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 – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Raqib Shaw, “Paradise Lost” (until Sat. Dec 21)
East meets West in the work of this London artist, who originally hails from India, and whose sumptuous, jewel-and-enamel inlaid paintings and intricately detailed sculptures combine numerous traditions and canons—including Indian miniatures and textiles, Old Master painting, Orientalism and Surrealism. His works might be best described as visions of paradise being invaded by the forces of hell. It’s a strange mix that plays upon our notions of exoticism while sending them up. For his debut at Pace, the artist fills all three of the gallery’s Chelsea locations.
Pace Gallery 508 W 25th St. btw Tenth and Eleventh Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-255-4044 / thepacegallery.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan 25 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
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.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (11/19) and (11/17).