Today’s “Fab 5+1” / Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, DEC. 08, 2013

Cloisters
Janet Cardiff / The Forty Part Motet  (LAST DAY!)
The Forty Part Motet (2001), a sound installation by Janet Cardiff, is the first presentation of contemporary art at The Cloisters. Regarded as the artist’s masterwork, it consists of forty high-fidelity speakers positioned on stands in a large oval configuration throughout the Fuentidueña Chapel, continuously playing an eleven-minute reworking of the forty-part motet Spem in alium numquam habui (1556?/1573?) by Tudor composer Thomas Tallis.

Visitors are encouraged to walk among the loudspeakers and hear the individual unaccompanied voices—bass, baritone, alto, tenor, and child soprano—one part per speaker—as well as the polyphonic choral effect of the combined singers in an immersive experience.

The Forty Part Motet is most often presented in a neutral gallery setting, but in this case the setting is the Cloisters’ Fuentidueña Chapel, which features the late twelfth-century apse from the church of San Martín at Fuentidueña, near Segovia, Spain, on permanent loan from the Spanish Government. Set within a churchlike gallery space, and with superb acoustics, it has for more than fifty years proved a fine venue for concerts of early music.

If you do only one event this holiday season, this very powerful and spiritual experience should be it. So worth the trip to far northern Manhattan.
subway: #1 to 59th St., transfer and “take the A train” to 190th St.,
walk about ½ mile N to the Cloisters, on a bluff overlooking the Hudson Palisades.

If you need more convincing, see what the Times and WSJ had to say about this installation:   NYT;   WSJ;

Provisions Holiday Market
Brought to you by Food52 and Kitchensurfing, this holiday pop-up at the Old Bowery Station should be on every foodies’ dance card this weekend. On one side, you’ll find housewares and kitchen essentials curated by the Food52 team, namely Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. On the other side, Kitchensurfing is setting up a restaurant that serves up breakfast, brunch, dinner and classes on creating the ultimate holiday feast. Also, throughout the three-day event, there will be sessions on entertaining, holiday centerpiece creation and wreath making.
Mindy Bond, Flavorpill
The Old Bowery Station, 168 Bowery
11 – 7 PM / Shopping Hours
11 – 3 PM / Brunch by Joseph Leonard
04 – 5 PM / Wreath Making Workshop
(Some classes require tickets. Check the site for details. )
provisionsholidaymarket.food52.com
This looks worth the trip to the LES
SUBWAY: @ TIMES SQ, TAKE N/Q/R TO CANAL; TRANSFER TO J TRAIN;
1 STOP TO BOWERY AND YOU ARE THERE (22MIN).

Vintage Subway Car Ride
“Put on your porkpie hat or flapper dress and get ready to do the Charleston — underground and on a train. On Sundays in December, the M.T.A. runs vintage subway cars, complete with wicker seats and old ads, along the M line.

Today there will be an all-day dance party with live bands — both on the platform at the Second Avenue station in the East Village, and on the train as it chugs off to Queens.

The party runs from 12-6PM. The entrance fee is simply a swipe of the MetroCard.” (NYT)

Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca (through Dec. 15)
“After playing to sold out Joyce houses for the last two years, the Bessie Award-winning dancer and her astounding company, Noche Flamenca, perform another searing show that combines live music with song and dance to captivate audiences once more with the essence of flamenco revealed in its most authentic and glorious form.” (CityGuideNY)

In an article published at the start of the fall season, The New York Times profiled ten “Movers and Shapers” who contribute to New York’s vibrant and unique dance scene.  Included among these dance luminaries is Soledad Barrio.  Audiences will have a chance to see Ms. Barrio perform flamenco in its most authentic and glorious form when the Bessie Award-winning dancer returns to The Joyce for a two week run this month.
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street, Chelsea
Sundays at 2 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. / $10 to $69.
212-242-0800, joyce.org

ESPERANZA SPALDING
“The bassist, singer, composer, bandleader, educator, and model recently added political activist to her résumé; her new single, “We Are America,” and its accompanying video take on persistent concerns about the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. How this new involvement in social reform will play out when she brings her Chamber Music Society (an ensemble that merges jazz, classical, Brazilian, and pop elements) to jazz’s most famous basement is a tantalizing question.” (NewYorker mag)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. South, at 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m / $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com

David Sanborn
“An alto saxophonist synonymous with unctuous, gleaming crossover fare, Mr. Sanborn has been returning to his roots: the piquant soul-jazz of Hank Crawford and, by extension, Ray Charles. He returns to his regular New York perch with a band that includes Ricky Peterson on organ and piano, Nicky Moroch on guitar, Richard Patterson on bass and Gene Lake on drums.” (NYT-Chinen)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
At 8 and 10:30 p.m./ $55 cover at tables, $30 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.
(212) 475-8592, bluenote.net

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 and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi  /  32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/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’ ”.

Each 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 wines and lite meals, fairly priced, 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. I should note that 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, NYC will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30pm – 11pm, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11am-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher st
Walk 1 blk S on 7th ave S to Bleecker st, 1 blk S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/left on Jones st to Caffe V

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges  – 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.
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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. $8 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)
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. 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”

That covers a wide range of food – pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  ramen,  chopped salad & salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  soup & sandwiches,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars &  lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food, provide a good hotel breakfast alternative, and have free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 821 Broadway (betw 12/13 st)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/q/r to 14th st/union sq

B. Potbelly @ 41 W14th st (betw 5th/6th ave)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th st

C. Cosi @ 53 E 8th st (betw greene/mercer)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/r to 8th st

◊ For a few more PremierPubs and Good Eating places see previous Featured Neighborhoods in the right sidebar.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Winter 2013)