Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, MAR. 04, 2014.
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “Notable NYC Events-Mar”, and also “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
Carnival Caravan: From Recife to New Orleans With Nation Beat
@ Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola
Broadway at 60th Street, (212) 258-9595
@The Salon: Mardi Gras / The Players
16 Gramercy Park South, (212) 475-6116
For too many years the No. 1 party night in New Orleans was ignored up North, but now there are two complementary blowouts on Fat Tuesday. At Dizzy’s, Nation Beat, led by percussionist Scott Kettner, will split the difference between Carnival in Rio and a South Rampart Street Parade, as well as the difference between marching and dancing.
At the Players, no fewer than four different bands are “second lining” it up: Gordon Au’s Grand St. Stompers, Professor Cunningham and his Old School, Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess, and the sensational Hot Sardines as a climax.
both on Tuesday
Discussions at the Graduate Center (also Wednesday)
André Aciman, whose novel “Harvard Square” was released last year, and Colum McCann, whose “TransAtlantic” was also released last year, will take part in a conversation with Bill Kelly, interim Chancellor of the City University of New York.
On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Nancy Foner will lead a discussion about immigrant life in New York City. She is the editor of “One Out of Three: Immigrant New York in the Twenty-First Century,” an anthology released last year by Columbia University Press. Some of the book’s contributors will also take part.
CUNY Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue, at 34th St.,
212-817-8215 / tinyurl.com/kbbzkry
at 6:30 p.m. / free – online registration
Paul Simon and Sting: On Stage Together (also Thursday)
Though these rock legends joked in The New York Times about calling their unlikely North American tour “The Sound of Every Breath,” they embraced a subtle title after all and the simplicity suits them.
Their duet of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “The Boxer” and Sting’s “Fields of Gold” were highlights of last year’s Robin Hood Foundation benefit in New York. This time they will head to Madison Square Garden where they will perform their own songs alone and as duets. Here’s hoping Mr. Simon’s hips don’t lie during “Roxanne.” (NYT-Anderson)
Madison Square Garden
At 8 p.m./ $50 to $255
866-858-0008, thegarden.com
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL: NOW 60 (through Mar 8)
The Newport Jazz Festival, the brilliant brainchild of the promoter George Wein, has had many all-star bands assembled in its name over the years. The Now 60 ensemble is a multigenerational configuration whose oldest member, the trumpeter Randy Brecker, might have been attending the festival decades before the youngest member, the saxophonist and clarinet player Anat Cohen, was even born. Other featured players include the vocalist Karrin Allyson, the pianist Peter Martin, and the guitarist Mark Whitfield.
Jazz Standard.
may not be WestSide, but it is Anat Cohen – she is always worth the trip.
BILLY HART QUARTET (through Mar 8)
This sparkling foursome, bringing together the veteran drummer and three younger players (the pianist Ethan Iverson, of the Bad Plus; the bassist Ben Street; and the accomplished saxophonist Mark Turner), celebrates the release of a new album, “One Is the Other,” which shows that the group is achieving its potential. The band’s original compositions are intriguing, and their take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Some Enchanted Evening” is a thing of true beauty.
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com;
At 8:30 and 11 p.m./$40 cover, with a $10 minimum.
Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
===============================================================================
A PremierPub – Upper West Side
Dinosaur / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.
Walk only five minutes from the 125th st. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.
No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip to Harlem totally worthwhile.
This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in an old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of all those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.
Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.
The Mississippi blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long. The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.
Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some humongous waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.
A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table, underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Hwy, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner.
Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: M-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:00pm
Subway: #1 to 125th st
Walk 2 blk W on 125th to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 