Today’s “Fab 5”+1/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, APR. 17, 2014.
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “Notable NYC Events-April”, 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.
Shana Farr
“There were at least four Cole Porter shows in Manhattan in March alone, and, lately, Noel Coward songbooks are nearly as plentiful. While the idea of combining those two sages together isn’t particularly original, soprano Shana Farr has created something surprisingly new by intertwining the words of those twin colossi of songwriting, weaving songs both familiar and offbeat, both singing and speaking the texts aloud as if they were prose—something that isn’t supposed to work, yet somehow, it does.
The combination of Ms. Farr’s delightfully old-fashioned, pure operetta chops and musical director’s harmonically advanced arrangements (enhanced by Adam Fisher on cello) give the overall effect of being very traditional and very modern at the same time.” (WSJ)
The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd St.,
(212) 695-6909
PAT MARTINO ORGAN TRIO
One of the greatest guitarists in jazz, Martino got his start on the “chitlin’ circuit” in the 1960s with organ groups led by Richard “Groove” Holmes, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Trudy Pitts and Charles Earland. Having made a full and remarkable recovery from a life-threatening illness in the 1980’s that caused him to forget how to play the guitar, Martino relearned by listening to his own early recordings and has re-emerged as a veteran presence on the jazz scene.
The Pat Martino Organ Trio includes Pat Bianchi (organ) and Carmen Intorre Jr. (drums)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
A Life in Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley
Warren Lehrer, Performance/Reading
“Award-winning writer and designer Warren Lehrer presents a multimedia performance/reading of his new book. A Life In Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley is an illuminated novel that contains 101 books within it, all written by a controversial author who finds himself in prison looking back on his life and career.
In this funny and thought provoking performance, Lehrer presents an overview of Bleu Mobley’s life in books via many of Mobley’s cover designs and other biographical materials including animations, and video performances of Mobley book excerpts by the band BETTY, actress/poet La Bruja, and a live appearance by actress/author Judith Sloan.
The resulting retrospective explores the creative process of a writer/artist, as it reflects upon a half century of American/global events, and grapples with the future of the book as a medium as well as the lines that separate and blur truth, myth, and fiction. “
(Nia Evans, Flavorpill)
“A profound commentary… A Life In Books is brilliant, beautiful, delicious for eyes and mind.” Andrei Codrescu, public radio commentator
“A meticulously illustrated chronicle… Pitch perfect.” Steven Heller, THE ATLANTIC
New York University Bookstore, 726 Broadway,
At 6pm / FREE
(212) 998-4667
SPOTTISWOODE & HIS ENEMIES
“The fact that Jonathan Spottiswoode, a British guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader who’s been enriching the New York scene for some fifteen years now, calls his backing group Enemies instead of Friends tells you something about their music—it’s a little perverse, a little dark both harmonically and lyrically, with a touch of humor. Each song on the group’s new album, “English Dream,” is accompanied by a video intermingling archival British cinema with shots of the band in period dress. The group will perform at Joe’s Pub in front of the archival footage, in celebration of the album’s release.” (NewYorker)
Joe’s Pub, The Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette St.
212-967-7555
The Inferno of Dante Alighieri: A Reading
The Inferno, the opening section of Dante Alighieri’s medieval masterpiece the Divine Comedy, begins on the evening of the Maundy Thursday Vigil. The annual reading of selections from the Inferno brings listeners and participants into the “dark woods” of Dante’s haunting vision. This dramatic literary event takes place in the Crossing of the Cathedral, with selected Cantos read by honored guests, distinguished poets, eminent translators, visiting scholars, and Inferno reading regulars.
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,
1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th Street
at 9PM / FREE
JAVON JACKSON
This forty-eight-year-old tenor saxophonist is a no-nonsense hard bopper who learned the tricks of the trade from Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and other masters. Still, he retains a taste for the vintage seventies R.& B. he grew up on, and his most recent album, “Expression,” contains affectionate performances of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” and the Roberta Flack-Donny Hathaway classic “Where Is the Love.” His lean quartet includes the veteran bassist David Williams and a firebrand of a drummer, Willie Jones III.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S.
212-255-4037.
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).
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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This Week in NYCity (courtesy NYPost, with the best covers anywhere)
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A PremierPub – 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 