Today’s “Fab 5”+1/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, APR. 20, 2014.

Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival
“Each year on Easter, celebrants don festive finery and show off their very best bonnets along Fifth Avenue. Immortalized by Irving Berlin (with some help from Judy Garland and Fred Astaire), the pageant is a New York City tradition that stretches back to the 1870s. Starting at about 10am and continuing until 4pm, the parade marches north on Fifth Avenue, from 49th Street to 57th Street. The best place to watch is from the area around St. Patrick’s Cathedral; better yet, bring your bonnet and join the parade.” (nycgo.com)

Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch
“Two of the town’s most sophisticated goofballs sing, play and generally throw a party not exactly like the one the pair of them toss at Birdland on Monday nights but just as much fun. They’ve got something of that old Bob Hope-Bing Crosby chemistry going for them, which ain’t bad. Since they pal around with everybody in the show biz, you never know who’s going to join them for a tune or two. Hey, Liza, is that you over there in the corner? Could be, because you see, folks, this is New York, New York.”
(David Finkle, Village Voice)
Bemelmans Bar
9:00 p.m., $15-$20

Birdland Jazz Party – HILARY GARDNER
Birdland’s very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics and a special guest vocalist. This quartet features John Hart (Guitar), Paul Gil (bass), Carmen Intorre (Drums) & Jon Davis (Piano). Acclaimed singer Hilary Gardner grew up in Wasilla, Alaska infatuated with New York City. The city came to life through the jazz and American songbook albums in her parents’ record collection.

Visions gleaned from those classic vinyl platters epitomized reinvention and feverish creativity, and inspired Hilary to make New York City her home. In 2010, Hilary went from waiting tables to making her Broadway debut in two-time Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp’s hit musical, Come Fly Away. Backed by a 19-piece big band, Hilary sang solos and duets with Frank Sinatra in a performance hailed by critics.
BIRDLAND, 315 West 44th St.
212-581-3080.
at 6:00 pm / $25 cover plus a $10 food/drink minimum.

THE COOKERS
“With peers of a certain age, including the saxophonists Billy Harper and James Spaulding, the trumpeter Eddie Henderson, the pianist George Cables, the bassist Cecil McBee, and the drummer Billy Hart, playing alongside admiring younger confederates, such as the trumpeter and arranger David Weiss and the alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, this group revels in the edgier boundaries of modal hard bop. “ (NewYorker)
Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st St.
212-582-2121, theiridium.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., $25 cover, with a $15 minimum

Roslyn Kind
“Doubtless many at Roslyn Kind’s shows go because they want to hear someone who reminded them of the singer’s universally famous, superstar big sister, Barbra Streisand. And yes, there is an unmistakable familial similarity—Babs buffs won’t leave disappointed. But Ms. Kind has a gift for creating an intimate bond with an audience, making everyone feel like they share a direct connection with her. If you want the voice and high style of a Streisand without the baggage (or, as the lady herself might say, the “mishegoss”), that usually goes with it, here it is.” (WSJ)
54 Below, 254 W. 54th St.,
(866) 468-7619

Scott Feiner’s Pandeiro Jazz
Scott Feiner cut his teeth as a bop-oriented guitarist on the New York scene before changing course entirely: he fell in love with Brazilian music, moved to Rio in 2001 and took up the pandeiro, a tambourine-like drum with uncanny low frequency response and a rainbow of timbres. In a sparse lineup with saxophone, guitar and bass, Feiner went to work on this Pandeiro Jazz idea, releasing three fine albums since 2006. His fourth, A View from Below, features a trio with a more electric sound. Set against Rafael Vernet’s Fender Rhodes and Guilherme Monteiro’s guitar, the pandeiro takes on new hues and rhythmic shapes, while Feiner’s compositions tend toward a dreamier but still insistent groove. The trio meets up for the CD release at Cornelia Street Café. Sam Yahel subs for Vernet.” (Village Voice)

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

♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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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 is a gallery exhibition recommended by the NYT:

Sarah Lucas: ‘NUD NOB’ (through April 26)
“How far can you go with an art career based on limited set of puerile dirty jokes? Pretty far if you’re Sarah Lucas. Known for funky assemblages and photographs that visually pun on the sexually distinctive features of human anatomy, Ms. Lucas recently was named to represent Britain in next year’s Venice Biennale. This rousing show of monumental phalluses in polished bronze and crusty concrete connects the viscerally low-minded and the intellectually high with terrific economy and shameless panache.” (Johnson)
Gladstone Gallery, 515 West 24th Street, 212-206-9300, gladstonegallery.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. ==========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (04/18) and (04/16).