Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, JUNE 07, 2014.

Freddy Cole
‘At 82, pianist-singer Freddy Cole gets both more mellow and more feisty with age as he continues to explore the more remote corners of the songbook of his late brother, Nat King Cole (“I Just Found Out About Love”). He also brings his relaxed, swinging style to the works of such modern singer-songwriters as Bill Withers and Billy Joel —the latter in a subtly samba-field rearrangement of “Just the Way You Are.” Mr. Cole’s current quartet is his all-time greatest, with saxophonist Harry Allen, guitarist Randy Napoleon, bassist Elias Bailey and longtime drummer Curtis Boyd.” (WSJ)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St.
(212) 581-3080

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party (also Sunday)
The 12th edition of this food and music festival, a fund-raiser for the Madison Square Park Conservancy, is back with pit masters hailing from Dallas, Memphis and St. Louis. Performers include the Roosevelts, a soul and rock band from Austin, Tex., and Black Taxi, a punk band from Brooklyn.
Madison Square Park, Broadway and 23rd St.,
646-747-0584, bigapplebbq.org
From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. / FREE, but food is $9 a plate and drinks are $3 to $8.

Leslie Uggams
“It’s been quite a while since the Mitch Miller days, but she still has the ingenuous glow. Only now it’s tempered by show-biz sophistication. She has a huge repertoire from which to draw, but it would be great if she sings at least one or two tunes from the Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green Hallelujah, Baby! for which she won a Tony. She’s also shown up as an August Wilson player but probably won’t do anything from that canon.” (David Finkle-VillageVoice)
54 Below
at 8:00 p.m. / $40-$50

Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau (through Sunday)
“The Blue Note Jazz Festival continues a tradition of unlikely collaborations with a series of duo performances by bassist Christian McBride and pianist Brad Mehldau, the latter replacing Andre Previn at the last minute. McBride has worked with Sting, Bruce Hornsby, and Renee Fleming; Previn has re-worked a number of classic pop songs ranging from Cole Porter to Radiohead within a career as an excellent bandleader. Outside of his rigorous touring schedule, McBride serves as the associate artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem while Mehldau has been active in both his trio and an experimental duo with drummer Mark Guiliana.” (Aidan Levy-VillageVoice)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village
212-475-8592, bluenote.net
At 8 and 10:30 p.m.,/ $35-$55

Billy Hart Quartet (also Sun June 8)
“The veteran drummer Hart, the pianist Ethan Iverson, of the Bad Plus, the bassist Ben Street, and the accomplished saxophonist Mark Turner have collaborated on one of the most persuasive recordings of the year so far, “One Is the Other,” which shows that the foursome, which has played together for the better part of a decade, is achieving its potential. The group’s original compositions are intriguing, and the musicians’ take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Some Enchanted Evening” is a thing of true beauty.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St., West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
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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.

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 (06/05) and (06/03).