Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, JULY 01, 2014.

World Cup
Soccer fans will be glued to their screens today (even at work) as team USA faces Belgium in World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Today starts the knockout round for team USA and they face a tough Belgium team that has given up only one goal all tournament. This should be a tense, close match. One mistake by either team and they are probably going home.

There’s no shortage of venues to watch the games in New York City. A few of my faves include Penn6 with a large 9 screen array of flat panel TV’s behind the bar (132 W31st St.), Jack Dempsey’s, with some very knowledgeable fans (36 W33rd St.), and for outdoor viewing – Bryant Park, which will have a big screen set up.

Also, in partnership with ESPN and ABC, the Paley Center for Media will screen many of this year’s World Cup matches including , of course, today’s match at 4PM. A full schedule (through July 13) is at paleycenter.org. 25 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, 212-621-6800.

Our Sinatra “A Musical Celebration” (through July 5)
With Eric Comstock, Christopher Gines, Harmony Keeney

Pianist vocalist Eric Comstock along with vocalists Christopher Gines and Harmony Keeney and bassist Boots Maleson celebrate the songs popularized by Frank Sinatra in the award-winning musical revue “Our Sinatra.” NY Times’ Stephen Holden calls it “an Utterly winning tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes.” WNYC’s Jonathan Schwartz calls it a “movingly presented, affectionate, musically satisfying tip of the hat.” Produced by Jack Lewin.
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 6 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum.
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com

Frank Lacy & The Smalls Legacy Band
“Trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy came up with everyone from Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers to the more experimental groups of Henry Threadgill, Julius Hemphill and others. Now a mainstay of the Mingus Big Band and co-leader of the compelling trio 1032K, Lacy remains uninhibited, a force of nature (this short documentary will remain in your brain).

His latest, Live at Smalls, is with the Smalls Legacy Band, a sextet of young players who unleash titanic forces in a smoldering post-bop vein. This band features trumpeter Josh Evans, tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Theo Hill, bassist Ameen Saleem and drummer Kush Abadey.” (VillageVoice)
Smalls, 183 W 10th St. (btw Seventh Ave South and W 4th St.)
at 10:30pm / $20
212-252-5091 / smallsjazzclub.com

CANADA DAY AT JOE’S PUB:
CANADA’S BIRTHDAY BASH – THE GREAT CANADIAN SONGBOOK
Celebrate Canada’s 147th birthday with this all-star tribute to Canada’s Greatest Hits, produced and emcee’d by Jeff Breithaupt and featuring a stellar line-up that includes five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara, The Voice’s J’Sun (Team Shakira), Jamie Leonhart, cabaret star Marissa Mulder, Greg Naughton, Victoria Cave, Shelley McPherson, BETTY’s Alyson Palmer, Amy Cervini and Tony Salvatore. NY1 morning man, ex-pat Canadian and New York icon Pat Kiernan will once again kick things off, leading the audience in a rousing chorus of “O Canada.”

Comedian Ophira Eisenberg — host of NPR’s Ask Me Another, and author of Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy — will warm up the crowd with some hard-won observations on the Canada-US relationship. The incomparable (and Canadian) Peter Kiesewalter returns to lead the “Workin’ for the Weekend House Band.” The sparkling cast will perform unforgettable versions of all your favo(u)rite Canuck anthems – from Cohen to Cockburn, Joni to Gino, Lightfoot to Lighthouse, Rufus to Raffi, Bachman to Bryan, Nelly to Neil.
Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place
at 7:00 & 9:30PM / $27.50 cover, with a $12 minimum.
212.697.7555 / joespub.com

Arturo O’Farrill with Auction Project (through July 6)
“Mr. O’Farrill is best known as the pianist and bandleader with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, which has a standing Sunday-night engagement at Birdland. This week he’ll also work in that room with Auction Project, a chamber-like ensemble featuring David Bixler on saxophones, Victor Prieto on accordion, Heather Martin Bixler on violin, Carlo De Rosa on bass and Vince Cherico on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St., (btw 8th /9th Ave)
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40, with a $10 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 (06/29) and (06/27).