Today’s “Fab 5″+1/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “9 Notable NYCity Events-July”, and also “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above. =========================================================================
Peter Bernstein Quartet (through Sunday)
“Peter Bernstein, a guitarist with a clean tone and unwavering technique, enlisted some heavy experience for this band, with the soulful pianist Harold Mabern, the steadfast bassist John Webber and the master drummer Jimmy Cobb.” (Chinen-NYT)
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St., West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
City of Water Day Festival
Waterfront Activities Fair, Free Ferry Rides, Live Music, Free Boat Tours, Great Food, On-The-Water activities & More!
This Festival is a free day-long celebration of the world-class potential of the water that surrounds us and brings us together. Held on Governors Island and Maxwell Park in Hoboken, NJ–the event draws thousands of people from throughout the NY-NJ metropolitan region to participate in hundreds of unique, fun, and educational waterfront activities organized by MWA and its 700 Alliance Partners. The events run between 10am – 4pm on Saturday July 12th in 2014.
cityofwaterday.org
Loston Harris Quartet (through Saturday, July 12)
With Special Guest Monica Behan
Loston Harris’ piano playing has been described as percussive but incredibly fluid, his vocals, suave and contemporary. For more than a decade Loston has headlined the legendary Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel, a spot previously held by Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch, John Pizzarelli and the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). One of Loston’s mentors, Michael Feinstein, calls him an “innate and dazzling talent… a beacon of quality,” while John Pizzarelli calls Loston “a singular sensation of what music is in NY.”
Loston and his quartet, along with very special guest vocalist Monica Behan, perform swinging arrangements of timeless standards from the Great American Songbook, selections from his recent CD “Swingfully Yours”
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8th/9th Ave)
212-581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com
At 8:30 & 11:00PM / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum
Sonny Fortune Quartet
“A powerful saxophonist who has built on the questing style of John Coltrane, Sonny Fortune leads a combustible working band with Michael Cochrane on piano, David Williams on bass and Steve Johns on drums.” (Chinen-NYT)
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m. / $38 cover
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th St.
212-864-6662, smokejazz.com
Book Launch: Poking a Dead Frog
Author Mike Sacks is joined by Bill Hader to discuss the art of comedy
Author and Vanity Fair staffer Mike Sacks celebrates the release of his bible for budding comedy writers and comedy buffs, Poking a Dead Frog. Featuring interviews with some of the best comedy writers of the last six decades, including Paul Feig, Mel Brooks and Terry Jones, Sacks provides an insiders look at humor-filled entertainment. Also contained within are original essays by Amy Poehler, Diablo Cody and Marc Maron, and a character key from “Freaks and Geeks.” SNL alum Bill Hader, whose list of two hundred movies every comedy writer should see appears in the book, joins Sacks this evening for a conversation and some hobnobbing.’ (Mindy Bond, Editor – Flavorpill)
The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., at Water St.
At 6:00pm / FREE
718-666-3049 / powerhousearena.com
not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Bklyn’s westside, and this looks worth the detour.
easy to get to. subway:#1 to 14th St.; transfer to F to York; 1st stop in Bklyn
walk towards the river and Water St.; 2 blks S to powerHouse
PlusOne (for the indie music fans):
4Knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport
The Village Voice presents this indie bonanza, held for the fourth year on Manhattan’s downtown waterfront. The show will take place across two stages from 1–8pm and include sets by Speedy Ortiz, Nashville’s Those Darlins and indie-rock legends Dinosaur Jr. For more info, visit villagevoice.com.
OR
Phish at Randall’s Island
The undisputed king of American jam bands delights its legions of fans with three days of inspired noodling. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.
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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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The Week That Was in NYCity
(courtesy NYPost, with the most unique front/back pages anywhere)
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A PremierPub – Tribeca
B-Flat / 277 Church st (Btw Franklin/White)
There are some places that are tough to find, then add a layer of mystery when you do find them. B-Flat has a nondescript, almost unmarked door at street level – today’s speakeasy vibe. Open this door and you face a dimly lit stairway down to their basement location. It almost takes a leap of faith to follow the stairs down to their interior door. But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.
It’s a basement jazz spot all right, but not like any traditional jazz joint you may have been to before. This place looks as fresh as today, probably because it’s only been open for 6 years. Even though it hasn’t had a chance to age gracefully, the cherry wood accents and low lighting make this small space very inviting.
There is always jazz, often progressive jazz, playing over their very discrete, stylish bose speakers, setting just the right tone as you find a seat at the bar, or one of the small tables. There is wine and beer available, but this place has some expert mixologists making some very creative cocktails, which I’m told change seasonally, a nice touch.
Come at happy hour and tasty cocktails like the el Diablo or the lychee martini are $8 – not bad. I am a sucker for any drink made with lychee and how can you not try a tequila drink named el Diablo. There is also nice selection of small bites available at happy hour and a food menu that is as innovative as the cocktail menu, so this does not have to be a happy hour only stop.
It wasn’t surprising to find a tasty prosciutto and arugula salad with yuzu dressing, but I did not expect to find such a good version of fried chicken breast on the apps menu. Here it’s called “Tatsuta.” Best bet is to sample happy hour, then dinner on a Monday or Wednesday night, when you can finish with no cover live jazz that starts around 8.
This place is tough to find (look for a small slate sandwich board on the sidewalk out front advertising happy hour) and on some nights when there is no live music it may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.
Website: http://http://www.bflat.info/index.html
Phone #: 212-219-2970
Hours: Mo-Wed 5pm-2am; Th-Sat 5pm-3am; no Sun
Happy Hour: 5-7pm every day; $8 cocktails + special prices on apps
Music: Mon/Wed 8pm
Subway: #1 to Franklin; walk 1 blk E to Church; 1 blk N to bFlat
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 