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. =========================================================================

Bastille Day Celebration on 60th Street
Bring the whole famille to the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)’s ultimate summer fête and enjoy an afternoon of French food, culture, and entertainment!

Taste extraordinary French wines at Grands Vins Wine Tour de France, a special edition of our annual wine series. Indulge in French delicacies like crêpes, éclairs, macarons, and more at booths along 60th street. Savor a great selection of wines, cheeses, beers, and cocktails at tastings at FIAF.

Enjoy performances by the Can-Can dancers, the Monaco Boys Choir, Domitille: Ballades Enfantines, and the Hungry March Band. Les enfants will get a kick out of face painting and craft activities, mime acts, and a vintage Citroën car show.

Enter the Prize Drawing for a chance to win incredible prizes including an 8-day trip to France. Compete in our Twitter challenge and take home fun prizes.
For over ten years, Bastille Day on 60th Street has been the largest public celebration in New York commemorating France’s Independence Day (July 14, 1789) and its historic friendship with the United States.
from noon–5pm / bastilledayny.com
between Fifth and Lexington Avenues

Igor Butman and the Moscow State Jazz Orchestra (through Wednesday)
“At a time of frosty diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia, Mr. Butman, a saxophonist of ironclad self-assurance, comes bearing peace and goodwill. He leads a big band stocked with his fellow Russians.”
(Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th St. and Broadway,
212-258-9595, jalc.org
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. / $35 cover, $25 for students, with a $10 minimum.

MoMA Summergarden: New Music for New York
The Museum of Modern Art established Summergarden in 1971. In keeping with MoMA’s history of presenting jazz and classical music in the Sculpture Garden, this year’s concert series once again welcomes the participation of The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Titled New Music for New York, the series comprises four evenings of adventurous contemporary music, with premieres each night. Juilliard concerts are performed by members of The New Juilliard Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Joel Sachs, who has assembled two distinctive programs of recent compositions, all of which are enjoying their New York premieres. Jazz at Lincoln Center has selected two up-and-coming jazz ensembles whose concerts emphasize original works, each with one world premiere.

Summergarden is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Sculpture Garden may close if attendance reaches maximum capacity. Entrance to Summergarden is through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54 Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. The Sculpture Garden opens at 7:00 p.m., and concerts start at 8:00 p.m. and run approximately one hour to 90 minutes. The exhibition galleries are closed during Summergarden.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 11 West 53 St. (btw Fifth and Sixth avenues)
(212) 708-9400
all at 8PM:
Sunday, July 13, 2014 – Jazz Concert I: Jonathan Ragonese Ensemble
Sunday, July 20, 2014 – Juilliard Concert II: New Music for String Quartet with Flute
Sunday, July 27, 2014 – Jazz Concert II: Helen Sung Quintet

Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band
“Roughly two decades since his death at 75, the irrepressible bebop ambassador Dizzy Gillespie lives on through several generations of inheritors, including Freddie Hendrix and Claudio Roditi, members of the trumpet section in this repertory band. Also on the roster are the saxophonist Jimmy Heath and the bassist John Lee, both Gillespie alumni, along with estimable talent like the pianist Cyrus Chestnut and the drummer Lewis Nash.” (NYT-Chinen)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
212-475-8592, bluenote.net
At 8 and 10:30 p.m., $35 cover at tables, $20 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.

Jane Monheit’s Jazz Party (Sundays through Sept. 28)
“Jazz’s need to create on the spot never really goes away–testing moves in front of an audience is always a consideration for performers who truly want to know how an arrangement or an approach will play to a crowd. Jane Monheit is an intrepid soul; starting tonight she’ll green-light this notion for the next three months, hosting a Sunday-evening “Jazz Party,” which affords audiences a chance to peek behind the curtain and enjoy the looseness of a jam session while basking in the talents of a very tight band.

The singer and her trio, including pianist Michael Kanan, bassist Neal Miner, and drummer Rick Montalbano, will be opening the doors to guest instrumentalists and giving new ideas plenty of elbow room–a spotlight on spontaneity. The boss lady and her seductive coo ain’t shy–Monheit is a natural charmer. Whether she’s tweaking her take on “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart” (there’s a Judy Garland tribute in her future) or embedding herself in a boo-hoo opus such as “Two Lonely People,” prepare for charisma around every turn.” (VillageVoice-Jim Macnie)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St.
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
At 6 p.m. / $30 cover, with a $10 minimum.

PlusOne:
World Cup
Soccer fans will find a big screen today as the last two teams standing – Argentina and the Germs – face off for the World Cup in Brazil. This should be a tense, close match. Watch for Messi to bring the Cup to Argentina.

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.

German fans will head to Reichenbach Hall, Manhattan’s largest indoor beer hall. Argentine fans will head to SOHO’s Novecento, 343 W. Broadway, 212-925-4706. Also, in partnership with ESPN and ABC, the Paley Center for Media will screen today’s match at 3PM. (25 West 52nd St., 212-621-6800)

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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 (07/11) and (07/09).