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

Harold Mabern (through Aug. 10)
“Mabern is the kind of old-school crowd-pleasing pianist who, in the course of an evening, can find room for interpretations of “Cherokee,” “Seven Steps to Heaven,” and “Making Our Dreams Come True,” the theme song from “Laverne & Shirley.” That he has a firm grasp of the blues helps it all go down smoothly.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum

Arturo Sandoval (through Aug. 10)
“Mr. Sandoval is a Cuban trumpeter best known for stratospheric bravado: He is capable of subtlety, but not predisposed toward it. His most recent album, “Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You),” reaffirms his allegiance to Dizzy Gillespie, the bebop patriarch who took him on as a protégé.” (Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
At 8 and 10:30 p.m. / $35 cover at tables, $20 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.
212-475-8592 / bluenote.net

Django Reinhardt NY Festival (through Aug. 10)
“This annual celebration of the music and influence of the unparalleled Belgian Gypsy guitarist celebrates its fifteenth year with a solid run. It features such acolytes as the French guitarist Samson Schmitt, as well as guest soloists, including the clarinettist Anat Cohen (Aug. 6-7), the singer Jane Monheit (Aug. 8), and the harpist Edmar Castaneda (Aug. 9).” (NewYorker)

I have said this before, I’ll say it again. Anat Cohen is one of NYCity’s Jazz treasures playing at an iconic NYCity Jazz Club. You gotta go.
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave)
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $45 cover, with a $10 minimum.

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
“This series continues with the twins Christina and Michelle Naughton in a concert for two pianos. The program includes Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Ravel’s “La Valse” and John Adams’s “Hallelujah Junction.” The final concert in the series, on Aug. 12, will feature the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in works by Haydn, Paul Schoenfield and others.” (Tommasini-NYT)
Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, midpark, enter at 72nd St.
naumburgconcerts.org / 7:30PM / free.

Puddles Pity Party (through Thursday)
“Up to now, you probably thought that the only thing that YouTube was good for was the cheap-thrill laughs derived from watching cat videos, but lately the much-watched website is to be commended for informing the world about this amazing performer from Atlanta. The artist known as Puddles is actually a 7-foot Ringling Brothers-style circus clown who opens his mouth only to sing, and when he does, he unleashes a resplendent baritone voice that is even bigger than he is.

Though the visual aspect of his act is admittedly surreal, the singing itself is gloriously straightforward, enabling him to extract the melodic center from such unlikely material as “My Heart Will Go On” and Lorde’s “Royals” (the latter nearing 10 million “views” on YouTube). This three-night stand marks the premiere New York solo appearance of the original clown without pity.” (WSJ)
Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place
at 7:30PM / $25 cover, with a $12 minimum.
(212) 539-8778/ joespub.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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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’ ”.

Each night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of wines and lite meals, fairly priced, but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. I should note that their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYC will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30pm – 11pm, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11am-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher st
Walk 1 blk S on 7th ave S to Bleecker st, 1 blk S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/left on Jones st to Caffe V

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $8 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S (corner of Bleecker)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th st (btw. University place/5th ave)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Sq park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

That covers a wide range of food – pizza, burgers, food trucks/carts, vegetarian/falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars, hot dogs, bbq, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Fall 2014)