Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, MAR. 03, 2015
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”
Duchess — Jazz (7:30pm) (10pm)
Kat Edmonson — Folk (8pm)
Stepping Into the Yards: A Mega Project on the Hudson —
SmartStuff/ Panel Discussion (6:30pm)
Keith Jarrett, Solo Piano Improvisations — Jazz (8pm)
Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (6:30pm)
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:
♦ “9 Notable Events-Feb.”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
======================================================
Duchess
“This jazz vocal trio — a knowing update of the Boswell Sisters sound, featuring Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou — celebrates the release of its self-titled debut, with help from, among others, the saxophonist Jeff Lederer and the drummer Matt Wilson.” (Chinen-NYT)
Duchess had a residency at 55 Bar in the fall and was the best no cover deal in town. I strongly encourage you to celebrate their new CD with them tonight at a much more upscale venue.
Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th St.
At 7:30 and 10 p.m.,
212-576-2232 / jazzstandard.net.
Kat Edmonson
“Lately there seems to be an especially noteworthy new crop of young female singer-songwriters. Kat Edmonson’s original songs and her delivery thereof somehow seems both retro and cutting edge all at the same time, contemporary but with a firm grounding in the 1960s. On her new album, “The Big Picture,” “You Can’t Break My Heart” combines James Bond fender bass lines and an Ennio Morricone trumpet, while the next track, “Till We Start to Kiss” pays a visit to Martin Denny’s tiki lounge. Although this show is an album release event, here’s hoping Ms. Edmonson will include a few standards; her rendition of “Mele Kalikimaka” was the highlight of Vince Giordano ’s Town Hall Christmas concert two months ago.” (WSJ)
(Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St.
8pm / $25
(212) 505-3474
Stepping Into the Yards: A Mega Project on the Hudson
“If the Hudson Yards only means a construction site and a traffic snarl to you, it’s time to dig deeper. The Yards is not only NYC’s biggest development project since Rockefeller Center, it’s also the largest private real estate development in U.S. history. To learn more about the housing, offices, parks and cultural spaces soon to enter the Manhattan mix, don’t miss this panel discussion co-sponsored by the AIA New York Chapter | Center for Architecture. Both the process of development and the prospects for the city’s future in light of this game changing development will be discussed.
Speakers:
Jay Cross, President of Related Hudson Yards
Sarah Goldhagen, Architecture Critic
William Pedersen, FAIA, Founding Design Partner of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Thomas Woltz, FASLA, Principal and owner of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Suzanne Stephens (moderator), Deputy Editor of Architectural Record” (ThoughtGallery.org)
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave.
at 6:30 pm / $16
212-534-1672
Keith Jarrett, Solo Piano Improvisations
“Sometimes I think that I actually prefer Mr. Jarrett on recordings—such as his beautiful “Rio” (2011)—where we can be spared both his rather extreme facial contortions and his unrestrained temper tantrums. (He shares with Frank Sinatra not only a superlative taste in American standard songs but also an unabashed antagonism toward photographers.) But there’s no denying that the bad boy of contemporary jazz piano is worth the trouble. His luxurious lyricism and wizardly harmonic sense make him someone you want to catch in any and every medium, and his solo improvisation shows are especially pungent samples of his unique artistry.” (WSJ)
Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, 57th St. and Seventh Ave.
8pm / $45-$110
(212) 247-7800
Elsewhere, but looks worth the short detour:
‘Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History’
“The National Arts Club hosts a celebration of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of this country’s most commonly depicted landmarks. The night’s centerpiece is Richard Haw’s book “Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History,” which explores artists’ relationships with the bridge, including works by the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and the painter Joseph Stella.” (NYT)
National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South,
At 8 p.m./ FREE
212-475-3424 / nationalartsclub.org
BONUS JAZZ PICKS:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:
Greenwich Village:
Village Vanguard – 178 7th Ave. South — villagevanguard.com / 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. — bluenotejazz.com / 212-475-8592
55 Bar – 55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. — 55bar.com / 212-929-9883
Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com / 212-864-6662
Special Mention:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
====================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of 8.5 million, had a record 56 million visitors last year and is TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2015. Quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================================
A PremierPub / West Village
Corner Bistro/ 331 W. 4th St.
Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.
In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.
The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 50th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.
Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.
Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.
For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
=========================================================
Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 