Today’s Elite 8  NYC Events > THURSDAY/JULY 13, 2017

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.
For future NYC Events be sure to check the tab above: “Notable NYC Events-July”

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

France Rocks Festival: Blick Bassy
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“In the richly inventive music of Cameroonian singer-songwriter Blick Bassy, layers of guitar, banjo, kora, cello, and trombone underscore the soulfulness and warmth of Bassy’s soft falsetto with a dash of whimsy. Singing in his native Bassa language, one of 260 spoken in Cameroon, Bassy rose to prominence in his home country as part of the award-winning jazz fusion group Macase before moving to his current home in France. With a track chosen to be featured in Apple’s iPhone 6 ad campaign, his critically acclaimed third full-length album, Ako, launched him into the international spotlight. Discover the “charming and wildly eclectic songs” (Guardian, U.K.) of a true African original during this rare New York appearance.”

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>Broadway in Bryant Park
>>Saburo Teshigawara / “Sleeping Water”
>>Aces of Rhythm: Hardcore Tango
>>THE HEATH BROTHERS
>>Monty Alexander’s Junkanoo Swing
>>Ron Carter 
>>Ellington and The Far East
>>French Restaurant Week  

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Broadway in Bryant Park
Bryant Park / 12:30PM, FREE
“LiteFM radio hosts a showcase of actors from the hottest on and off Broadway shows playing their hits in Bryant park. Try not to sing and dance along to tunes from classics like Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and Avenue Q, as well as newcomers like Kinky Boots, Waitress, and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. The recurring event will take place every Thursday from July 6 through August 10th.” (TONY)
TODAY:
Today’s show is hosted by Delilah and Will Roland from Dear Evan Hansen and includes performances from:
Preshow: Aruba Tourist Authority Carnival Dancers
Kinky Boots
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
School of Rock
Soulpepper on 42nd Street

Saburo Teshigawara / “Sleeping Water” (July 13-15)
Rose Theatre, 60th St. at Broadway / 7:30PM,
Known for imagistic, meditative dance-theatre works that feel like moving art installations, the Japanese choreographer has an interest in exploring liminal states of mind. To Lincoln Center Festival, he brings “Sleeping Water,” an expansion of a 2014 piece that featured the French ballerina Aurélie Dupont (now the dance director of the Paris Opera Ballet). Teshigawara creates a dreamlike landscape, dotted with floating objects, through which several figures move with sinuous ease. Dupont returns to perform the work.” (NewYorker)

Aces of Rhythm: Hardcore Tango
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center / 6PM, $17
“Led by Astoria Tango Orchestra’s Pablo Aslan, Aces of Rhythm pays tribute to the innovative style of legendary Argentinian bandleader Juan D’Arienzo, known as “El Rey del Compás” (“the King of the Beat”). Join us at this outdoor milonga for an evening of refined, barely contained passion.”

THE HEATH BROTHERS (July 11-16)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30PM, $30
“The saxophonist Jimmy and the drummer Albert Heath (known as Tootie) have been touring and recording since bebop’s heyday in the 1940s and ’50s. In 1975 they formed the Heath Brothers, along with their bassist brother Percy, who died in 2005; over the years the band has maintained a swinging, straight-ahead sound while allowing for the occasional nod to funk, soul and West African music. Jimmy Heath, 90, is one of jazz’s most revered living composers, and the band often draws upon his bright, silvery originals.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Monty Alexander’s Junkanoo Swing (July 12-16)
Dizzy’s Club / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“With pianist Monty Alexander, bassist Hassan Shakur, drummer Obed Calvaire, electric bassist Joshua Thomas, guitarist Andy Bassford, drummer/percussionist Karl Wright, and special guests to be announced.

In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation by exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Barbara Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare. Combining classic, swinging jazz with the rhythms and vibrations of Jamaica, Alexander always makes good on his promise to “get everybody moving below the waist.”

Ron Carter  (July 11-16)
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8Pm, +10:30PM, $30-$45
“Having recently turned eighty, the master bassist Carter is officially a jazz patriarch, though his nimble fingers and agile responsiveness regularly make light of the calendar. He’s joined here by another revered elder figure, the saxophonist Benny Golson, and by the fine younger trumpeter Wallace Roney.” (NewYorker)

Smart Stuff / Other NYC Events
(Lectures, Discussions, Book Talks, Literary Readings, Classes, Food & Drink, Other)

Ellington and The Far East
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 1:30PM, $45
“The Duke Ellington Orchestra embarked on a world tour in 1963, which included performances in cities such as Damascus, Ramall’ah, Kabul, New Delhi, Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta, Tehran, Isfahan, Baghdad, Beirut and many others. The Ellington/Strayhorn compositions the tour inspired became The Far East Suite (1966), the title being something of a misnomer since only one track — inspired by a 1964 tour of Japan — is actually concerned with a country in the “Far East.” Names aside, the eleven movements that comprise the final version of The Far East Suite, almost all collaborations, include some of the greatest music they ever composed together, and mark the end of their extraordinary collaboration, for Billy Strayhorn died five months after the recording was completed. One of the highlights of the Ellington oeuvre, we conclude our seven lecture series on the work of one of the great 20th century masters, Edward Kennedy Ellington, with his last great work, The Far East Suite.”

Let’s not forget these marvelous continuing events:

French Restaurant Week  (thru July 16)
VARIOUS HOURS AND LOCATIONS
“Can’t make it to Paris this summer? Do the next best thing and eat like a Parisian in your own city. Part of a full slate of Bastille Week festivities, the annual French Restaurant Week is an opportunity to taste your way through some of the city’s best bistros and brasseries. Special prix-fixe menus will be available at dinner (and at lunch, at some locations) at dozens of spots across the area, including Le Cirque and La Sirene (in Manhattan) and Bar Omar (in Brooklyn). Three menu options may be available at each: $17.89, $38, or $178.90. At Les Halles, for instance, they forgo the top-price option but offer a glass of wine and a choice of housemade pork confit spread or merguez au couscous for $17.89; for $38 there, you can pick an appetizer (salad or garlic-butter roasted escargots), an entreé (coq au vin or roast trout in a lemon-caper sauce), along with a glass of wine. It’s enough to make you say oh là là.” (Mary Bakija, VillageVoice)

New York Asian Film Festival (thru July 16)
“Catch more than 50 new films, including blockbusters, art films and beautiful historical dramas, plus appearances from more than 20 international filmmakers at this 17-day festival. This year’s stellar lineup, which features films hailing from Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia, features films like Chinese romance Soul Mate on July 7, fantastical Japanese drama Vanishing Time: a Boy Who Returned on July 13, and wraps with the U.S. premiere of Jung Byung-gil’s acclaimed assassin film, The Villainess, on July 16.” (TONY)

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Bonus NYC events– Jazz Venues:
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:
(5 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. South, villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319

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.

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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, with a population of  8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017.  Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Whitney Museum of American Art:

Calder: Hypermobility (thru Oct 23)
“focuses on the extraordinary breadth of movement and sound in the work of Alexander Calder. This exhibition brings together a rich constellation of key sculptures and provides a rare opportunity to experience the works as the artist intended—in motion. Regular activations will occur in the galleries, revealing the inherent kinetic nature of Calder’s work, as well as its relationship to performance. Influenced in part by the artist’s fascination and engagement with choreography, Calder’s sculptures contain an embedded performativity that is reflected in their idiosyncratic motions and the perceptual responses they provoke.”

Museum of Arts and Design (thru Aug 20)
2 Columbus Circle
Counter-Couture: Handmade Fashion in an American Counterculture
“In all its sumptuous, ragtag, iconoclastic, and utopian forms, hippie clothing reflected the seismic cultural shifts of Vietnam War-era America, eschewing the mass-produced in favor of the personalized and the handmade. This captivating exhibition, installed in moodily lit galleries against purple-and-gold wallpaper, goes beyond the expected caftans and macramé to detail the nuances and extremes of countercultural aesthetics. A section devoted to stage costumes includes a medieval-inspired muumuu, its pastel-ombré velvet adorned with a starburst appliqué; Mama Cass Elliot, of the Mamas & the Papas, wore it in 1967. Nearby, looping film footage includes performance documentation of the Cockettes, an anarchic theatre group whose psychedelic, thrift-store drag sensibility helped shape a nascent queer aesthetic. From the Army-surplus garments appropriated and painstakingly embroidered by flower children to the dashikis and African fabrics embraced by the black-pride movement to the ascetic styles of communes and cults, the exhibition emphasizes how vernacular fashion signalled antiestablishment values and group identity. That said, high fashion isn’t neglected. One highlight is the visionary designer Kaisik Wong’s glittering, futuristic “wearable art,” which resembles armor and cocoons from another planet—or the next Aquarian age.” (NewYorker)

Museum of Modern Art:

‘ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG: AMONG FRIENDS’ (thru Sept.17)

“This retrospective of one of America’s great artists includes more than 250 paintings, sculptures, drawings, sound and video recordings, prints and photographs created over the course of a six­decade career. Rauschenberg sometimes worked with artists, dancers, musicians and writers (including John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Yvonne Rainer and Jasper Johns), and the exhibition will be supplemented by dance and performance.” ( STAV ZIV-Newsday)

A special pat on the back to MOMA, who is now displaying art from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.

“Trump’s ban against refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations has sparked acts of defiance in NYC, from demonstrations across town, to striking taxicab drivers at JFK to Middle Eastern bodega owners closing their shops in protest. Recently, the Museum Of Modern added its two cents by bringing out artworks it owns from the affected countries, and hanging them prominently within the galleries usually reserved for 19th- and 20th-century artworks from Europe and the United States. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, for example, were removed to make way for pieces by Tala Madani (from Iran), Ibrahim El-Salahi (from Sudan) and architect Zaha Hadid (from Iraq). The rehanging, which was unannounced, aims to create a symbolic welcome that repudiates Trump by creating a visual dialog between the newly added works and the more familiar objects from MoMA’s permanent collection.” (TONY)

American Museum of Natural History:

Mummies (thru 1/7/18)
“For thousands of years, peoples around the world practiced mummification as a way of preserving and honoring their dead. Mummies brings you face to face with some of these ancient individuals and reveals how scientists are using modern technology to glean stunning details about them and their cultures. In Mummies, ancient remains from the Nile Valley of Africa and the Andes Mountains of South America will be on view, allowing visitors to connect with cultures from the distant past. Mummification, a more widespread practice than most think, was used not only for royal Egyptians but also for common people and even animals. Interactive touch tables let visitors virtually “unravel” or see inside mummies as they delve deep into the unique stories of the people or animals who lie within. Other parts of the exhibition showcase the latest isotopic and DNA testing being performed on mummies, and explain how these sophisticated analytical techniques are helping scientists discover important clues about long-vanished practices. Mummies was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago.”(NYCity Guide)

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PLUS, These wonderful museum exhibitions elsewhere are closing soon:

‘GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: LIVING MODERN’ at the Brooklyn Museum (through July 23). Given that most artists are to some extent dandies, it would be wrong to view this fascinating show through an exclusively feminist lens. But it does demonstrate the powerful, carefully cultivated aesthetic and inborn independence that connects the art, wardrobe, living spaces and public persona of America’s first celebrity artist. In and around her art, she redefined gender and style. (Roberta Smith-NYT)
>and another view of this exhibition–Georgia O’Keeffe: “Living Modern” provides a new look at an iconic American artist at the very institution that hosted her first solo museum exhibition in 1927—the Brooklyn Museum. Presenting O’Keeffe’s remarkable wardrobe in dialogue with iconic paintings and photographs, this singular exhibition focuses in on the modernist persona O’Keeffe crafted for herself. With photographs by luminaries like Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, and Annie Leibovitz, the show reflects O’Keeffe’s radical rethinking of female identity, and the artist’s commitment to elements of modernism—minimalism, seriality, simplification—not only in her art, but also in her distinctive style of dress. (NYCity Guide)

‘AGE OF EMPIRES: CHINESE ART OF THE QIN AND HAN DYNASTIES (221 B.C.-A.D. 220)’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through July 16). No one does epic better than the Met, and this hypnotic, glow-in-the-dark exhibition of 160 objects from 32 museums in mainland China is in that line. Of the museum’s several recent showcases of Chinese antiquities, this may be visually the most dramatic and emotionally the most accessible. It features a type of art the Met is a bit too comfortable with: imperial bling. But here the material feels purposeful, evidence of a time in China when the very idea of empire, and branding, was an experiment. (Holland Cotter)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/11 and 07/09.
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