Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > THURSDAY/JULY 27, 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”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you’ll find anywhere.

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

FRED HERSCH TRIO ((July 25-30)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30PM, $30
“Mr. Hersch plays the piano with a scrupulous momentum, especially when he’s with his trio. His solos can be swift and elusive, but they never sacrifice their distinctive lyrical clarity. Next week at the Village Vanguard, he will perform two sets a night with his longtime sidemen, the bassist John Hébert and the drummer Eric McPherson. This run is part of a busy summer: Before it’s over, Mr. Hersch will release both a solo piano album, “Open Book,” and a memoir, “Good Things Happen Slowly.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>TOMOKO OMURA ROOTS QUINTET
>>Broadway in Bryant Park
>>Kaia Kater
>>TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
>>BALLET FESTIVAL
>>A Life in Surfing: Jamie Brisick
>>Whistleblower at the CIA: An Insider’s Account of the Politics of Intelligence
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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

TOMOKO OMURA ROOTS QUINTET
at the Cornelia Street Café / 9:30PM, $
“With a clear and sturdy violin attack, and an inventive voice as an improviser, Ms. Omura is a rising talent worth watching. Her 2015 album, “Roots,” brings traditional Japanese songs into a modern jazz context, equipping them with tumbling counterpoint and swiveling grooves. She will play some of that repertoire at Cornelia Street, where she’s joined by a strong ensemble: Jeff Miles on guitar, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Pablo Menares on bass and Jay Sawyer on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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 includes performances from:
A Bronx Tale
Anastasia: Home at Last
Avenue Q
The Imbible

Kaia Kater
Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“Possessing an “exquisite, velvety voice” (Folk Radio UK), a nuanced old-time banjo style, and thought-provoking lyrics, singer-songwriter Kaia Kater finds contemporary resonance in the musical treasures of Appalachian history. Born in Quebec of mixed Afro-Caribbean ancestry, Kater now splits her time between Toronto and West Virginia, where she immerses herself in balladry and traditional dance. In her original songs, she works to incorporate her unique perspective as a person of color in roots music, traveling deep into the wilderness of the past and addressing the complex racial history of the traditions themselves.

“Tremendous…where bluegrass meets Nina Simone.” —Guardian (U.K.) on Kater’s second album Nine Pin “Exquisite, velvety voice…a stunning album of understated clarity and insight, effortlessly bridging the past and the present to create a blueprint for the future.” —Folk Radio UK “Wise and talented beyond her years, a vibrant new voice for these troubled times.” —No Depression

Elsewhere, but this looks so worth the detour:

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
at Forest Hills Stadium / 6:30PM, $50+
“Few 20th-century rock songs say “summer” quite as distinctly as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl” (although the other 17 songs on the band’s 1993 “Greatest Hits” collection are nearly as suited to the season). This two-night stand in Queens next week is part of a run of shows celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Heartbreakers’ founding. Mr. Petty has said that it’s likely to be his final major American tour, so fans should savor those choruses while they can.” (NYT- SIMON VOZICK-LEVINSON)

BALLET FESTIVAL (through July 29).
at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., at 19th St./ 7:30PM, $31-$51
“This festival of small and enterprising ballet troupes continues with Claudia Schreier & Company (Friday and Saturday), Cirio Collective (Sunday and Monday), Gemma Bond Dance (Tuesday and Wednesday), and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery (Thursday through July 29). Although they create their work outside of large institutions, many of the choreographers have culled their dancers from the ranks of New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet and other established companies. Among the high-profile guests is the former City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan, who appears on Ms. Schreier’s program.” (SIOBHAN BURKE, NYT)

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

A Life in Surfing: Jamie Brisick
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway / 8PM, $20
“We are proud to be presenting Jamie Brisick, a prolific contributor to the culture of surfing, for an evening of surf literature, film, and photography.

Jamie Brisick has spent more than four decades deeply immersed in surfing, first as a professional surfer in the ’80s and ’90s, and since then as a writer, photographer, and filmmaker. An author of several books, an editor of international surf magazines, and a Fulbright scholar, he is an astute observer of the culture. In conversation with Chris Gentile, founder of Pilgrim Surf + Supply, and through a selection of his photographs, Jamie will discuss his life in surfing, as well as show excerpts from a few of his favorite surf films, which include Jack McCoy’s Stormriders, Greg Schell’s Chasing the Lotus, and Alby Falzon’s Morning of the Earth.”

Whistleblower at the CIA: An Insider’s Account of the Politics of Intelligence
Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave./ 6:30PM, FREE
With Melvin A. Goodman, writer and former senior analyst and Division Chief at the CIA from 1966 to 1990.
“This lecture presents a rare insider’s account of the inner workings of America’s intelligence community.”

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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
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of the City of New York
‘A CITY SEEN: TODD WEBB’S POSTWAR NEW YORK, 1945­-1960’ (thru Sept.04)
“Webb, a Detroit native who lost his money in the 1929 crash, served as a Navy photographer during World War II. His first major solo exhibition, “I See a City,” opened at the Museum of the City of New York in September 1946. Now the museum is putting the photographer, who died in 2000, in the spotlight again with more than 100 of his pictures of the city, including this shot of 125th Street in Harlem in 1946.
WHEN | WHERE Through Sept. 4, at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave.
INFO $18; 212­534­1672, mcny.org ­­ (STAV ZIV-Newsday)

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  (now-9/6/17)
“This newest show, Visionaries: Creating a Modern Guggenheim, provides a rare chance to explore in-depth some of the key artists of this essential New York institution. Framed by the interests of six leading patrons, Visionaries brings together canvases from masters like Max Ernst, René Magritte, and Yves Tanguy, and sculptures by Joseph Cornell and Alberto Giacometti. In addition, Jackson Pollock’s Alchemy (1947) is being shown in the U.S. for the first time in nearly 50 years. More than a dozen works on paper by Picasso and Van Gogh, rarely on view to the public, can be seen in the Thannhauser Gallery, and paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin, and Édouard Manet are displayed on the museum’s legendary ramps.”

and you should be sure to check out the special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish)

at the very least you will want to see this one:
MM

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW)

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (SUN 11am-1pm PWYW) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 07/25 and 07/23.
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