Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JULY 19, 2019

“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, check the tab above:  “July NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

==========================================================

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

Jon Faddis Quartet (July 19-21)
Dizzy’s / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $45
“He’s the best ever, including me!” – Dizzy Gillespie

“Legendary trumpeter Jon Faddis, protégé of the great Dizzy Gillespie, returns to Dizzy’s Club to great demand. Known for an extraordinary and virtually unparalleled range, Faddis has complete mastery over the trumpet. He evokes the voices of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, and, of course, Gillespie, all while remaining true to his own. Faddis’ illustrious career has seen him perform with top jazz musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. For some of the best trumpet playing you’ll ever hear, don’t miss Jon Faddis at Dizzy’s Club.”

====================================================

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> VIJAY IYER SEXTET
>> Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz
>> The Magic Flute
>> Steve Turre
>> Maria Kochetkova
>> Steve Smith’s Groove Blue Organ Trio
>> Astronomy Night Celebrates Apollo 11

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

=======================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Art

VIJAY IYER SEXTET (through July 21)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; $35
A renowned pianist, educator and MacArthur fellow, Iyer’s last big statement on record was “Far From Over,” the 2017 debut recording from his sextet. It was a voyage through warped-glass apparitions, spiky rhythmic terrain and skyscraping three-part horn harmonies that sometimes tumbled into writhing disarray. Two years later, this material still feels fresh. But Iyer has also worked out some new material for the band, so look out for a mix this week. The sextet includes Graham Haynes on cornet and fluegelhorn, Mark Shim on tenor saxophone, Steve Lehman on alto saxophone, Stephan Crump on bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums.” (NYT-Giovanni Russonello)

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (also July 18-20)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $70+
“The stars of the original Off Broadway production of The Last Five Years, having gone on to major Broadway careers, reunite for a nightclub set. Scott is a blond bombshell with a paradoxical flair for understatement, a reticent power that reached its apex in her 2010 Broadway showcase, Everyday Rapture; Butz has an unlikely but winning combination of everyday guyness and star magnetism. In addition to The Last Five Years, the two have also shared the stage in Rent and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and both are highly accomplished nightclub performers, so this should be a doozy. Todd Almond is the musical director.” (TONY)

The Magic Flute (July 17-20)
(New York production premiere)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7PM, $55
“Mozart’s beloved comedic opera is richly reimagined by director Barrie Kosky and British theater group 1927, resulting in a spectacular kaleidoscope of 1920s silent films, Weimar cabaret, and the dark whimsy of fairy tales. A stellar cast from Komische Oper Berlin interacts with vividly rendered animated projections in a live fantasia that pays audaciously delightful homage to the power of love, the birth of the movies, and the pioneering genius of Mozart.”

Steve Turre (July 18-20)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway / 7, 9, 10:30PM, $38
When the music calls for it, the eminent trombonist (and seemingly singular jazz-conch-shell player) Steve Turre instinctively responds with a nasty-edged spark that cements his reputation as a master of Latin-tinged hard bop. Yet his warm and fuzzy side—displayed on the ballad-heavy album “The Very Thought of You,” from last year—is equally compelling. In the company of a sharp quintet featuring the saxophonist James Carter, Turre has the perfect platform to strut his multifarious stuff.
(Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Maria Kochetkova (July 16-21)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m.; $55+ (may need to try another night)
“Maria Kochetkova is one of those can-do ballerinas with limitless technical capacities and boundless energy. In her eleven-year career at San Francisco Ballet, she danced everything from Petipa to William Forsythe and Wayne McGregor—always with rigor and style. For the past year, she has been freelancing. Now she has a project of her own, a program of new and recent works, called “Catch Her if You Can,” by a cluster of big names such as Forsythe, David Dawson, and Marco Goecke, which she will perform along with friends and colleagues, including Drew Jacoby and Sebastian Kloborg. In addition, the French dance-theatre choreographer Jérôme Bel has created a sort of mini-portrait of Kochetkova, the title of which, “Masha Machine,” references the nickname by which she is best known to dancers and fans alike.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

Steve Smith’s Groove Blue Organ Trio (July16-19)
Birdland / 8:30PM, +11PM, $30-$40
“The former drummer for arena-rock monolith Journey has traipsed through all varieties of funky music over the course of his storied career, playing with the likes of Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Stanley Clarke and even Mariah Carey. Here Smith turns up with a hard-grooving trio to demonstrate his muscular chops in jazz-rock workouts and Buddy Rich–inspired jazz blasts.” (TONY)

=========================================================

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Astronomy Night Celebrates Apollo 11
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86 /7:30PM, $15
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

Journey back to the Moon with NASA’s Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and glimpse breathtaking images taken by the LRO of the original lunar landing site of the Apollo 11 mission. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of this bold mission with Dr. Petro, who will share an up-close look at this legendary site and discuss how the lunar surface images taken by the LRO will guide scientists as they plan our next mission back to our cosmic neighbor.

Astronomy Night will be primarily standing room only because of reduced seating capacity. Registration does not guarantee a seat.”

7:30pm: Presentation
8:15pm–10:00pm: Stargazing on the flight deck (weather permitting)
Arrive early and explore the Museum, which will open for free at 5pm as part of our Free Fridays series.
Registration is not required for Free Fridays.

Continuing Events

“Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival will run from July 10 through August 10, 2019. Harnessing Mozart’s innovative spirit as its inspiration, this edition will feature groundbreaking, multidisciplinary, international productions and acclaimed artists from a variety of genres, introducing the audience to emerging creative voices, commissions and premieres.  The program will include performances from Mark Morris Dance Company, a panel discussion on Mozart’s Magic Flute, a screening of the film The Great Buster: A Celebration, and much more. For a full festival lineup, visit the Mostly Mozart Festival event page.” (nyc-arts.org)

NYC Restaurant Week 2019:
Start making your reservations.

“The more than three-week-long promotion featuring two-course lunches ($26) and three-course dinners ($42) at some of the city’s best restaurants is back for its summer edition starting July 22. This time around, the celebration features prix-fixe meals at more than 380 eateries, with deals through Aug. 16.

You can find links to menus and the restaurants involved here, but check out our picks for some of the most enticing deals below.” (amNY)

JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film
Japan Society, 333 East 47th St./ various times, $15 individual films
“From July 19 – 28, the Japan Society will present JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film. Premiering 26 features and 16 short films, the festival offers a deep dive into one of the world’s most vital film cultures with a diverse selection across its Feature Slate, Classics: Rediscoveries and Restorations, Documentary Focus, Experimental Spotlight and Shorts Showcase sections. This year’s lineup features 19 first-time filmmakers and 14 female directors (the most in the festival’s history), including 10 International Premieres, 16 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 4 East Coast Premieres and 6 New York Premieres. In addition, over 20 guest filmmakers and talent from Japan will join the festival to participate in post-screening Q&As and parties.”
(NYC-ARTS.ORG)

The Best of Contemporary Japanese Cinema – some films already sold out.

===================================================

COMING SOON (WFUV)

7/20 “Weird Al” Yankovic w/Queens Symphony Orchestra, Forest Hills Stadium
7/21 Dave Alvin, City Winery
7/22 Jesca Hoop, Rough Trade
7/23 Taj Mahal, City Winery
7/24 Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Blondie, Forest Hills Stadium
7/24 Steve Miller Band & Marty Stuart, Rooftop at Pier 17
7/24 Caroline Rose, Rocks Off Concert Cruises

♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2018 – awesome! BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

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.

Here is one exhibition the New Yorker likes:

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.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

=======================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 07/17 and 07/15.
=====================================================

Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
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 discovery and enjoyment.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.

=======================================================