Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ OCTOBER 05, 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:  “October 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.”

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

Elsewhere, but this is my hometown, the Bronx, so you bet it’s worth the detour:

From Naples to New York Pizza Festival 2019 (Oct.5-6)
Get a slice (or six) of heaven
Crescent Ave, Belmont, Bronx / 12-5PM, $25/ 3slices – $35/ 6slices
“The New York Pizza Festival is inviting thirty American and Italian pizzaioli to the Bronx’s own Little Italy. With pizza from Brooklyn’s Di Fara, Chicago’s Forno Rosso (don’t worry, it’s not deep-dish), and Naples’ Vincenzo Capuano, this celebration of the Neapolitan pie features slice after slice of cheese, crust, and sauce. The festival will benefit Slice Out Hunger, a pizza-based non-profit dedicated to ending hunger in the United States.” (thrillist.com)

GD: Hey, you can bring in pizza from out of town, but New York pizza will still rule them all. Bring ’em on!

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> FABIAN ALMAZAN TRIO
>> Porgy and Bess
>> ‘MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & CUNNINGHAM
>> SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO
>> SHE MAKES ME LAUGH COMEDY FESTIVAL
>> Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
>> Oktoberfest!

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

FABIAN ALMAZAN TRIO
at Jazz Gallery / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $25-$35
“Among the most talented young pianists in jazz, Almazan has doubled for the past two years as an impresario — and tripled as an activist. His label, Biophilia Records, releases albums with an eye toward sustainability, and donates a portion of its proceeds to ecological causes. His most recent album, “This Land Abounds With Life,” featuring his trio, is a writhing, emotionally charged lament, full of some of the finest writing and playing of his blossoming career. Here Almazan appears with the bassist Linda May Han Oh (who was on the album) and the drummer Rudy Royston.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

The Metropolitan Opera
Porgy and Bess
Metropolitan Opera House / 1PM, $
“One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.”

New York City Ballet (thru Oct.13)
MASTERS AT WORK: BALANCHINE & CUNNINGHAM
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 8PM, $35
“Even City Ballet is getting into the spirit of the Merce Cunningham centenary. On Saturday night, the company introduces a new program pairing Balanchine’s “Serenade” and “Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2” with Cunningham’s colorful, delicate “Summerspace,” a work that was first performed by this company in 1966 but has not been since 2000.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO (Oct. 3-6)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“At just 32, this dazzling New Orleanian pianist has already been handsomely decorated: He’s won the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the American Pianists Association’s 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. And he’s caught the ears of many elder musicians. Here he performs with the bassist John Patitucci and the drummer Nasheet Waits, both a generation above him and among jazz’s most respected rhythm-section players.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

SHE MAKES ME LAUGH COMEDY FESTIVAL (Oct. 4-6)
at the Peoples Improv Theater / various times & covers
“This celebration of funny women and nonbinary comedians spans three nights and two days, with more than 100 acts performing stand-up, improv, storytelling and sketches over the weekend. Daytime panels will focus on podcasting, book writing and diversity, and featured performers will include Ana Fabrega, Ophira Eisenberg, Jo Firestone, Karen Chee, Gina Brillon, Kerry Coddett and Molly Austin.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Oct.1-5)
New York Live Arts, 219 w19 St./ 7:30PM, $35+
“If someone turned “The Breakfast Club” into a dance for four women, it might look like Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s “Rosas Danst Rosas.” Clad in gray, with sleeves that slip provocatively from their shoulders, the women squirm, thrash their hair, pull at their clothes, or create elegant loop-the-loops, now and then smiling slyly at private thoughts. The piece, created in 1983, was only De Keersmaeker’s third, but its mix of formal rigor, coiled energy, and pugnacity instantly struck a nerve. That combination is still essential to De Keersmaeker’s style, though over the years it has lost some of its adolescent “bad girl” edge.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Oktoberfest!
Oompah under the Archway
Dumbo / 1-9PM, Free to enter, food and drink available for purchase
“It’s finally October, and Oktoberfest is in full swing. The Dumbo archway — you know, that space beneath the Manhattan Bridge — will be transformed into a German beer hall complete with polka music, bratwurst, and Sixpoint Brewery’s “Dumbo Weisse,” a custom Hefeweizen served in a limited-edition stein. There will also be a “virtual apple-picking photo experience” and a social media hashtag contest — just like at the very first Oktoberfest, all the way back in 1810.” (thrillist.com)

Continuing Events

New York Film Festival (Sept. 27 — Oct. 13)
“Lincoln Center’s signature cinematic event returns with a lineup that’s simply packed with eagerly anticipated movies by major filmmakers. The festival opens with Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and closes with Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn.” In between, you can find new work by everyone from Bong Joon-Ho (“Parasite”) to Kelly Reichardt (“First Cow”), along with Antonio Banderas and Pedro Almodóvar (“Pain and Glory”).” (amNY)

FALL FOR DANCE (Oct.1-13)
at New York City Center / 8PM, $15 (Sundays 3PM)
“The annual smorgasbord of high-quality, low-cost dance returns with five diverse programs that mixes hometown stars with global luminaries, and classics with new commissions. Program 1, on Tuesday and Wednesday, features Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in a work by Crystal Pite, Vuyani Dance Theater from South Africa with the stateside debut of a piece by Gregory Maqoma, Caleb Teicher & Company in Teicher’s “Bzzzz,” and Misty Copeland in a Kyle Abraham premiere. The lineup for Program 2, on Oct. 3 and 4, comprises Mark Morris Dance Group, the French hip-hop troupe Dyptik, the Washington Ballet and Malevo, who bring a rock version of the Argentine folk dance malambo. All shows have sold out, but any cancellations will result in tickets becoming available online and at the box office, so keep an eye out.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/4-5 Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beacon Theatre
10/5 Avett Brothers with Lake Street Dive, Barclays Center
10/5 Tallest Man On Earth, Radio City Music Hall
10/6 Sturgill Simpson, Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/8 “Songs For The Mind” w/ Deva Mahal and more, Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/8 “On Your Radar” w/FUV’s John Platt, Rockwood Music Hall
10/9 Big Thief, Brooklyn Steel
10/9 Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Wilco
October 12
Radio City Music Hall
Yes, Ode to Joy, the title of Wilco’s upcoming album, was used centuries ago by Friedrich Schiller and then Beethoven. But occasional parallel thinking is inevitable in any creative endeavor.

Kacey Musgraves
October 15
Radio City Music Hall
The Grammy-winning country artist brings her tour to Radio City.

Steely Dan
October 15, 16, 18, 19 and 22
Beacon Theatre
Donald Fagen keeps the jazz-rock music of Steely Dan, familiar from songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” going strong.
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Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

♦ 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 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. 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.

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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: