Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ OCTOBER 18, 2019

SCUSI: no post yesterday because the storm knocked out power for 24 hours.

“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:

JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO
at Zankel Hall / 9 p.m.; $may be a tough ticket.
“The piano playing of this 16-year-old prodigy is lyrical and harmonically layered, and he packs each solo with miniature moments of pleasure and payoff. Favoring lissome, clearly articulated block chords, he turns corners tightly, and clears many landings on his way to completing a longer thought. Alexander appears here with an all-star rhythm section featuring Larry Grenadier on bass and Eric Harland on drums; the Venezuelan percussion virtuoso Luisito Quintero will join as a special guest.”

OR

Steely Dan
“Following the 2017 passing of co-founder Walter Becker, Steely Dan is now led by fellow original Donald Fagen, pictured. Fagen and the other players will keep the act’s iconic funk-meets-jazz-meets-rock sound alive in unique fashion for multiple dates at the Beacon Theatre. The band will perform a different classic album in its entirety each night, as well as an evening of greatest hits and another billed as a popular demand performance.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE 8 p.m. Oct. 18-19 and 22, Beacon Theatre: 2124 Broadway, Manhattan INFO $ $159.50- $499; steelydan.com

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6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> An Evening of Opera Narrated by New York Times Music Critic Vivien Schweitzer
>> Tito Rodríguez, Jr.
>> She-Devil Comedy Festival
>> Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
>> Open House New York
>> The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival | Opening Night Short Film Program & Panel Discussion: Phantasmic Futures

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

An Evening of Opera Narrated by New York Times Music Critic Vivien Schweitzer
Carnegie Hall / 8PM, $50
“The International Masters Academy of Opera presents an intimate concert that celebrates the birth of opera to modern operatic repertory. Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times classical music critic and author of A Mad Love: An Introduction to Opera will narrate the evening of crowd-pleasers and boundary pushing pieces to compliment the evening’s musical journey.

Rising artists will perform favorite pieces such as The Flower Duet from Lakmé, Una furtiva lagrima from L’elisir d’amore, the famous quartet from Rigoletto Bella figlia dell’amore, and Make Our Garden Grow from Candide as well as pieces by Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Korngold, Mozart, Dove, Monteverdi and more.” (ThoughtGallery)

¡VAYA! 63
Tito Rodríguez, Jr.
Opening Set by DJ Broadway
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Our Latin dance party series continues with a night of classic salsa hits and arrangements of big-band favorites. Dedicated to keeping his father’s musical legacy alive, Tito Rodríguez, Jr.—also a timbalero—assembles an all-star lineup that infuses Tito Sr.’s original mambo beat with a contemporary twist. A band “made for dancers” (New York Times), the Tito Rodríguez Orchestra with Tito Rodríguez, Jr. has thrilled audiences throughout the world, with stops at the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Vienne, Tiempo Latino, and the Ravinia Jazz Festival. Whether you want to feel nostalgic for music of a bygone era or experience a modern típica sound, you’re guaranteed to be on the dance floor all night long”

She-Devil Comedy Festival
Watch the finals of a comedy competition
Gotham Comedy Club / 9PM, $22
“The finals of the She-Devil Comedy Festival, a three-day comedy competition featuring the best female comics in the United States and Canada, is taking place this Friday at Gotham Comedy Club. By the finals, the 24 hopefuls have been culled down to six — leaving the best of the best to perform their sets for the top prize. It’s a celebration of women in comedy and a knockdown, drag-out fight for the crown. May the funniest woman win!” (Thrillist,com)

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana (Oct. 16-18)
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St./ 7:30PM, $55
One of the best ways to experience flamenco is in the intimacy of a café cantante or a tablao, close to the sparks but cooled by a beverage. Flamenco Vivo replicates that experience at Le Poisson Rouge, with wine and cocktails for purchase and musicians and dancers from Spain, including Lucía Alvarez, Isaac Tovar, Fanny Ara, and Emilio Ochando.” (Brian Seibert, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Open House New York (Oct.18-20)
Citywide, More than 150 sites are free
“The Open House New York weekend gives you access to some of the city’s most important and interesting spaces including Tribeca’s African Burial Ground National Monument; Staten Island’s Fort Wadsworth, which was completed in 1864; and the city’s compost facilities. Take a peek into the neighborhood places you’ve always wondered about, or head to the boroughs you rarely visit — through Open House New York, you can learn more about the city’s architecture, design, history, and trash.” (Thrillist.com)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival | Opening Night Short Film Program & Panel Discussion: Phantasmic Futures
Tribeca Screening Room, 375 Greenwich St. #2 / 8PM, $12
“What lies in our ever-accelerating future? The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival opens with a series of ambiguous views of what may be ahead, not always so clearly utopian or dystopian but exploring speculative spaces of risk and possibility that lie between. How will technology continue to reshape human relationships? How will society adapt to exploit new gaps in a city increasingly under constant electronic scanning? What opportunities may direct gene editing via CRISPR offer to those seeking to leave behind elements of their personalities that hold them back? What will we find in the landscapes of the post-anthropocene? And what shapes might future nephologists glimpse in the clouds of those reconfigured skies?”

Continuing Events

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)

10/18-19 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/19 Tank & The Bangas, Apollo Theater
10/20 Jim James & Teddy Abrams, (le) Poisson Rouge
10/21-22 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, 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.

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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A PremierPub

Jimmy’s Corner / 140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest,” Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe just a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a wonderful old time jukebox, with a great selection of  40s & 50s R&B and soul. On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
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Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.

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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

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 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
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.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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