Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JANUARY 28, 2020

“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:  “January 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:

Paul Krugman in Conversation with Samantha Bee: Arguing with Zombies
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave./ 7:30PM, $50
“Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman exposes the erroneous ideas that just won’t die in his new Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future. Satirist Samantha Bee joins Krugman to break down myths from tax reform to healthcare to Brexit.

Join Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman for a conversation about his new book, Arguing with Zombies—along with the most crystal-clear crash course in contemporary economics, politics and public policy you’re likely to get ahead of the 2020 election.

As the Trump administration rolls back nearly every New Deal-era law America has relied upon for a century, Krugman breaks down the myths surrounding public policy issues at home and abroad—from tax reform to healthcare to Brexit—with the characteristic intelligence, wit and passion that have been on display for two decades in his writing for The New York Times.” (ThoughtGallery)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Porgy and Bess
>> New York Philharmonic: Lunar New Year Concert
>> Jill Sobule
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> New York City Ballet
>> Ecstatic Music: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert
>> Tara O’Grady

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

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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Metropolitan Opera
Porgy and Bess (next Feb.1, 1PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $85+
(Has proved so popular that the Met has added three performances to this second run of the season.)
“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 Philharmonic: Lunar New Year Concert
David Geffen Hall (at Lincoln Center) / 7:30PM, $35+
“The New York Philharmonic is known for its exceptional New Year’s Concert and, for a ninth year, the renowned symphony kicks the Lunar New Year into high gear as well. The evening’s schedule includes the US Premiere of Zhou Tian’s Gift, the New York Premiere of Texu Kim’s ping pong–inspired Spin-Flip, Haochen Zhang’s take on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Gil Shaham in Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s The Butterfly Lovers, the violin concerto.” (TONY)

Jill Sobule
Joe’s Pub / 9:30PM, $20
“Nostalgia can be wonderful and amazing. It’s OK to look back. But then you gotta get the fuck out of there.” So says singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, explaining the theme of her new album, Nostalgia Kills.

On 2018’s Nostalgia Kills, the woman hailed by The New York Times for making “grown-up music for an adolescent age” turns her warm wit and poet’s eye on herself more than ever before, revisiting moments from throughout her life that made her into the person she is today.”

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the January 28 edition include Nicole Zuraitis, Jordan von Haslow, Darien Crago, Daniel Plimpton, Gretchen Reinhagen, Matt Baker, Julie Garnye, America’s Sweethearts, the Drinkwater Brothers and musical director Brad Simmons. ” (TONY)

New York City Ballet (through March 1)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, $78+
“The spotlight remains on George Balanchine, this company’s founding father, with more performances of “Allegro Brilliante,” “La Source” and “Firebird” (on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday). Sunday’s matinee program, “Stravinsky & Balanchine,” highlights collaborations between the composer and the choreographer, including “Danses Concertantes” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” The “New Combinations” bill on Jan. 30 pairs Jerome Robbins’s 1979 “Opus 19/The Dreamer” with Christopher Wheeldon’s 2001 “Polyphonia” and two newer dances: Justin Peck’s “Bright,” a brief ballet for six dancers that premiered last spring, and “Voices,” a new work by Alexei Ratmansky.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Ecstatic Music: Bang on a Can People’s Commissioning Fund Concert
Bang On A Can All-Stars
@ Kaufman Center (Ecstatic Music Festival) / 7:30PM, $25
“The mother of avant-garde collectives” (Vulture), Bang on a Can’s People’s Commissioning Fund is a radical partnership between artists and audiences to commission works from adventurous composers. Founded in 1997, long before crowd-funding became the norm through Kickstarter and the like, Bang on a Can’s PCF has pooled contributions of all sizes from hundreds of friends and fans and since its inception has commissioned over 50 works of music for New York’s electric Bang on a Can All-Stars.”

PLUS one of my favorite Jazz vocalists:

Tara O’Grady
Winnie’s Jazz Bar, Refinery Hotel, 63 W38th St./ 8-11PM, no cover
An eclectic Jazz singer in a small intimate lounge. She covers Billie Holiday, and Etta James, then Jazzes up a traditional Irish ballad like “Danny Boy.” Her original songs show the heart of an accomplished, published author. She takes all kinds of requests – makes for a fun evening.
Her two accompanists are also superb, the guitar player recalls B.B. King.

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

MORE SMART STUFF TOMORROW

Continuing Events

NYC Restaurant Week (Jan.21—Feb.9)

A celebration of NYC’s most fabulous pastime: dining out. With hundreds of restaurants throughout the City rolling out special prix-fixe menus for a limited time, this is your chance to revel without a cause.

Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers and three choices for entrées at lunch ($26). Restaurants offer a minimum of three choices for appetizers, three choices for entrées and at least two desserts at dinner ($42). Several restaurants may also offer drink specials, supplemental items and other à la carte options for an additional price.
2-course lunch $26 | 3-course dinner $42

The Winter Show  (Jan.24-Feb.2)

The Winter Show is the leading art, antiques, and design fair in America, featuring 72 of the world’s top experts in the fine and decorative arts.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the fair highlights a dynamic mix of works dating from ancient times through the present day and maintains the highest standards of quality in the art market. Each object at the fair is vetted for authenticity, date, and condition by a committee of 150 experts from the United States and Europe.

FrostFest
A winter celebration with live entertainment, Bumper Cars on Ice, Cozy Igloos, and more!
Bryant Park
“Manhattan’s famed midtown oasis is hosting this 10-day celebration of offbeat things to do in cold weather, including riding in ice bumper cars, hanging out in artificial igloos and a kids scavenger hunt. Highlights include dueling pianos from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, a Cozy Sweater Pup Meetup (put Fido in his favorite sweater) at noon on Jan. 25 and a silent outdoor disco at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 40th-42nd streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan I
NFO Free to enter, some events require tickets; 212-768-4242, bryantpark.org

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

1/28 Jill Sobule, Joe’s Pub
1/28-29 Madison Cunningham, (le) Poisson Rouge
1/28-29 The Hot Sardines, Birdland

♦ 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 / Tribeca

B-Flat / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White St)

There are some places that are tough to find, then add a layer of mystery when you do find them. B-Flat has a nondescript, almost unmarked door at street level – today’s speakeasy vibe. Open this door and you face a dimly lit stairway down to their basement location. It almost takes a leap of faith to follow the stairs down to their interior door.
But open that door and a pleasant surprise awaits you.

It’s a basement jazz spot all right, but not like any traditional jazz joint you may have been to before. This place looks as fresh as today, probably because it’s only been open for 6 years. Even though it hasn’t had a chance to age gracefully, the cherry wood accents and low lighting make this small space very inviting.

There is always jazz, often progressive jazz, playing over their very discrete, stylish bose speakers, setting just the right tone as you find a seat at the bar, or one of the small tables. There is wine and beer available, but this place has some expert mixologists making some very creative cocktails, which I’m told change seasonally, a nice touch.

Come at happy hour and tasty cocktails like the el Diablo or the lychee martini are $8 – not bad. I am a sucker for any drink made with lychee and how can you not try a tequila drink named el Diablo. There is also nice selection of small bites available at happy hour and a food menu that is as innovative as the cocktail menu, so this does not have to be a happy hour only stop.

It wasn’t surprising to find a tasty prosciutto and arugula salad with yuzu dressing, but I did not expect to find such a good version of fried chicken breast on the apps menu. Here it’s called “Tatsuta.” Best bet is to sample happy hour, then dinner on a Monday or Wednesday night, when you can finish with no cover live jazz that starts around 8.

This place is tough to find (look for a small slate sandwich board on the sidewalk out front advertising happy hour) and on some nights when there is no live music it may be a little too quiet for some. But I think it’s worth searching out if you want a place with good music, food, and especially drinks, away from the maddening crowd.

Website: http://http://www.bflat.info/index.html
Phone #: 212-219-2970
Hours: Mo-Wed 5pm-2am; Th-Sat 5pm-3am; no Sun
Happy Hour: 5-7pm every day; $8 cocktails + special prices on apps
Music: Mon/Wed 8pm
Subway: #1 to Franklin; walk E 1 blk to Church; N 1 blk to bFlat

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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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