NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/15) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 06/15/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JUNE 15, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

Elsewhere, but Kamasi Washington is always worth a detour:

KAMASI WASHINGTON
at Forest Hills Stadium / 7:30 p.m., $56+
“This tenor saxophonist — a blistering, continental colossus of jazz uplift and spectacle — returns this month with “Heaven and Earth,” his first full-length since “The Epic,” the biggest breakout success in jazz over the past decade. At nearly two-and-a-half hours, the double album is nearly as sprawling and orchestral as its predecessor, with heaving solos crushed against humongous statues of horns. Mr. Washington performs here with his ensemble on a bill with the rock band Alt-J.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Ethan Iverson and Ron Carter
>> Tango & Flamenco Fusion
>> ‘SONGS FOR CONNIE’
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas
>> PHILADANCO
>> Joy of Sake New York
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Ethan Iverson and Ron Carter (June 15-17)
Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St./ 8PM, +9:30PM, $20-$25
With older jazz giants leaving us with unfortunate regularity, it must be quite a charge for the historically minded pianist Iverson (late of the Bad Plus) to collaborate with surviving heroes. Here he duets with the masterly bassist Carter, whose work with Miles Davis and on the reported two-thousand-plus recordings he’s contributed to has made him a living legend.” (Steve Futterman, New Yorker)

Elsewhere, but hey, this is tango and flamenco, always worth the detour:
Tango & Flamenco Fusion
Thalia Spanish Theatre / 8PM, $37–$45
“Explore the Argentine roots of tango and the complex migration of flamenco in an intimate, bilingual environment. The tight team at this precious neighborhood establishment brings live music (by Grammy winner Raul Jaurena on the bandonion, Marga Mitchell singing, and Diego Amador on piano and vocals, complemented by eight other musicians) and dancing (by Yaisuri Salamanca and John Hernan Raigosa, world tango champions, and flamenco dancer Sol “La Argentinita,” from Buenos Aires). Can’t afford the tickets? Bring the family to free brunch-time performances in nearby Thomson Hill Park.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

‘SONGS FOR CONNIE’
at Greenwich House Music School / 7:30 p.m.$20
“Connie Crothers was a pianist, composer, organizer and educator. And in all things, she was first and foremost a melodist: She insisted on giving your ear something tuneful to ride alongside, even as she worked with a deep language of condensed harmonies and spiky rhythm. Ms. Crothers, who died in 2016, taught extensively and compassionately, and developed a large cohort of devoted students (in this way, she resembled her own mentor, the pianist Lennie Tristano). At this concert, eight vocalists will give performances in her honor, including the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Sheila Jordan and the venturesome singer Jay Clayton.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

American Ballet Theatre (thru July 7)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $22+
“The company wraps up the weekend with Kenneth MacMillan’s sumptuous production of “Romeo and Juliet” before moving on to “Swan Lake” starting on Monday. Yes, it’s true that this “Swan Lake” is in need of an overhaul, but there are some mighty dancers cast as Odette/Odile, among them Isabella Boylston, Devon Teuscher and Misty Copeland. And for the matinee on June 20, the powerful, statuesque Christine Shevchenko makes her New York debut as Odette/Odile opposite the charismatic James Whiteside.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas (June 12-17)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“A shared passion for expansive jazz and the music of Wayne Shorter brought together two questing figures—the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano—resulting in the 2015 recording “Sound Prints,” and, subsequently, an occasional working ensemble. Linda May Han Oh, on bass, Joey Baron, on drums, and Lawrence Fields on piano, form the kind of enviable support team that could hold its own even without these illustrious co-leaders.” (NewYorker)

PHILADANCO (June 12-17)
at the Joyce Theater / 8 p.m., $30+
“Since 1970, the Philadelphia Dance Company, known as Philadanco, has used dance to address social issues that affect people of color in this country. The company returns to the Joyce with a typically poignant and powerful program of four works: “Folded Prism” by Thang Dao; “A Movement for Five” about the Central Park Five, by Dawn Marie Bazemore, a company alumna; “New Fruit” about the cycle of racism and violence in the United States by the resident choreographer Christopher L. Huggins; and a piece in which the current artist in residence Tommie-Waheed Evans is said to weave “spirituality and sorrow.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

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

Joy of Sake New York
at Metropolitan Pavilion / 6:30pm-9:30pm, $110 includes unlimited samplings of sake and a dish from every restaurant.
“This is the largest sake tasting in the world outside Japan, with a superb array of premium labels and the best in traditional and contemporary Asian cuisine. The sakes are in peak condition, the food sublime, the crowd amazing. It’s a one-of-a-kind event, just once a year in New York City.”

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

Continuing Events

RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL at various locations (June 15-24).
“The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council presents this festival, now in its 17th year, with free dance, music, theater and visual art shows at downtown sites. Of the dance highlights, the most dramatic is likely to be an appearance by It’s Showtime NYC!, a company of street dancers, performing on the steps of Federal Hall (June 18-22). Other notable events include Catherine Galasso’s “Of Granite and Glass,” a site-specific dance inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” at the Winter Garden (June 15-17); Enrico D. Wey’s “silent :: partner,” an exploration of memory and memorialization held inside Federal Hall (June 15-17); and Cori Olinghouse’s “Grandma,” a look at aging and the ghosts of the American South. The setting? A Lower Manhattan office building (June 16-17).” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

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

Bonus NYC Events – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Hit the Hot Link and 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 exactly WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

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 discovery and enjoyment.
See Below.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30PM – 11PM, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11AM-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher St.
Walk 1 blk S. on 7th ave S. to Bleecker St., 1 blk left on Bleecker to Jones St., 50 yards left on Jones St. to Caffe V.
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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.

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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3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available FALL 2018).
◊ Order before NOV.30, 2018 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/14) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 06/14/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JUNE 14, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

American Ballet Theatre (Jun 11-16)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $22+
“Audiences never tire of “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s tale of teen-age lovers in Renaissance Verona, or of its lustrous score, by Prokofiev. A.B.T.’s version, by Kenneth MacMillan, is more than half a century old, but it continues to make its point with its violent street scenes, ardent pas de deux, and tear-inducing resolution. Misty Copeland, who first danced Juliet in 2015, returns to the role on June 12 and for the June 16 matinée. Devon Teuscher and Stella Abrera will dance Juliet at the June 13 matinée and on June 14, respectively. Teuscher is a thrilling actress; Abrera, a touching and pure dancer. Teuscher will be partnered by a new Romeo, Aran Bell, only nineteen years old and in the corps de ballet; many will remember him as an eleven-year-old boy in the movie “First Position.” (NewYorker)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> France Rocks Festival: Piers Faccini
>> Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
>> Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas
>> PHILADANCO
>> In Conversation: Susan Meiselas and Bieke Depoorter
>> Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

France Rocks Festival: Piers Faccini
Lincoln Center, David Rubenstein Atrium
Broadway and 62nd St./ 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“The English-born, France-based singer-songwriter Piers Faccini, who creates “captivating, quietly insistent” music (Wall Street Journal) in the vein of Nick Drake infused with a global outlook, brings his newest project. Inspired by the rich medieval history of his Mediterranean surroundings, I Dreamed an Island is a fascinating collection of songs drawing on Western, Arabic, and Byzantine influences.

Imagining how a Provençal madrigal might sound closer to the mode of an Arabic makan, or how words in English could be put to melodies sung with microtones of a Turkish taqsim, Faccini crosses folk and world music genres, transforming John Martyn into Ali Farka Touré, Pentangle into a Tunisian wedding band, and a Sicilian ciaccona into a Tuareg desert riff.”

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (thru June 17)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center/ 7:30 p.m., $29+
“Alvin Ailey’s brief spring season at Lincoln Center features three thematic programs. “Celebrate Women” (on Wednesday and June 16) includes work by the former artistic director Judith Jamison, the acclaimed dance maker Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Jessica Lang with her first piece for the company. “Ailey, Then and Now” (on June 15 and 17) pairs Talley Beatty’s 1982 disco romp “Stack Up” with two works by Robert Battle, the current artistic director. “Musical Icons” (June 16-17) comprises pieces set to John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and David Byrne. The Ailey staple “Revelations” closes each program, and June 14 has been set aside for a special gala performance with its own eclectic lineup.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas (June 12-17)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“A shared passion for expansive jazz and the music of Wayne Shorter brought together two questing figures—the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano—resulting in the 2015 recording “Sound Prints,” and, subsequently, an occasional working ensemble. Linda May Han Oh, on bass, Joey Baron, on drums, and Lawrence Fields on piano, form the kind of enviable support team that could hold its own even without these illustrious co-leaders.” (NewYorker)

PHILADANCO (June 12-17)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m., $30+
“Since 1970, the Philadelphia Dance Company, known as Philadanco, has used dance to address social issues that affect people of color in this country. The company returns to the Joyce with a typically poignant and powerful program of four works: “Folded Prism” by Thang Dao; “A Movement for Five” about the Central Park Five, by Dawn Marie Bazemore, a company alumna; “New Fruit” about the cycle of racism and violence in the United States by the resident choreographer Christopher L. Huggins; and a piece in which the current artist in residence Tommie-Waheed Evans is said to weave “spirituality and sorrow.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

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

In Conversation: Susan Meiselas and Bieke Depoorter
Aperture Gallery and Bookstore, 547 W. 27th St., 4th Floor / 6:30PM, $5
“Aperture Foundation, in collaboration with Magnum Photos, is pleased to present a night of conversation between Susan Meiselas and Bieke Depoorter. Join us for a night filled with insight and discussion between two of Magnum’s leading female photographers.
Meiselas and Depoorter, who both joined the agency in their early twenties, will discuss the nature of their work as documentary photographers—exploring both the challenging and rewarding aspects of this field. Both photographers are known for working intimately with their subjects, immersing themselves in new environments, and developing unique approaches in their long-term projects. Two photographers of different generations, they will discuss the changing ways in which photographers capture today’s social and political landscape in the US and worldwide. The conversation will be followed by a book signing.”

Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II
The General Society Library, 20 W. 44th St./ 6:30PM, FREE
With Richard Goldstein and other guests.

“Author and journalist Richard Goldstein’s engaging account of the extraordinary economic, social, and cultural shifts across New York’s five boroughs in the early 1940’s. World War II serves as the backdrop of broad upheaval and overdue attention paid to inequality and exclusion in many interconnected professions and ways of life. Just as newly -arriving migrants, battle-bound men and women, and Fascism-fleeing refugees together cement New York’s place as global crossroads, so the City’s artistic yield responds in the pioneering ways spawned by this dynamic social context. A new national policy for domestic security known as “Civil Defense” brought Mayor La Guardia to Gracie Mansion as its first official residence. And the General Society’s very midtown location bridging Times Square and Grand Central Terminal plays a key role in Goldstein’s lively narrative.”

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:

A special pat on the back to MOMA, who is now displaying art from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.

“Trump’s ban against refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations has sparked acts of defiance in NYC, from demonstrations across town, to striking taxicab drivers at JFK to Middle Eastern bodega owners closing their shops in protest. Recently, the Museum Of Modern added its two cents by bringing out artworks it owns from the affected countries, and hanging them prominently within the galleries usually reserved for 19th- and 20th-century artworks from Europe and the United States. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, for example, were removed to make way for pieces by Tala Madani (from Iran), Ibrahim El-Salahi (from Sudan) and architect Zaha Hadid (from Iraq). The rehanging, which was unannounced, aims to create a symbolic welcome that repudiates Trump by creating a visual dialog between the newly added works and the more familiar objects from MoMA’s permanent collection.” (TONY)

‘BODYS ISEK KINGELEZ: CITY DREAMS’ (through Jan. 1). “The first comprehensive survey of the Congolese artist is a euphoric exhibition as utopian wonderland featuring his fantasy architectural models and cities — works strong in color, eccentric in shape, loaded with enthralling details and futuristic aura. Mr. Kingelez (1948-2015) was convinced that the world had never seen a vision like his, and this beautifully designed show bears him out.” (NYT-Smith)
212-708-9400, moma.org

‘THE LONG RUN’ (through Nov. 4). “The museum upends its cherished Modern narrative of ceaseless progress by mostly young (white) men. Instead we see works by artists 45 and older who have just kept on keeping on, regardless of attention or reward, sometimes saving the best for last. Art here is an older person’s game, a pursuit of a deepening personal vision over innovation. Winding through 17 galleries, the installation is alternatively visually or thematically acute and altogether inspiring.” (NYT-Smith)
212-708-9400, moma.org

Skyscraper Museum

‘MILLENNIUM: LOWER MANHATTAN IN THE 1990S’ (through June 24). “This plucky Battery Park institution transports us back to the years of Rudy Giuliani, Lauryn Hill and 128-kilobit modems to reveal the enduring urban legacy of a decade bookended by recession and terror. In the wake of the 1987 stock market crash, landlords in the financial district rezoned their old skyscrapers for residential occupancy, and more than 20 towers were declared landmarks, including the ornate Standard Oil building at 26 Broadway and the home of Delmonico’s at 56 Beaver Street. Battery Park City flowered; yuppies priced out of TriBeCa came down to Wall Street; a new Guggenheim, designed by a fresh-from-Bilbao Frank Gehry, nearly arose by South Street Seaport. From this distance, the 1990s can seem almost like a golden age, not least given that, more than 16 years after Sept. 11, construction at the underwhelming new World Trade Center is still not finished. (NYT-Farago)

SPECIAL MENTION (not Manhattan’s WestSide)
at the New York (Bronx) Botanical Garden:

‘GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: VISIONS OF HAWAI‘I’ (through Oct. 28). “Finding out Georgia O’Keeffe had a Hawaiian period is kind of like finding out Brian Wilson had a desert period. But here it is: 17 eye-popping paradisal paintings, produced in a nine-week visit in 1939. The paintings, and their almost psychedelic palette, are as fleshlike and physical as O’Keeffe’s New Mexican work is stripped and metaphysical. The other star of the show, fittingly, is Hawaii, and the garden has mounted a living display of the subjects depicted in the artwork. As much as they might look like the products of an artist’s imagination, the plants and flowers in the Enid Haupt Conservatory are boastfully real. On Aloha Nights every Saturday in June and every other Saturday in July and August, the garden is staging a cultural complement of activities, including lei making, hula lessons and ukulele performances.” (NYT – William L. Hamilton)
718-817-8700, nybg.org / easy 20 minute ride from Grand Central on Metro North.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/12 and 06/10.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/13) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 06/13/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JUNE 13, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

Lucinda Williams + Steve Earle + Dwight Yoakam
Beacon Theatre / 8PM, $59+
“Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Dwight Yoakam make the second stop on their two-month LSD Tour, which, cleverness aside, is something of a misnomer. Williams, who will likely highlight material from her newly re-recorded 1992 album Sweet Old World, is inevitably described as possessing a bourbonic rasp of voice, which is in full effect on her recent collaboration with saxophonist Charles Lloyd’s band the Marvels (alongside Bill Frisell). The famously recovered Earle is likewise celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of his influential country-rock album Copperhead Road. And Yoakam, whose SiriusXM radio show “The Bakersfield Beat” launched in April, plays an unreconstructed sort of country music that holds no truck with psychedelic silliness. OK, Williams has been known to cover Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel.” But any tripping these three country greats is more likely to involve poorly sized footwear.” (Richard Gehr, VillageVoice)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> N.Y. Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks
>> Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters with Sheryl Crow
>> Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
>> Mazzie and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart
>> PHILADANCO
>> Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas
>> American Ballet Theatre 
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

N.Y. Philharmonic: Concerts in the Parks
“Performing alfresco in Van Cortlandt Park, Central Park, Cunningham Park, and Prospect Park, the orchestra plays a sequence of irresistible dance numbers by Saint-Saëns, Bernstein, and two preteens from the company’s Very Young Composers program. James Gaffigan conducts Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” a rapturous evocation of four tales from “A Thousand and One Nights.” The tour concludes with an indoor gig, at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, in Staten Island.” (Oussama Zahr, Village Voice)

Elsewhere, but this looks worse to detour:
Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters with Sheryl Crow
at Forest Hills Stadium / 6:15 p.m., $
“At 69 years old, the legendary Led Zeppelin frontman can’t seem to stay off the road — or out of the recording studio. In 2017, Mr. Plant released the reflective, modern “Carry Fire,” his 11th solo album, and is already on his second North American tour supporting the project. For the New York stop, he’s joined by Ms. Crow, whose bright, beachy pop rock has recently found a fresh audience that includes some of country music’s young stars: Maren Morris cites Ms. Crow as one of her biggest influences, and Kacey Musgraves recorded her latest album, “Golden Hour,” in Ms. Crow’s barn.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (thru June 17)
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center/ 7:30 p.m., $29+
“Alvin Ailey’s brief spring season at Lincoln Center features three thematic programs. “Celebrate Women” (on Wednesday and June 16) includes work by the former artistic director Judith Jamison, the acclaimed dance maker Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Jessica Lang with her first piece for the company. “Ailey, Then and Now” (on June 15 and 17) pairs Talley Beatty’s 1982 disco romp “Stack Up” with two works by Robert Battle, the current artistic director. “Musical Icons” (June 16-17) comprises pieces set to John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and David Byrne. The Ailey staple “Revelations” closes each program, and June 14 has been set aside for a special gala performance with its own eclectic lineup.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Marin Mazzini and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart (also Jun 15-16)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $60+
“Golden-voiced Broadway power couple Mazzie (Ragtime) and Danieley (The Full Monty) have songs in their hearts and “heart” in their songs in their latest set of standards from the Great American Songbook. Expect “My Heart Stood Still,” “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” and other cardiac classics.” (TONY)

PHILADANCO (June 12-17)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m., $30+
“Since 1970, the Philadelphia Dance Company, known as Philadanco, has used dance to address social issues that affect people of color in this country. The company returns to the Joyce with a typically poignant and powerful program of four works: “Folded Prism” by Thang Dao; “A Movement for Five” about the Central Park Five, by Dawn Marie Bazemore, a company alumna; “New Fruit” about the cycle of racism and violence in the United States by the resident choreographer Christopher L. Huggins; and a piece in which the current artist in residence Tommie-Waheed Evans is said to weave “spirituality and sorrow.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas (June 12-17)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“A shared passion for expansive jazz and the music of Wayne Shorter brought together two questing figures—the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano—resulting in the 2015 recording “Sound Prints,” and, subsequently, an occasional working ensemble. Linda May Han Oh, on bass, Joey Baron, on drums, and Lawrence Fields on piano, form the kind of enviable support team that could hold its own even without these illustrious co-leaders.” (NewYorker)

American Ballet Theatre (Jun 11-16)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $22+
“Audiences never tire of “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s tale of teen-age lovers in Renaissance Verona, or of its lustrous score, by Prokofiev. A.B.T.’s version, by Kenneth MacMillan, is more than half a century old, but it continues to make its point with its violent street scenes, ardent pas de deux, and tear-inducing resolution. Misty Copeland, who first danced Juliet in 2015, returns to the role on June 12 and for the June 16 matinée. Devon Teuscher and Stella Abrera will dance Juliet at the June 13 matinée and on June 14, respectively. Teuscher is a thrilling actress; Abrera, a touching and pure dancer. Teuscher will be partnered by a new Romeo, Aran Bell, only nineteen years old and in the corps de ballet; many will remember him as an eleven-year-old boy in the movie “First Position.” (NewYorker)

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

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

More smart stuff coming soon.

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

===========================================================
Bonus NYC events– 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

A PremierPub / Midtown West

Russian Vodka Room / 265 W 52nd St (btw 7th/8th ave)

Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.

From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys,” just down the block.
(Alas, no more. After 10 years, “Jersey Boys” finally closed, now it’s “Mean Girls.”)

lThose in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.

Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.

But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.

Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
=====================================================
Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.
Update#2: Rumor that “Tiny” is back playing only on Friday nights – need to check it out.

==============================================================================
“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.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/12) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 06/12/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ JUNE 12, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

Museum Mile Festival
Fifth Ave between 82nd and 105th Sts./ 6-9PM, FREE
“This festival is back for its 40th year, which turns Fifth Avenue into the city’s largest block party. Live music and entertainment flood the streets while museums open their doors to the public at no charge. Past participants include Museum of the City of New York, the Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and more.” (TONY)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> CORY SMYTHE AND PETER EVANS
>> Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart
>> PHILADANCO
>> Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> ‘Ralph Peterson Trio Honors Geri Allen
>> Are Democracy and Tolerance on the Decline?
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

CORY SMYTHE AND PETER EVANS WITH JOEL ROSS AND IMMANUEL WILKINS
at the Jazz Gallery / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $15
“Mr. Smythe, a pianist, and Mr. Evans, a trumpeter, are jaw-dropping virtuosos interested in both jazz improvising and new-classical exploration. The duo recently released a transfixing album, “Weatherbird,” which builds on the titular recording by Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines, colliding elements of stride piano and New Orleans jazz with free improvisation and extended technique. At the Jazz Gallery, Mr. Smythe and Mr. Evans will be joined by two slightly younger musicians: the vibraphonist Joel Ross and the saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart (Jun 11-13, 15-16)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $60+
“Golden-voiced Broadway power couple Mazzie (Ragtime) and Danieley (The Full Monty) have songs in their hearts and “heart” in their songs in their latest set of standards from the Great American Songbook. Expect “My Heart Stood Still,” “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” and other cardiac classics.” (TONY)

PHILADANCO (June 12-17)
at the Joyce Theater / 7:30 p.m., $30+
“Since 1970, the Philadelphia Dance Company, known as Philadanco, has used dance to address social issues that affect people of color in this country. The company returns to the Joyce with a typically poignant and powerful program of four works: “Folded Prism” by Thang Dao; “A Movement for Five” about the Central Park Five, by Dawn Marie Bazemore, a company alumna; “New Fruit” about the cycle of racism and violence in the United States by the resident choreographer Christopher L. Huggins; and a piece in which the current artist in residence Tommie-Waheed Evans is said to weave “spirituality and sorrow.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas (June 12-17)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“A shared passion for expansive jazz and the music of Wayne Shorter brought together two questing figures—the trumpeter Douglas and the saxophonist Lovano—resulting in the 2015 recording “Sound Prints,” and, subsequently, an occasional working ensemble. Linda May Han Oh, on bass, Joey Baron, on drums, and Lawrence Fields on piano, form the kind of enviable support team that could hold its own even without these illustrious co-leaders.” (NewYorker)

American Ballet Theatre (Jun 11-16)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $22+
“Audiences never tire of “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s tale of teen-age lovers in Renaissance Verona, or of its lustrous score, by Prokofiev. A.B.T.’s version, by Kenneth MacMillan, is more than half a century old, but it continues to make its point with its violent street scenes, ardent pas de deux, and tear-inducing resolution. Misty Copeland, who first danced Juliet in 2015, returns to the role on June 12 and for the June 16 matinée. Devon Teuscher and Stella Abrera will dance Juliet at the June 13 matinée and on June 14, respectively. Teuscher is a thrilling actress; Abrera, a touching and pure dancer. Teuscher will be partnered by a new Romeo, Aran Bell, only nineteen years old and in the corps de ballet; many will remember him as an eleven-year-old boy in the movie “First Position.” (NewYorker)

Ralph Peterson Trio Honors Geri Allen (June 12-13)
Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $30
“Allen, the accomplished pianist and composer who died in 2017, receives a well-deserved tribute from a respectful colleague, the drummer Ralph Peterson. Leading a piano trio, as he did on the acclaimed 1988 recording “Triangular,” which featured Allen, Peterson welcomes the pianist Orrin Evans, of the Bad Plus, and the bassist Luques Curtis.” (NewYorker)

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

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

Are Democracy and Tolerance on the Decline? Why? And What to Do?
Albertine, 972 Fifth Ave./ 7PM< FREE
“An Albertine panel looks at the myriad causes of contemporary fragmentation (technology, migration, terrorism, rising income inequality) and questions whether an entirely new paradigm may be required to counter rising tides of populism and xenophobia. Former Prime Minister of France Manuel Valls is among the luminaries.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

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

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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Another outrageous rent increase by a rapacious NYC landlord closed B.B.King’s as of April 29 – How Sad.
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

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 discovery and enjoyment.
===========================================================

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

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 are two exhibitions the New Yorker likes:

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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 to 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 the 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 06/10 and 06/08.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/11) + Today’s Featured Pub (Times Square / Theater District)

Posted on 06/11/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > MONDAY/ JUNE 11, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

American Ballet Theatre (Jun 11-16)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $22+
“Audiences never tire of “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare’s tale of teen-age lovers in Renaissance Verona, or of its lustrous score, by Prokofiev. A.B.T.’s version, by Kenneth MacMillan, is more than half a century old, but it continues to make its point with its violent street scenes, ardent pas de deux, and tear-inducing resolution. Misty Copeland, who first danced Juliet in 2015, returns to the role on June 12 and for the June 16 matinée. Devon Teuscher and Stella Abrera will dance Juliet at the June 13 matinée and on June 14, respectively. Teuscher is a thrilling actress; Abrera, a touching and pure dancer. Teuscher will be partnered by a new Romeo, Aran Bell, only nineteen years old and in the corps de ballet; many will remember him as an eleven-year-old boy in the movie “First Position.” (NewYorker)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> The Campbell Brothers
>> Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>>The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series
>> Frontiers Lecture: Mercury Rising
>> ‘The Simpsons’ book signing and Q&A
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

The Campbell Brothers
Joe’s Pub / 7PM, $30
“The House of God church believes in praising the Lord in the presence of the Holy Ghost with dance and stringed instruments — most notably, for about fifty years, the steel guitar, which reportedly provides more bang for buck than an organ or piano. The Campbell Brothers, perhaps the country’s most highly regarded exponents of the sacred-steel tradition, take a stylistic detour here with a reprise of their 2014 Lincoln Center Out of Doors commission to adapt John Coltane’s A Love Supreme to their sound. House of God members like their music loud and hard, so expect the Campbells — consisting of Chuck and Darick on steel guitars, brother Phil on electric guitar, his son Carlton on drums, and bassist Daric Bennett — to rev up Coltrane’s sound into a sinuous maelstrom of instrumental vocalese.” (Richard Gehr, VillageVoice)

Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley: Heart to Heart (Jun 11-13, 15-16)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $60+
“Golden-voiced Broadway power couple Mazzie (Ragtime) and Danieley (The Full Monty) have songs in their hearts and “heart” in their songs in their latest set of standards from the Great American Songbook. Expect “My Heart Stood Still,” “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” and other cardiac classics.” (TONY)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
Birdland, / 9:30PM, $30
Jim Caruso’s Cast Party is a wildly popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland in New York City every Monday night. It’s a cool cabaret night-out enlivened by a hilariously impromptu variety show. Showbiz superstars, backed by Steve Doyle on bass, Billy Stritch on piano and Daniel Glass on drums, hit the stage alongside up-and-comers, serving up jaw-dropping music and general razzle-dazzle.” (broadwayworld)

The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series
Metropolitan Opera stars perform the world’s greatest opera arias and duets.
Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, off Fifth Avenue at 69th St./ 8PM, FREE
Featuring Met Opera stars Latonia Moore, Mario Chang, and Joshua Hopkins.

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

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

AMNH Presents, Frontiers Lecture: Mercury Rising
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street / 7:30PM, $15
“Thanks to NASA’s completed MESSENGER probe mission, we can now explore Mercury in detail. Resembling our Moon, and with a similar atmosphere, our solar system’s innermost planet has enough activity in its interior to generate a small magnetic field. Join guides Denton Ebel and Carter Emmart for an up-close examination of our solar system’s smallest planet.”

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

‘The Simpsons’ book signing and Q&A
Powerhouse Arena, 28 Adams St., Brooklyn / 7 p.m., FREE
Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss & Mathew Klickstein

“The Simpsons” writer/producer/showrunner Mike Reiss is telling all in his new book, “Springfield Confidential,” and is making the rounds in NYC to share some of the stories, secrets and scandals he covers in the book, using rare animated clips during a Q&A session. We interviewed him ahead of time to get the scoop.”

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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A PremierPub

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

IMG_2083Jimmy’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 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 great 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.
————————————————————————————————————————
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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/10) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 06/10/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ JUNE 10, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

THE NEW YORK BRASS BAND FESTIVAL
at the McKittrick Hotel / 4 p.m., $45
“New Orleans might be best known for brass bands, but live in New York long enough and you’ll see one — entertaining tourists in a subway station, if nowhere else. That’s the inspiration for the debut edition of this festival, which is designed to pay tribute to the diverse array of brass bands that perform regularly within the city limits. Performances will include Balkan funk from Slavic Soul Party, Mexican banda from La Parrandera Banda la Platera, hip-hop-inspired grooves from the subway-busking alums Drumadics Beat-n-Brass Band and a second line parade through the High Line to celebrate New Orleans’s tricentennial.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Los Lobos
>> Strawberry Fields
>> Betty Buckley: Hope
>> BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE
>> Popsugar’s Play/Ground
>> Fairway Market Food Festival
>> Domino Park opening
>> West Chelsea Artist Open Studios
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> OutdoorFest
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Elsewhere, but Los Lobos is always worth the detour.
Los Lobos
Prospect Park Bandshell / 3PM, FREE
“The celebrated Mexican-American rock band Los Lobos will bring “La Bamba,” the first Spanish-language song to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts in 1987, to Prospect Park for a family-friendly concert. Following their chart-topping cover of Ritchie Valens’s hit song, the Los Angeles–based group toured the world, opening for the likes of Bob Dylan, U2, and the Grateful Dead; they’ve been together for nearly 45 years. At this BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! show, rock out to songs off La Pistola y El Corazón, their popular collection of traditional Mexican music and original songs, while the kids enjoy favorites from 2009’s Los Lobos Goes Disney.” (Nicole DeMarco, Village Voice)

Strawberry Fields
The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St./ 1PM, $30,
Brunch with the Beatles this Sunday when the Cutting Room hosts Strawberry Fields, a tribute band that performs in full costume while you drink and dine. The groovy band will be adding new songs to their lineup while putting their own spin on the classics — plus, it’s hosted by original assistant recording engineer Richard Langham, who worked with the Beatles’ longtime producer Sir George Martin. He’s joined by Q104.2 radio’s Maria Milito.” (metro)

BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE (June 8-10)
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m., $40
“Since the early 1960s, the bassist Buster Williams has positioned himself comfortably along the divide between swinging hard bop and ecumenical fusion. He performed and recorded with countless jazz greats — from Grant Green to Herbie Hancock to Nancy Wilson — and by now he’s reached the level of a luminary himself. This weekend he celebrates the release of a lovely, sneakily inventive album, his first in 10 years. “Audacity” features six originals from Williams, and one composition each from the other members of his longtime quartet: the saxophonist Steve Wilson, the pianist George Colligan and the drummer Lenny White.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

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

Popsugar’s Play/Ground
Pier 94, 711 12th Ave., / 11AM-7PM, $80+
Get inspired by some of your favorite tastemakers in fitness, business and entertainment while exploring the trends that matter most to you at POPSUGAR’s Play/Ground, a two-day festival at Pier 94. Master the basics of adulting with makeup demos and fitness sessions (led by Kayla Itsines) or enrich your creative spirit with art installations and music by AlunaGeorge. There are also panels with actresses Mindy Kaling, Kate Hudson and Tiffany Haddish, as well as influencers Arianna Huffington, Gabby Bernstein and Huda Kattan.” (Metro)

Fairway Market Food Festival
Armory Track Area, 216 Fort Washington Ave./ 10AM-5PM, $5
Need some summer ideas for your next cookout, or just looking for ways to freshen up your weekday routine? Fairway is hosting its first-ever food-themed gathering this Sunday, and it’s just $5 to attend with over 100 booths offering samples from coffee and tea to artisanal bread and cheeses. Chat with experts about food trends and shop for new ingredients and instruments that will allow you to transform your kitchen to embrace your new culinary IQ. One highlight will be the Fairway Cheesemonger demonstrating how to make fresh mozzarella, which you’re then invited to try of course.” (Metro)

Not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it sure is Brooklyn’s WestSide. Lovely day for a stroll in the park, and you do not want to miss STREB, they are fantastic:

Domino Park opening
enter at Kent Ave and Grand St, South 3rd St, or South 5th St / 12PM-4PM, FREE
“Domino Park, the first public component of the multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the Domino Sugar Refinery, will open June 10. The six-acre park will be complete with turf fields, a state of the art playground, a food court and an elevated walkway with views of the East Side. Starting at noon, Brooklyn’s top food, music, and cultural institutions will join together to showcase the area’s diversity and creative spirit. Take part in a free Sky Ting waterfront yoga class at noon, taste food from Danny Meyer’s newest creation Tacocina (a permanent addition to the park), as well as bites from Fornino, Mekelburg’s, Yankee Doodle, and ice cream from Van Leeuwen. There will also be National Sawdust live acoustic performances at 2 p.m., Pop Action acrobatic workshops with STREB and more. “ (amNY)

West Chelsea Artist Open Studios (June 9-10)
West Chelsea Arts Building, 526 W. 26th St./ Noon-6 p.m., FREE
“This weekend, step inside the mind of an artist with the unique chance to tour in-progress studio spaces across 13 sites while meeting the creatives who work there and asking them questions about their processes and the works they have on display. The West Chelsea Artist Open Studios brings together over 45 multimedia artists open their doors to the public, for free, and even offer some pieces for sale, without the markup fees associated with a gallery or handler.” (Metro)

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

OutdoorFest (LAST DAY)
multiple times and events, prices vary,
“You can love the city and still maintain your love of the outdoors — or fall in love with it for the first time. Embrace the spirit of adventure and beauty of nature during OutdoorFest with 10 days of events, starting this Friday. Activities take place across all five boroughs, starting with a campout on Staten Island. There’s also night fishing, oyster preservation, kayaking around Governors Island, canoeing the Gowanus Canal and surfing, yoga or shoreline cleanup at the Rockaways.”

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

===========================================================
Bonus NYC events– 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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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)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’  “After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

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)

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

‘THE FACE OF DYNASTY: ROYAL CRESTS FROM WESTERN CAMEROON’ (through Sept. 3). “Upstairs, the Michelangelos continue to knock ‘em dead; downstairs, in the African wing, a show of just four commanding wooden crowns constitutes a blockbuster of its own. These massive wooden crests — in the form of stylized human faces with vast vertical brows — served as markers of royal power among the Bamileke peoples of the Cameroonian grasslands, and the Met’s recent acquisition of an 18th-century specimen is joined here by three later examples, each featuring sharply protruding cheeks, broadly smiling mouths, and brows incised with involute geometric patterns. Ritual objects like these were decisive for the development of western modernist painting, and a Cameroonian crest was even shown at MoMA in the 1930s, as a “sculpture” divorced from ethnography. But these crests had legal and diplomatic significance as well as aesthetic appeal, and their anonymous African creators had a political understanding of art not so far from our own.” (Farago)

‘HEAVENLY BODIES: FASHION AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION’  (through Oct. 8). “Let us pray. After last year’s stark exhibition of Rei Kawakubo’s irregular apparel, the Met Costume Institute is back in blockbuster mode with this three-part blowout on the influence of Catholicism on haute couture of the last century. The trinity of fashion begins downstairs at the Met with the exceptional loans of vestments from the Vatican; upstairs are gowns fit for angels in heaven (by Lanvin, Thierry Mugler, Rodarte) or angels fallen to earth (such as slinky Versace sheaths garlanded with crosses). The scenography at the Met is willfully operatic — spotlights, choir music — which militates against serious thinking about fashion and religion, but up at the Cloisters, by far the strongest third of the show, you can commune more peacefully with an immaculate Balenciaga wedding gown or a divine Valentino gown embroidered with Cranac’s Adam and Eve.” (Farago)

===========================================================
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) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) 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 06/08 and 06/06.
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/09) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 06/09/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ JUNE 09, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

Big Apple Barbecue (June 9-10)
Madison Square Park, Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street,/ Free admission, food available for purchase,
“Head to Madison Square Park to try specialties from 15 pit master teams serving pulled pork, baby back ribs, smoked chicken, brisket and sausage, along with sides of biscuits, cornbread, sweets and craft beer and wine during the Big Apple Barbecue. (Vegetarian options available, too.)” (amNY)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> 34th New York Salsa Festival
>> BargeMusic
>> Betty Buckley: Hope
>> ‘THE EVER FONKY LOWDOWN’
>> BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE
>> AMERICAN BALLET THEATER
>> West Chelsea Artist Open Studios
>> Vinho Verde Wine Experience
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> OutdoorFest
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
34th New York Salsa Festival
Barclays Center / 8PM, $71+
“New York’s love affair with Latin dance music is long and storied. It began with the rise of mambo kings and queens in the forties, and shifted focus in the late sixties, when a new assertion of Puerto Rican identity fostered hit-makers like the trombonist Willie Colón (above). He appears at the 34th New York Salsa Festival, at Barclays Center in a lineup that also features Andy Montañez, Tito Nieves, the Venezuela-bred bandleader Oscar D’León, and the Colombian powerhouse band Grupo Niche.” (NewYorker)

BargeMusic
“Music in Motion” Series — a one hour performance, including a Q & A session with the musicians (no intermission)
Fulton Ferry Landing, near the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn/ 4PM, FREE
(take the A or C train to High Street station, Brooklyn.)
“Concert at the coolest classical music concert location in NYC.
Classical music on a boat with an intimate and romantic setting and beautiful view of New York City. Program and musicians TBA.” (ClubFreeTime)

Betty Buckley: Hope
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater / 7PM, +9:30PM, $35+
“Buckley is a genuinely eccentric, eccentrically genuine Broadway diva, with a persona that shifts between fragility and imperiousness. In recent years, she’s moved away from the big belting of shows like Cats and Sunset Boulevard, favoring more monologue-like songs and arrangements. Her latest Joe’s Pub set celebrates the release of her 18th album, Hope, and includes songs by Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jason Robert Brown.” (TONY)

‘THE EVER FONKY LOWDOWN’
at Jazz at Lincoln Center (through June 9, 8 p.m.).
“Wynton Marsalis, the trumpeter and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic director, recently lit a small firestorm when he suggested that hip-hop was among the greatest threats to the well-being of African-Americans. In some ways, he seemed intent on lodging his foot in his mouth, but Mr. Marsalis was aiming at a bigger, more viable point: Anyone who looks at the racial disparities in the present-day United States and doesn’t see the need for wholesale social change needs his or her “head examined,” he said. This weekend, Mr. Marsalis debuts “The Ever Fonky Lowdown,” a suite he wrote for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra that investigates the country’s continuing racial dilemma. The orchestra will be joined by three vocalists, three dancers and the actor Wendell Pierce.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE (June 8-10)
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m., $40
“Since the early 1960s, the bassist Buster Williams has positioned himself comfortably along the divide between swinging hard bop and ecumenical fusion. He performed and recorded with countless jazz greats — from Grant Green to Herbie Hancock to Nancy Wilson — and by now he’s reached the level of a luminary himself. This weekend he celebrates the release of a lovely, sneakily inventive album, his first in 10 years. “Audacity” features six originals from Williams, and one composition each from the other members of his longtime quartet: the saxophonist Steve Wilson, the pianist George Colligan and the drummer Lenny White.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER (through July 7)
at the Metropolitan Opera House / 2PM, +8PM, $30+
“The artist in residence Alexei Ratmansky has made a mission of carefully remastering ballet classics from days past. His latest reconstruction is “Harlequinade,” starring the familiar Italian commedia dell’arte characters Harlequin and Columbine, based on Marius Petipa’s original version from 1900. You have three more chances to see it this weekend. Then the company heads to Verona, where star-crossed lovers defy their families to Prokofiev’s great score in Kenneth MacMillan’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Over the next week, various pairings of Ballet Theater principals assume the title roles.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

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

West Chelsea Artist Open Studios (June 9-10)
West Chelsea Arts Building, 526 W. 26th St./ Noon-6 p.m., FREE
“This weekend, step inside the mind of an artist with the unique chance to tour in-progress studio spaces across 13 sites while meeting the creatives who work there and asking them questions about their processes and the works they have on display. The West Chelsea Artist Open Studios brings together over 45 multimedia artists open their doors to the public, for free, and even offer some pieces for sale, without the markup fees associated with a gallery or handler.” (Metro)

Vinho Verde Wine Experience
Canoe Studios, 601 W. 26th St./ ($39-$49, 12pm-10 p.m., 3 sessions at 3 hours each)
“Celebrate National Rosé Day with an all-inclusive (all you can eat and drink) “wine experience” with Vinho Verde Wine. Meet top wine producers, enjoy food and wine pairings, a cocktail bar, live artwork by Christopher Ghiraldi and a DJ set by Tommacari.”

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

OutdoorFest (June 1-10)
multiple times and events, prices vary,
“You can love the city and still maintain your love of the outdoors — or fall in love with it for the first time. Embrace the spirit of adventure and beauty of nature during OutdoorFest with 10 days of events, starting this Friday. Activities take place across all five boroughs, starting with a campout on Staten Island. There’s also night fishing, oyster preservation, kayaking around Governors Island, canoeing the Gowanus Canal and surfing, yoga or shoreline cleanup at the Rockaways.”

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

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

Bonus NYC Events – Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Hit the Hot Link and 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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Another outrageous rent increase by a rapacious NYC landlord closed B.B.King’s as of April 29 – How Sad.
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not exactly WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

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 discovery and enjoyment.
See Below.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker St./W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30PM – 11PM, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11AM-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher St.
Walk 1 blk S. on 7th ave S. to Bleecker St., 1 blk left on Bleecker to Jones St., 50 yards left on Jones St. to Caffe V.
==============================================================
“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.

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

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

========================================================
“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
========================================================
NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available FALL 2018).
◊ Order before NOV.30, 2018 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/08) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 06/08/2018 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ JUNE 08, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

‘THE EVER FONKY LOWDOWN’
at Jazz at Lincoln Center (through June 9, 8 p.m.).
“Wynton Marsalis, the trumpeter and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic director, recently lit a small firestorm when he suggested that hip-hop was among the greatest threats to the well-being of African-Americans. In some ways, he seemed intent on lodging his foot in his mouth, but Mr. Marsalis was aiming at a bigger, more viable point: Anyone who looks at the racial disparities in the present-day United States and doesn’t see the need for wholesale social change needs his or her “head examined,” he said. This weekend, Mr. Marsalis debuts “The Ever Fonky Lowdown,” a suite he wrote for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra that investigates the country’s continuing racial dilemma. The orchestra will be joined by three vocalists, three dancers and the actor Wendell Pierce.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> JAMES REESE EUROPE WWI CENTENNIAL
>> BOSTON BALLET
>> Ry Cooder,
>> BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE
>> AMERICAN BALLET THEATER
>> Latin Festival Dance Party
>> IMPROV NIGHT
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> OutdoorFest
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

JAMES REESE EUROPE WWI CENTENNIAL
at Symphony Space / 8 p.m., $20
“James Reese Europe was arguably the most important American bandleader in the years just before jazz became a national craze. During World War I, leading the 369th Infantry Regiment’s “Harlem Hellfighters” band, he poured ragtime, blues and early-jazz influences into an orchestral sound that was equally informed by the marches of John Philip Sousa. (The two had been neighbors during Europe’s childhood in Washington.) The Hellfighters made their first appearance in France in 1918, helping to whet Europe’s appetite for jazz. At Symphony Space, Ron Wasserman and his New York Jazzharmonic Trad-Jazz Sextet will celebrate the centennial of this event, playing new arrangements of Europe’s music.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

BOSTON BALLET
at David Geffen Hall / 8 p.m, $
“Boston Ballet comes to town on Friday for a one-night-only rendezvous with the New York Philharmonic. The occasion is the conclusion of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s tenure as the composer in residence, and as part of it, the Boston Ballet will bring to life Mr. Salonen’s works “Nyx” and “Lachen Verlernt” under the title “Obsidian Tear.” The choreography is by the ubiquitous British choreographer Wayne McGregor, known for his relentless intensity. The program will also include Mr. Salonen’s “Foreign Bodies,” accompanied with video by Tal Rosner, and a violin concerto by Daníel Bjarnason.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Ry Cooder, With Joachim Cooder
Town Hall / 8:00pm, $40+
“American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in blues-rock and native North American roots music.”

BUSTER WILLIAMS AND SOMETHING MORE (June 8-10)
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m., $40
“Since the early 1960s, the bassist Buster Williams has positioned himself comfortably along the divide between swinging hard bop and ecumenical fusion. He performed and recorded with countless jazz greats — from Grant Green to Herbie Hancock to Nancy Wilson — and by now he’s reached the level of a luminary himself. This weekend he celebrates the release of a lovely, sneakily inventive album, his first in 10 years. “Audacity” features six originals from Williams, and one composition each from the other members of his longtime quartet: the saxophonist Steve Wilson, the pianist George Colligan and the drummer Lenny White.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER (through July 7)
at the Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“The artist in residence Alexei Ratmansky has made a mission of carefully remastering ballet classics from days past. His latest reconstruction is “Harlequinade,” starring the familiar Italian commedia dell’arte characters Harlequin and Columbine, based on Marius Petipa’s original version from 1900. You have three more chances to see it this weekend. Then the company heads to Verona, where star-crossed lovers defy their families to Prokofiev’s great score in Kenneth MacMillan’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Over the next week, various pairings of Ballet Theater principals assume the title roles.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Latin Festival Dance Party
Bryant Park, Sixth Ave. and 42nd St., Fountain Terrace / 5PM, FREE
“Latin Festival is the grand finale of Dance Party, a series hosted and produced by Talia Castro-Pozo.

An innovative exponent of Latin jazz, salsa and pop music for five decades, the Grammy-nominated New Swing Sextet plays Cha Cha and Boogaloo tunes that capture the excitement and turbulence of 1960’s New York. Renowned Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero, whose 3rd Element project was nominated in 2015 for the Best Latin Album Grammy, infuses salsa music with Afro-Caribbean rhythms to create a fresh and dynamic sound.”

IMPROV NIGHT
at the Stone / 8:30 p.m., $
“The Stone’s regular Improv Night benefit occurs for the first time in its new space at the New School. These shows feature round-robin exchanges between different groupings of improvisers. It’s always a mixed bag: Sometimes these brief conversations never take off; other times, the results are direct and marvelous and memorable. This week, the electronic musician Jad Atoui is the artist in residence at the Stone; he will perform here along with the saxophonist John Zorn, who runs the space, and a half-dozen other artists.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

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

MORE SMART STUFF COMING SOON.

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

OutdoorFest (June 1-10)
multiple times and events, prices vary,
“You can love the city and still maintain your love of the outdoors — or fall in love with it for the first time. Embrace the spirit of adventure and beauty of nature during OutdoorFest with 10 days of events, starting this Friday. Activities take place across all five boroughs, starting with a campout on Staten Island. There’s also night fishing, oyster preservation, kayaking around Governors Island, canoeing the Gowanus Canal and surfing, yoga or shoreline cleanup at the Rockaways.”

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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WHAT’S ON VIEW
My Fave Special Exhibitions – MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s WestSide
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museums,
and also to see their expanded reviews of exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:

A special pat on the back to MOMA, who is now displaying art from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.

“Trump’s ban against refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations has sparked acts of defiance in NYC, from demonstrations across town, to striking taxicab drivers at JFK to Middle Eastern bodega owners closing their shops in protest. Recently, the Museum Of Modern added its two cents by bringing out artworks it owns from the affected countries, and hanging them prominently within the galleries usually reserved for 19th- and 20th-century artworks from Europe and the United States. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, for example, were removed to make way for pieces by Tala Madani (from Iran), Ibrahim El-Salahi (from Sudan) and architect Zaha Hadid (from Iraq). The rehanging, which was unannounced, aims to create a symbolic welcome that repudiates Trump by creating a visual dialog between the newly added works and the more familiar objects from MoMA’s permanent collection.” (TONY)

‘THE LONG RUN’ (through Nov. 4). “The museum upends its cherished Modern narrative of ceaseless progress by mostly young (white) men. Instead we see works by artists 45 and older who have just kept on keeping on, regardless of attention or reward, sometimes saving the best for last. Art here is an older person’s game, a pursuit of a deepening personal vision over innovation. Winding through 17 galleries, the installation is alternatively visually or thematically acute and altogether inspiring.” (NYT-Smith)
212-708-9400, moma.org

Skyscraper Museum

‘MILLENNIUM: LOWER MANHATTAN IN THE 1990S’ (through June 24). “This plucky Battery Park institution transports us back to the years of Rudy Giuliani, Lauryn Hill and 128-kilobit modems to reveal the enduring urban legacy of a decade bookended by recession and terror. In the wake of the 1987 stock market crash, landlords in the financial district rezoned their old skyscrapers for residential occupancy, and more than 20 towers were declared landmarks, including the ornate Standard Oil building at 26 Broadway and the home of Delmonico’s at 56 Beaver Street. Battery Park City flowered; yuppies priced out of TriBeCa came down to Wall Street; a new Guggenheim, designed by a fresh-from-Bilbao Frank Gehry, nearly arose by South Street Seaport. From this distance, the 1990s can seem almost like a golden age, not least given that, more than 16 years after Sept. 11, construction at the underwhelming new World Trade Center is still not finished. (NYT-Farago)

Whitney Museum of American Art

‘GRANT WOOD: AMERICAN GOTHIC AND OTHER FABLES’ (through June 10). This well-done survey begins with the American Regionalist’s little-known efforts as an Arts and Crafts designer and touches just about every base. It includes his mural studies, book illustrations and most of his best-known paintings — including “American Gothic” and “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” Best of all are Wood’s smooth undulant landscapes with their plowmen and spongy trees and infectious serenity. (Smith, NYT)

‘ZOE LEONARD: SURVEY’  (through June 10).
Some shows cast a spell. Zoe Leonard’s reverberant retrospective does. Physically ultra-austere, all white walls with a fiercely edited selection of objects — photographs of clouds taken from airplane windows; a mural collaged from vintage postcards; a scattering of empty fruit skins, each stitched closed with needle and thread — it’s an extended essay about travel, time passing, political passion and the ineffable daily beauty of the world. (Cotter, NYT)
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 06/06 and 06/04.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/07) + Today’s Featured Pub (Tribeca)

Posted on 06/07/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ JUNE 07, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

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

WYNTON MARSALIS WITH JARED GRIMES (June 7-9)
at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall / 8PM, $35+
“Mr. Marsalis works with the tap dancer Mr. Grimes in “(The Ever-Fonky Lowdown),” a production featuring three dancers, the 15-piece Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, three guest vocalists and Wendell Pierce as the narrator. The piece comes nearly 25 years after Mr. Marsalis presented the premiere of “Blood on the Fields,” which traces a couple’s journey from slavery to freedom and earned him the Pulitzer Prize. In the “(The Ever-Fonky Lowdown),” he continues his exploration of America’s relationship to race.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL
>>Noura Mint Seymali:
>> Scott Colley Trio
>> AMERICAN BALLET THEATER
>>Linda Yueh: What Would the Great Economists Do?
>> “Populist Revolt… Democracy Under Duress” with Alexander Heffner
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> OutdoorFest
>> ‘THE LET GO’
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL  (June 7-10).
at various locations
“A slew of bars and clubs in the Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods in Brooklyn will be opening their doors to Northside Festival badge holders for three nights starting on Thursday. Liz Phair’s first New York show in two years is featured in the first evening’s lineup at National Sawdust (the buzzy singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy opens), but there’s plenty of opportunities for music discovery across the festival’s 18 venues. On Thursday, try some punk with Pissed Jeans at Rough Trade, introspective folk-rock with Lou Barlow at the Knitting Factory, off-the-wall hip-hop with Milo at Brooklyn Bowl or Township Rebellion NYC — self-described as the city’s “only queer tribute to Rage Against the Machine” — at El Cortez. Tickets to individual shows are available for those without badges.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

TONIGHT: Liz Phair
National Sawdust / 8pm; $35–$40
“The alt-rock icon celebrates the 25th anniversary of her raw breakout record, Exile in Guyville, with a gig that promises cuts from her protean demo recordings under the name Girly Sound.” (TONY)

Noura Mint Seymali: Traditional Mauritanian Instruments and Hypnotic Grooves
Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“Mauritania’s defining artist on the international stage, Noura Mint Seymali draws deep on her West African and Maghreb roots to carry her family’s Moorish griot tradition into the 21st century. Her band conjures “a full-blown sandstorm of hypnotic grooves, melding traditional Mauritanian instruments, like the ardine and tidinite, within an electrified psychedelic rock band” (Quietus, U.K.). Its debut album, Tzenni (2014), was hailed by VICE/Noisey as “arguably the best psych/blues album of the year” and its follow-up—Arbina (2016)—”the best album in the universe.”

Scott Colley Trio (Jun 05-09)
Village Vanguard / 8:30pm, 10:30pm; $35
“Bassist Colley, who’s anchored many jazz legends including Andrew Hill and Jim Hall, offers a supple yet sophisticated take on postbop, with a little avant-garde at the fringes, in his own trio.” (TONY)

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER (through July 7)
at the Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Beginning Monday, Alexei Ratmansky’s new production of “Harlequinade,” a comic ballet in two acts set to music by Riccardo Drigo, takes the stage with what looks to be a stellar opening-night cast: Isabella Boylston as Columbine, James Whiteside as Harlequin, Gillian Murphy as Pierrette and Thomas Forster as Pierrot.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

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

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

Linda Yueh: What Would the Great Economists Do?
Book Culture on Columbus, 450 Columbus Ave./ 7PM, FREE
“A timely exploration of the life and work of world-changing thinkers–from Adam Smith to John Maynard Keynes–and how their ideas would solve the great economic problems we face today.

Since the days of Adam Smith, economists have grappled with a series of familiar problems – but often their ideas are hard to digest, even before we try to apply them to today’s issues. Linda Yueh is renowned for her combination of erudition, as an accomplished economist herself, and accessibility, as a leading writer and broadcaster in this field. In What Would the Great Economists Do? she explains the key thoughts of history’s greatest economists, how our lives have been influenced by their ideas and how they could help us with the policy challenges that we face today.”

“Populist Revolt… Democracy Under Duress” with Alexander Heffner
Shakespeare & Co, 939 Lexington Ave. (corner of 69th St.)/ 6:30PM, FREE
“Join Alexander Heffner, host of The Open Mind on PBS, in conversation with veteran political columnist Walter Shapiro.

Alexander Heffner is the host of The Open Mind on PBS. He has covered American politics, civic life and Millennials since the 2008 presidential campaign. He is co-author of A Documentary History of the United States, now in its 10th expanded and updated edition. Walter Shapiro is a journalist, writer and columnist, who has covered the last 10 presidential elections.”

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

Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

OutdoorFest (June 1-10)
multiple times and events, prices vary,
“You can love the city and still maintain your love of the outdoors — or fall in love with it for the first time. Embrace the spirit of adventure and beauty of nature during OutdoorFest with 10 days of events, starting this Friday. Activities take place across all five boroughs, starting with a campout on Staten Island. There’s also night fishing, oyster preservation, kayaking around Governors Island, canoeing the Gowanus Canal and surfing, yoga or shoreline cleanup at the Rockaways.”

‘THE LET GO’ (June 7-July 1)
at the Park Avenue Armory
“This large-scale, site-specific multiweek event is masterminded by the interdisciplinary artist Nick Cave, who transforms the armory into a vivid dance landscape in which spectators are invited to do just what the title says they should: let go. Within this dance hall environment are performances, an installation in the form of a Mylar sculpture, dance-based encounters and music provided by D.J.s. For some programs, Mr. Cave works with the choreographer Francesca Harper; for others, there will be dancing by community groups. On June 26, as part of “An Evening of Artistic Responses: The Let Go,” the musician Nona Hendryx, the vocalist and artist Helga Davis, Ms. Harper and Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and his company, D.R.E.A.M. Ring, respond to the installation, which references issues of social justice, with site-specific performances.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

==========================================================================
♦ 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 63 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.

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Bonus NYC events– 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:
(5 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)
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319 (6pm)

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)

Special Mention:
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 surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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A PremierPub / Tribeca

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

b_flat4There 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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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (06/06) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 06/06/2018 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ JUNE 06, 2018

“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: “NYC Events-JUNE”
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.

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

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:
AMADOU & MARIAM
at Brooklyn Steel / 9PM, $35
“A couple onstage and off, this duo first met in the 1970s in the orchestra at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako, Mali. Since then they have become among the country’s most prominent musical ambassadors, bringing their signature blend of traditional Malian music with Western rock and pop everywhere from Damon Albarn’s studio to stadiums far and wide as openers for U2 and Coldplay. But before last year they hadn’t released an album since 2012, when music was banned in Mali by the Islamic militants who then controlled the country. The musicians won, and despite the ongoing conflict in Amadou & Mariam’s home country, on their latest, called “La Confusion,” the two sound as effervescent as ever.” (NYT-NATALIE WEINER)

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6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Los Profesores: ¡En Vacaciones!
>> Betty Buckley: Hope 
>> Scott Colley Trio
>> AMERICAN BALLET THEATER
>> Primate Palate: Orangutans, Obesity, and Human Evolution
>> Damnation Island: Stacy Horn with Ginia Bellafante
Continuing Events
>> Othello
>> OutdoorFest
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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Los Profesores: ¡En Vacaciones!
UCB Hell’s Kitchen / 8PM, $9
“This cheery, daft, trenchant bilingual comedy show kicks off with a can’t-miss conceit and then only gets cheerier, dafter, more trenchant — and funnier. Upbeat young Spanish teachers Pedro Alcocer and Erica Hernandez are here to teach the audience the real Spanish, the Spanish we might need on a trip to Latin America. Their model: The blandly upbeat dialogos in American Spanish classes, where two speakers work dutifully through basic vocabulary in settings like la bibliotecha. (Always la bibliotecha!) Writers/performers Alcocer and Hernandez tear through each line in both Spanish and English, creating fresh, surprising comedy out of cognates, conjugation, adjective order, and how to really roll those Rs when pronouncing gonorrea.

The show’s a dizzy, fizzing duet, profane as hell and also sweetly earnest, relentlessly inventive and wholly unpredictable. They’re crafting art at the intersection of culture and language. This week, ¡En Vacaciones! is paired with a half-hour sketch performance from the troupe Door to Door Comedian.” (Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice)

Betty Buckley: Hope (also Jun 9)
Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater / 7PM, +9:30PM, $35+
“Buckley is a genuinely eccentric, eccentrically genuine Broadway diva, with a persona that shifts between fragility and imperiousness. In recent years, she’s moved away from the big belting of shows like Cats and Sunset Boulevard, favoring more monologue-like songs and arrangements. Her latest Joe’s Pub set celebrates the release of her 18th album, Hope, and includes songs by Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jason Robert Brown.” (TONY)

Scott Colley Trio (Jun 05-09)
Village Vanguard / 8:30pm, 10:30pm; $35
“Bassist Colley, who’s anchored many jazz legends including Andrew Hill and Jim Hall, offers a supple yet sophisticated take on postbop, with a little avant-garde at the fringes, in his own trio.” (TONY)

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER (through July 7)
at the Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $30+
“Beginning Monday, Alexei Ratmansky’s new production of “Harlequinade,” a comic ballet in two acts set to music by Riccardo Drigo, takes the stage with what looks to be a stellar opening-night cast: Isabella Boylston as Columbine, James Whiteside as Harlequin, Gillian Murphy as Pierrette and Thomas Forster as Pierrot.” (NYT-Gia Kourlas)

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

AMNH Presents, SciCafe: Primate Palate: Orangutans, Obesity, and Human Evolution
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St. / 7PM, FREE (Cullman Hall of the Universe, Enter at 81st St.Entrance)
“Erin Vogel shares her research on wild orangutans from the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo, illuminating how the diet, behavior, and metabolism of our primate cousins can provide insights on human conditions.

Admission Update: Beginning with the June 6 event, all SciCafe attendees will require a ticket for entry available here. The program will remain free.”

Damnation Island: Stacy Horn with Ginia Bellafante
New York Public Library—Mid-Manhattan Library
476 Fifth Ave. (42nd St. Entrance) / 6:30PM, FREE
“An author evokes the forgotten ghosts of Roosevelt Island, a place where prisoners were enlisted to care for the insane.

The narrow island in the East River once contained a lunatic asylum, two prisons, an almshouse, and a number of hospitals. Designed to be state-of-the-art, both humane and efficient, Blackwell’s Island quickly became, in the words of Charles Dickens, “a lounging, listless madhouse.” Using city records, newspaper articles, and archival reports Stacy Horn brings the stories of the inhabitants back to life, and highlights the work of the period’s officials, reformers, and journalists.”

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Continuing Events

Othello (May28-Jun24)
Shakespeare Delacorte Theater, Central Park / 8PM, FREE* (the Bard is off on Mondays)
“Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Jitney) directs the first offering of the Public Theater’s 2018 season of Shakespeare in the Park: an account of the Bard’s fast-paced tragedy of jealousy and misplaced trust, in which a villain preys on the insecurities of a Moorish war hero married to a white woman. The cast is headed by Chukwudi Iwuji as Othello, Corey Stoll as Iago and Heather Lind as Desdemona.”
*tickets are free (two per person) and may be picked up after noon on the day of performance (be prepared for long lines.) Some tickets are also distributed via online lottery.
See TONY’s complete guide to Shakespeare in the Park tickets for details.

OutdoorFest (June 1-10)
multiple times and events, prices vary,
“You can love the city and still maintain your love of the outdoors — or fall in love with it for the first time. Embrace the spirit of adventure and beauty of nature during OutdoorFest with 10 days of events, starting this Friday. Activities take place across all five boroughs, starting with a campout on Staten Island. There’s also night fishing, oyster preservation, kayaking around Governors Island, canoeing the Gowanus Canal and surfing, yoga or shoreline cleanup at the Rockaways.”

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♦ 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 63 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.

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

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
B.B. King’s Blues Bar – 237W42nd St., bbkingblues.com, 212-997-2144
Another outrageous rent increase by a rapacious NYC landlord closed B.B.King’s as of April 29 – How Sad.
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

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 discovery and enjoyment.
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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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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 are two exhibitions the New Yorker likes:

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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 to 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 the 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.) “

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 06/04 and 06/02.

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