NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/06) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 04/06/2018 by GregD

“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, better check the tab above: “NYC Events-April”
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 definitely looks worth the detour:

Brooklyn Folk Festival (April 6-8)
St. Ann’s Church, 157 Montague St., Brooklyn/ various times; $25 or $40; 3 day pass $85
“It’s the 10th anniversary of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, which will be bigger than ever as artists from around the city (and beyond) come together to celebrate folk, traditional and vernacular skills from around the world. With music and dancing as well as workshops, film screenings, contests and the famous Banjo Toss, the fest features 40 bands in three days to highlight the cultural diversity and history of these oral, vocal and instrumental traditions.” (Metro)

What not to miss at this weekend’s Brooklyn Folk Festival (TONY)

The Brooklyn Folk Festival guide Ready yourself for concerts, jam sessions, film screenings, square dances and more at this Brooklyn Heights fest. (TONY)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Brandi Carlile at the Beacon
>> Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory
>> Christine Ebersole: After the Ball
>> John Scofield
>> The Photography Show Pier 94
>> Dance Theatre of Harlem
>> The Importance of Being Two: What It Means to Have a Divided Mind

Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
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Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Brandi Carlile at the Beacon
“The American folk rock and Americana singer-songwriter has an early Song of the Year contender with “The Joke,” her soaring anthem for the marginalized that offers a glimmer of hope. “I have been to the movies,” she announces. “I’ve seen how it ends, and the joke’s on them.” (NewsDay)
WHEN | WHERE 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, at the Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway
INFO $41.50-$81.50, 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com

Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory (April 3-8)
Joyce Theater / 8PM, $35+
South African choreographer Dada Masilo combines classical ballet with traditional African dance in her celebrated version of Giselle, one of the oldest surviving works in the Western canon. Composer Philip Miller combines Adolphe Adam’s nineteenth-century score with African sounds, and a dozen members of Masilo’s troupe, the Dance Factory, bring new life and insights to the classic tale of a peasant girl tempted and betrayed by a member of a royal family, and the eerie revenge she exacts. For the last time this season at the Joyce, you can book a couple of seats for a dollar each, and then pay what you think the show is worth after you see it.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

Christine Ebersole: After the Ball (also April 7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $85
“Broadway leading lady Ebersole (Grey Gardens) can really land a joke and knock out a number, moving with ease between her lustrous belt, her mock-operatic soprano and multiple other modes. At F/54 she reprises the set she has played to acclaim for the past couple of years, which includes such classics as “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Lazy Afternoon.” (TONY)

John Scofield (April 3-8.)
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8PM, +10;30PM, $20-$35
You never really know what direction this jazz-guitar avatar is headed; a recent venture found him teaming up with the all-star Hudson quartet to reinvent some nineteen-sixties rock classics. Wherever his fancy leads him, it’s certain that Scofield will exhibit the deliciously twisting lines and sweet-meets-nasty tone that are his calling cards.” (NewYorker)

Dance Theatre of Harlem
New York City Center / 8PM, $25+
“Three premieres; four performances; seven choreographers spanning more than a century of ballet and contemporary dance tradition; and tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., dance diva Carmen de Lavallade, and civil rights leader Xernona Clayton comprise the too-short season of this remarkable troupe, now under the artistic direction of Virginia Johnson. Included are works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Marius Petipa, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Diane McIntyre, the company’s resident choreographer and school director Robert Garland, and Geoffrey Holder (whose fantastical marriage ceremony Dougla returns to the New York stage after too many years away).” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

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

The Photography Show Pier 94 / (April 5-8)
showcases works from more than 80 of the world’s leading photography art galleries./ noon; $30, run of show $60
“More than 120 exhibitors descend on Pier 94 for the 38th edition of this photo expo. Peruse pieces from the 19th century through present day, check out talks like “Future Gender” and “Refraction: New Photography of the African Diaspora” with industry luminaries and pick up some stunning images for your home.” (TONY)

“The world’s longest-running fair dedicated to photography returns with a show about exploring time, from the 1800s to today. For the first time, The Photography Show will also welcome video and new media, with nearly 100 galleries and publishers participating. There are 15 talks (separately ticketed), as well as three special exhibits including A Time for Reflection, curated by Elton John, and a collection inspired by the Black Panther movement.” (Metro)

The Importance of Being Two: What It Means to Have a Divided Mind
The Strand, 828 Broadway / 7PM, $20, includes complimentary beer
“As dominance increasingly supersedes cooperation in our politics, the times call for re-examining left brain/right brain divides. Catch a Think Olio session on neuroscience, Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary, and the way history has been shaped by the hemispheres. Comparative Religion professor Michael D. Haltenberger leads the discussion.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

“Modern research on brain hemisphere differences suggests a much more complicated picture than the old rationality and language in the left hemisphere and emotion in the right story. In fact this over-simplification has tainted our view of what the right hemisphere brings to our experience of the world. The elevation of logic over emotion that came with the Enlightenment also brought a devaluation of many of the things that make us human, the importance of relatedness, context, and experience, just those perspectives and values that are brought to us by the, so-called, “minor” hemisphere.”

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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.
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Continuing Events

New Directors/New Films (March 28 through April 8.)
Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA, / various times, $12-$17
“Delightfully eccentric.
In its 47th year, ND/NF opens with a portrait of freewheeling rapper M.I.A., Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., drawing on videos she made herself, and features Portuguese director Pedro Pinho’s three-hour The Nothing Factory — an epic portrait of an elevator-factory strike with musical numbers.” (D.E., NYMagazine)

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

New York International Auto Show (3/30-4/8)
“The 2018 New York International Auto Show is home to an awe-inspiring display of technology and design, as 1,000 new cars and trucks are arrayed across the acreage of the Javits Convention Center. You can check out all the latest models from a hands-on, driver’s seat vantage. The show also features the hottest exotics, joined by futuristic concept cars and a few shiny classics. Some 60 world and North American debuts can be found at this year’s show! You’ll even leave with a gift bag or two.” (cityguideny)
WHEN | WHERE Friday, March 30, through April 8 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 W. 34th St.
INFO $17, $7 ages 12 and younger, free 2 and younger, autoshowny.com

Visit the Macy’s Flower Show
“It’s a floral fairy tale at Macy’s for the store’s annual spring flower show, “Once Upon a Springtime.” Flowers, plants and trees take over windows and countertops, are featured in gardens and on bridges on multiple floors. Events range from a family fun day and breakfast with the Easter bunny to a sip-and-paint class and a men’s grooming and beer tasting.”
WHEN | WHERE Sunday, March 25, through April 8 at Macy’s Herald Square, 151 W. 34th St.
INFO Free (events range up to $24), 212-494-4495, macys.com/social/flower-show/new-york (Newsday)

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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 / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in a two story, old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the front door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.

Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.

The blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long (assuming you snagged a table). The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.

Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some long waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Highway, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner, maybe after a show at the nearby Cotton Club nightclub.

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.
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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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brandi Carlile at the Beacon, Brooklyn Folk Festival, The Importance of Being Two: What It Means to Have a Divided Mind | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/05) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 04/05/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

Christine Ebersole: After the Ball (also April 6, 7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $85
“Broadway leading lady Ebersole (Grey Gardens) can really land a joke and knock out a number, moving with ease between her lustrous belt, her mock-operatic soprano and multiple other modes. At F/54 she reprises the set she has played to acclaim for the past couple of years, which includes such classics as “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Lazy Afternoon.” (TONY)

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Dance Theatre of Harlem
>> Jane Monheit
>> John Scofield
>> Renee Rosnes
>> The Photography Show Pier 94
>> Quiescence
>> Special Event – The Explorer’s Club Tartan Night

Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Dance Theatre of Harlem
New York City Center / 7PM, $25+
“Three premieres; four performances; seven choreographers spanning more than a century of ballet and contemporary dance tradition; and tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., dance diva Carmen de Lavallade, and civil rights leader Xernona Clayton comprise the too-short season of this remarkable troupe, now under the artistic direction of Virginia Johnson. Included are works by George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Marius Petipa, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Diane McIntyre, the company’s resident choreographer and school director Robert Garland, and Geoffrey Holder (whose fantastical marriage ceremony Dougla returns to the New York stage after too many years away).” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

Jane Monheit (April 3-7)
Birdland / 8:30PM, +11PM, $40
“Monheit has a smooth, lovely voice that can please jazzers, pop fans and cabaretters alike. The songbird now returns to her regular perch at Birdland.” (TONY)

Renee Rosnes (April 3-8)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“The pianist Rosnes, one of the leading stylists of her generation, has retained core members of her earlier units—the bassist Peter Washington and the vibist Steve Nelson—while adding significant new ones: the drummer Lenny White and the saxophonist Melissa Aldana. The potent concentration of the leader’s compositions, as heard on her ambitious “Written in the Rocks” recording, from 2016, insures the group’s integrity.” (NewYorker)

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

Quiescence
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, 58 Park Ave./ 7:30PM, $12
“Silence, or at least quiet, is copious in Iceland, the least densely populated nation in Europe. Three natives, visual artist Anna Fríða Jónsdóttir, musician and artist Abraham Brody, and cellist Ásta María Kjartansdóttir, present an audiovisual collaboration that looks at serenity, inner silence, and “the connection between the deep silence in nature and our perception of balance and rhythm.” The evening is part of this year’s centenary celebrations of Icelandic independence.” (ThoughtGalery.org)

Special Event – The Explorer’s Club Tartan Night
I won’t miss this one!
The Explorers Club celebrates its Scottish roots with fellows of the club speaking about their current expedition around the Scottish archipelago. Rodrick B. MacLennan and Dr. June Julian will also discuss their expedition to the isle of Vallay and Justin Fornal, Chad Anderson, and Johnnie Mundell will talk about the Great Islay Swim.

Guests will enjoy a Whisky tasting with Senior Master of Whisky, Spike McClure, Art depicting the sublime beauty of the islands by Dr. June Julian, Tartan selections from Harris Tweed of the Isle of Harris, live music from the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band of South Uist, and a sampling of cuisine from the region.

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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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

===========================================================
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)

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)

Frick Collection

Zurbarán’s Jacob and His Twelve Sons: Paintings from Auckland Castle (thru April 22)

Francisco de Zurbarán was the second-best painter in seventeenth-century Spain—no disgrace when the champion, his Seville-born near-exact contemporary, happened to be Diego Velázquez, who arguably remains better than anybody, ever. In this room-filling show, thirteen life-size imagined portraits, painted by Zurbarán circa 1640-45, constitute a terrific feat of Baroque storytelling: the movies of their day. Each character has a distinct personality, uniquely posed, costumed, and accessorized, and towering against a bright, clouded sky. All appear in the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, in which the dying Jacob prophesies the fates of the founders-to-be of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. After nearly four centuries, the canvases sorely need cleaning. The brilliance of their colors has dimmed, notably in passages of brocade and other sumptuous fabrics—a forte of Zurbarán, whose father was a haberdasher. But most of the pictures retain power aplenty. Spend time with them, half an hour minimum. Their glories bloom slowly, as you register the formal decisions that practically spring the figures from their surfaces into the room with you, and as you ponder, if you will, the stories that they plumb. (NewYorker)

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

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)

‘BIRDS OF A FEATHER: JOSEPH CORNELL’S HOMAGE TO JUAN GRIS’ (through April 15). “This small, hyper-specialized, stunning exhibition brings together a grand total of only 13 works — a dozen shadow boxes by Joseph Cornell, the Queens-based assemblage artist, and a Cubist masterwork that he cited as their direct inspiration. Gris’s “Man at the Café” (1914) might seem like a surprising obsession for Cornell, who was not a painter nor a Frenchman. He and Gris never met. But Cornell was deeply moved by Gris, the overlooked, tagalong third in the Cubist movement that also included Picasso and Braque, and the show succeeds in tracking the fluttery ways of artistic inspiration.”
(Deborah Solomon)
212-535-7710, metmuseum.org

‘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)

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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)

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 04/03 and 04/01.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christine Ebersole: After the Ball, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Jane Monheit, John Scofield, new york events, new york events today, NYC Events, NYC Events Today, Quiescence, Renee Rosnes, The Explorer’s Club Tartan Night, The Photography Show Pier 94 | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/04) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 04/04/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

=========================================================
7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Dance Theatre of Harlem
>> Così fan tutte
>> MARY HALVORSON
>> Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory
>> Renee Rosnes
>> AMNH Presents, SciCafe: Seeing Is Believing
>> Kolkata Calcutta — Photographed by Fionn Reilly
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Così fan tutte (Mar 15-Apr 19, next April 7)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $
“A winning cast comes together for Phelim McDermott’s clever vision of Mozart’s comedy about the sexes, set in a carnival-esque, funhouse environment inspired by 1950s Coney Island—complete with bearded ladies, fire eaters, and a Ferris wheel. Manipulating the action are the Don Alfonso of Christopher Maltman and the Despina of Tony Award–winner Kelli O’Hara, with Amanda Majeski, Serena Malfi, Ben Bliss, and Adam Plachetka as the pairs of young lovers who test each other’s faithfulness. David Robertson conducts.”

MARY HALVORSON (April 3-4)
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30PM, $30
“Ms. Halvorson’s fraying, sparkplug style makes her as singular a guitarist as they come. As a bandleader and composer, she’s always changing shape. Her latest project is one to seek out: Code Girl, a quintet in which the vocalist Amirtha Kidambi sings lyrics written by Ms. Halvorson. The band is about to release a fine debut album — a mix of indie-rock testimonial, noisy convulsion and warped group improvising — and will celebrate the disc with this two-night run, featuring Ms. Kidambi on vocals, Adam O’Farrill on trumpet (filling in for Ambrose Akinmusire, the group’s regular horn player), Michael Formanek on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory (April 3-8)
Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $35+
South African choreographer Dada Masilo combines classical ballet with traditional African dance in her celebrated version of Giselle, one of the oldest surviving works in the Western canon. Composer Philip Miller combines Adolphe Adam’s nineteenth-century score with African sounds, and a dozen members of Masilo’s troupe, the Dance Factory, bring new life and insights to the classic tale of a peasant girl tempted and betrayed by a member of a royal family, and the eerie revenge she exacts. For the last time this season at the Joyce, you can book a couple of seats for a dollar each, and then pay what you think the show is worth after you see it.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

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

AMNH Presents, SciCafe: Seeing Is Believing
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., Cullman Hall of the Universe, Enter at 81st Street Entrance / 7PM, FREE
How does our brain allow us to focus on specific objects or locations while blocking out others? How well can our brain multi-task? Neuroscientist Marisa Carrasco explores how our minds process sensory inputs to make sense of the world around us and shape what we see.

Kolkata Calcutta — Photographed by Fionn Reilly
Shakespeare & Co., 939 Lexington Ave. (corner of 69th St.)/ 6:30PM, FREE
“Join photographer Fionn Reilly for the presentation of his book of photographs of Calcutta. Slide show and anecdotes about the photographs will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Kolkata Calcutta is a superb collection of classic black-and-white, and color photographs of one the world’s most enthralling and mysterious cities as revealed through the lens of photographer Fionn Reilly. Inspired by the films of Kolkata’s celebrated director Satyajit Ray and the great Indian photographer Raghubir Singh, Reilly’s images capture an intense city that exudes a true sense of soul, haunted by its ghosts of empire.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

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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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

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

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
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’. ”

Each 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.
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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.
========================================================
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 Cosi Fan Tutte, Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory, Dance Theatre of Harlem, John Scofield, Kolkata Calcutta — Photographed by Fionn Reilly, Mary Halvorson, new york events, NYC Events, NYC Events Today, Renee Rosnes, SciCafe: Seeing Is Believing | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/03) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 04/03/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> MARY HALVORSON
>> Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory
>> John Scofield
>> Jane Monheit
>> North Korea in the Age of Trump
>> “When Wall Street Was Unoccupied”: How Downtown Changed in the Decade Before and After 9/11
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory
Joyce Theater / 7:30PM, $10+
South African choreographer Dada Masilo combines classical ballet with traditional African dance in her celebrated version of Giselle, one of the oldest surviving works in the Western canon. Composer Philip Miller combines Adolphe Adam’s nineteenth-century score with African sounds, and a dozen members of Masilo’s troupe, the Dance Factory, bring new life and insights to the classic tale of a peasant girl tempted and betrayed by a member of a royal family, and the eerie revenge she exacts. For the last time this season at the Joyce, you can book a couple of seats for a dollar each, and then pay what you think the show is worth after you see it.” (Elizabeth Zimmer, VillageVoice)

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

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

North Korea in the Age of Trump
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West / 6:30PM, $44
“With tensions between the U.S. and North Korea reaching unprecedented heights and the threat of nuclear confrontation dominating American news headlines, experts discuss the tenuous situation, uncover the political and diplomatic history of North Korea, and reveal the consequences of escalating conflict.

Sue Mi Terry, a former Korea specialist at the CIA and National Security Council, is Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Max Boot (moderator) is Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.”

“When Wall Street Was Unoccupied”: How Downtown Changed in the Decade Before and After 9/11
The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Pl./ 6:30PM, FREE, RSVP required
TONIGHT: Cornell AAP, 26 Broadway, 20th Floor
“In conjunction with its exhibition MILLENNIUM: Lower Manhattan in the 1990s, The Skyscraper Museum will present a panel discussion that reflects on the extraordinary changes, planned and unplanned, that took place in New York’s oldest neighborhood. No place in the mid-1990s was more ripe for reinvention than lower Manhattan – especially the historic Financial District, where, in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash and savings-and-loan crisis, vacancy rates rose to nearly 30 percent. Planning policy, government incentives, Landmarks regulation, new cultural organizations, and eventually a reviving real estate market were beginning to change the FiDi’s essential character by the first year of the 21st century. Then unexpected change happened.”

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

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)

Stephen Shore (thru May 28)

“This immersive and staggeringly charming retrospective is devoted to one of the best American photographers of the past half century. Shore has peers—Joel Meyerowitz, Joel Sternfeld, Richard Misrach, and, especially, William Eggleston—in a generation that, in the nineteen-seventies, stormed to eminence with color film, which art photographers had long disdained. His best-known series, “American Surfaces” and “Uncommon Places,” are both from the seventies and were mostly made in rugged Western states. The pictures in these series share a quality of surprise: appearances surely unappreciated if even really noticed by anyone before—in rural Arizona, a phone booth next to a tall cactus, on which a crude sign (“GARAGE”) is mounted, and, on a small-city street in Wisconsin, a movie marquee’s neon wanly aglow, at twilight. A search for fresh astonishments has kept Shore peripatetic, on productive sojourns in Mexico, Scotland, Italy, Ukraine, and Israel. He has remained a vestigial Romantic, stopping in space and  time to frame views that exert a peculiar tug on him. This framing is resolutely formalist: subjects composed laterally, from edge to edge, and in depth. There’s never a “background.” The most distant element is as considered as the nearest. But only when looking for it are you conscious of Shore’s formal discipline, because it is as fluent as a language learned from birth. His best pictures at once arouse feelings and leave us alone to make what we will of them. He delivers truths, whether hard or easy, with something very like mercy.” (NewYorker)

Tarsila do Amaral (thru June 3)

Introducing New York to the First Brazilian Modernist
“Forty-five years after Tarsila do Amaral’s death, MOMA presents her first-ever museum exhibition in the U.S. Some artists are so iconic, they’re known by only one name: Brancusi, Léger, Tarsila. Wait, who? The painter Tarsila do Amaral is so famous in her native Brazil that forty-three years after her death she helped close out the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, when a projected pattern of red-orange-yellow arcs graced the stadium floor, an homage to her 1929 painting “Setting Sun.” That chimerical landscape—stylized sunset above tubular cacti and a herd of capybaras that shape-shift into boulders—hangs now at MOMA, in the artist’s first-ever museum exhibition in the U.S., “Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil.” (NewYorker)

‘TARSILA DO AMARAL: INVENTING MODERN ART IN BRAZIL’ (through June 3). “The subtitle is no overstatement: In the early 1920s, first in Paris and then back home in São Paulo, Brazil, this painter really did lay the groundwork for the coming of modernism in Latin America’s most populous nation. Tired of the European pretenders in Brazil’s art academies, Tarsila (who was always called by her first name) began to intermingle Western, African and indigenous motifs into flowing, biomorphic paintings, and to theorize a new national culture fueled by the principle of antropofagia, or “cannibalism.” Along with spare, assured drawings of Rio and the Brazilian countryside, this belated but very welcome show assembles Tarsila’s three most important paintings, including the classic “Abaporu” (1928): a semi-human nude with a spindly nose and a comically swollen foot. (Jason Farago)” (NYT)

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 04/01 and 03/30

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged “When Wall Street Was Unoccupied”: How Downtown Changed in the Decade Before and After 9/11, Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory, Jane Monheit, John Scofield, Mary Halvorson, North Korea in the Age of Trump, Renee Rosnes | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/02) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 04/02/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

Christine Ebersole: After the Ball (also April 5,6,7)
Feinstein’s/54 Below / 7PM, $85
“Broadway leading lady Ebersole (Grey Gardens) can really land a joke and knock out a number, moving with ease between her lustrous belt, her mock-operatic soprano and multiple other modes. At F/54 she reprises the set she has played to acclaim for the past couple of years, which includes such classics as “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Lazy Afternoon.” (TONY)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> No Foolin’: A Musical Celebration
>> Space Odyssey: Michael Benson with David Mikics
>> Skye & Massimo’s Philosophy Cafe: Can Idleness Be a Virtue?
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $35
“With trumpeter Brandon Woody, saxophonist Isaiah Collier, pianist Jamael Dean, bassist Zane DeBord, and drummer Timothy Angulo.

“Winners of eight DownBeat Student Music Awards for Best Collegiate Jazz Group in the country, the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet has performed around the world, most recently at the United Nations as part of the first Dave Brubeck forum, Jazz: A Language for Peace. Recent graduates of the group have performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center multiple times and are now highly active jazz professionals. The 2016–2017 members are Brandon Woody on the trumpet, Isaiah Collier on saxophone, Jamael Dean on piano, Zane DeBord on bass, and Timothy Angulo on drums. The evening will highlight the incredible talent being fostered through educational outreach within the jazz community.”

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)

No Foolin’: A Musical Celebration
Baruch Performing Arts Center / 6PM, $150+
“Brenda Braxton, Tina Fabrique, N’Kenge, Brian Sears, Josh Walden and Remy Zaken are among the singer at this benefit for Amas Musical Theatre, which has championed diversity in the performing arts since 1968. Brad Oscar (The Producers) plays host.” (TONY)

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

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

Space Odyssey: Michael Benson with David Mikics
New York Public Library—Mid-Manhattan Library, 476 Fifth Ave. (42nd St. Entrance) / 6:30PM, FREE
“On the fiftieth anniversary of the film’s release, Michael Benson chronicles how 2001: A Space Odyssey came to be. Widely regarded as a masterpiece today, 2001: A Space Odyssey received mixed reviews on its 1968 release. Some critics had trouble with the unconventional narrative and grandiose vision. But its overwhelming commercial success paved the way for future sci-fi blockbusters. In his new book Space Odyssey Michael Benson tells the story of Stanley Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke with an in-depth behind the scenes look their extraordinary collaboration.”

Skye & Massimo’s Philosophy Cafe: Can Idleness Be a Virtue?
New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St./ 6PM, $5
“We normally think of idleness as laziness, but there is a philosophical case for it. Oscar Wilde once wrote that “to do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual.” Indeed, it is difficult to do nothing – just think of the challenges of meditation, but also consider the peace and calm that it is supposed to foster. Meditation is not the only way to achieve calmness of mind, which creates a space for deeper and more reflective thinking. At this café, we will consider the risks and benefits of boredom and being idle, on occasion. Suggested reading: In praise of idleness, by Bertrand Russell. http://tinyurl.com/2t9e7”

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 50th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening, in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).
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Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:
==============================================================
“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 Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, Christine Ebersole: After the Ball, Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, No Foolin': A Musical Celebration, Skye & Massimo’s Philosophy Cafe: Can Idleness Be a Virtue?, Space Odyssey: Michael Benson with David Mikics | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (04/01) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 04/01/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

Ravi Coltrane (Mar.28-31)
Jazz Standard / 7:30pm, 9:30pm; $30
Expect plenty of inside-outside postbop intrigue here, as the subtly commanding sax star distills the innovative spirit from his jazz-royalty legacy into a distinctly modern style with a killer trio. Keep an eye for a rotating bill of special guests: Pharaoh Sanders’s son Tomoki Sanders (Mar 28), Brandee Younger (Mar 30), and Ralph Alessi (April 1).”(TONY)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Dan Weiss
>> ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET
>> TIA FULLER
>> The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration
>> STREB EXTREME ACTION
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Elsewhere, but worth the detour:
Dan Weiss
Nublu 151 , 151 Ave C / 7:30PM, $25
“Drummer Dan Weiss goads his heavy new combo into a variety of discomfort zones throughout the anxious doom-metal grooves and contemplative lulls of his latest Pi release, Starebaby. Inspired by Twin Peaks: The Return, Weiss and company — Ben Monder (guitar), Trevor Dunn (bass), and Craig Taborn and Matt Mitchell (keyboards/electronics) — evoke nuclear explosions, shambling woodsmen, and atmospheric vortices through arrangements alternating head-banging grunge with interludes of surprising delicacy. Monder, a guitarist known best for an almost liquid approach to playing, taps into his inner thrasher, and the keyboardists achieve mind-meld via pianos and digital distortion. While the pummel and fury stand out, Weiss’s work explores Lynch’s own overarching concern in the series: How can someplace so bea

ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET (LAST DAY)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30PM, $35
“An experimental drummer who can easily balance propulsion and sensitivity, Mr. Cyrille began his career in the 1960s, when he apprenticed with Philly Joe Jones and recorded with the big-band-era eminence Coleman Hawkins. Then he embarked on a 10-year stint with Cecil Taylor, a pioneer of free jazz, establishing himself as a protagonist on the avant-garde. Now 78, Mr. Cyrille has never lost his omnivorous musical appetite; his work ranges from free improvisations to smoldering small-group jazz to a collaboration with Haitian musicians. He performs here with the personnel from his entrancing 2016 release, “The Declaration of Musical Independence”: Bill Frisell on guitar, Richard Teitelbaum on synthesizers and piano, and Ben Street on bass.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration (LAST DAY)
Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“All-female big bands are nothing new—the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were swinging for all they were worth back in the forties—but they’ve been few and far between. DIVA, under the intrepid direction of the drummer Sherrie Maricle, has nurtured outstanding women jazz musicians for a quarter century now, proving that novelty has nothing to do with this crack ensemble’s success. The band couldn’t have picked a better social moment to celebrate its longevity.” (NewYorker)

TIA FULLER
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30PM, $38
“Scalding and propulsive, Ms. Fuller always seems to be testing the limits of her own power — as if seeing if she can single-handedly overload your ear’s switchboard. It’s not every alto saxophonist’s way, but with Ms. Fuller’s blend of impeccable straight-ahead-jazz chops and gospelly inflections, it’s engrossing. Later this spring, she will release “Diamond Cut,” her first album in six years. She plays this weekend with the pianist Shamie Royston, the bassist Mimi Jones and the drummer Tyson Jackson.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

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

This is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide. If you have never seen these crazy, fearless performers, they are well worth the detour:

STREB EXTREME ACTION (until April 8, Friday-Sunday at various times)
at SLAM, 51 N 1st St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
“Elizabeth Streb’s cavernous Brooklyn space is known as SLAM (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics), which is also a frequent move that occurs at one of her shows. For the month of March, her fearless team of action heroes, as they’re called, will navigate intimidating industrial contraptions and fling themselves from unnatural heights, seemingly defying physics with the pep of cheerleaders. The hourlong show, “S.E.A.” (“Singular Extreme Actions”), encapsulates all the thrill, humor and energizing fun that makes this company so singular.” (NYT-BRIAN SCHAEFER)\

PLUS
The annual New York Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival dates back to the 1870s. Starting at about 10am and continuing until 4pm, the parade marches north on Fifth Avenue, from 49th Street to 57th Street. Prime viewing recommendation: by St. Patrick’s Cathedral near Rockefeller Center.

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

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

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. 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
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com,

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 is an exhibition the New Yorker likes:

Arlene Gottfried (thru April 28)

“Aptly titled “A Lifetime of Wandering,” this posthumous exhibition of the photographer’s street scenes and portraits captures New York’s demimonde of the nineteen-seventies and eighties from a warm and impromptu perspective. Among Gottfried’s coöperative subjects were Brooklyn beachgoers, Harlem gospel singers, and disco-era clubbers, as well as underground icons and international celebrities. A shot of the transgender activist and performer Marsha P. Johnson shows her posing with a wide smile in the middle of the street. Diana Ross, standing by a wall and dressed to blend in, likewise beams for the camera. Gottfried, who died last year, at the age of sixty-six, also photographed those closest to her. One of the show’s high points is “Mommie Kissing Bubbie on Delancey Street,” from 1979, which celebrates two generations of her Jewish immigrant family in an unguarded moment on the Lower East Side.” (Cooney, 508 W. 26th St.)

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

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 03/28 and 03/30.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET, Dan Weiss, new york events, new york events today, NYC Events, Ravi Coltrane, STREB EXTREME ACTION, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, TIA FULLER | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (03/31) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 03/31/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

Scott Wendholt and Adam Kolker
Smalls, 183 W. 10th St./ 7:30PM, $20
“A snarling bass-and-drum team is all this lean and feisty foursome needs to offset the authority of its front-line horns, the trumpeter Wendholt and the saxophonist Kolker. The joined-at-the-hip rhythm section of Victor Lewis, on drums, and Ugonna Okegwo, on bass, provides the horsepower.” (NewYorker)

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET
>> Così fan tutte
>> TIA FULLER
>> The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration
>> STREB EXTREME ACTION
>>Bugapalooza 2018
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>> New York International Auto Show
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET (March 27-April 1)
at the Village Vanguard / 8:30 and 10:30PM, $35
“An experimental drummer who can easily balance propulsion and sensitivity, Mr. Cyrille began his career in the 1960s, when he apprenticed with Philly Joe Jones and recorded with the big-band-era eminence Coleman Hawkins. Then he embarked on a 10-year stint with Cecil Taylor, a pioneer of free jazz, establishing himself as a protagonist on the avant-garde. Now 78, Mr. Cyrille has never lost his omnivorous musical appetite; his work ranges from free improvisations to smoldering small-group jazz to a collaboration with Haitian musicians. He performs here with the personnel from his entrancing 2016 release, “The Declaration of Musical Independence”: Bill Frisell on guitar, Richard Teitelbaum on synthesizers and piano, and Ben Street on bass.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Così fan tutte (Mar 15 – Apr 19)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $
“A winning cast comes together for Phelim McDermott’s clever vision of Mozart’s comedy about the sexes, set in a carnival-esque, funhouse environment inspired by 1950s Coney Island—complete with bearded ladies, fire eaters, and a Ferris wheel. Manipulating the action are the Don Alfonso of Christopher Maltman and the Despina of Tony Award–winner Kelli O’Hara, with Amanda Majeski, Serena Malfi, Ben Bliss, and Adam Plachetka as the pairs of young lovers who test each other’s faithfulness. David Robertson conducts.”

TIA FULLER (March 30-April 1)
at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30PM, $38
“Scalding and propulsive, Ms. Fuller always seems to be testing the limits of her own power — as if seeing if she can single-handedly overload your ear’s switchboard. It’s not every alto saxophonist’s way, but with Ms. Fuller’s blend of impeccable straight-ahead-jazz chops and gospelly inflections, it’s engrossing. Later this spring, she will release “Diamond Cut,” her first album in six years. She plays this weekend with the pianist Shamie Royston, the bassist Mimi Jones and the drummer Tyson Jackson.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration (Mar.28-April 1)
Dizzy’s Club, Broadway at 60th St./ 7:30PM, +9:30PM, $40
“All-female big bands are nothing new—the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were swinging for all they were worth back in the forties—but they’ve been few and far between. DIVA, under the intrepid direction of the drummer Sherrie Maricle, has nurtured outstanding women jazz musicians for a quarter century now, proving that novelty has nothing to do with this crack ensemble’s success. The band couldn’t have picked a better social moment to celebrate its longevity.” (NewYorker)

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

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

This is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide. If you have never seen these crazy, fearless performers, they are well worth the detour:

It is April Fool’s eve, but this is not an April Fools event. Believe it or not.

Bugapalooza 2018
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! / 8pm; $29–$69
“Though 80% of the world regularly eats insects, it seems the rest of us are still holding on to our classic carnivore habits. Dig deep into the delicious, protein-packed world of bug cuisine at this fest for the daring, featuring expert dishes from Brooklyn Bugs’ Chef Joseph Yoon. After trying chapulines popcorn and grilled cheese with cricket bites, you’ll likely have a new eating obsession.” (TONY)

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

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):

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

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.”)

Those 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 ANDREW CYRILLE QUARTET, Bugapalooza 2018, Cosi Fan Tutte, new york events, new york events today, New York International Auto Show, NYC Events, Ravi Coltrane, Scott Wendholt and Adam Kolker, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, TIA FULLER | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (03/30) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 03/30/2018 by GregD

“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, better check the tab above: “NYC Events-March”
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:

=========================================================
6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> TIA FULLER
>> Lucia di Lammermoor
>> STEPHAN CRUMP, INGRID LAUBROCK AND CORY SMYTHE
>> Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition
>> Ravi Coltrane
>>Last Works: Lessons in Leaving
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>>STREB EXTREME ACTION
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

Lucia di Lammermoor (Mar 22 – May 10, next Apr.3)
Metropolitan Opera House / 8PM, $
“The role of the fragile title heroine who teeters between love and madness is shared by sopranos Olga Peretyatko-Mariotti and Pretty Yende, who have each impressed audiences with dazzling bel canto portrayals at the Met. Vittorio Grigolo and Michael Fabiano share the role of her lover in this chilling production by Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman. Roberto Abbado conducts.”

STEPHAN CRUMP, INGRID LAUBROCK AND CORY SMYTHE
at the Jazz Gallery / 7:30 and 9:30PM, $25
“Ms. Laubrock has a strong, unflinching tone on the tenor saxophone, but she uses it to outline and define space, not fill it. On the album “Planktonic Finales,” released last year, she joined Mr. Crump, a bassist whose playing is more embodied and abundant, and Mr. Smythe, a pianist of cogent articulation who comes at improvisation from the perspective of a contemporary classical musician.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition
Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway / 12PM-9PM, $40
“Valentina Kozlova announces the 8th annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, which celebrates both ballet dancers and contemporary dancers and choreographers. Over 100 dancers from countries around the world will perform before a jury of celebrated judges led by Andris Liepa and including Nina Ananiashvili, Charles Jude, Mikko Nissinen, and Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Prizes include medals, scholarships to schools around the world, and company contracts. The event is dedicated to the late Rudolf Nureyev on this 80th anniversary of his birth. Rounds will be held Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday; Finals on Thursday; announcement of medalists and gala performance on Friday.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

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

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

Last Works: Lessons in Leaving
New Books in the Arts & Sciences: Celebrating Recent Work by Mark Taylor
Columbia University, 116th St. & Broadway / 12:15PM, FREE
“Living in the shadow of death may enhance the gift of life.
Columbia University professor Mark Taylor’s health problems were so life-threatening that his unlikely survival gave him the experience of “dying without dying.” He’ll speak about his new book, Last Works: Lessons in Leaving, and his insights into mortality, joined by fellow Columbia professors and author Siri Hustvedt.” (ThoughtGallery.org)

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

This is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide. If you have never seen these crazy, fearless performers, they are well worth the detour:

STREB EXTREME ACTION (March 2- April 8, Friday-Sunday at various times)
at SLAM, 51 N 1st St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
“Elizabeth Streb’s cavernous Brooklyn space is known as SLAM (Streb Lab for Action Mechanics), which is also a frequent move that occurs at one of her shows. For the month of March, her fearless team of action heroes, as they’re called, will navigate intimidating industrial contraptions and fling themselves from unnatural heights, seemingly defying physics with the pep of cheerleaders. The hourlong show, “S.E.A.” (“Singular Extreme Actions”), encapsulates all the thrill, humor and energizing fun that makes this company so singular.” (NYT-BRIAN SCHAEFER)

===========================================================
Bonus NYC events– Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

Museum of the City of New York

Frick Collection

Zurbarán’s Jacob and His Twelve Sons: Paintings from Auckland Castle (thru April 22)

Jewish Museum

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)

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).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/28 and 03/26.
=============================================================

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Last Works: Lessons in Leaving, Lucia di Lammermoor, new york events, new york events today, NYC Events, Ravi Coltrane, STEPHAN CRUMP INGRID LAUBROCK AND CORY SMYTHE, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, TIA FULLER, Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (03/29) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 03/28/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

CRY CRY CRY
at the Town Hall / 8PM, $45+
“In the late 1990s, three well-liked folk singer-songwriters — Dar Williams, Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky — formed this group, releasing one album of cover songs before going their separate ways. Writing about one of their concerts in The New York Times in 1999, the critic Ann Powers noted that “Cry Cry Cry epitomized the pleasure that can come from songcraft’s momentary resolutions.” This is the recently reunited trio’s first concert in New York City since then, and it should offer that pleasure in abundance.” (NYT-SIMON VOZICK-LEVINSON)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>Ravi Coltrane
>> António Zambujo
>> Michael Feinstein
>> BOBBY MCFERRIN SPIRITYOUALL
>>Whatever Happened to the Ides of March?
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>>STREB EXTREME ACTION
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

António Zambujo
Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center/ 7:30PM, FREE, but get there early for a seat.
“António Zambujo is a singer of brilliant subtlety and elegance. Considered an innovative pioneer as well as an heir to traditional fado, his popularity as a singer and guitarist in Portugal and abroad comes from a restless curiosity of musical influences from fado to bossa nova and jazz to French chanson. Born in the Alentejo region of Portugal, he grew up listening to the cante alentejano—choirs of men and women who sing of the land on which they work, local saints, and lost love.

In 2002, he was deemed the “Best New Fado Voice” by Radio Nova FM and the “Best Male Fado Singer” by the Amália Rodrigues Foundation in 2006. His eighth CD, Até Pensei que Fosse Minha (Until I Thought It Was Mine) is a tribute to the songs of Brazil’s Chico Buarque, one of the great singer-songwriters in the Portuguese language.”

Michael Feinstein
Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th St./
Feinstein is going to have to walk a very fine line as he celebrates the sexist, boozing, and crass-as-they-wanted-to-be kings of the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. It’s fortunate that each was a masterly singer who embraced some of the most durable standards still heard today. Feinstein will be supported by the Tedd Firth Big Band and joined by guest singers including Clint Holmes.” (NewYorker)

BOBBY MCFERRIN SPIRITYOUALL (March 23-April 1)
at the Blue Note / 8 and 10:30PM, $55-$75
“Since the 1980s, audiences have known Mr. McFerrin as a virtuoso vocalist who can deliver entire captivating sets without any accompaniment. But when he’s with his Spirityouall band, Mr. McFerrin discovers untold possibilities in the rootsy, molten arrangements of Gil Goldstein, the ensemble’s pianist and musical director. Spirityouall has a smartly tailored aesthetic, but Mr. McFerrin complicates and provokes it — sounding shots of vocal percussion, modulating the flow, coaxing kinetics out of languor. Here Mr. Goldstein helms a five-piece band, and Mr. McFerrin is joined on vocals by his daughter, Madison, a notable talent in her own right.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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

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

Whatever Happened to the Ides of March?
Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave./ 6:30PM, $15
“What became of Roman time? Roger S. Wieck, curator of Now and Forever: The Art of Medieval Time, joins Alexander Jones, Leon Levy Director of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, to explain the timekeeping of the Romans and how it evolved in the Middle Ages.”

===========================================================================
♦ 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.
===========================================================================

Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

This is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide. If you have never seen these crazy, fearless performers, they are well worth the detour:

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

———————————————————————————————————-

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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

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’. ”

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:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged António Zambujo, CRY CRY CRY, Ravi Coltrane, Whatever Happened to the Ides of March? | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (03/28) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 03/28/2018 by GregD

“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.

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

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

Michael Feinstein (also Thursday)
Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th St./
Feinstein is going to have to walk a very fine line as he celebrates the sexist, boozing, and crass-as-they-wanted-to-be kings of the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. It’s fortunate that each was a masterly singer who embraced some of the most durable standards still heard today. Feinstein will be supported by the Tedd Firth Big Band and joined by guest singers including Clint Holmes.” (NewYorker)

=========================================================
5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>>ORRIN EVANS
>> BOBBY MCFERRIN SPIRITYOUALL
>>Turandot
>> The Culinary Legacy of Joy of Cooking
>>Mysteries of the Bible: Biblical Archaeology
Continuing Events
>> New Directors/New Films
>>STREB EXTREME ACTION
>>Macy’s Flower Show
========================================================

Music, Dance, Performing Arts

ORRIN EVANS
at Mezzrow / 8 and 9:30PM, $
“It’s been a big year for this Philadelphia-based pianist: He made his leadership debut at the Newport Jazz Festival in August, playing a riveting solo set, and he officially joined the Bad Plus, a renowned power trio, in February. But catch him in a small combo, and he can renew your faith in the vitality of classic, straight-ahead jazz. He works in an argot of amiable swing, punctuated by startling disruptions and occasional shots of seraphic beauty. Mr. Evans celebrates his 43rd birthday at this intimate show in a stalwart quartet with the trumpeter Sean Jones, the bassist Luques Curtis and the drummer Gene Jackson.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Turandot (Oct 12-Apr 5, next Mar.31, 8:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $
“Puccini’s grand spectacle of legendary China stars Oksana Dyka and Martina Serafin in the role of the ice princess and Marcelo Álvarez as the unknown prince who must thaw her heart or die. Maria Agresta, Hei-Kyung Hong, and James Morris are among the other remarkable artists featured in this cherished Franco Zeffirelli production, led by Carlo Rizzi and Marco Armiliato.”

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

The Culinary Legacy of Joy of Cooking
The New School, 66 W. 12th St./ 6PM,FREE
“Starting as a modest self-published recipe-collection during the Great Depression, Joy of Cooking rose to become not just a celebrated American cookbook, but arguably the American cookbook. Home cooks throughout the United States came to feel an affectionate bond with the women behind the book, Irma Rombauer and her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker. Successive editions over more than eighty-five years tell a story of continuities and changes in American kitchens — who’s done the cooking, what’s come into or gone out of fashion, what people want from the acts of cooking and eating. Join a panel of culinary historians and cookbook authors as they share insights about this iconic culinary document and its begetters, within the larger context of American cuisine.”

Mysteries of the Bible: Biblical Archaeology
Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St./ 6:30PM, $15, includes copy of book
“Like the swashbuckling hero in Raiders of the Lost Ark, George Washington University Professor Eric H. Cline has a taste for adventure. On campus, he’s a sought-after professor of classics and anthropology. But off campus, he travels the world unearthing clues to ancient times. An acclaimed archaeologist, Dr. Cline has led excavations across the Middle East for more than thirty years. He’s dug up daggers and bowls, discovered fragments of frescoes, and searched for evidence of biblical heroes and events. Was Abraham a real person? Did the Exodus actually happen?

Dr. Cline, author of Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction, will explore these mysteries and more with National Geographic Magazine’s archaeology editor, Kristin Romey. From 19th-century theologians who first headed to the Holy Land “with a bible in one hand and a trowel in another,” to the secrets 21st-century technology reveals, they’ll dig into this fascinating field and investigate the biblical mysteries archaeologists can – and can’t – solve. A copy of Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction is included with admission.”

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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.
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Continuing Events

Love this festival. After the film screens, the Q&A with the directors and cast (sometimes) is always fascinating. Who knows, you may discover the next Pedro Almodovar – we did.

This is not Manhattan’s WestSide, but it is Brooklyn’s WestSide. If you have never seen these crazy, fearless performers, they are well worth the detour:

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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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.

Stephen Shore (thru May 28)

Tarsila do Amaral (thru June 3)

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 03/26 and 03/24

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ‘Turandot’, Michael Feinstein, Mysteries of the Bible: Biblical Archaeology, Orrin Evans, The Culinary Legacy of Joy of Cooking | Leave a comment

	Darin on October NYC Events + NYC Weeke…
	Darin on Selected Events (10/13) + Toda…

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events >FRIDAY/ APRIL 06, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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A PremierPub / Upper West Side

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que / 700 W125th St. @ 12th ave.

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

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events >THURSDAY/ APRIL 05, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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Museum of the City of New York

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events >WEDNESDAY/ APRIL 04, 2018

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.)

3 Good Eating places

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events >TUESDAY/ APRIL 03, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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Museum of Modern Art:

Tarsila do Amaral (thru June 3)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events >MONDAY/ APRIL 02, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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A PremierPub / West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events >SUNDAY/ APRIL 01, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events >SATURDAY/ MARCH 31, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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A PremierPub / Midtown West

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

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

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events >FRIDAY/ MARCH 30, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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Museum of the City of New York

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events >THURSDAY/ MARCH 29, 2018

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.)

3 Good Eating places

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events >WEDNESDAY/ MARCH 28, 2018

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

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Museum of Modern Art:

Tarsila do Amaral (thru June 3)

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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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