NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide

Selected Events (01/19) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 01/19/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, JAN. 19, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions

Harlem Gospel Choir

Steve Earle — Pop/Rock (8pm)

Mac Conner: A New York Life

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks — Jazz (8pm)

For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide:
♦ “9 Notable Events-Jan.”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity Sights, Sounds and Stories visit out our sister site: nyc123blog.wordpress.com
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J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions (through Friday)
This annual contest returns to Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, where the world’s top-ranked professional squash players will compete in this weeklong contest.
Ticket information and a full schedule of matches are at tocsquash.com.
Today’s matches: 11:30W; 3:00M&W; 6:30M&W
Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall

Harlem Gospel Choir (also ongoing Sundays)
“Here’s a real Sister Act for you. When does a blues club in the middle of Times Square become a church? The answer: every Sunday for over 10 years, when the Harlem Gospel Choir takes over at BB King ’s. Hosted by founder Allen Bailey, this highly inspirational six-member mixed choir offers spiritual salvation (in the words and music of such classics as “Oh Happy Day” and “Amazing Grace”) alongside heaps of biscuits, scrambled eggs and fried fish.

The jubilant mood is much more like a church service than a traditional nightclub set—they leave the house lights on for one thing, and there’s a lot more audience participation than you’re likely to see at, say, the Blue Note. After a while, I found myself standing up, clapping and singing along, even during those rare moments when no one was asking me to.” (WSJ)

Special matinee today in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. at 12:30PM
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St.
(212) 997-4144

Steve Earle (Mondays, through Jan. 26)

“This Texas singer has received a second career wind thanks to TV showrunners who aspire to his grittiness. He’s appeared either in person or through song on “The Wire,” “Longmire,” “Treme,” and most recently, “True Detective.” And like that newest series, Mr. Earle’s music is entrenched in the backwater past: bluesy slide guitars, lo-fi vocals, plenty of heart and fury. He continues his monthlong winter residency at City Winery.” (Andrew R. Chow-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring Street, South Village,
8pm / 212-608-0555 /citywinery.com.

Mac Conner: A New York Life (through Feb. 01, 2015)
Mac McCauley (“Mac”) Conner is considered by many to be one of New York’s original “MAD Men”. Born in 1913, Conner grew up admiring Norman Rockwell magazine covers in his father’s general store. He arrived in New York as a young man to work on wartime Navy publications and stayed on to make a career in the city’s vibrant publishing industry. The exhibition presents Conner’s hand-painted illustrations for advertising campaigns and women’s magazines like Redbook and McCall’s, made during the years after World War II when commercial artists helped to redefine American style and culture.
Museum of City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, at 103rd St.
From 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.,/ $10.
(212) 534-1672 /

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
“If you haven’t yet checked out the Nighthawks’ new digs, what are you waiting for. “The band (which has just released their second volume of music from HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) now actually sounds better, audio-wise, and the menu is a vast improvement over the band’s previous venue—overall, it is a step up, to the second floor, rather than a flight down, to the basement.

Although longtime fans are currently referring to the Nighthawks as “The Iguana Troubadours,” they continue to play with the same amazing combination of skin-tight historical authenticity and sheer, relentless energy, plus a tempo that has always characterized Mr. Giordano’s bands.” (WSJ-Will Friedwald)
Iguana, 240 W. 54th St., (Btw 8th/B’way)
8pm-11pm (3 sets) / $15 cover, $20 food/drink minimum
(212) 765-5454 / iguananyc.com

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
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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 see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Museum of Modern Art:
‘The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters’ (through March 22) In his printed works, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec chronicled and publicized the music halls, theaters, circuses, operas and cafes of Paris with terrific verve, sly wit and surprising subtlety. This enthralling show presents approximately 100 examples drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Johnson)

‘Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs’ (through Feb. 10) A popular image of the elderly Matisse is of a serene, bespectacled pasha propped up in bed and surrounded by doves and flowers. But in the years around 1940, he must have felt he was living a nightmare. He and his wife of more than four decades separated. He underwent debilitating surgery for cancer. During World War II, he fled south to Nice, only to have that city threatened with bombardment. Through everything, he worked on. It is this Matisse — the invalid, insomniac, night-worker and waking dreamer — we meet in the marvelous, victory-lap show that has arrived in New York from London, trailing light, praise and lines around the block. 212-708-9400, moma.org; admission is by timed tickets. (Cotter)

‘Sturtevant: Double Trouble’ (through Feb. 22) Among the first things you see in MoMA’s taut, feisty retrospective of the American artist Elaine Sturtevant is work by far better known figures: Joseph Beuys, Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp. In each case, however, the pieces are by Ms. Sturtevant herself, who spent much of a long career adopting and adapting the art and styles of others to create a body of work entirely her own, one which raises questions about the value of art, about the hows and whys of producing it, and about the degrees to which quasi-replication can be an exercise in flattery, parody, objectivity, originality and love. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Cotter)

‘The Forever Now: Contemporary Painting in an Atemporal World’(through April 5) Despite being predictable and market-oriented in its choice of 17 artists, this museum’s first painting survey in decades is well worth seeing. About half the artists are exceptional and the rest are represented by their best work. Based on the premise that all historical painting styles are equally available today, the exhibition has been smartly installed to juxtapose different approaches: figurative and abstract, digital and handmade, spare and opulent. 212-708-9400, moma.org. (Smith)

New-York Historical Society:
Annie Leibovitz: ‘Pilgrimage’ (through Feb. 22) No living celebrities are portrayed in “Pilgrimage,” but lots of celebrated figures from the past are indirectly represented, from Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson to Eleanor Roosevelt and Robert Smithson. In the spring of 2009, Ms. Leibovitz set out on a two-year journey that took her to about two dozen historic sites in the United States and Britain. Most of these were house museums dedicated to famous individuals, where she photographed the rooms they inhabited and objects they owned and used. Though often poetically atmospheric, these pictures are disappointingly less lively than her portraits of famous entertainers. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org. (Johnson)

Skyscraper Museum:
‘Times Square, 1984: The Postmodern Moment’ (last day)
In this smart, pithy show, 20 architectural panels capture the essence of another show, the “Times Tower Site Competition” held by New York’s Municipal Art Society 30 years ago, when over 500 architects made proposals for the famous triangular site in Times Square. Philip Johnson and John Burgee were proposing a suave 4.2 million-square-foot ensemble of four skyscrapers that would help “clean up” the surrounding urban squalor, and they favored an open square at the center of their project. The Municipal Art Society protested the proposal by asking for alternatives to replace the Times Tower. The dispute proved a turning point in New York’s urban history and, more broadly, in American architectural history, as the postmodernism of the Johnson towers gave way to a highly eclectic, free-for-all postmodernism devoid of his mansards or triumphal arches. 39 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, 212-968-1961, skyscraper.org. (Joseph Giovannini)

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged B.B. King Blues Club, Grand Central Terminal, Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, Harlem Gospel Choir, Iguana, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions, Mac Conner: A New York Life, Museum of City of New York, Steve Earle, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/18) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

Posted on 01/18/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, JAN. 18, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration in Harlem —
Special Event (3pm)

Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden — SportingLife / Rodeo (1pm)

‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ — SmartStuff/ Film (12pm) (6:15pm)

Mark Strand Memorial — SmartStuff/ Readings (5pm)

Ramsey Lewis Trio — Jazz (8pm) (10:30pm)

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration in Harlem
“At this ninth annual event, sponsored by WNYC and the Apollo Theater, the hosts, Brian Lehrer of WNYC and Melissa Harris-Perry of MSNBC, will discuss the history behind and challenges to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This year’s event is titled “Hear Our Voices, Count Our Votes: MLK’s March Continues.” This free celebration will include a conversation between Mr. Lehrer and Representative Charles B. Rangel, as well as appearances by Rita L. Bender, a lawyer and the widow of Michael Schwerner, one of the three civil rights workers killed in Mississippi in 1964, and Darryl Pinckney, author of “Blackballed: The Black Vote and US Democracy.”

Three civil rights activists who died last year will also be honored: Ruby Dee, the theater and film actress; Maya Angelou, the memoirist, poet and stage actress; and Yuri Kochiyama, who befriended Malcolm X and spent two years in an internment camp during World War II. While the event is free, reservations are required, though online registration has closed. For those who were unable to register online, a standby line will form before the event.” (NYT)
Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, Harlem,
At 3 p.m. / FREE
212-531-5300, wnyc.org/community.

Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden
“For the ninth year in a row, Madison Square Garden is transformed, as 1.5 million pounds of dirt covers the floor that typically hosts Rangers and Knicks games this time of year. As part of the Built Ford Tough Series, the top thirty-five athletes of the Professional Bull Riders try to wrangle eight seconds of perilous glory. The three-time event winner J. B. Mauney returns for a chance to defend his title, in the company of other veteran riders, including his fellow-champions Silvano Alves, Renato Nunes, Kody Lostroh, Guilherme Marchi, and Mike Lee.” (NewYorker)
Madison Square Garden, Seventh Ave. at 33rd St., Midtown
1pm / $25-$200
pbr.com.

‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ (through Jan.22)
“Previous screenings of this 2012 Indian film have been scarce in New York, which finally hosts a full theatrical run of the multigenerational gangster epic: The subcontinental “Godfather.” The film chronicles seven decades of conflict between warring clans in the coal capital of Wasseypur. The cinematic sweep also reflects the history of 20th-century India, shot through with intense, explosive displays of filmmaking verve.” NYT

“A dizzying explosion of an Indian gangster film, whose epic structure and colorful, immoral killers capture the imagination for over five hours.”—Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
Film Society of Lincoln Center, 144 W. 65th St.
12pm + 6:15pm / $14, $9 seniors
(212) 875-5610

Mark Strand Memorial
“The U.S. Poets Laureate Charles Simic and Charles Wright, the actor Mary-Louise Parker, the painter William H. Bailey, the composer and pianist John Musto, the playwright John Guare, the novelist Francine Prose, and others pay tribute to the former U.S. Poet Laureate and chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, who died this past November. Strand’s family will host the evening.” (NewYorker)
American Academy of Arts and Letters, 632 W. 156th St.
5pm / FREE

Ramsey Lewis Trio
“In 1965, the funky hit “The In Crowd” established the Ramsey Lewis Trio as the swingin’est thing to come out of Chicago since “Playboy” magazine. The title track remains one of the most immediately recognizable of all jazz hit singles—fully as memorable as “Take Five” or “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”—but people tend to forget that the rest of that best-selling album is every bit as funky and unforgettable. There’s also the slow blues ballad “Since I Fell for You” and the starkly romantic “ Spartacus Love Theme,” while the “Tennessee Waltz” and “Felicidade” show that the trio were capable of getting furiously funky even in ¾ time or to a Brazilian beat. Fifty years later, Mr. Lewis’s s trio is the still the crowd that you want to get “in” with.” (WSJ)
The Blue Note, 131 W. Third St.,
8pm and 10:30pm / $30, $45
(212) 475-8592

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==========================================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/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 wines and lite meals, fairly priced, 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, NYC 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 S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/left on Jones st to Caffe V

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

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

This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, with expanded descriptions, maps with contact info, 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” ($3.99, available Spring 2015).
◊ Order before May 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places on Manhattan’s WestSide with free Wi-Fi.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Apollo Theater, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, Blue Note, Brian Lehrer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Film Society of Lincoln Center, Greenwich Village, Madison Square Garden, Mark Strand Memorial, Monster Energy Buck Off, Ramsey Lewis Trio | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/17) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 01/17/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Bill Frisell: When You Wish Upon A Star — Pop (9:30pm)

From China to America with Lisa See — SmartStuff/ Museum Talk (9am)

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival — SmartStuff/ Film
(7pm) (9:30pm)

‘The Scarlet Ibis’ — Opera (7pm)

Cady Finlayson: Spirited Irish Music — Irish Music (2:30pm)

Bill Frisell: When You Wish Upon A Star
The role of music in classic film and television has always been considerable. With When You Wish Upon a Star, the ever-versatile guitarist Bill Frisell draws upon the sentimentality of music heard on screen and how it shapes and informs our emotional relationships to what we see. Frisell, whose own music has been featured in major motion pictures like Finding Forrester and The Million Dollar Hotel reflects: “Music is so rich with all the associations that go along with it, whether it’s the words or a memory you get when you hear it.”

Violist Eyvind Kang, bassist Thomas Morgan, drummer Rudy Royston, and singer Petra Haden – who recently released her musical ode to classic film, Petra Goes To The Movies – will join Frisell in re-imagining time-honored gems like “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” as well as music from television favorites including The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Honeymooners.
Jazz at Lincoln Center, 3 Columbus Circle, Frederick P. Rose Hall
9:30pm / $45
212-258-9800

From China to America with Lisa See
“A descendant of Fong See—a Chinese immigrant who overcame adversity and became the godfather of Los Angeles’s Chinatown—author Lisa See draws inspiration from her heritage and provides a vivid portrait of Chinese culture and American idealism in her writing. In an intimate talk, she discusses her work and shares her family’s unique journey to attain the “American Dream.”

Lisa See is the international bestselling author of Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Her newest novel is China Dolls.’ (book forum)

“Bestselling novelist Lisa See (Shanghai Girls, China Dolls) is descended from immigrants instrumental in developing Los Angeles’ Chinatown. She discusses her family’s story—simultaneously typical and unique—in a talk that ties in to the New-York Historical Society exhibit “Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion.” (thoughtgallery.org)
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
9–9:30 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30–11 am: Program
212-873-3400 / $44

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival
“This fest, at several venues around the city, is dedicated to flicks inspired by the pioneering sci-fi writer. Premieres include Jacob Akira Okada’s Painting the Way to the Moon (2013) and Chris Alexander’s Queen of Blood (2014), a sci-fi festival involving time travel set in 1990. Check out the the panel discussion (Sat 17) at the Producer’s Club to learn about the official selections of the festival, including commentary from producer and writer Mark Netter’s Nightmare Code (2014) and Kathleen Behun’s debut feature 21 Days (2014).
For details, visit thephilipkdickfilmfestival.com.” (TONY)
The Producers Club, 358 W 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave)
212-315-4743 / producersclub.com

‘The Scarlet Ibis’
“The composer Stefan Weisman and the librettist David Cote have created a haunting, honest and occasionally horrifying tale of familial bullying and disability for the centerpiece of this year’s Prototype Festival. Based on a short story by James Hurst, this outstanding new chamber opera features puppetry, the American Modern Ensemble and singers like Eric S. Brenner and Hai-Ting Chinn” (NYT- David Allen)
Here, 145 Avenue of the Americas, at Dominick Street, South Village,
7PM / $25, this is a hot ticket, may have to add your name to the wait list.
I didn’t even know that Here was here, will have to keep an eye on this one.
212-352-3101 / here.org.

Elsewhere, but if you love Irish music and the fiddles, you will make the detour:
Cady Finlayson: Spirited Irish Music
Cady Finlayson offers a spirited fiddle show with a global twist, blending traditional Irish tunes with world rhythms and American folk music. She has performed in 33 states at venues including Carnegie Hall, Cleveland’s State Theatre, Town Hall, and the Great Irish Fair. Her latest CD, “Irish Coffee” received a nomination for “Best Celtic CD of 2007” by the NAR lifestyle Awards. Cady performs both with her full band and as a duo with French guitarist Vita Tanga.

Ottendorfer Library, 135 2nd avenue
2:30pm / FREE
==============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================

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 – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

Here are couple of current exhibitions that the NYT recommends:

‘The Thing and the Thing-in-Itself’ (through Jan. 24)
This spare, thought-provoking exhibition’s title derives from a distinction posited by Immanuel Kant. That is, a thing can be known by a human being only from his or her unique perspective. What the thing is in and of itself, independent of any perceiver’s view of it, isn’t fully knowable. Demonstrating this idea are things by Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte, Ad Reinhardt, Piero Manzoni, Joseph Kosuth and Yoko Ono. Andrea Rosen, 525 West 24th Street, 212-627-6000, andrearosengallery.com. (Johnson)

‘Disturbing Innocence’ (through Jan. 31)
At the start of this entertaining and provocative exhibition organized by the painter Eric Fischl, you encounter ominous images of suburban homes in photographs by James Casebere and Gregory Crewdson, paintings by Peter Drake and a sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein. Moving into the main part of the exhibition you discover what goes on behind closed doors: a riot of polymorphous perversity in the form of paintings, photographs and sculptures, by more than 50 artists, representing children, dolls, mannequins, robots and toys. Flag Art Foundation, 545 West 25th Street, 212-206-0220, flagartfoundation.org. (Johnson)

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.
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/13 and 01/15.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ‘The Scarlet Ibis’, Bill Frisell, Cady Finlayson, Chelsea Galleries, Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion., Here, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lisa See, New-York Historical Society, Ottendorfer Library, Philip K. Dick, The Producers Club | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/16) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Midtown West

Posted on 01/16/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, JAN. 16, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Stacy Sullivan, ‘On the Air—Songs For Marian McPartland ’ — Jazz (9:30pm)

Jane Monheit: ‘Hello Bluebird’ — Jazz (8:30pm) (11pm)

“The Epic Of Everest” — SmartStuff/ Film (7pm)

The Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir — Choral Music (6pm)

The Zlatne Uste Golden Festival — Balkan Music (7pm)

Stacy Sullivan, ‘On the Air—Songs For Marian McPartland ’
“Call this a “thinking person’s cabaret show.” Star Stacy Sullivan is a thoughtful and subtle singer, just as the woman she honors, Marian McPartland, was the most subtle and thoughtful of pianists, composers and radio hosts. Just as the late McPartland (1918–2013) represented an outpost of sanity and tranquility in a medium historically dominated by shock jocks and pseudo-scholars, Ms. Sullivan is neither fussy nor formal nor, at the other extreme, falsely folksky. The presence of accompanist and musical director Jon Weber, who has served as Ms. McPartland’s replacement for these last few years (even while the Queen Mum of Jazz herself was still with us) adds greatly to the authenticity of what is a very heartfelt and thoroughly realized project.” (WSJ)
The Metropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St.,
9:30pm / $25
(212) 206-0440

Jane Monheit: ‘Hello Bluebird’ (also Saturday)
“Ms. Monheit is a jazz singer who has always fit the profile of an ingénue, though she has developed shades of complexity in her interactions with the standard repertory. She has recently made a second home at Birdland, where she now appears with the saxophonist Joel Frahm, the pianist Michael Kanan, the bassist Neal Miner and her husband, the drummer Rick Montalbano.” (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 8:30 and 11 p.m.,
212-581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com.

“The Epic Of Everest”
“The Rubin Museum’s Friday movie screening night this week features “The Epic Of Everest,” a 1924 film capturing the third attempt to climb Everest, which famously culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. The film sparked an ongoing debate as to whether or not they reached the summit before their deaths.

The film is one of the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet.” (dnainfo.com)
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th St., West Village.
7 p.m. / $16

The Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir /
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat Service
To commemorate the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Temple Emanu-El is pleased to host the Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III and the Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir at a special Sabbath service — “An Inspirational and Musical Sabbath.”

The temple’s sanctuary is a magnificent interior, a special place for the choir’s performance.
Temple Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue Sanctuary (Fifth Avenue at 65th Street)
6pm / FREE (All are welcome to attend)

Elsewhere, but sure looks worth the detour:
The Zlatne Uste Golden Festival (also Sat)
“Led by Brooklyn middle-school gym teacher Michael Ginsburg, the Zlatne Uste (“golden lips”) Brass Band is the country’s oldest Balkan combo. For thirty years, Zlatne Uste has hosted its annual Golden Festival, a pandemonium-inducing indoor Balkan bash that currently crams some 61 bands and 3,000 folk-dance fanatics into a Brooklyn bar mitzvah factory. The joyous, inclusive, and diverse four-stage lineup is anchored by a quintet of fine local brass bands augmented by dozens of Balkan, Turkish, Macedonian, and other Eastern European ensembles boasting varying degrees of authenticity and innovation, from a cappella to electronica.

This year’s out-of-town surprises include Detroit Balkan-soul combo Ornamatik, New Orleans Balkan-funk stew Blato Zlato (“swamp gold”), and Washington, D.C., Balkan-glam group Black Masala. Come for the complimentary meze, stay for the eternal circle dances.” (Richard Gehr, VillageVoice)
Grand Prospect Hall, 263 Prospect Ave., btw Fifth and Sixth Aves
subway: R to Prospect Ave.
7pm / $35-$80 (2 day pass)
646-844-4653 / goldenfest.org.

===============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================

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.

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; 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 some nights includes a sax player with a younger, trimmer piano man.

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

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged “The Epic Of Everest”, Birdland, Grand Prospect Hall, Jane Monheit, Marian McPartland, Metropolitan Room, Rubin Museum of Art, Russian Vodka Room, Stacy Sullivan, Temple Emanu-El, The Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir, Zlatne Uste Golden Festival | Leave a comment

Select Events (01/15) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 01/15/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Jill Sobule’s Music from Yentl — Pop/Rock (7:30pm)

Ecstatic Music Festival: Mantra Percussion & Ian Williams — Pop/Rock (8pm)

“Intelligence Squared U.S.” — SmartStuff/ Debate (6:45pm)

‘Letters From Anne and Martin’ — SmartStuff/ Performance (6:30pm)

Songs of the Earth –
Argento Chamber Ensemble’s ‘MAHLER IN NEW YORK’ Series —
Classical Music (7:30pm)

Jill Sobule’s Music from Yentl, Featuring the Isle of Klezbos
Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy” and updated with new music and lyrics composed by Jill Sobule, Yentl tells the story of a young girl in 19th century Eastern Europe forbidden to pursue her dream of studying Talmud. Unwilling to accept her fate, she disguises herself as a man. But when she falls in love, Yentl must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect her identity. Invigorated with a bracing klezmer/pop/rock score by Jill Sobule (the original “I Kissed a Girl,” “Supermodel”), Yentl asks up-to-the-minute questions about gender and sexuality.

“Yentl offers sweetness and laughter with a modern twist.”—Sarasota Herald Tribune
Adapted for the stage by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer
Additional music by Robin Eaton
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center,
at 7:30 (but get there by 7 to ensure a seat) / Target FREE Thursdays

Ecstatic Music Festival: Mantra Percussion & Ian Williams
“This year’s set of concerts debuts tonight with a free gig between Mantra Percussion and Battles guitarist and composer Ian Williams.

By pairing up musicians from disparate genres in order to expand the field of post-genre chamber music, this contemporary-classical festival has quickly become a reliable bet. This year’s set of concerts debuts tonight with a free gig between Mantra Percussion and Battles guitarist and composer Ian Williams.” (TONY)
Brookfield Place Winter Garden, 220 Vesey St. at West St.
8PM / FREE
212-945-0505 / brookfieldplaceny.com

“Intelligence Squared U.S.”
“This series of live Oxford-style debates presents the topic “Amazon Is the Reader’s Friend.” The author and self-publishing pioneer Joe Konrath and Matthew Yglesias, the executive editor of Vox, will argue for the idea. Franklin Foer, the former editor of The New Republic, and the writer Scott Turow will argue against it.” (NewYorker)
Kaufman Center, Merkin Concert Hall,129 W. 67th St.
at 6:45, with a reception starting an hour earlier.
For more information, visit iq2us.org.

‘Letters From Anne and Martin’
“The Anne Frank Center USA presents this original production, a two-person theater piece based on the writings of Anne Frank and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, Jonathan Rieder will read from his book “Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation.” (NYT)

A Q&A with the author and actors will follow the program.
Anne Frank Center, 44 Park Place, between Church Street and West Broadway,
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m / $8
212-431-7993, annefrank.com; Space limited. Reservations recommended.

Elsewhere, but looks worth a detour:
Songs of the Earth –
Argento Chamber Ensemble’s ‘MAHLER IN NEW YORK’ Series

“Songs of the Earth” features Mahler-inspired works by composers Oliver Schneller and Jesse Jones, paired with a new chamber orchestra arrangement of Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde”, which is based on Schoenberg’s unfinished arrangement of this work. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Beattie and tenor James Benjamin Rodgers are the soloists in Mahler’s massive song cycle. Michel Galante conducts the Argento Chamber Ensemble.

Oliver Schneller Claire/Obscur (US Premiere)
Jesse Jones Threshold (US Premiere)
Gustav Mahler Das Lied von der Erde arr. Arnold Schoenberg/Michel Galante

The Argento Chamber Ensemble is a virtuoso ensemble dedicated to innovative musical performance. The group’s international reputation has resulted from its critically renowned history as a chamber ensemble, the technically demanding repertoire it performs around the world, and its commitment to rigorous interpretation and artistic direction. Argento has long-term artistic relationships with leading composers including Pierre Boulez, Beat Furrer, Georg Friedrich Haas, Bernhard Lang, and Fabien Lévy, and has recorded the music of Tristan Murail, Philippe Hurel, Fred Lerdahl, Katerina Rosenberg, and Alexandre Lunsqui.
Board Officers Room, Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue
7:30PM / FREE / Ticket required.
armoryonpark.org

===============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================

WHAT’S ON VIEW
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)

Frick Collection:
‘Masterpieces From the Scottish National Gallery’ (through Feb. 1)
“As it did last year with masterworks from the Mauritshuis, the Frick has welcomed 10 paintings from the Scottish National Gallery, in Edinburgh, home to a renowned collection of fine art from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. It’s a quieter sort of exhibition, exemplified by the under-the-radar entrance of Sargent’s “Lady Agnew of Lochnaw.” It’s also a rangier show, one that isn’t as identifiably Scottish as the Mauritshuis works were Dutch — even considering the commanding Sir Henry Raeburn portrait of a kilted Macdonell clan chief.” (Karen Rosenberg)

Jewish Museum:
‘From the Margins: Lee Krasner and Norman Lewis, 1945-1952’ (through Feb. 1)
Inspired by a pairing in the museum’s 2008 show “Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning and American Art, 1940-1976,” this exhibition orchestrates a profound and sensitive conversation between Krasner and Lewis — one that takes into account their shared visual language as well as different cultural backgrounds (as a Jewish woman and an African-American man). It also suggests that both artists have long been hidden in plain sight: Krasner as the spouse of an art celebrity, Lewis as a black artist whose paintings were more formal than political. 1109 Fifth Avenue, at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org. (Rosenberg)

Guggenheim Museum:
‘V. S. Gaitonde: Painting as Process, Painting as Life’ (through Feb. 11)
“Many Western abstract painters in the early 20th century were deeply influenced by Asian art and philosophy, though no one dismissed them as Orientalists. By contrast, if Asian artists showed signs of absorbing Western models, their work was disdained as derivative. When you visit this survey of work by Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde (1924-2001), keep that paradox in mind just long enough to see how its biases operate. Then give yourself over to some of the most magnetic abstract painting of any kind in the city right now, by a South Asian Indian modernist who looked westward, eastward, homeward and inward to create an intensely personalized version of transculturalism, one that has given him mythic stature in his own country and pushed him to the top of the auction charts.” (Cotter)

Kandinsky Before Abstraction, 1901–1911 (through spring 2015)
Early in his career Vasily Kandinsky experimented with printmaking, produced brightly-colored landscapes of the German countryside, and explored recognizable and recurrent motifs. This intimate exhibition drawn from the Guggenheim collection explores the artist’s representational origins.

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (continuing):
The stately doors of the 1902 Andrew Carnegie mansion, home to the Cooper Hewitt, are open again after an overhaul and expansion of the premises. Historic house and modern museum have always made an awkward fit, a standoff between preservation and innovation, and the problem remains, but the renovation has brought a wide-open new gallery space, a cafe and a raft of be-your-own-designer digital enhancements. Best of all, more of the museum’s vast permanent collection is now on view, including an Op Art weaving, miniature spiral staircases, ballistic face masks and a dainty enameled 18th-century version of a Swiss knife. Like design itself, this institution is built on tumult and friction, and you feel it. 2 East 91st Street, at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org. (Cotter)

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

Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Ten museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:

• 110th Street – Museum for African Art

• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio

• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York

• 92nd Street – The Jewish Museum

• 91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

• 89th Street – National Academy Museum

• 88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

• 86th Street – Neue Galerie New York

• 83rd Street – Goethe-Institut

Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
• 82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Additionally, though technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 70th St. and the The Morgan Library & Museum on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave. Now plan your own museum crawl. ========================================================

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/13 and 01/11.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "Intelligence Squared U.S.", Anne Frank, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Brookfield Place Winter Garden, David Rubenstein Atrium, Ian Williams, Jill Sobule, Merkin Concert Hall, Park Avenue Armory | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/14) + Ice Skating in NYCity

Posted on 01/14/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1 / Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, JAN. 14, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Open Rehearsal – Verdi’s Requiem — Classical Music (9:45am)

‘One Thousand Things Worth Knowing’: An Evening with Paul Muldoon — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

Royal Danish Ballet: Principals and Soloists — Ballet (7:30pm)

PITCH: Talks on Baseball — SmartStuff/ Sports Talk (7:30pm)

ABC Trivia: Hosted by HuffPost, Electric Literature, and Bomb —
SmartStuff/ Trivia (7pm)

The Mariinsky Ballet — Ballet (7:30pm)

Open Rehearsal – Verdi’s Requiem
An Open Rehearsal is a fascinating opportunity to watch the New York Philharmonic at work, and see how a piece of music is shaped and polished by the conductor and the musicians. Alan Gilbert leads the Philharmonic, the New York Choral Artists, and a quartet for the ages (Angela Meade, Lilli Paasikivi, Brandon Jovanovich, and Eric Owens) in our first performances of this powerful and deeply moving masterpiece in nine years, January 15–17.

Tickets are $20 each and can be ordered online, by phone, by mail, by fax, or in person at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office. Open Rehearsals begin at 9:45 AM (except where noted) in Avery Fisher Hall, and end at approximately 12:30 PM (sometimes extending to 1 PM, at the discretion of the conductor). Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall

‘One Thousand Things Worth Knowing’: An Evening with Paul Muldoon
Join Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon for a celebration of his vividly crafted new collection, ONE THOUSAND THINGS WORTH KNOWING. Muldoon, Nick Laird writes, is “the most formally ambitious and technically innovative of modern poets” and this new work—multifarious, reeling—is one thousand times worth reading.

Paul Muldoon, the NewYorker’s poetry editor, is the author of eleven previous books of poetry, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Moy Sand and Gravel (FSG, 2002). He is the Howard G. B. Clark University Professor at Princeton.
McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St. (btw Lafayette and Mulberry Streets)
7Pm / FREE
212-274-1160 / mcnallyjackson.com

Royal Danish Ballet: Principals and Soloists (until Sun. Jan. 18)
“Under the direction of artistic director Ulrik Birkkjær, principals and soloists perform works by August Bournonville, the 19th-century Royal Danish Ballet choreographer and ballet master. The pieces are A Folktale (pas de sept), The Flower Festival in Genzano (pas de deux), Jockey Dance from Siberia to Moscow, La Sylphide, Act II, Le Conservatoire (pas de trois) and Napoli, Act III.” (TONY)
Joyce Theater,175 Eighth Ave.at 19th St.
7:30pm./ $10–$75
212-242-0800 / joyce.org

PITCH: Talks on Baseball
“From the dark of winter, pitchers and catchers seems a long way off. Diehard fans can fill one of the empty evenings in the wait for spring training with PITCH: Talks On Baseball, the new speaker series which will make its first U.S. stop at B.B. King’s. In on the conversation are:
Pete Abraham, Red Sox beat writer for the Boston Globe, acting as moderator.
Adam Rubin, ESPN
Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog
Sweeny Murti, WFAN
Joel Sherman, New York Post
Tyler Kepner, The New York Times
Jay Jaffe, Sports Illustrated
Buster Olney, ESPN” (thoughtgallery.org)
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St.
at 7:30 pm / $25 / 212-997-4144

ABC Trivia: Hosted by HuffPost, Electric Literature, and Bomb
Huffington Post Arts and Books editors are teaming up with Electric Literature and BOMB Magazine to host a night of trivia at Housing Works in NYC.

Get ready for 1.5 hours of arts, books and culture revelry. There will be prizes. There will be a cash bar. And there will impeccable trivia emceeing, courtesy of our special guest and bestselling author Jacob Tomsky.

The night will consist of three rounds of trivia, plus a reading from Heads in Beds mastermind Tomsky. Show up before 7:15pm on January 14 to register your team. Teams should have a max. of 6 people — feel free to show up alone and join forces with other trivia nerds too.
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St.
7PM / FREE
212-334-3324

Elsewhere, but sure looks worth the detour:
The Mariinsky Ballet (thru Sun. Jan 25)
It is the beating heart of Russian culture: St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, a bastion of arts excellence that has endured regime changes and revolutions for over two centuries. As a cultivator of innovation and talent, it is unparalleled. Balanchine studied there, as did Baryshnikov, Nijinsky, and Nureyev. Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov premiered operas there. And Mahler, Berlioz and Rachmaninoff all conducted on its stages.

Today, under the leadership of artistic director Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky—which comprises an orchestra, chorus, ballet and opera company—remains at the forefront of the international scene. In this two-week residency, the renowned theater comes to BAM with a diverse program that bridges its incomparable legacy with its present-day status in the vanguard of the performing arts.
Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave. (btw St. Felix St. and Ashland Place)
(718) 636-4100
subway: 2, 3, to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center
==============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================

Ice Skating in NYCity (nycgo.com)
“Winter just isn’t winter without ice-skating in New York City. And though most of us can probably name two or three rinks off the top of our heads, we might be more than mildly surprised to find there are 15 venues open for public ice-skating this holiday season. The best known of the City’s rinks is without a doubt the Rink at Rockefeller Center—tracing figure eights while surrounded by the shops, restaurants and buildings of a NYC landmark provides the quintessential NYC skating experience—but plenty of other (frequently less crowded) options exist.” Here are the ice rinks you want to head to in Manhattan:

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
Where: Sixth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets
When: Late October to early March
Price: Free; skate rental $15–$19
If you already own skates, this is the most affordable spot in the City—it’s the only rink that offers free admission. Bryant Park also hosts annual holiday shops, a good destination if you want to cross some gifts off your list after your turn on the ice.

Trump Rink in Central Park
Where: Central Park, mid-park between 62nd and 63rd Streets
When: Late October to first week of April
Price: Adults $11.25 (Mon.–Thurs.), $18 (Fri.–Sun.); kids 11 and under $6; seniors $5 (Mon.–Thurs.), $9 (Fri.–Sun.); skate rental $8
Few rinks can match the ambience of Central Park’s Trump Rink, especially after a fresh snowfall. If you’re there at night, be sure to look up for some prime NYC stargazing.

Rink at Rockefeller Center
Where: Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets
When: Mid-October through April
Price: Adults $27–$30, kids 10 and under $15; skate rental $12
Millions of visitors plan trips to the City every year just to catch a glimpse of skaters taking a spin on the ice below the famous Christmas tree and gilded statue of Prometheus; others will wait in long lines to experience it for themselves.
——————————————————————————————————-
Ice Rink at Riverbank State Park
Where: Henry Hudson Parkway between West 138th and West 145th Streets
When: November through March
Price: Adults $5, kids 11 and under $3; skate rental $6
Riverbank, in Hamilton Heights, is the only state park in Manhattan; it offers incredible river views across to New Jersey and gorgeous vistas of the George Washington Bridge.

Lasker Rink
Where: Central Park, northeast corner between 106th and 108th Streets
When: Late October to late March
Price: Adults $7.50, kids 12 and under $4; skate rental $6.50
Up in the northern reaches of the park, Lasker Rink is a bit less discovered than its sister skate center in the park (see “Trump Rink in Central Park” below)—and a much better deal.

See/Change Ice Rink
Where: Fulton and Front Streets, South Street Seaport
When: Late November to early March
Price: Adults $10, kids 5 and under free; skate rental $6
The seaport relaunched itself in 2013 after Superstorm Sandy with the opening of an outdoor ice rink. Bonus: November 28, opening night, coincides with a tree-lighting ceremony.

Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers
Where: Pier 61, West 23rd Street and Hudson River Park
When: Year-round
Price: $10; skate rental $5
Want to skate downtown…in mid-July? The enormous rink at Chelsea Piers is the place to head, though it’s a reliable stop-off any time of year.

Standard Hotel
Where: 848 Washington St., between West 12th and West 13th Streets
When: Late November until early spring (weather dependent)
Price: Adults $12, kids $6; skate rental $3
One of the hipper—and more exclusive—hotels in the City has a ground-level rink available to the public. If you can’t find the info on the main website, check standardculture.com for the latest prices and times.

nycgo.com, the website of New York City’s official marketing and tourism organization, has lots of useful NYCity info. This fine site is worth checking out when you are planning your NYCity visit, anytime of the year.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ABC Trivia, Avery Fisher Hall, B.B. King Blues Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, Ice Skating, Joyce Theater, McNally Jackson Books, Paul Muldoon, PITCH: Talks on Baseball, Rink at Rockefeller Center, Royal Danish Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, Verdi’s Requiem, Winter Village at Bryant Park | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/13) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 01/13/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, JAN. 13, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Celebrating Charlie Haden — Jazz (7pm) [FREE]

Looking Back / The 9th White Columns Annual — Gallery Art (6pm) [FREE]

Ramsey Lewis — Jazz (8pm) (10:30pm)

Jay & Mark Duplass -“Togetherness” — SmartStuff/ Film Talk (7:30pm) [FREE]

Mad Rush – Lisa Moore plays Philip Glass — NewAge Music (7:30pm)

Celebrating Charlie Haden
“A good-natured titan of bass, who channeled his early experiences singing country and folk into a remarkably rich, earthy approach to improvisation, Charlie Haden made incalculable contributions to jazz from the late ’50s on up to his death last summer at the age of 76.

This gratis celebration of a remarkable life features A-list Haden collaborators such as Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Lee Konitz and Bill Frisell, as well as his signature groups, Quartet West and Liberation Music Orchestra. You’ll also hear from the bassist’s daughters—who perform as the Haden Triplets—his son, Josh, and his widow, Ruth Cameron-Haden.” (TONY)
The Town Hall,123 W 43rd St. (btw Sixth Ave and Broadway)
7PM / FREE
212-840-2824 / thetownhall.org

Looking Back / The 9th White Columns Annual –
Selected by Cleopatra’s (thru Feb.21)
Opening Reception: Tuesday, January 13 / 6-8pm

“Looking Back” is the ninth installment of the White Columns Annual. The exhibition is now a fixture on White Columns’ calendar. Each year, an individual or a collaborative team (e.g. an artist, a curator, a writer, etc.) is invited to make an exhibition at White Columns based on their personal experience of looking at art in New York in the previous year. For the ninth ‘Annual’ exhibition, White Columns has invited the New York-based collective Cleopatra’s (Bridget Donahue, Bridget Finn, Colleen Grennan, Erin Somerville), to make the selection.

In a very straightforward sense, the ‘Annual’ exhibition hopes to reveal something of the complexities involved in trying to negotiate – and engage with – NewYork’s constantly shifting cultural landscape. The format of the exhibition inevitably encourages highly subjective and deeply personal responses to the realities of viewing art in New York. The ‘Annual’ exhibition series hopes to illuminate aspects of the specific, yet highly idiosyncratic routes –geographical, intellectual, historical, social, etc. – that individuals follow in an increasingly expansive and fragmented cultural environment
White Columns, 320 West 13th St. (Enter on Horatio St., btw Hudson and 8th Ave)
Gallery Hours: Tue – Sat, 12–6 PM / FREE
212 924 4212 / whitecolumns.org

Ramsey Lewis (through Jan. 18)
“Mr. Lewis, an elder statesman and ageless paragon of jazz crossover, is preparing to release a deluxe edition of his 2011 album, “Ramsey, Taking Another Look,” due out in March. For this engagement, he’ll also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of “The In Crowd,” the live album that first cemented his stature.” (Chinen-NYT)

Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
At 8 and 10:30 p.m.
212-475-8592, bluenote.net

Jay and Mark Duplass – “TOGETHERNESS”
Jay and Mark Duplass will screen and discuss the first two episode of their new comedy series Togetherness, which debuts Sunday, January 11 on HBO.

Blending laughter and pathos, Togetherness follows four adults nearing 40, living under the same roof and struggling to keep their relationships and their dreams alive. Brett (Mark Duplass) and Michelle (Melanie Lynskey) are struggling to rekindle the spark in their relationship, which has puttered out from the stresses of marriage and children. When Brett’s friend Alex (Steve Zissis) and Michelle’s sister, Tina (Amanda Peet), move in with them, the foursome engage in a tragically comedic struggle to follow their personal dreams, while still remaining good friends, siblings and spouses to each other.
Film Society of Lincoln Center.
7:30 p.m. / FREE

Mad Rush – Lisa Moore plays Philip Glass
Pianist Lisa Moore launches her OMM (Orange Mountain Music) disc of solo piano music by Philip Glass. Works include Mad Rush, Metamorphosis, Etudes (selected), Satyagraha Conclusion Act 3, Closing.

“The piano music of Philip Glass is hypnotic, timeless, clear and beautiful. As a performer the possibilities for creating colors in Philip’s music are infinite – his melodies, sonorous harmonies and formal structures allow room for individual interpretation and expression. Back in 2006, while on tour with Philip Glass and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, I began to feel a growing connection to Philip – both as a person and composer of universal, mesmerizing, ritualistic music. I was moved and began to study and perform his works in my own solo shows.

During the summer of 2014 Orange Mountain Music (Glass’ official label) offered me the chance to record a CD featuring the classic Glass piano repertoire. My January 13 night at (le) poisson rouge will be the official release and launch of this recording – it’s called Mad Rush. Please join me to witness and celebrate the birth of this OMM recording.” – Lisa Moore
(le) poisson rouge, 158 Bleecker St.
7:30PM / $20
212-505-3474

==============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================

This weeks cover of Charlie Hebdo:
(note to Islamist crazies: you can’t kill freedom of expression)

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

Skyscraper Museum:
‘Times Square, 1984: The Postmodern Moment’ (through Jan. 18) In this smart, pithy show, 20 architectural panels capture the essence of another show, the “Times Tower Site Competition” held by New York’s Municipal Art Society 30 years ago, when over 500 architects made proposals for the famous triangular site in Times Square. Philip Johnson and John Burgee were proposing a suave 4.2 million-square-foot ensemble of four skyscrapers that would help “clean up” the surrounding urban squalor, and they favored an open square at the center of their project. The Municipal Art Society protested the proposal by asking for alternatives to replace the Times Tower. The dispute proved a turning point in New York’s urban history and, more broadly, in American architectural history, as the postmodernism of the Johnson towers gave way to a highly eclectic, free-for-all postmodernism devoid of his mansards or triumphal arches. 39 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, 212-968-1961, skyscraper.org. (Joseph Giovannini)

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Blue Note, Charlie Haden, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jay and Mark Duplass, LE Poisson Rouge, Lisa Moore, Philip Glass, Ramsey Lewis, Town Hall, White Columns, White Columns Annual | Leave a comment

Selected events (01/12) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Times Square/ Theater District

Posted on 01/12/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″+1 / Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, JAN. 12, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Captain Black Big Band — Jazz (7pm) (9pm)

Tanya Tagaq — New Wave (7pm)

The Best American Travel Writing 2014 — SmartStuff/ Book Talk (7pm)

Steve Earle w/Shawn Colvin — Pop/Rock (8pm)

August Bournonville and the Danish Joy of Dance-
Lecture by Erik Aschengreen — Dance (6:30pm)

‘A Good Thing Going:
The Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince Collaboration’ —
Musical Theater (2pm) (7:30pm)

Captain Black Big Band, Conducted by Orrin Evans
Captain Black, the celebrated 16-Piece Jazz Orchestra under the direction of pianist Orrin Evans, performs on alternating Mondays and frequently features musicians like Marcus Strickland, Todd Bayshore, Stacy Dillard, Freddie Hendrix, Conrad Herwig, Dave Gibson, Tia Fuller, Bruce Williams , Luques Curtis, Vince Ector and more. There most likely isn’t a more “jazz-like” improvisational approach to running a big band: while Captain Black has a tight book of regular arrangements that the band draws from, the uniqueness of this particular big band project lies within the group’s ability to let Evans “call” tunes and make arrangements on the spot, keeping the material fresh, new and exciting from week to week.
Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge, 2751 Broadway, btw 105th and 106th Sts
7PM & 9PM / $9 music charge, 3-Course Dinner Prix-Fixe available for $38
212-864-6662 / smokejazz.com

Tanya Tagaq
“This Inuit Canadian who specializes in her culture’s traditional throat-singing techniques often sounds like the extremely vocal child of Björk and Janis Joplin. Tanya Tagaq takes the technique to the limit on her recent Animism, delivering a surprising assortment of pants, growls, purrs, snarls, and screams over strings, percussion, and electronics. The hills are alive with the sound of fucking in “Damp Animal Spirits,” and the hills are destroyed to the sounds of “Fracking.” Flight or fight? All options are explored. She performs here with contemporary-music string aces the Sirius Quartet.” (Richard Gehr, Village Voice)
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St.
7PM / $22

The Best American Travel Writing 2014
Contributors Tony Perrottet, Andrew Mc Carthy, Julia Cooke

Best American Travel Writing 2014 is a far-ranging collection of the best travel writing pieces published in 2014, collected by guest editor Paul Theroux. The Best American Travel Writing consistently includes a wide variety of pieces, illuminating the wonder, humor, fear, and exhilaration that greets all of us when we embark on a journey to a new place.

“Travel connoisseurs divide the world into those places they’ve been dying to visit or revisit and places they’d never set foot in but are glad someone else did. This year’s volume of travel writing . . . focuses mostly on the latter with derring-do dispatches.” – USA Today
Half King, 505 w 23rd St.
7PM / FREE

Steve Earle (Mondays, through Jan. 26) w/Shawn Colvin tonight.
“This Texas singer has received a second career wind thanks to TV showrunners who aspire to his grittiness. He’s appeared either in person or through song on “The Wire,” “Longmire,” “Treme,” and most recently, “True Detective.” And like that newest series, Mr. Earle’s music is entrenched in the backwater past: bluesy slide guitars, lo-fi vocals, plenty of heart and fury. This week’s edition of his monthlong residency at City Winery is a double bill with Shawn Colvin.” (Andrew R. Chow-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring St.
8PM / $55-$65 (may be sold out, add your name to wait list or try the secondary market)
212-608-0555 / citywinery.com.
here’s the thing – mondays around town are a bit slow, next week book this show early.

Elsewhere, but these look worth the detour:

August Bournonville and the Danish Joy of Dance-
Lecture by Erik Aschengreen
“You may not readily connect the Danes with classical dance, but choreographer August Bournonville (1805-79) had a huge influence on the development of ballet in the 19th century. Many balletomanes feel his works—with their characteristically graceful, airy style—still represent the purest aspect of the art. A noted ballet critic introduces us to August Bournonville and the Danish Joy of Dance in a lecture punctuated with excerpts from the master’s ballets, as danced by his company, the Royal Danish Ballet (performing at the Joyce Theater in January)” (thoughtgallery.org)
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, 58 Park Ave.
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm / FREE
212-779-3587

‘A Good Thing Going:
The Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince Collaboration’
The 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists series is exploring the works and partnership of Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince, who collaborated on “Company,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” “Pacific Overtures,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Merrily We Roll Along.” Kate Baldwin, Heidi Blickenstaff and Jeremy Jordan are among the Broadway stars taking part in this program.
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue,
at 2 and 7:30 p.m. / $60
212-415-5500 / 92y.org

==============================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
==============================================================

A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places

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

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

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

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

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

===========================================================================================
“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.
===========================================================================================

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult finding 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:

Patzeria Perfect Pizza – 231 W46 st (Betw 7th/8th ave)
Perfect name for a pizza joint. On a street filled with Broadway theaters, this is a real hole in the wall, but don’t let the dive look scare you away. You can never go wrong with a slice of NYC pizza, and this one is a classic thin crust. Only a few seats here, but pizza was made to eat standing up.

Shake Shack – 691 8th ave (Betw 43rd/44th st)
Danny Meyer has revolutionized the high quality burger in this town. Now he has a branch on the West Side that was desperately needed, with none of the insane lines that you find at the Madison Sq. Park location. Plus, it may be the cleanest joint to eat in all of Hell’s Kitchen.
==============================================================

“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed.

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

◊ 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” ($3.99, available Spring 2015).
◊ Order before May 31, 2015 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.
=============================================================

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged August Bournonville, Captain Black Big Band, City Winery, Half King, Harold Prince, Joe's Pub, Shawn Colvin, Smoke Jazz Club, Stephen Sondheim, Steve Earle, Tanya Tagaq | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/11) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 01/11/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, JAN. 11, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Kurt Rosenwinkel New Quartet — Jazz (8:30pm) (10:30pm)

The Psychedelic Furs — New Wave (8pm)

Seventh Annual Cassoulet Cookoff — Food & Drink (1-4pm)

Mendelssohn: A Conversation — Lecture (6pm)

Globalfest — Pop/Rock (7pm)

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

Kurt Rosenwinkel New Quartet
“The guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel favors floating lyricism, a luminous tone and an ultramodern harmonic language, all reasons for his stature as one of the young gurus on his instrument. His New Quartet is first and foremost a showcase for his bond with the pianist Aaron Parks, who appears here along with the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Allan Mednard.” (Chinen-NYT)
8:30 and 10:30 p.m.,
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St.
212-255-4037 / villagevanguard.com.

The Psychedelic Furs
“Since reuniting in 2000, after a decade-long hiatus, British new-wave legends The Psychedelic Furs have been largely riding a nostalgia wave and playing the greatest hits — with such classics as “Pretty in Pink,” “Love My Way,” and “The Ghost in You” to their name, they have a deep well from which to draw. While their shows may be all about the past, the Furs’ driving, velvety punk still sparkles as it draws sighs from a nostalgic audience — and rumors of a long-awaited new album swirl. Jazz artists Sarah Slean, Madeleine Peyroux, and Landau Eugene Murphy open the show.”
(Karen Gardiner,VillageVoice).
Any show that opens with Madeleine Peyroux, must be pretty darn good.
Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea,
8 p.m. / $40
212-414-5994 / highlineballroom.com.

Seventh Annual Cassoulet Cookoff
It’s year seven of our favorite cook-off event: The Seventh Annual Cassoulet Cook-Off offers amateur and professional chefs the opportunity to face off on their creative and traditional cassoulet dishes, and you get to be the judge! Sample 10+ cassoulets in a walk-around event. Your first American beer/wine/cider is included in the ticket price. A portion of the proceeds benefits Grow NYC Greenmarket programs TBD.
Jimmy’s No. 43, 43 East 7th St. (btw 2nd and 3rd Ave.)
1pm – 4pm / $30, includes a glass of beer, wine or cider.

Mendelssohn: A Conversation
presented by the New York Choral Society
A rare opportunity to gain new insight into Felix Mendelssohn and the complex psychological, sociological and musical forces that fueled the creation of his powerful and deeply moving oratorio, St. Paul.

Two notable experts on Felix Mendelssohn – Dr. R. Larry Todd, author of Mendelssohn: A Life in Music and Dr. Siegwart Reichwald, author of The Musical Genesis of Felix Mendelssohn’s Paulus – will discuss the complexity and passion of the dramatic story of St. Paul while exploring its deep personal relevance to the composer. Both Felix Mendelssohn and St. Paul were born into Jewish families and later converted to Christianity; in consequence both experienced spiritual crisis, religious intolerance, and the quest for religious identity. Members of the Christian and Jewish clergy will be invited to join the discussion, which will be moderated by David Hayes, music director of the New York Choral Society.
Mannes College, The New School for Music Concert Hall, 150 West 85th St.
at 6:00 pm / FREE

Elsewhere, but looks worth the short detour:
Globalfest
“This annual festival pulls talent from around the world into one whirling, joyful display. This 13th installment, which covers three stages at Webster Hall, features the folk-tropicalia band Kevin Johansen + the Nada (from Argentina), the a cappella Afropop singers Zap Mama (Belgium), the cumbia band Puerto Candelaria (Colombia), the electro-pop group Just a Band (Kenya) and many others.” (Anderson-NYT)
Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St.
7 p.m./ 212-353-1600 / websterhall.com/events.

==================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
====================================================================

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 – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cassoulet Cookoff, Chelsea Galleries, Globalfest, Highline Ballroom, Jimmy’s No. 43, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mannes College, Mendelssohn, The Psychedelic Furs, Village Vanguard, Webster Hall | Leave a comment

Selected Events (01/10) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca

Posted on 01/10/2015 by GregD

Today’s “Fab 5″/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, JAN. 10, 2015.
“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to. We make it as easy as 1-2-3.”

Chelsea Art Gallery Tour — Gallery Tour (1pm) (3:45pm)

Marques Toliver — R&B (6:30pm)

Nrityagram Dance Troupe — Dance (5pm) (7pm)

Melissa Aldana and Crash Trio — Jazz (7pm)

16th Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia — Dance (7:30pm)

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

Chelsea Art Gallery Tour
“Take a fascinating gallery tour of Chelsea – the world’s center for contemporary art – and see the very latest in painting, sculpture, electronic media & photography. Our guide, who holds a Ph.D. in arts education, helps explain the artwork and leads the group in lively discussion.

The tour takes place at 1:00 PM & 3:45 PM. These two tours will be identical in every way: the same guide and the same exhibits, so choose whichever start time best fits your schedule. It will take place no matter what the weather – rain or shine (the art is all indoors).” (thoughtgallery.org) I love this tour.
Meet at 526 W. 26th St. between 10th & 11th Ave.
$25. SPECIAL OFFER: use DISCOUNT code “chelsea51″ for $10-off admission!
nygallerytours.com / 212-946-1548.

Marques Toliver
“Mr. Toliver, a classically trained violinist from Florida, has shifted his considerable gifts to the unusual hybrid of baroque R&B. In his hands, it is fascinating: He croons fitfully about spirituality over intricate string solos, joking between songs. This young talent released his lovely first full-length album, “Land of CanAan,” in 2013. With Mother Falcon.” (Anderson-NYT)

Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place,
At 6:30 p.m./ 212-967-7555 / joespub.com.

Nrityagram Dance Troupe
“An ancient (going back to the 1st century B.C., at least) form of dance from India, Odissi is performed in all its sinuous, square-stance glory by the Nrityagram dance troupe; a tie-in with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection exhibit, it’s being held in the Temple of Dendur.” (thoughtgallery.org)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, at 82nd St.
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

Melissa Aldana and Crash Trio
“There’s a dry, rippling calm in the tenor saxophone playing of Ms. Aldana, who last summer released “Crash Trio,” the prepossessing debut album by her flagship band. With Pablo Menares on bass and Francisco Mela on drums, it’s a unit fond of syncopated feints and flowing cadences, informed by post-bop custom but decisively of its time.”
(Nate Chinen-NYT)
Minton’s, 206 West 118th Street, Harlem,
7 to 11 p.m. / 212-243-2222 / mintonsharlem.com

Elsewhere, but looks worth the detour:
16th Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia
This bi-annual favorite, hailed by the The New York Times as “a hot ticket,” returns with a standout line-up of groundbreaking artists from the other side of the globe.

This year’s showcase includes from Japan: Nobuyuki Hanabusa’s group enra performing Newton, an out-of-this-world amalgamation of motion graphics and choreography; Mikiko Kawamura’s street style solo Alphard set to a bold soundscape with J-pop and classical music; and Kaori Seki’s quartet Marmont, in which bodies morph into nebulous creature-like positions.
From Taiwan: I-Fen Tung’s fresh duo How to Say grapples with communication through words and dance and Shang-Chi Sun’s Traverse, in which graceful martial arts-like movements oscillate between combat speed and tranquility.
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
7:30pm / $28

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

♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity (pop. 8.4 million) had 54 million visitors last year and quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.
=================================================================

A PremierPub / Tribeca

Russian Vodka Room / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White St))

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===========================================================================================
“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 Chelsea Art Gallery Tour, Japan Society, Joe's Pub, Marques Toliver, Melissa Aldana and Crash Trio, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Minton's, Nrityagram Dance Troupe | Leave a comment

NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide

Selected Events (01/19) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Selected Events (01/18) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th 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.
===========================================================================================

3 Good Eating places

================================================================================
“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

Selected Events (01/17) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Selected Events (01/16) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Midtown West

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

Select Events (01/15) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/13 and 01/11.

Selected Events (01/14) + Ice Skating in NYCity

Selected Events (01/13) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Selected events (01/12) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Times Square/ Theater District

A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places

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

It’s not difficult finding 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:

“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed.

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

Selected Events (01/11) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Selected Events (01/10) + Today’s Featured Neighborhood: Tribeca

A PremierPub / Tribeca

Russian Vodka Room / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White 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.
===========================================================================================

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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi / 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th 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. ===========================================================================================

3 Good Eating places

================================================================================ “3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 01/13 and 01/11.

A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places

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

It’s not difficult finding 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:

“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

This covers a wide range of food – the traditional pizza, burgers, & hot dogs; but also food trucks & carts, soup & sandwiches, picnic fixins’, raw bars & lobster rolls, bbq, vegetarian / falafel, ramen, chopped salad & salad bars. No reservations needed.

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

A PremierPub / Tribeca

Russian Vodka Room / 277 Church St. (btw Franklin/White 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. ===========================================================================================

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

Recent Posts

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” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

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

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

It’s not difficult finding 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:

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