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

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, APR. 23, 2014.

Lectures & Gallery Talks – Gauguin’s Prints: Process and Materials
In a conversation with Museum educator Deborah Goldberg and Museum conservator Erika Mosier, explore Paul Gauguin’s inventiveness as a printmaker, the relationship between his prints and his work in other mediums, and the role of Conservation in planning the exhibition.
at 11:30 a.m. / The René d’ Harnoncourt Exhibition Galleries, sixth floor

In conjunction with the exhibition Gauguin: Metamorphoses (through June 8)
This exhibition focuses on Paul Gauguin’s rare and extraordinary prints and transfer drawings, and their relationship to his better-known paintings and his sculptures in wood and ceramic.

Then make your visit to MoMA a double header and stick around for:
Belle de Jour
1967. France. Directed by Luis Buñuel. Screenplay by Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carriere. With Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorrel, Michel Piccoli, Genevieve Page, Francisco Rabal.
In what is perhaps the best of Buñuel’s late masterpieces, Deneuve plays a prostitute whose “career” is unknown to her husband. Her performance enriches the vision of a director who spent his career shocking bourgeois sensibilities.
In French; English subtitles. 100 min.
at 1:30 p.m. / Theater 2 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.

Hillary Gardner with Joe Alterman Jazz Trio
Hillary is one of my fave NYCity jazz singers. But it’s not just me.
This is what Terry Teachout, author of “Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong” and ”Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington” has to say:
“…an absolutely first-class singer. She swings effortlessly without making a big deal of it, and she has a knack for hunting down off-center tunes…Yet she’s just as adept at making something fresh and surprising out of an oft-heard chestnut.”

And Michael Steinman, JAZZ LIVES blog, says:
“Hilary has a beautiful voice and a clear, focused delivery — you can hear she’s thought about the lyrics and how they ring most effectively — and a natural swing, a keen ebullience.”
Don’t miss this performance in a classic Greenwich Village club.
Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St., just S of BleeckerSt./7^th Ave.S intersection
@ 8:30 pm / Never a Cover
1 (212) 691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com
subway: #1 to Christopher St./Sheridan Sq.

‘James Baldwin, This Time!’ (through April 27)
“This five-day festival will feature readings, discussions and theater pieces based on the life and writings of James Baldwin. It is part of a yearlong tribute by city arts groups to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Baldwin’s birth. (He was born on Aug. 2, 1924 and died at 63 in 1987.) Among those taking part are Jamaica Kincaid, Bill T. Jones, Laurie Anderson, Kathleen Chalfant, Darryl Pinckney, Toshi Reagon, John Guare and Margo Jefferson. Events include free daily readings of Baldwin’s works at noon; conversations about his work on Wednesday at 8 p.m., Friday at 2 and Saturday at 5:30; and a performance on Wednesday at 5 of a theater piece based on “Nothing Personal,” a 1964 book about life in America by Baldwin and the photographer Richard Avedon.” (NYT)
All events take place at New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street, Chelsea, 212-691-6500, newyorklivearts.org; prices vary.

Stanley Clarke and Friends (through April 27)
“On electric or acoustic bass, Mr. Clarke is a fleet-fingered marvel with a particular gift for funk. It was his longtime custom to play the Blue Note with the keyboardist George Duke, who died last year; this run features another veteran partner, the drummer Lenny White, along with the Ukrainian-Jewish piano virtuoso Ruslan Sirota. “(Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
212-475-8592, bluenote.net
At 8 and 10:30 p.m./ $45 at tables, $30 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.

Jews, Comics and the City
“Three cartoonists explain how their family histories, urban milieus and personal experiences have influenced their representation of Jewish life. Speakers include Liana Finck, author of A Bintel Brief, an illustrated love letter to turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrants; Miriam Katin, author of Letting It Go, the graphic memoir of a Holocaust survivor visiting Berlin; and Eli Valley, artist in residence at the Forward, the progressive Jewish-American national newspaper founded in 1897.” (TONY)
Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
36 Battery Pl. , at 1st Pl
Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun 10am–5:45pm; Wed 10am–8pm; Fri 10am–5pm
$12, seniors $10. Wed 4–8pm free
646-437-4202 / mjhnyc.org
at 7:00pm. / $10, seniors and students $7

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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 is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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This Week in NYCity (courtesy NYPost, with the best covers anywhere)

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A PremierPub – West Village

Corner Bistro / 331 W. 4th St.

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

In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town. The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

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

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

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).

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Website: cornerbistrony.com
Phone #: 212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour: NO
Music: Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:

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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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Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, APR. 22, 2014.

New York Public Library: World Book Night, Readings and a Discussion
(Tuesday and Wednesday)
On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., the library will host its celebration of World Book Night — a global initiative on Wednesday that involves the distribution of free books to the needy — with a discussion featuring Malcolm Gladwell, Garrison Keillor, Tobias Wolff, Esmeralda Santiago and Walter Dean Myers. Also on Tuesday, at 7 p.m., Camilo Vergara, a writer and photographer whose new book is “Harlem: The Unmaking of a Ghetto,” and Graciela Mochkofsky, a journalist, will talk about the changing face of Harlem.

On Wednesday at noon, Francine Prose, whose latest book, “Lovers at the Chameleon Club: Paris, 1932,” will be released on Tuesday by Harper, is scheduled to appear.
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York Public Library,
917-275-6975   –   nypl.org/locations/schwarzman   –   free.

New York International Auto Show (through April 27)
“Technology is front and center at the 2014 New York International Auto Show. Sometimes it’s offbeat tech, such as a flying car, but this year the focus is more on driver assistance and infotainment services coming to a wider array of cars. Even small cars are loading up on driver tech, such as forward collision warning and lane departure warning, because the technology is cheaper. They’re also in demand from boomers downsizing into the same cars Millennials buy; the older drivers don’t want to give up the tech they had on their big car or SUV.

The 2014 NYIAS also features quick redesigns of cars only a year or two old, such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic. Automakers are getting quicker at fixing what focus groups and reviewers tell them. Most new cars have upgraded infotainment systems; several are showing Apple’s CarPlay. More have LCD displays standard even with no navigation, to better display infotainment and to provide backup cameras in advance of the federal mandate, now set for 2018.” (extremetech.com)
Mon-Sat from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sun from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th St.
212-216-2000, autoshowny.com
$15, $5 for children 12 and younger

Kurt Rosenwinkel
“Astute listeners who followed Rosenwinkel’s work over the years with such leaders as Paul Motian, Gary Burton, and Q-Tip knew that it was only a matter of time before the astonishingly fluid, post-Metheny stylist would ascend to full-fledged guitar-hero status. Although Rosenwinkel has an affinity for grandeur (earlier albums have found him in league with large ensembles and cushioned by elaborate production effects), he’s appearing at the Village Vanguard with a spiky quartet, perhaps the most effective setting for his dexterous improvising.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village,
212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.,/$25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.

NICOLE HENRY: DEFINITIVELY DIVA AT DIZZY’S (also Wed Apr 23)
Winner of a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance,” Nicole has established herself as a talented jazz singer unafraid to show off her R&B roots. Since her 2004 debut album, for which she was named Best New Jazz Artist in Japan, Henry has earned Top-10 spots on U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan and garnered rave reviews for her performances worldwide. At Dizzy’s, the beautiful and dynamic vocalist celebrates iconic women in music. Join us for an incredible journey through the music of artists including Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dame Shirley, and Aretha Franklin.
DIZZY’S CLUB / JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER, 33 West 60th St.,
212-258-9595
at 7:30 & 9:30 pm. / $40

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 / $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 is a big town with many visitors where 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: Special Exhibitions @ 4 MUSEUMS (Manhattan’s WestSide)

‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’ (through Oct. 5)
‘Designing Modern Women 1890-1990’(through Oct. 5)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990:

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‘Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital’ (through June 1)
“If you haven’t quite wrapped your head around the concept of 3-D printing, or haven’t yet had a digital scanner wrap itself around you, now you can do both in this survey of computer-assisted art, architecture and design. The show looks at art made since 2005 and fills nearly three floors, including many irresistible interactive projects. Its ideas may not be entirely new; the Museum of Modern Art’s 2008 exhibition “Design and the Elastic Mind” covered much of the same territory, but there’s something to be said for this more down-to-earth, production-focused exhibition.” (Rosenberg-NYT)
Museum of Arts and Design, Columbus Circle,
212-299-7777,madmuseum.org.

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‘Capa in Color’ (through May 4)
“Robert Capa first worked with color in 1938, though he only began shooting regularly in color in 1941. This exhibition includes more than 100 contemporary inkjet prints, a fraction of the roughly 4,200 color transparencies held in the center’s Capa Archive. Sections of the exhibition include photographs of postwar Paris with spectators at the Longchamp racetrack, fashion models, people sitting in cafes. Black and white remained the standard for war photography as well as art during this time, however, and color during Capa’s period was still for commerce, amateurs, leisure — and stories featuring women.”
(Martha Schwendener-NYT)

‘What Is a Photograph?’ (through May 4)
“This exhibition is supposed to address a good question: What is photography in today’s digital age with its mind-boggling new smorgasbord of ways to create and disseminate machine-made images? It brings together works from the past four decades by 21 artists who have used photography to ponder the nature of photography itself. But it’s a strangely blinkered and backward-looking show. Most of what is on view has more to do with photography’s analog past than with its cybernetic future.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)
International Center of Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, at 43rd St.
212-857-0000, icp.org
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The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya (ongoing)
This exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit is the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and features brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. This show was named ‘One of CNN’s Ten Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
Discovery Times Square, 226 West 44th St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
866.987.9692 / http://www.discoverytsx.com

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : … …” dated (04/20) and (04/18).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, APR. 21, 2014.

Dan Levinson’s Jam Session of the Millennium—Encore!
“Last June, the first “Jam Session of the Millennium” proved to be one of the most memorable concerts of 2013. More than a dozen assorted trumpeters, clarinetists, trombonists etc.—most under the age of 30—proved to the world that the most exciting trend in music today is what has been called the New Hot Jazz, the music of New Orleans and the Roaring ’20s as played by musicians who are themselves in their 20s.

Once again shepherded by multi-reed player Dan Levinson (at 48, a role model for the movement), this “encore” concert promises to be every bit as thrilling, encompassing as it does the core group from the continuing all-night jam fests from Mona’s on Avenue B, with clarinetist Dennis Lichtman, guitarist Nick Russo, pianist Gordon Webster, and bassist Jared Engel. Most of the other heavy hitters are in the brass department: trumpeters Gordon Au and Mike Davis, trombonists Matt Musselman and Josh Holcomb.” (WSJ)
Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org;
At 7:15 p.m. / $35, $25 for members

Public Forum: ‘How We Tell Stories — And Why’
“The powerful effects of personal narratives will be discussed by a panel that includes Frank Rich, a writer-at-large for New York Magazine; Scott Z. Burns, a writer and director whose play “The Library,” about a survivor of a high school shooting, opened this week at the Public Theater; and the play’s director, Steven Soderbergh. Jeremy McCarter, director of Public Forum, is the host.” (NYT)
Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place,
212-967-7555, publictheater.org;
At 8 p.m., / $40.

Jonny Lang (also April 22)
The Grammy winning, former prodigy instrumentalist, who topped the Billboard New Artist chart with his first album at age 15, stands now as a mature creative force, made more sensitive yet also toughened by life’s adventures. He’s learned what it means to rise above hard times and to find meaning where chaos seemed to rule.
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St.,
At 8PM / $55
212-997-4144, bbkingblues.com

Godzilla: The Japanese Original. Run! Run!
If you are an old boomer, one who grew up as a young boy in the late 1950’s, you won’t want to miss this one.

“Dubbed and heavily edited for its 1956 U.S. release as Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Ishiro Honda’s restored 1954 Gojira is a haunting, funereal work with an apocalyptic intensity. The 150-foot-tall monster is a scarcely disguised symbol of the atomic bomb, a fusion of ancient and modern nightmares summoned out of the dark forces of the world. This is no masterpiece, but it has the power of one.” (David Edelstein, NYMag)
Film Forum, April 18 through 24; schedule at filmforum.org.

James Sanders
James Sanders discusses, and has an audio-visual presentation of, his book “Scenes from the City: Filmmaking in New York.” Revised and Expanded.
Barnes & Noble, 97 Warren St.
212-587-5389
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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 is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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Jetpack Joyride – Queens

“Robert Courter, wearing the Bell Rocket Belt at the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens, demonstrating the personal transportation of the future.” April 20, 2014

Every Sunday in the NYT Metropolitan section, a photographer offers a new slice of New York. A wonderful slice of life it is – Thanks NewYorkTimes: N.Y. / Region section

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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. I should note that 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. $8 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”

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

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Fall 2014)

Today’s “Fab 5”+1/ Selected NYCity Events – SUNDAY, APR. 20, 2014.

Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival
“Each year on Easter, celebrants don festive finery and show off their very best bonnets along Fifth Avenue. Immortalized by Irving Berlin (with some help from Judy Garland and Fred Astaire), the pageant is a New York City tradition that stretches back to the 1870s. Starting at about 10am and continuing until 4pm, the parade marches north on Fifth Avenue, from 49th Street to 57th Street. The best place to watch is from the area around St. Patrick’s Cathedral; better yet, bring your bonnet and join the parade.” (nycgo.com)

Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch
“Two of the town’s most sophisticated goofballs sing, play and generally throw a party not exactly like the one the pair of them toss at Birdland on Monday nights but just as much fun. They’ve got something of that old Bob Hope-Bing Crosby chemistry going for them, which ain’t bad. Since they pal around with everybody in the show biz, you never know who’s going to join them for a tune or two. Hey, Liza, is that you over there in the corner? Could be, because you see, folks, this is New York, New York.”
(David Finkle, Village Voice)
Bemelmans Bar
9:00 p.m., $15-$20

Birdland Jazz Party – HILARY GARDNER
Birdland’s very own jazz quartet hits the stage every Sunday to wrap up the weekend with jazz classics and a special guest vocalist. This quartet features John Hart (Guitar), Paul Gil (bass), Carmen Intorre (Drums) & Jon Davis (Piano). Acclaimed singer Hilary Gardner grew up in Wasilla, Alaska infatuated with New York City. The city came to life through the jazz and American songbook albums in her parents’ record collection.

Visions gleaned from those classic vinyl platters epitomized reinvention and feverish creativity, and inspired Hilary to make New York City her home. In 2010, Hilary went from waiting tables to making her Broadway debut in two-time Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp’s hit musical, Come Fly Away. Backed by a 19-piece big band, Hilary sang solos and duets with Frank Sinatra in a performance hailed by critics.
BIRDLAND, 315 West 44th St.
212-581-3080.
at 6:00 pm / $25 cover plus a $10 food/drink minimum.

THE COOKERS
“With peers of a certain age, including the saxophonists Billy Harper and James Spaulding, the trumpeter Eddie Henderson, the pianist George Cables, the bassist Cecil McBee, and the drummer Billy Hart, playing alongside admiring younger confederates, such as the trumpeter and arranger David Weiss and the alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, this group revels in the edgier boundaries of modal hard bop. “ (NewYorker)
Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st St.
212-582-2121, theiridium.com
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., $25 cover, with a $15 minimum

Roslyn Kind
“Doubtless many at Roslyn Kind’s shows go because they want to hear someone who reminded them of the singer’s universally famous, superstar big sister, Barbra Streisand. And yes, there is an unmistakable familial similarity—Babs buffs won’t leave disappointed. But Ms. Kind has a gift for creating an intimate bond with an audience, making everyone feel like they share a direct connection with her. If you want the voice and high style of a Streisand without the baggage (or, as the lady herself might say, the “mishegoss”), that usually goes with it, here it is.” (WSJ)
54 Below, 254 W. 54th St.,
(866) 468-7619

Scott Feiner’s Pandeiro Jazz
Scott Feiner cut his teeth as a bop-oriented guitarist on the New York scene before changing course entirely: he fell in love with Brazilian music, moved to Rio in 2001 and took up the pandeiro, a tambourine-like drum with uncanny low frequency response and a rainbow of timbres. In a sparse lineup with saxophone, guitar and bass, Feiner went to work on this Pandeiro Jazz idea, releasing three fine albums since 2006. His fourth, A View from Below, features a trio with a more electric sound. Set against Rafael Vernet’s Fender Rhodes and Guilherme Monteiro’s guitar, the pandeiro takes on new hues and rhythmic shapes, while Feiner’s compositions tend toward a dreamier but still insistent groove. The trio meets up for the CD release at Cornelia Street Café. Sam Yahel subs for Vernet.” (Village Voice)

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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 is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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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.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here is a gallery exhibition recommended by the NYT:

Sarah Lucas: ‘NUD NOB’ (through April 26)
“How far can you go with an art career based on limited set of puerile dirty jokes? Pretty far if you’re Sarah Lucas. Known for funky assemblages and photographs that visually pun on the sexually distinctive features of human anatomy, Ms. Lucas recently was named to represent Britain in next year’s Venice Biennale. This rousing show of monumental phalluses in polished bronze and crusty concrete connects the viscerally low-minded and the intellectually high with terrific economy and shameless panache.” (Johnson)
Gladstone Gallery, 515 West 24th Street, 212-206-9300, gladstonegallery.com.

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (04/18) and (04/16).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – SATURDAY, APR. 19, 2014.

Tour of Italy: Cheese, Charcuterie and More
“Embark on an edible journey through Italy led by Murray’s cheese connoisseur Jason Donnelly. The feast of regional specialties will feature Castelvetrano olives, Parma prosciutto and caciocavallo, paired with Montepulciano and Prosecco wines.” (TONY)
Murray’s Cheese Shop
254 Bleecker St., Leroy and Cornelia Sts.
4pm / $65
murrayscheese.com / 212-243-3289

Record Store Day
Record Store Day was created in 2007 in order to promote brick-and-mortar record stores — many of which struggle to survive in this era of downloadable media culture. Each year Record Store Day has gathered momentum and is used by bands, labels and distributors to showcase exclusive releases and to organize one-off in-store performances.

Dozens of stores in New York City participate in the event and for many it’s the busiest day of the year. New on the local scene is Rough Trade NY, the hip English retail outlet that recently opened their U.S flagship store in Williamsburg at 64 N. 9th St. After a few hiccups (their live room required additional sound-proofing) Rough Trade NY will feature dozens of bands performing live from 9 a.m. including The Rails, Nothing and Fear of Men. Click here for the full list of participating stores in New York. (DNA)

Lila Downs
“A flamboyant performer who illustrates her music with synchronized art, film, and photography, Oaxaca-born singer-songwriter Lila Downs specializes in dramatic transformations. Marvel as she becomes a deeply emotive mariachi, realist folkie, or shamanic priestess in rapid succession. Downs’s equally malleable voice modulates just as suddenly from pop pep to tear-jerking operatics.

Downs collaborated with Argentine singer Soledad and flamenco singer Niña Pastori on their forthcoming Raiz (Roots), which contains “La Cumbia de Mole,” an appetizing ode to Oaxaca’s tastiest feature, among deeper themes. She performs here with her longtime band, La Misteriosa, which deftly navigates ranchera, banda, corridos, and other Mexican styles. Raised in Mexico, California, and Minnesota, Downs is a child of the Americas who also happens to sing the best version of “La Cucaracha” ever.”
(Richard Gehr, VillageVoice)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd St.
800-982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org
At 8 p.m. / $45 to $55

Ronnie Spector’s ‘Beyond the Beehive’
“Even in the pantheon of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Ms. Spector stands apart as an enduring figure of glamour. This former lead singer of the Ronettes reprises songs from her long career with a full band. She’ll also share anecdotes, home videos and photos.” (Anderson-NYT)
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, near Spring Street, South Village,
212-608-0555, citywinery.com;
At 8 p.m. / $45 to $55.

GUY DAVIS
“Unless you can hitch a ride to the nineteen-twenties and thirties with Mr. Peabody in the WABAC, your best shot at experiencing Delta country blues is to be in the same room with Davis. The New York-raised son of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis has been releasing albums since the seventies, and in concert his singing, storytelling, and guitar- and harmonica-playing drip with soul-satisfying authenticity.” (NewYorker)
Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St.(btw thompson/la guardia pl)
7 PM /
212-777-7776 / terrablues.com
===============================================================

♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.

♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where 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.

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

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, APR. 18, 2014.

Today’s “Fab 5”+1/ Selected NYCity Events – THURSDAY, APR. 17, 2014.

Shana Farr
“There were at least four Cole Porter shows in Manhattan in March alone, and, lately, Noel Coward songbooks are nearly as plentiful. While the idea of combining those two sages together isn’t particularly original, soprano Shana Farr has created something surprisingly new by intertwining the words of those twin colossi of songwriting, weaving songs both familiar and offbeat, both singing and speaking the texts aloud as if they were prose—something that isn’t supposed to work, yet somehow, it does.

The combination of Ms. Farr’s delightfully old-fashioned, pure operetta chops and musical director’s harmonically advanced arrangements (enhanced by Adam Fisher on cello) give the overall effect of being very traditional and very modern at the same time.” (WSJ)
The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd St.,
(212) 695-6909

PAT MARTINO ORGAN TRIO
One of the greatest guitarists in jazz, Martino got his start on the “chitlin’ circuit” in the 1960s with organ groups led by Richard “Groove” Holmes, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Trudy Pitts and Charles Earland. Having made a full and remarkable recovery from a life-threatening illness in the 1980’s that caused him to forget how to play the guitar, Martino relearned by listening to his own early recordings and has re-emerged as a veteran presence on the jazz scene.

The Pat Martino Organ Trio includes Pat Bianchi (organ) and Carmen Intorre Jr. (drums)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum
212-581-3080, birdlandjazz.com

A Life in Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley
Warren Lehrer, Performance/Reading

“Award-winning writer and designer Warren Lehrer presents a multimedia performance/reading of his new book. A Life In Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley is an illuminated novel that contains 101 books within it, all written by a controversial author who finds himself in prison looking back on his life and career.

In this funny and thought provoking performance, Lehrer presents an overview of Bleu Mobley’s life in books via many of Mobley’s cover designs and other biographical materials including animations, and video performances of Mobley book excerpts by the band BETTY, actress/poet La Bruja, and a live appearance by actress/author Judith Sloan.

The resulting retrospective explores the creative process of a writer/artist, as it reflects upon a half century of American/global events, and grapples with the future of the book as a medium as well as the lines that separate and blur truth, myth, and fiction. “
(Nia Evans, Flavorpill)
“A profound commentary… A Life In Books is brilliant, beautiful, delicious for eyes and mind.” Andrei Codrescu, public radio commentator
“A meticulously illustrated chronicle… Pitch perfect.” Steven Heller, THE ATLANTIC
New York University Bookstore, 726 Broadway,
At 6pm / FREE
(212) 998-4667

SPOTTISWOODE & HIS ENEMIES
“The fact that Jonathan Spottiswoode, a British guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader who’s been enriching the New York scene for some fifteen years now, calls his backing group Enemies instead of Friends tells you something about their music—it’s a little perverse, a little dark both harmonically and lyrically, with a touch of humor. Each song on the group’s new album, “English Dream,” is accompanied by a video intermingling archival British cinema with shots of the band in period dress. The group will perform at Joe’s Pub in front of the archival footage, in celebration of the album’s release.” (NewYorker)
Joe’s Pub, The Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette St.
212-967-7555

The Inferno of Dante Alighieri: A Reading
The Inferno, the opening section of Dante Alighieri’s medieval masterpiece the Divine Comedy, begins on the evening of the Maundy Thursday Vigil. The annual reading of selections from the Inferno brings listeners and participants into the “dark woods” of Dante’s haunting vision. This dramatic literary event takes place in the Crossing of the Cathedral, with selected Cantos read by honored guests, distinguished poets, eminent translators, visiting scholars, and Inferno reading regulars.
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 
1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th Street
at 9PM / FREE

JAVON JACKSON
This forty-eight-year-old tenor saxophonist is a no-nonsense hard bopper who learned the tricks of the trade from Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and other masters. Still, he retains a taste for the vintage seventies R.& B. he grew up on, and his most recent album, “Expression,” contains affectionate performances of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” and the Roberta Flack-Donny Hathaway classic “Where Is the Love.” His lean quartet includes the veteran bassist David Williams and a firebrand of a drummer, Willie Jones III.” (NewYorker)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S.
212-255-4037.

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

This Week in NYCity   (courtesy NYPost, with the best covers anywhere)

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

A PremierPub – West Village

Corner Bistro  /  331 W. 4th St.

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

In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town. The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

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

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

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you  can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).

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Website:  cornerbistrony.com
Phone #:  212-242-9502
Hours: 11:30am-4am Mon-Sat; 12pm-4am Sun
Happy Hour:  NO
Music:  Juke Box
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th St. (S end of platform)
Walk 2 blk W. on 13th St. to 8th Ave.; 1 blk S. on 8th Ave. to Jane St.
Update:

===========================================================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants,  jazz joints, craft beer bars, wine bars, tapas 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 joints),

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

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, APR. 16, 2014.

“Books at Noon with Joyce Carol Oates”
The New York Public Library’s weekly series in Astor Hall (the soaring space just inside the main entry) featuring a writer in conversation with a member of the library’s staff, continues with Joyce Carol Oates.

Joyce Carol Oates is perhaps one of the most prolific writers of her generation with over forty titles to her name, numerous collections of short stories, plays and criticism. She is the recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in short fiction and the National Book Award. Her most recent novel is Carthage.
New York Public Library, Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.
12PM / FREE
917-275-6975

Miguel “El Funi”
“With his neat coif, sensuous gyrations and patented white scarf, flamenco dancer Miguel “El Funi” is quite a sight to behold. The veteran performer is no slouch at the mike, either. Here, he plays his first solo concert in NYC in more than two decades.” (TONY)
Elebash Recital Hall (at the CUNY Graduate Center)
365 Fifth Ave., at 34th St.
at 7:00pm / $25,
212-817-7000 / gc.cuny.edu

William Fitzsimmons
“NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is proud to announce William Fitzsimmons in concert in a special performance connecting to the rich folk tradition of Greenwich Village. William Fitzsimmons is equal parts songwriter and psychotherapist, creating captivating music, which uniquely melds depravity, honesty, and autobiography into a counter-intuitive seamless whole.

Since 2005, Fitzsimmons has created three full-length albums, each thoroughly themed and embossed with matters of family history, intimate disclosure, and bold confession, yielding rich folk music, ranging from the stark and acoustic to the voluminous and electronic. All the while reflecting William’s commitment to addressing what is always pressing, and yet all too often ignored. Growing up with two blind parents, sound became extremely important in communicating and relating to one another.

After growing up around music, he set it aside to pursue his education. William received his masters in counseling and worked as a psychotherapist for several years before turning to songwriting. He truly writes the kind of songs that most songwriters dream about; brilliant, heavy, complex and intensely personal…the songs are nothing short of breathtaking.’ (City Guide)
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Pl.
at 7:30pm / $25-$36
212-352-3101 / nyuskirball.org

Clarence Penn: Monk, The Lost Files
“An alert and dynamic drummer who has worked in a range of postbop settings, Clarence Penn reinterprets Thelonious Monk’s music with this project, featuring Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on saxophone, Makoto Ozone on piano and Yasushi Nakamura on bass.” (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m./ $30 cover, with a $10 minimum
212-258-9595, jalc.org

Cocktail Classics: The Mad Men Era
Relive the glory of three-martini lunches with this Don Draper–inspired bartending session. After slugging back a welcome gimlet, attendees will mix era classics—old-fashioneds, mai tais—alongside Lauren Davis (Raines Law Room).
The Kitchen at Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St., at 4th St.
At 6:30pm/ $79
212-674-7501 / astorcenternyc.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 is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

===============================================================
WHAT’S ON VIEW: Special Exhibitions @ 4 MUSEUMS (Manhattan’s WestSide)

“Ileana Sonnabend: Ambassador for the New’ (through April 21)
‘A World of Its Own: Photographic Practices in the Studio’ (through Oct. 5)
 ‘Designing Modern Women 1890-1990’(through Oct. 5)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St. (btw 5th /6th Ave.)
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.

Designing Modern Women 1890-1990:

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‘Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital’ (through June 1)
“If you haven’t quite wrapped your head around the concept of 3-D printing, or haven’t yet had a digital scanner wrap itself around you, now you can do both in this survey of computer-assisted art, architecture and design. The show looks at art made since 2005 and fills nearly three floors, including many irresistible interactive projects. Its ideas may not be entirely new; the Museum of Modern Art’s 2008 exhibition “Design and the Elastic Mind” covered much of the same territory, but there’s something to be said for this more down-to-earth, production-focused exhibition.” (Rosenberg-NYT)
Museum of Arts and Design, Columbus Circle,
212-299-7777,madmuseum.org.

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

‘Capa in Color’ (through May 4)
“Robert Capa first worked with color in 1938, though he only began shooting regularly in color in 1941. This exhibition includes more than 100 contemporary inkjet prints, a fraction of the roughly 4,200 color transparencies held in the center’s Capa Archive. Sections of the exhibition include photographs of postwar Paris with spectators at the Longchamp racetrack, fashion models, people sitting in cafes. Black and white remained the standard for war photography as well as art during this time, however, and color during Capa’s period was still for commerce, amateurs, leisure — and stories featuring women.”
(Martha Schwendener-NYT)

‘What Is a Photograph?’ (through May 4)
“This exhibition is supposed to address a good question: What is photography in today’s digital age with its mind-boggling new smorgasbord of ways to create and disseminate machine-made images? It brings together works from the past four decades by 21 artists who have used photography to ponder the nature of photography itself. But it’s a strangely blinkered and backward-looking show. Most of what is on view has more to do with photography’s analog past than with its cybernetic future.” (Ken Johnson-NYT)
International Center of Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, at 43rd St.
212-857-0000, icp.org
=========================================================

The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya (ongoing)
This exhibition by artist Nathan Sawaya is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit is the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and features brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. This show was named ‘One of CNN’s Ten Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
Discovery Times Square, 226 West 44th St. (btw 7th/8th ave)
866.987.9692 / http://www.discoverytsx.com

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : … …” dated (04/14) and (04/12).

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, APR. 15, 2014.

Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Style
The Museum’s newly installed galleries of Dutch paintings (galleries 631 through 638) place twenty works by Rembrandt and five by Vermeer within the broadest survey of Netherlandish, Dutch, and Flemish art outside of Europe. Rembrandt and Vermeer represent the Age of Observation and, at the same time, anticipate Realist trends of the nineteenth century. Met curator Walter Liedtke explores the curious similarities and interplay between style in these two leading seventeenth-century painters, and inherited or shared schemes of “picture-making” in their work.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., New York
at 11:00 am / $30
212-535-7710

Sibling Revelry: Starring Ann Hampton Callaway & Liz Callaway (ends April 19)
The dynamic sisters Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway are teaming up together again to bring Sibling Revelry back to 54 Below by popular demand. The award-winning show made its way back to New York for the first time in over 15 years for a sold out engagement last summer-and received rave reviews! Separately, these Tony-nominated sisters have enjoyed their own stellar careers, but when these singular talents blend their voices, Stephen Holden of The New York Times cheers, “their strikingly different but equally splendid voices harmonize, Sibling Revelry becomes a thrilling display of vocal prowess.” Be there! It’s a happening!
54 Below, 254 W. 54th St.,
at 6:30pm / $55
646-476-3551, 54below.com

Sheila Bair on ‘Bull by the Horns:
Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself’
Sheila C. Bair served as chairperson of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from June 2006 – June 2011, presiding over one of the most trying periods of the nation’s banking system. She has been a leading advocate and innovator of policies to end the doctrine of too-big-to-fail and taxpayer bailouts.

Named by Harvard University and the Washington Post Magazine as one of America’s Top Leaders, Bair was described by Time magazine as “the little guy’s protector in chief.”
Join Bair at this lecture as she discusses her career and New York Times bestselling book Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street, and Wall Street from Itself.

Bair’s presentation will be followed by a Q-and-A session, book signing and reception.
Museum of American Finance, 48 Wall St.,
212-908-4110
at 5:30pm / $15; free for members

Rufus Wainwright
“What do you after establishing your bona fides as a singer-songwriter, re-creating a famed Judy Garland concert and penning an opera? Release a best-of compilation (Vibrate), and then tour behind it, of course. Lucy Wainwright Roche, Rufus’ sister, joins the acclaimed vocal stylist to make the show a family affair. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.” (nycgo.com)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, Manhattan,
800-982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org;
At 8 p.m., / $35 to $85.

B.B. King Blues Club All Stars, Featuring the Harlem Blues Project
Harlem Blues Project specializes in soulful New York blues with a twist! The band features blues masters Jerry Dugger, Junior Mack, and Barry Harrison plus a revolving cast of NYC’s finest blues musicians including Bill Sims Jr., Michael Hill, Irving Louis Lattin and Solomon Hicks.
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, 237 W. 42nd St., (btw 7th /8th ave)
8pm & 10pm. / $15
212-997-4144, bbkingblues.com

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

♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.

♦ NYCity is a big town with many visitors where 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.

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

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

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).
(available Fall 2014)

Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – MONDAY, APR. 14, 2014.

Gail Collins, When Everything Changed:
The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present
Author and beloved New York Times columnist Gail Collins re-releases her national best-selling book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, in a keepsake edition.
Barnes & Noble, 2289 Broadway, at 82nd St.
At 7PM /FREE
212-362-8835

Simon Townshend – Danielia Cotton
Simon Townshend is straight from the lineage of one of British music’s most famous families, a familiar name but with an original sound. The son of England’s top big-band reed man and baby brother of Who legend Pete Townshend. In addition to his own music, Simon has been guitarist and vocalist in The Who since 1996, playing sold out tours around the world, including monumental performances at the 2010 Super Bowl and the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics. He was referred to by one U.S. newspaper as The Who’s “secret weapon.”

Danielia Cotton is a fiery blues-rock artist with a chip on her shoulder. She doesn’t like comparisons, although with her first release of her debut disc she was earning them with such titans as Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones.
City Winery, 155 Varick St.
8:00 PM / $22-$28
citywinery.com/newyork

Writer to Writer: Akhil Sharma and George Packer
Akhil Sharma will be appearing to discuss his latest book, Family Life, with New Yorker staff writer George Packer, author of The Unwinding. The evening will feature a reading, discussion and audience Q&A, followed by a book signing and wine reception.

” ‘Family Life’ is devastating as it reveals how love becomes warped and jagged and even seemingly vanishes in the midst of huge grief. But it also gives us beautiful, heart-stopping scenes where love in the Mishra family finds air and ease.” — Sonali Deraniyagala, The New York Times
The Center for Fiction, 17 E. 47th St. (btw Fifth and Madison)
at 7PM / FREE. RSVP please
(212) 755-6710 / centerforfiction.org

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
A popular weekly soiree that brings a sprinkling of Broadway glitz and urbane wit to the legendary Birdland every Monday night. For the past nine years, it’s been the spot to mix and mingle with Manhattan show folk and their fans.

The buoyant, sharp and charming Broadway impresario Jim Caruso hosts a combination open-mic, networking event and party, where some nights you may hear the biggest stars on Broadway relax on their night off by performing their favorite songs in an informal setting. Always fun.
Birdland – 315 West 44th St (btw 8th/9th ave)
9:30 pm / $20 (includes a drink if you sit at the bar, which are not bad seats)
(212) 581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com

Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
There’s a tradition in many New York City jazz clubs – Monday nights are reserved for big bands. The Village Vanguard, the most storied of clubs, has observed this practice since 1966. The Grammy-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, is definitely a big band with 4 trumpets, and 4 trombones to accompany 6 reed players. Why not make it your tradition, too.
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Avenue South, just below West 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 pm / $25
212-255-4037 / villagevanguard.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 is a big town with many visitors where quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats in advance, even if just on day of performance.

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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.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are two gallery exhibitions recommended by the NYT:

Gerard & Kelly: ‘Timelining’ (through April 19)
“Conceived and scored by the dancers and visual artists Brennan Gerard and Ryan Kelly, this performance, on view during gallery hours, is a kind of ritualized recounting, working backward in time, of the histories of paired relationships. The performers include couples, gay and straight; ex-lovers; a mother and daughter; and female twins, all of whom follow basic guidelines set down by Mr. Gerard and Mr. Kelly, but personally customize them, with moving results. It’s a high point of the Chelsea season so far.”(Cotter)
The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, 212-255-5793, thekitchen.org. 

Sarah Lucas: ‘NUD NOB’ (through April 26)
“How far can you go with an art career based on limited set of puerile dirty jokes? Pretty far if you’re Sarah Lucas. Known for funky assemblages and photographs that visually pun on the sexually distinctive features of human anatomy, Ms. Lucas recently was named to represent Britain in next year’s Venice Biennale. This rousing show of monumental phalluses in polished bronze and crusty concrete connects the viscerally low-minded and the intellectually high with terrific economy and shameless panache.” (Johnson)
Gladstone Gallery, 515 West 24th Street, 212-206-9300, gladstonegallery.com.

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

For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (04/12) and (04/10).