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

Selected Events – June 07, 2013

Here’s the place to find today’s selected events. For other useful event info be sure to check out “Notable Events-June” , “on Broadway”  and “Top10 Free” in the header above. For DIY trip planning see “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.

‘All Lit Up: Times Square at Night’
This nighttime tour sponsored by the Municipal Art Society covers the transformation of the area over the last few years and the history of the billboards and lighted advertisements that are so much a part of it. It meets at 10:30 p.m., with the meeting place given with reservations, (212) 935-2075, mas.org/programs; $20, $15 for members. An additional treat: “Surfacing,” a video installation by Neil Goldberg, will be projected on various screens in Times Squares each night this month, beginning just before midnight. The installation is part of a project sponsored by the Times Square Advertising Coalition and Times Square Arts; timessquarenyc.org/midnightmoment.

Q-Tip D.J. Set
The One Step Beyond dance party in the Rose Center for Earth and Space of the American Museum of Natural History is a selectively educational endeavor: guests are free to read every factoid on the Kuiper belt and Oort cloud, or simply spill beer on them. Regardless, it’s a truly exceptional party best enjoyed in the company of farsighted D.J.s; this month’s guest turntablists, Q-Tip and Nickodemus, qualify. (Anderson-NYT)
American Museum of Natural History, enter via the Weston Pavilion, Columbus Avenue at 79th Street, (212) 769-5200, amnh.org/osb; At 9 p.m., / $30.

Rioult Dance NY
Pascal Rioult, who danced for Martha Graham for many years, creates works that are slightly reminiscent of her heroic style, but infused also with the pliant danciness of Jiri Kylian. Mr. Rioult has choreographed several whole evenings to the work of one composer (Mozart, Bach, Ravel), but the Joyce season contains more mixed fare, with a new work, “Iphigenia,” set to live music by Michael Torke, alongside “Prelude to Night” and “Bolero,” both to Ravel, and “On Distant Shores,” to a score by Aaron Jay Kernis. (Sulcas-NYT)
JOYCE THEATER, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street, Chelsea,
Friday at 8 p.m./ $10 to $49.
(212) 242-0800 / joyce.org

Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri
The pianist Lucian Ban and the violist Mat Maneri have a lovely and restive new album on ECM — “Transylvanian Concert,” recorded in Mr. Ban’s native land — that reveals their shared interest in enfolding mystery. They are the featured performers at the first of three consecutive Friday showcases for ECM at the Rubin Museum of Art. (Nate Chinen-NYT)
Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street, Chelsea
At 7 p.m.,$20, $16.20 for members.
(212) 620-5000 / rmanyc.org

Kenny Barron Quintet*
Kenny Barron is the leading practitioner of an elegant, economical and sure-footed piano style that thrives in any mainstream setting. For this engagement his band mates are the trumpeter Brandon Lee, the saxophonist Vincent Herring, the bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and the drummer Lee Pearson. (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.,$25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com;

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SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS @ 3 MUSEUMS:
(Museum Mile & other Fifth Avenue area Museums)

‘Subliming Vessel: The Drawings of Matthew Barney’ (through Sept. 2)
Morgan Library & Museum: 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th st
(212) 685-0008 / themorgan.org.

‘Cambodian Rattan: The Sculptures of Sopheap Pich’ (through July 7)
‘Velázquez’s Portrait of Duke Francesco I d’Este: A Masterpiece from the Galleria Estense, Modena’ (through July 14) 
‘At War With the Obvious: Photographs by William Eggleston’ (through July 28) 
‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’ (through Aug. 14)
“African Art, New York, and the Avant-Garde” (through Sept. 2)
‘The Civil War and American Art’ (through Sept. 2)
‘Photography and the American Civil War’ (through Sept. 2)
‘The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi’ (through Nov. 3)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1000 5th Ave,@ 82nd street
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

“New Harmony: Abstraction Between the Wars, 1919-1939” (through Sept. 8)
Guggenheim Museum: 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

Selected Events – Times Square/Theater District & Nearby

JJ Grey & Mofro : In Celebration of Les Paul Birthday Week 

“Impassioned singing, riff-based Southern rock, cold-blooded swamp funk and sly Memphis soul.” – The New York Times
Over the course of six albums and a decade of touring, JJ Grey’s grimy blend of front porch soul and down-home storytelling has taken him around the world and back again. Beating the streets on nearly every continent, he and his band Mofro have sewn a continuous thread of laying-it-on-the-line shows that move folks to dance and at times to tears.
Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street
At 8 and 10 p.m. / $25 cover, with a $10 minimum.
(212) 582-2121, theiridium.com

The Joe Locke Quintet

With Joe Locke, Vibraphone; Robert Rodriguez, Piano; Clarence Penn, Drums; George Mraz, Bass; Kenny Washington, Vocals

Of the first time he heard singer Kenny Washington, Joe Locke says “It was a revelation. I was deeply affected by what I heard and vowed to myself to find a way to collaborate with him.” Fans of cool, introspective jazz, in which vocals and instruments are treated as equals, are lucky that Locke kept his word, as the Joe Locke Quintet is returning to Dizzy’s for the sixth consecutive year. In addition to new tunes, the group will perform selections from its acclaimed album For the Love of You, including both originals and some interesting choices by artists such as Neil Young and the Isley Brothers. Featuring the mighty Joe Locke on vibraphone, Robert Rodriguez on piano, Clarence Penn on drums, George Mraz on bass, and Kenny Washington on vocals, this is a tried-and-true combo that always impresses Dizzy’s audiences.

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $40 cover, with a $10 minimum.
258-9595, jalc.org

Stefano Bollani Trio

One of a series of three shows featuring top Italian jazz artists appearing at New York’s Birdland June 4-9. Presented by Umbria Jazz and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the shows will feature three artists performing two nights each. Tonight’s show features the Milan based Stefano Bollani, called the most prodigiously gifted pianist on Italy’s talent-laden jazz scene.

Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 8:30 and 11:00 p.m., / $40 cover, with $10 minimum.
581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com

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A PremierPub + 3 Good Eating places 

“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, cocktail lounges, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

Jimmy’s Corner
140 W 44th St (Betw 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

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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.

The focus for “3 Good Eating places” is 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,  soup & sandwiches,  salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars & lobster rolls. No reservations necessary.———————————————————————————————————-

There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food and free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 11 W 42nd st (Betw 5th/6th)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st / times square

B. Potbelly @ 30 Rockefeller Plaza (Betw 49/48 st)
Subway: #1 to 50th st

C. Pret a Manger @ 1200 6th ave (Betw 47/48)
Subway: #1 to 50th st

For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and extended descriptions of 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide”.

Selected Music on the WestSide

Kenny Barron Quintet*
Kenny Barron is the leading practitioner of an elegant, economical and sure-footed piano style that thrives in any mainstream setting. For this engagement his band mates are the trumpeter Brandon Lee, the saxophonist Vincent Herring, the bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and the drummer Lee Pearson. (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street,
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
255-4037, villagevanguard.com

Patrick Cornelius Quintet
Patrick Cornelius, a saxophonist who specializes in a nimble species of postbop, draws here from “Infinite Blue,” an album due out on the Whirlwind label in July. One of his partners here, the trombonist Nick Vayenas, is featured on the album; the others are the keyboardist John Escreet, the bassist Joshua Crumbly and the drummer Rudy Royston. (Chinen-NYT)
55 Bar, 55 Christopher Street, West Village,
At 10 p.m. / $20 cover
929-9883 / 55bar.com

Jeff Lederer 
Jeff Lederer, a saxophonist of rough but articulate style, celebrates the release of two albums on the Little(i) label, one with each set he plays here. At 8:30 p.m. it’s “Reincarnation,” the fifth release by the vocalist Mary LaRose, which features Mr. Lederer (on clarinet) as well as a string quartet. At 10 p.m. it’s “Swing N’ Dix,” his Dixielandish project with Bob Stewart on tuba, Kirk Knuffke on cornet and Matt Wilson on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village
At 8:30pm / $20 cover, which includes a drink.
989-9319 / corneliastreetcafe.com;

ROGER DAVIDSON
Yann Golgevit, countertenor, SPECIAL GUEST from Montpellier, France
accompanied by Roger Davidson on piano
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th)
7:15 – 8:15 / no cover.
691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com
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SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS @ 
2 Museums (WestSide Manhattan) & 3 Chelsea Galleries : 
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‘Claes Oldenburg: The Street and the Store’ and ‘Claes Oldenburg: Mouse Museum, Ray Gun Wing’ (through Aug. 5)
‘Performing Histories (1)’ (through Aug. 5)
‘Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light’ (through Aug. 12)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St,
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.
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‘A Different Kind of Order: The ICP Triennial’ (through Sept. 8) 
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas, at 43rd Street,
(212) 857-0000 / icp.org
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Richard Serra: ‘Early Work’ (through June 15)
This terrific exhibition looks back on five formative years in the career of the world’s most admired sculptor. One room contains objects made of lead, rubber, wood and stone produced by basic procedures like cutting, folding and tearing. A second gallery features works made by propping up four-by-four-foot lead panels and a single slab of hot-rolled steel, eight feet tall and 24 feet long, that juts from a corner into the room with grand implacability. (Johnson-NYT)
David Zwirner, 537 West 20th Street,
517-8677 / davidzwirner.com.

Rodney Graham (through June 15)
In four giant photographic transparencies mounted on lightboxes, the versatile Vancouver artist Mr. Graham ponders a man’s middle age with comical ennui. Each is a fictional self-portrait of the artist as a construction worker, a scientist, an aging punk and an old hippie in a kayak. They are funny and touching because of the disproportionate relationship between their grandiose scale and their goofy images, which resemble those of downbeat Father’s Day greeting cards. (Johnson-NYT)
303 Gallery, 507 West 24th Street,
255-1121, 303gallery.com.

Wolfgang Tillmans (through June 22)
The nomadic German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans addresses globalization in a curiously offhand way. This is true even in his latest works, which assert themselves more strongly as art objects thanks to Mr. Tillmans’s experiments with inkjet printing; they are lush and almost painterly in their rich concentrations of pigment. Only after connecting the dots of the installation — which moves from downtown Los Angeles to Kilimanjaro, a Masai hut to a construction site in Shanghai, a car headlight to a close-up of mold spores — do you sense transformation and upheaval.(Rosenberg-NYT)
Andrea Rosen Gallery, 525 West 24th Street,
(212) 627-6000 / andrearosengallery.com.

Selected Events Nearby

Barney Frank on Military Spending and the Federal Budget 
The former Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, will lead a discussion on military spending and the federal budget as part of the Center for Public Scholarship at the New School. Also taking part: Robert Pollin, a professor of economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Tishman Auditorium of the New School, 66 West 12th Street, Greenwich Village, newschool.edu/events; At 6 p.m., free, but reservations are recommended: (917) 534-9330 or cps@newschool.edu

8th Annual Taste of LIC
Sample food and beverages from 50 local restaurants at this celebration of Long Island City’s cultural and culinary scenes. The event is a fund-raiser for The Chocolate Factory theater’s upcoming season. Live musical performances, silent auctions and toasts from local politicians are also planned.
Gantry Plaza State Park, at 49th Avenue and Center Boulevard, on the East River Waterfront, Long Island City.
(occasionally an event warrants that we expand our horizons.
take #1-2-3 subway to 42nd st; transfer to #7 – 1st stop in Queens)
At 6:30pm /$60 for general admission.
352-3101, chocolatefactorytheater.org;

Sean Smith Trio
The Sean Smith Quartet has played together for many years sharing a similar passion for music, helping define a very distinctive group sound noted for a rare lyrical quality. With Sean’s songful and melodic compositions underscoring the trio, their unique acoustic sound has developed out of a mutual respect and love for the jazz tradition and beyond.
John Hart…Guitar
Sean Smith…Bass & Composition
Russell Meissner…Drums
55 Bar – 55 Christopher st (btw. 7th ave S/Waverly place)
7pm; / no cover
929-9883 / 55bar.com

MACKENZIE S H I V E R S
Young, up and coming artist
Born and raised in Tampa, FL, Mackenzie earned her B.M. in composition/theory from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and can be seen playing around the city as a solo artist as well as part of the pop/folk duo, Sam and Mackenzie.  In addition to playing the piano, Mackenzie sings and plays the accordion.
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th)
7:30 – 8:30 / no cover.
691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com

Joshua Redman Quartet
Even for a musician as melodically inclined as the saxophonist Joshua Redman, “Walking Shadows” (Nonesuch), his latest release, is an unusual achievement. It is his version of a jazz-plus-strings album, featuring his tenor and soprano work alongside an orchestra and a sterling rhythm section. This concert, part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival, offers the rare opportunity to hear that alchemy in person, with the album’s cast of Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass and Brian Blade on drums. (The Knights, a New York chamber orchestra, will play the string arrangements.) (Chinen-NYT)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
At 8 p.m. / $42 and $57
982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org

========================================================== Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating places – West Village

“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, cocktail lounges, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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).

Selected Events – June 03, 2013

Taste of Times Square
Taste of Times Square is one of New York’s longest-running food festivals, with more than 50 area restaurants participating, including many inhabitants of the area’s famed Restaurant Row. Tickets entitle you to samples from local eateries, such as Virgil’s Real BBQ, Le Rivage, Shake Shack, Junior’s, Toloache, Firebird and more. For more information, visit timessquarenyc.org.

‘100 Years of Flamenco in New York’ (through Aug. 3) This exhibition traces the popularity of the dance form in the city, from the mid-1800s to the present, through engravings and photographs, printed materials, costume pieces and films and recordings.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Viewing hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 6 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m., 111 Amsterdam Avenue, at 65th Street, Lincoln Center, (917) 275-6975, nypl.org/lpa; free.

Beka and Logic Project The first name in this collaborative entity belongs to Beka Gochiashvili, a 17-year-old jazz piano phenom originally from Tbilisi, Georgia; the second belongs to DJ Logic from the Bronx. They’ll be joined by what looks a bit like an all-star fusion confab, with Jaleel Shaw on alto saxophone, James Hurt on electric piano, Lamont McCain on electric bass and Justin Brown on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton,
At 7 p.m.,; $25 cover, with $10 minimum.
581-3080 / birdlandjazz.com

Dan Levinson’s Jam Session of the Millennium
For those who don’t get out much, the most exciting trend among young musicians is the red-hot jazz of New Orleans and the 1920s, which proliferates in venues all over the city. This event, produced by the Sidney Bechet Society, represents a watershed moment because it spotlights a dozen 20-something players who have rarely been presented in concert, under the leadership of clarinetist Dan Levinson, best known as a star soloist with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks—and who, at 47, is the grand old man of the band. Expect exceptional playing from trumpeters Mike Davis and Gordon Au, trombonists Matt Musselman and Josh Holcomb, among others. WSJ
Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, (212) 864-5400

Shostakovich Trilogy
Russian classics, twisted.
Alexei Ratmansky’s ballets are often worth seeing twice, as they reveal little stories within abstraction, complexity within apparently simple arrangements. He matches wits with another Russian subverter of expectations, Dmitri Shostakovich, in a trio of new pieces—­Symphony No. 9, Chamber Symphony, and ­Piano Concerto No. 1—that also show off ABT’s best dancers. —Rebecca Milzoff
Premieres May 31 at American Ballet Theatre.

Selected Events Nearby – Jun 02, 2013

World Science Festival
This annual festival for science and math lovers of all ages continues around the city. Some events are sold out, but limited tickets to many may become available. A complete schedule is at worldsciencefestival.com.

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit
More than eight decades ago, New York artists Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning propped up a few of their paintings in Washington Square Park and called it a show. A lot has changed since then: Now, more than 100 artists and artisans—including painters, sculptors, jewelers and glassblowers—exhibit their wares at the Washington Square Park Outdoor Art Exhibit.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd
There are few artists whose names are synonymous with one instrument and how it’s played in service to an entire genre.

Utter the phrase “young blues guitarist” within earshot of anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the modern musical vanguard and the first name they are most likely to respond with will be Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Still barely in his 30s, the Louisiana born axeman and songsmith has been selling millions of albums, throwing singles into the Top 10, shining a light on the rich blues of the past and forging ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has embodied since his teens. He met Stevie Ray Vaughan at 7, shared the stage with New Orleans legend Bryan Lee at13. As an adult, he continues to create genre-defining blues-infused rock n’ roll.
City Winery, 155 Varick st
8:00PM / $45 and $55
212-608-0555 /.citywinery.com

Jane Ira Bloom: All Ballads 
Ms. Bloom, a soprano saxophonist with an exploratory ken, has committed to an all-ballads program in this engagement, though that hardly qualifies as a restriction for her. She’ll have responsive support from her rhythm section, with Dominic Fallacaro on piano, Ray Drummond on bass and Billy Drummond (no relation) on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village
At 8:30 p.m. / $25 cover, which includes a drink.
989-9319 / corneliastreetcafe.com

Joe Lovano Nonet
Joe Lovano, a tenor saxophonist with broad experience in large ensembles, has led this bop-flavored nonet — stocked with peers like the trumpeter Tim Hagans and the saxophonist Steve Slagle — on and off for more than a decade. He’ll draw here from his 2006 album, “Streams of Expression” (Blue Note), which smartly featured the orchestrations of Gunther Schuller, a specialist in groups of this size. (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./$25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037 / villagevanguard.com

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Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Tribeca

“Pubs” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, lounges, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

B-Flat
277 Church st (Btw Franklin/White)

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.

Selected Performances – June 01, 2013

Tommy Tune’s Steps in Time
“A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance.”
Anyone who loves musical theater has to have a soft spot for Tommy Tune, and this autobiographical revue—which he’s performed on the road for years—is landing on its ideal home turf, backed up by the Manhattan Rhythm Kings. (NYMag)
The Town Hall, June 1, 8 p.m.

Shostakovich Trilogy
Russian classics, twisted.
Alexei Ratmansky’s ballets are often worth seeing twice, as they reveal little stories within abstraction, complexity within apparently simple arrangements. He matches wits with another Russian subverter of expectations, Dmitri Shostakovich, in a trio of new pieces—­Symphony No. 9, Chamber Symphony, and ­Piano Concerto No. 1—that also show off ABT’s best dancers. —(Rebecca Milzoff NYMag)
Premieres May 31 at American Ballet Theatre.
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Michael Blake Band Plays the Music of John Lurie*
For a generation or two of New Yorkers, John Lurie’s name will always be synonymous with the Lounge Lizards, the so-called “fake jazz” band he led in the 1980s and ’90s, until chronic Lyme disease caused him to withdraw from the scene. His fellow saxophonist and composer Michael Blake was a member of the band for a while, and so he has both the insight and the temperament to carry out this tribute, featuring Ryan Blotnick on guitar, Landon Knoblock on piano, Michael Bates on bass and Greg Ritchie on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village
At 9 and 10:30 p.m. / $20 cover, which includes a drink.
corneliastreetcafe.com / (212) 989-9319
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Eliane Elias
A Brazilian pianist with a transparent touch and a fondness for subtle harmonic shading, Ms. Elias is also a singer of breathy composure, as she demonstrates on her new album, “I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker” (Concord Jazz). The album is being released on Tuesday, the first evening of her five-night engagement here with a typically strong supporting cast. (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum.
581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
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Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS @ 
3 Chelsea Galleries & 2 Museums: 
(WestSide Manhattan)

Richard Serra: ‘Early Work’ (through June 15)
This terrific exhibition looks back on five formative years in the career of the world’s most admired sculptor. One room contains objects made of lead, rubber, wood and stone produced by basic procedures like cutting, folding and tearing. A second gallery features works made by propping up four-by-four-foot lead panels and a single slab of hot-rolled steel, eight feet tall and 24 feet long, that juts from a corner into the room with grand implacability. (Johnson-NYT)
David Zwirner, 537 West 20th Street,
517-8677 / davidzwirner.com.

Rodney Graham (through June 15)
In four giant photographic transparencies mounted on lightboxes, the versatile Vancouver artist Mr. Graham ponders a man’s middle age with comical ennui. Each is a fictional self-portrait of the artist as a construction worker, a scientist, an aging punk and an old hippie in a kayak. They are funny and touching because of the disproportionate relationship between their grandiose scale and their goofy images, which resemble those of downbeat Father’s Day greeting cards. (Johnson-NYT)
303 Gallery, 507 West 24th Street,
255-1121, 303gallery.com.

Wolfgang Tillmans (through June 22)
The nomadic German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans addresses globalization in a curiously offhand way. This is true even in his latest works, which assert themselves more strongly as art objects thanks to Mr. Tillmans’s experiments with inkjet printing; they are lush and almost painterly in their rich concentrations of pigment. Only after connecting the dots of the installation — which moves from downtown Los Angeles to Kilimanjaro, a Masai hut to a construction site in Shanghai, a car headlight to a close-up of mold spores — do you sense transformation and upheaval.(Rosenberg-NYT)
Andrea Rosen Gallery, 525 West 24th Street,
(212) 627-6000 / andrearosengallery.com.
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‘Claes Oldenburg: The Street and the Store’ and ‘Claes Oldenburg: Mouse Museum, Ray Gun Wing’ (through Aug. 5)
‘Performing Histories (1)’ (through Aug. 5)
‘Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light’ (through Aug. 12)
Museum of Modern Art: 11 W 53rd St,
(212) 708-9400 / moma.org.
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‘A Different Kind of Order: The ICP Triennial’ (through Sept. 8) 
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas, at 43rd Street,
(212) 857-0000 / icp.org
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Selected Music / Upper West Side & Nearby

Eddie Henderson Quintet
Miles Davis — and specifically his work on the 1961 album “Someday My Prince Will Come” — serves as an inspiration for the veteran trumpeter Eddie Henderson in this two-nighter with Wayne Escoffery on tenor saxophone, David Kikoski on piano, Doug Weiss on bass and Carl Allen on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Smoke, 2751 B’way (btw 105/106 st)
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m / $35 cover
two-course dinner prix-fixe available for $29.95
(212) 864-6662, smokejazz.com
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Gerald Clayton Quartet
Gerald Clayton, a pianist of smartly soulful exposition, recently released “Life Forum” (Concord Jazz), an album ambitious in concept and texture, with a clear emphasis on his designs as a composer-bandleader. Performing this weekend on the Keystone Korner Nights series, he reconnects with Sachal Vasandani, a featured vocalist on the album, and enlists the bassist Harish Raghavan and the drummer Kevin Kanner. (Chinen-NYT)
Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street
At 8 and 10 p.m. / $30 cover, with a $10 minimum
(212) 582-2121 / theiridium.com
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Bill Charlap Trio
The pianist Bill Charlap, the bassist Peter Washington and the drummer Kenny Washington make up this spit-and-polish trio, which favors a crisp approach to standard songbook fare. That’s the personnel appearing this weekend, but next week the eminent bassist Ron Carter will fill in for Mr. Washington: a meaningful substitution, and a logical one. (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $35 and $45 cover, with a $10 minimum.
258-9595, jalc.org

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

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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating places – Upper West Side

“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, wine bars, cocktail lounges,  tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

Dinosaur
700 W125th st @ 12th ave

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

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

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

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

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

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

A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table, underneath what’s left of the elevated W. Side Hwy., all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very early or late for dinner.

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

Selected Musical Events – May 30, 2013

Bill Charlap Trio
The pianist Bill Charlap, the bassist Peter Washington and the drummer Kenny Washington make up this spit-and-polish trio, which favors a crisp approach to standard songbook fare. That’s the personnel appearing this weekend, but next week the eminent bassist Ron Carter will fill in for Mr. Washington: a meaningful substitution, and a logical one. (Chinen-NYT)
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway,
At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $35 and $45 cover, with a $10 minimum.
258-9595, jalc.org
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Joe Lovano Nonet
Joe Lovano, a tenor saxophonist with broad experience in large ensembles, has led this bop-flavored nonet — stocked with peers like the trumpeter Tim Hagans and the saxophonist Steve Slagle — on and off for more than a decade. He’ll draw here from his 2006 album, “Streams of Expression” (Blue Note), which smartly featured the orchestrations of Gunther Schuller, a specialist in groups of this size. (Chinen-NYT)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./$25 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037 / villagevanguard.com
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Eliane Elias
A Brazilian pianist with a transparent touch and a fondness for subtle harmonic shading, Ms. Elias is also a singer of breathy composure, as she demonstrates on her new album, “I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker” (Concord Jazz). The album is being released on Tuesday, the first evening of her five-night engagement here with a typically strong supporting cast. (Chinen-NYT)
Birdland, 315 West 44th Street
At 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $40 cover, with a $10 minimum.
581-3080, birdlandjazz.com
=========================================
Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
=========================================

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS @ 3 MUSEUMS:
(Museum Mile & other Fifth Avenue area Museums)

‘Cambodian Rattan: The Sculptures of Sopheap Pich’ (through July 7)
‘Velázquez’s Portrait of Duke Francesco I d’Este: A Masterpiece from the Galleria Estense, Modena’ (through July 14) 
‘At War With the Obvious: Photographs by William Eggleston’ (through July 28) 
‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’ (through Aug. 14)
“African Art, New York, and the Avant-Garde” (through Sept. 2)
‘Photography and the American Civil War’ (through Sept. 2)
‘The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi’ (through Nov. 3)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1000 5th Ave,@ 82nd street
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

“New Harmony: Abstraction Between the Wars, 1919-1939” (through Sept. 8)
Guggenheim Museum: 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

‘Subliming Vessel: The Drawings of Matthew Barney’ (through Sept. 2)
Morgan Library & Museum: 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th st
(212) 685-0008 / themorgan.org.

Tonight’s Music  / Greenwich Village

BRAZILIAN JAZZ TRIO

David Fink-Bass, Adriano Santos-Drums,
Dario Eskenazi-Piano.
Playing the music of Roger Davidson

Pianist Roger Davidson’s repertory as a composer ranges from chamber music and symphonic and choral works to songs in Afro-Caribbean and Latin American styles, and from straight-ahead jazz to Klezmer music and children’s songs. Featuring eighteen original compositions, including bossa novas, sambas and chorinhos, Brazilian Love Song, is an exhilarating showcase for one of the most versatile composers in music today.

Roger Davidson, piano, compositions
Aaron Heick, sax
David Finck, bass
Paulo Braga, drums
Marivaldo Dos Santos, percussion

Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th)
7:15 – 8:15 / no cover.
691-7538 / caffevivaldi.c

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Eliane Elias (Tuesday through June 1) A Brazilian pianist with a transparent touch and a fondness for subtle harmonic shading, Ms. Elias is also a singer of breathy composure, as she demonstrates on her new album, “I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker” (Concord Jazz). The album is being released on Tuesday, the first evening of her five-night engagement here with a typically strong supporting cast. At 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 West 44th Street, Clinton, (212) 581-3080, birdlandjazz.com; $40 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)

Joe Lovano Nonet (Tuesday through June 2) Joe Lovano, a tenor saxophonist with broad experience in large ensembles, has led this bop-flavored nonet — stocked with peers like the trumpeter Tim Hagans and the saxophonist Steve Slagle — on and off for more than a decade. He’ll draw here from his 2006 album, “Streams of Expression” (Blue Note), which smartly featured the orchestrations of Gunther Schuller, a specialist in groups of this size. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th Street, West Village, (212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com; $25 cover, with a one-drink minimum. (Chinen)

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Festival (Wednesday and Thursday) The Brooklyn Jazz Underground is a coalition of artists united by aesthetics as well as by geography, who release their albums on an affiliated label. This showcase will feature three bands each night, with highlights including Owen Howard’s Drum Lore (Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.), the Rob Garcia 4 (Wednesday at midnight) and the Adam Kolker Quartet (Thursday at midnight). From 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Smalls Jazz Club, 183 West 10th Street, West Village, (212) 252-5091, smallsjazzclub.com; $20. (Chinen)

Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth (Wednesday) With “Deluxe” (Clean Feed), released in 2010, the bassist Chris Lightcap delivered a righteous dispatch from the New York jazz grid, full of streamlined rhythm and stark, suggestive harmony. He explores the same concept here with the tenor saxophonists Chris Cheek and Tony Malaby, the pianist Craig Taborn and the drummer Ches Smith. At 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com; $20 cover, includes a drink. (Chinen)

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

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, wine bars, cocktail lounges,  tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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

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, 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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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. 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.

The focus for “3 Good Eating places” is on Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style
(pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  soup & sandwiches,  salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars & lobster rolls)
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There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food and free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 821 Broadway (betw 12/13 st)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/q/r to 14th st/union sq
B. Potbelly @ 41 W14th st (betw 5th/6th ave)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th st
C. Cosi @ 53 E 8th st (betw greene/mercer)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/r to 8th st

For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and extended descriptions of 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide”.