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

Selected Musical Events – May 28, 2013

WBGO Jazz Series: Benny Goodman & Other Joys
Although many important anniversaries are being overlooked (it’s hard to believe there hasn’t been an event in New York commemorating Woody Herman’s centennial), the 75th anniversary of Benny Goodman’s 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall is not one of them. we can thank Ken Peplowski for that.

This is the clarinet star’s second important gig honoring that world-changing event, but while his earlier show at the Blue Note cast Goodman classics in a new light, this more straight-ahead program plays Benny more à la Benny, with stunningly hard-swinging renditions of Goodman’s small-group bandbook. The group juxtaposes two young whippersnappers, pianist Ehud Asherie and drummer Willie Jones III, alongside three Goodman band vets: the storied guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, bassist Jay Leonhart and Mr. Peplowski himself. While never imitating, Mr. Peplowski plays swing signatures like “Avalon” with a fire and a tenacity that even the hard-to-please Goodman himself would have approved of.(WSJ)
54 Below / 254 W. 54th St.,
(866) 468-7619
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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
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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. =========================================

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 Tonight – Manhattan’s WestSide

Hear Big Band Smiths
Because Morrissey always needed a horn section.
The eleven-piece band known as the Titanics offer Morrissey this eccentric, sweet tribute for his birthday: gloomfest emo tunes goosed with full-on Tommy Dorsey–style arrangements.
The Cutting Room, 
44 E. 32nd St., 

Hear The New York Philharmonic Play Bruckner’s Third
Free!
Bruckner’s Third Symphony is among the mystical master’s more leisurely creations, but Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert has a knack for its inner drama. For the Memorial Day concert, the orchestra unfurls the piece in St. John the Divine, where reverent chords build up into a great rich vault of sound. —J.D.
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 

Peter Bernstein Quartet 
Peter Bernstein, a guitarist with a clean tone and unwavering technique, leads a postbop combo with the pianist Donald Vega, the bassist Dezron Douglas and the drummer Billy Drummond.(Chinen-NYT)
Smalls Jazz Club, 183 West 10th Street, West Village
From 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., $20.
252-5091 / smallsjazzclub.com

Orrin Evans Trio
Orrin Evans is an astute postbop pianist often heard in combustible settings, but the title of his new album, “…It Was Beauty” (Criss Cross), signals a subtle shift in intention. Designed as a quieter, more lyrical outing, it features the drummer Donald Edwards and four different bassists; Luques Curtis is the one who surfaces here. (Chinen-NYT)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
At 8 and 10:30 p.m. /  $15 cover at tables, $10 at the bar,
with a $5 minimum.
(212) 475-8592 / bluenote.net;

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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 + 3 Good Eating places / Midtown West

“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.

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. 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 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 night 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).

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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; 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.

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Selected Events – May 26, 2013

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibition This biannual Greenwich Village display — it also takes place over Labor Day Weekend — will be set up on University Place, from East 13th, along Washington Square Park to West Third Street. Saturday through Monday and June 1 and 2, noon to 6 p.m., (212) 982-6255, wsoae.org.

Passport to Taiwan 2013 This celebration of Taiwanese-American culture includes performances, children’s activities and food on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Union Square North. Sponsors include the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, the Ministry of Transportation and Taiwan; p2tw.org.

Barry Harris Trio
Barry Harris belongs to a generation of jazz pianists who carried the torch of bebop into an uncertain future. His touch and melodic instinct are unerring, and he leads this working trio — Ray Drummond is the bassist, Leroy Williams the drummer — with well-earned ease. (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

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

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

“Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity” (through May 27)
‘James Nares: Street’ (through May 27)
‘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

 “The Hugo Boss Prize 2012: Danh Vo’” (through May 27)
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.

Selected Events – Times Square/Theater District & Nearby

Electric Miles
Evoking a mood as well as a time period, this Miles Davis tribute features not one but two credibly slashing trumpeters, Randy Brecker and Jeremy Pelt, at the forefront of a band that otherwise includes Paul Bollenback on guitar, Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Steve Smith on drums. (Chinen-NYT)
Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street
At 8 and 10 p.m. / $35 cover, with a $10 minimum.
(212) 582-2121, theiridium.com

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

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”.

Barry Harris Trio
Barry Harris belongs to a generation of jazz pianists who carried the torch of bebop into an uncertain future. His touch and melodic instinct are unerring, and he leads this working trio — Ray Drummond is the bassist, Leroy Williams the drummer — with well-earned ease. (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

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

Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things
The Chicago drummer Mike Reed has an abiding interest in the jazz heritage of his hometown, and with the excellent pianoless quartet People, Places & Things — featuring the alto saxophonist Greg Ward, the tenor saxophonist Tim Haldeman and the bassist Jason Roebke — he explores that history from multiple angles. This stop on the band’s east coast tour seems likely to include music from “Clean on the Corner” (482 Music), an album it released last year.
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village,
At 9 and 10:30 p.m., $20 cover, includes a drink.
(212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com;  (Chinen-NYT)

=========================================
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: 
(WestSide Manhattan & the BklynMuseum, easy via #2-3 subway)

‘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.
=========================================

‘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
=========================================

‘Fine Lines: American Drawings From the Brooklyn Museum
(closes on Sunday, May 26)
‘John Singer Sargent Watercolors’  (through July 28) [see review below]
‘Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui’ (through Aug. 4)
‘LaToya Ruby Frazier: A Haunted Capital’ (through Aug. 11)
Brooklyn Museum: 200 Eastern Parkway, at Prospect Park,
(718) 638-5000 / brooklynmuseum.org

John Singer Sargent Watercolors
“The exhibition brings together 93 of his watercolors and 9 oil paintings from the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Both institutions acquired significant quantities of his work early on, the Brooklyn Museum from Sargent’s career debut show in New York in 1909 and the Boston museum from a solo show there in 1912. The beauty of Sargent’s watercolors is in how seemingly effortlessly yet exactly he captured outdoor light and complicated man-made and natural forms. In landscapes, close studies of fruit and flowers and portraits of women you see at once the supremely deft action of the brush and the illusions of a sun-drenched halcyon world that it conjures. Prepare for bedazzlement.” (KEN JOHNSON-NYT)

NYCity 1-2-3 will be undergoing back end redesign and development work over the next 3 weeks. This will necessitate that we temporarily suspend current event info. Look for current event info for Manhattan’s WestSide to resume May 24.

Selected Events / West Village & Nearby

Ideas City Festival
“This multifaceted event, part of an initiative of the New Museum, promotes and is an exploration of cultural programs that benefit urban life. This year the theme is untapped capital, and programs will draw attention to underutilized resources. The festival begins with a conference on May 1 and 2 in the Great Hall of Cooper Union, Seventh Street, at Third Avenue, East Village. On May 3, workshops will be held at the Old School, 233 Mott Street, at Spring Street. A street fair is planned on May 4 on the Lower East Side.”  — (ANNE MANCUSO, NYT)

Cooper Union Great Hall
Seventh Street, at Third Avenue
at various times / prices vary
ideas-city.org
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PEN World Voices Festival
“Bravery is the theme of this year’s celebration of the written word, with readings and discussions around the city. On opening night, writers reading from their work will include Jamaica Kincaid (“See Now Then”); the Nigerian writer A. Igoni Barrett, whose short-story collection “Love Is Power, or Something Like That” will be released by Graywolf Press in May; and the Cambodian-born writer Vaddey Ratner (“In the Shadow of the Banyan”).  — (ANNE MANCUSO, NYT)

Cooper Union Great Hall
at various times and locations
$25, $20 for members and students
7 East Seventh Street, at Third Avenue
(212) 353-1660 / worldvoices.pen.org
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A VERY SPECIAL BLUES NIGHT
WITH BRIAN KRAMER and Friends

Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th st)
8:30 – 11:30; no cover.
691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com
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Michel Camilo
“Mr. Camilo, a fastidiously percussive Dominican pianist, has an album in the pipeline —  “What’s Up?” (OKeh), due out in a few weeks — that showcases his virtuoso flair in solitude. For this run he works in the more familiar context of a trio, enlisting two longtime colleagues, the drummer Cliff Almond and the bassist Lincoln Goines.” — (NATE CHINEN, NYT)

Blue Note, 131 West Third Street
between Macdougal Street and Avenue of the Americas
at 8 and 10:30 p.m.
$35 and $45 cover at tables, $20 and $30 at the bar
(212) 475-8592 / bluenote.net
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Bill McHenry Quartet
“The tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry finds a place for rugged insight in this hard-driving but elastic band, featuring the pianist Orrin Evans, the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Andrew Cyrille. Last year the group released “La Peur du Vide” (Sunnyside), an engrossing album recorded during a previous engagement in this room.” — (NATE CHINEN, NYT)

Village Vanguard
178 Seventh Avenue South. at West 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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Steve Kuhn Trio 
“An erudite and lyrical pianist, Steve Kuhn recently released “Wisteria” (ECM), a relaxed but compelling excursion with the bassist Steve Swallow and the drummer Joey Baron. This week he has taken the helm of another trio, with Mr. Baron and the authoritative bassist Buster Williams.” — (NATE CHINEN, NYT)

Birdland
315 West 44th Street
between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
at 8:30 and 11 p.m. / $30 and $40, with a $10 minimum
(212) 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. ==========================================================

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).

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS @ 3 Museums and Galleries : 
(WestSide Manhattan & the BklynMuseum, easy via #2-3 subway)

‘Projects 99: Meiro Koizumi’ (through May 1)
‘Claes Oldenburg: The Street and the Store’ and ‘Claes Oldenburg: Mouse Museum, Ray Gun Wing’ (through to 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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Galleries: Chelsea

Yael Bartana: ‘And Europe Will Be Stunned’ (through May 4) A hit at the last “Venice Biennale, this video trilogy now forms an impressive New York gallery for its Israel creator. Superbly carried out, it presents a strangely perfect, perfectly disturbing, yet ineffably wry confusion of ideology, geography, propaganda and history. Its narrative concerns a kind of reverse Zionism intended to return Jews to Poland, includes a young leader, his funeral and a 1930s-style kibbutz, built by wholesome-looking youths on ground where the Warsaw ghetto once stood.” (Smith, NYT)

Petzel Gallery, 456 West 18th Street, Chelsea , (212) 608-9467, petzel.com.

Joshua Marsh: ‘As If’ and Johannes DeYoung: ‘Ego Loser’ (through May 4) “Mr. Marsh makes uncommonly beautiful paintings of ordinary objects. With an exquisitely sensuous touch and using luminous colors, he isolates, simplifies and flattens things like pitchers, brooms and dustpans to the brink of pure yet sumptuous abstraction. Mr. DeYoung’s “Ego Loser” is a darkly comical, claymation-style video projection in which a hideous man utters self-help and mantras from low-end sources.” (Johnson, NYT)

Jeff Bailey Gallery, 625 West 27th Street, (212) 989-0156, baileygallery.com.

‘Scott Olson’ (through May 4) Scott Olson’s abstract paintings look fragile and ethereal, even though they can be traced back to vigorous physical processes. Mr. Olson, who is based in Ohio, builds his own frames from local trees, and works in a combination of oil, wax and marble dust on wood. He strips down his surfaces as often as he builds them up, painting in brightly colored, irregular shapes and then sanding into near oblivion. This split personality adds intrigue to what would otherwise be modest little throwbacks to early modernism.” (Rosenberg, NYT)

Wallspace, 619 West 27th Street, Chelsea, (212) 594-9478, wallspacegallery.com.

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‘John Singer Sargent Watercolors’  (through July 28) [see review below]
‘Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui’ (through Aug. 4)
‘LaToya Ruby Frazier: A Haunted Capital’ (through Aug. 11)

Brooklyn Museum: 200 Eastern Parkway, at Prospect Park,
(718) 638-5000 / brooklynmuseum.org

John Singer Sargent Watercolors
“The exhibition brings together 93 of his watercolors and 9 oil paintings from the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Both institutions acquired significant quantities of his work early on, the Brooklyn Museum from Sargent’s career debut show in New York in 1909 and the Boston museum from a solo show there in 1912. The beauty of Sargent’s watercolors is in how seemingly effortlessly yet exactly he captured outdoor light and complicated man-made and natural forms. In landscapes, close studies of fruit and flowers and portraits of women you see at once the supremely deft action of the brush and the illusions of a sun-drenched halcyon world that it conjures. Prepare for bedazzlement.”- (KEN JOHNSON, NYT)

SELECTED EVENTS (below 34th street) (04/30/13)

PEN World Voices Festival
“Bravery is the theme of this year’s celebration of the written word, with readings and discussions around the city. On opening night, writers reading from their work will include Jamaica Kincaid (“See Now Then”); the Nigerian writer A. Igoni Barrett, whose short-story collection “Love Is Power, or Something Like That” will be released by Graywolf Press in May; and the Cambodian-born writer Vaddey Ratner (“In the Shadow of the Banyan”)”.   — (ANNE MANCUSO, NYT)

Cooper Union Great Hall
7 East Seventh Street, at Third Avenue
at various times and locations
$25, $20 for members and students
(212) 353-1660 / worldvoices.pen.org
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Bill McHenry Quartet
“The tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry finds a place for rugged insight in this hard-driving but elastic band, featuring the pianist Orrin Evans, the bassist Eric Revis and the drummer Andrew Cyrille. Last year the group released “La Peur du Vide” (Sunnyside), an engrossing album recorded during a previous engagement in this room.” — (NATE CHINEN, NYT)

Village Vanguard
178 Seventh Avenue South, at West 11th Street
at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. / $25 cover, with 1 drink minimum
(212) 255-4037 / villagevanguard.com
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Stephen Petronio Company
“Mr. Petronio’s high-velocity dances can verge on too frenzied — a lot of intricate activity, not enough time to process it — but in his new “Like Lazarus Did (LLD 4/30),” he makes room for stillness. Hovering above the stage in a sculpture she designed, the visual and performance artist Janine Antoni will meditate throughout the show, a fitting image for a work exploring cross-cultural creeds of resurrection. The work’s composer, Son Lux, will also perform, joined by members of Bon Iver and yMusic and 30 singers from the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.”  — (SIOBHAN BURKE, NYT)

Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue, at West 19th Street
at 7:30 p.m., / $10 to $69
(212) 242-0800 / joyce.or
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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 XX 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 Events – April 29, 2013

Duke Ellington Birthday Celebration
“A birthday party and show are among the events commemorating the 114th anniversary of the birth date of Duke Ellington; the actual date is April 29.

Join host MERCEDES ELLINGTON and The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts in celebrating “Uncle Edward’s” 114th birthday, featuring the dynamic multi Grammy nominated Bobby Sanabria & Sexteto Ibiano. Plus singers Rosemary Loar, Marion Cowings, Antoinette Montague, Erick  and T. Oliver Reid; renowned Jazz-Blues pianist Eli Yamin; and dancers galore.

Enjoy wine, soft drinks and light refreshments, and birthday cake and a champagne salute to the Duke. Then be prepared to win a raffle of dinner for up to four people at the world-famous Friars Club with Mercedes Ellington.

Sponsored by the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts an organization to promote the music and legacy of the jazz great. thedukeellingtoncenter.org.” — (ANNE MANCUSO, NYT)

Dance Times Square Ballroom,
156 West 44th Street, 3rd Floor
from 7 p.m. / $45
Thedukeellingtoncenter.org
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Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
Broadway impresario Jim Caruso hosts a combination open-mic, networking event and party in which the biggest stars on Broadway relax on their night off by performing their favorite songs in an informal setting.

Birdland – 315 West 44th St (Btw 8th/9th ave)
9:30 pm / $20
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Black Art Jazz Collective
“Though its name suggests a link to the Black Arts Movement, spearheaded by the poet Amiri Baraka, this ensemble is bound by less contentious aims. The group upholds a vision of jazz derived partly from the racial heritage of its all-star roster: the trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, the tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, the trombonist James Burton, the pianist Xavier Davis, the bassist Dwayne Burno and the drummer Johnathan Blake.“— (NATE CHINEN, NYT)

Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center
Broadway, at West 60th Street
at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. / $35 cover, with a $10 minimum
(212) 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. ==========================================================

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

“Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity” (through May 27)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: ‘James Nares: Street’ (through May 27)
“African Art, New York, and the Avant-Garde” (through Sept. 2)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: ‘Photography and the American Civil War’ (through Sept. 2)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1000 5th Ave,@ 82nd street
(212) 535-7710 / metmuseum.org

“Gutai: Splendid Playground” (through May 8)
“No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia” (through May 22)
 “The Hugo Boss Prize 2012: Danh Vo’” (through May 27)
Guggenheim Museum: 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street
(212) 423-3500 / guggenheim.org.

“Degas, Miss La La and the Cirque Fernando” (through May 12)
Morgan Library & Museum: 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th st
(212) 685-0008 / themorgan.org.