NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/28) + Today’s Featured Pub (Upper West Side)

Posted on 10/28/2019 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > MONDAY/ OCTOBER 28, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

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5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> MARY HALVORSON AND JOHN DIETERICH
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> AMNH Presents | Evolution & Revolution: Transforming Medicine Through Comparative Genomics
>> We Are the Weather: Jonathan Safran Foer with Aminatou Sow
>> Monday Night Magic

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

MARY HALVORSON AND JOHN DIETERICH
at Roulette / 8 p.m.; $18
“The jaggy, pent-up energy in Deerhoof’s caustic art rock owes a lot to Dieterich’s guitar playing. And his squirming style has a lot in common with that of Halvorson, the improvising guitarist (and all-purpose sound exploder) who was recently named a 2019 MacArthur fellow. At this show the pair will celebrate the release of their first duet album, “A Tangle of Stars,” laden with worried atmospheres, sour-toned touches and snarled lines.” (GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO-NYT)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $25-$30
“The witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.”
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

AMNH Presents | Evolution & Revolution: Transforming Medicine Through Comparative Genomics
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St. / 6:30PM, $15
“No different from species, genes evolve as well. Looking at natural selection at the genomic level provides surprising insight into human health. Hear about the latest research from a panel that includes a population geneticist, a genomic medicine researcher, an evolutionary biologist, and a neurogeneticist.” (ThoughtGallery)

We Are the Weather: Jonathan Safran Foer with Aminatou Sow
The New School, 66 W. 12th St./ 7PM, $10
“Will future generations distinguish between climate change deniers and those who accepted the science but did not change their lives? Jonathan Safran Foer presents his new book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, which calls for a fresh reckoning with the human resistance to sacrificing current comfort. Foer argues that our only hope is collective action—beginning with what we eat for breakfast.” (ThoughtGallery)

Monday Night Magic
Players Theatre, West Village / 8PM, $42.50
“For more than two decades,, this proudly old-school series has offered a different lineup of professional magicians every week: opening acts, a headliner and a host, plus two or three close-up magicians to wow the audience at intermission. Housed for the past seven years at the unprepossessing Players Theatre, it is an heir to the vaudeville tradition.

Many of the acts incorporate comedic elements, and audience participation is common. (If you have young children, bring them; they make especially adorable assistants.) Shows cost just $37.50 in advance and typically last well over two hours, so you get a lot of value and variety for your magic dollar. In contrast to some fancier magic shows, this one feels like comfort food: an all-you-can eat buffet to which you’re encouraged to return until you’re as stuffed as a hat full of rabbits.” (TONY)

Continuing Events

30th Annual New York Cabaret Convention (Oct.28-31)
Liz Callaway, Darius de Haas, Karen Mason are among 75 Artists
presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation
@ Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
All concerts begin at 6 PM, $25-$100.

KT Sullivan, artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation Sullivan said: “As founder of this organization, Donald Smith ceaselessly championed what he knew to be the ‘fragile world of cabaret.’ He would be delighted that we’re stronger than ever, three decades later, and fulfilling our charter in both necessary and new approaches to the entertainment. This year’s performers range in age and experience from the incomparable, 91-year-old Marilyn Maye to Anais Reno, who—at 15—won our Adela & Larry Elow American Songbook High School Competition Award just a few months ago. Vocalists are coming in from Chicago, Palm Beach, Colorado, and London to participate in the concerts, and we have 15 singers making their Cabaret Convention debuts in 2019.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/28 Ingrid Michaelson, Webster Hall
10/29 Joshua Radin & The Weepies, Gramercy Theatre
10/30 Sleater-Kinney, Kings Theatre
10/30 Pink Martini, Beacon Theatre

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

The New Pornographers
November 7
Brooklyn Steel
We love a good Canadian supergroup, of which the New Pornographers are one.

Slayer and Ministry
November 9
Madison Square Garden
It’s a metal show! Slayer is billing this as their last tour, so catch ’em while you’ve got the chance.

Ariana Grande
November 12
Barclays Center
Ariana Grande has a great voice; enjoy it at this show.

The Ergs
November 15
Brooklyn Bazaar
New Jersey pop punks the Ergs—fronted by a singing drummer—play their loud, fast, catchy songs live.

Taking Back Sunday
November 15–16
Terminal 5
These Long Island screamo practitioners are still at it.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. But quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.
================================================================================

A PremierPub / Upper West Side

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

Walk only five minutes from the 125th St. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Not so. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.

HarlHostStandNo food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip uptown to West Harlem totally worthwhile.

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

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

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

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

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

Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: Mo-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:30pm
Subway: #1 to 125th St.
Walk 2 blk W on 125th St. to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway.
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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

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

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/27) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 10/27/2019 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ OCTOBER 27, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

ELIO VILLAFRANCA QUINTET
at Smoke / 7 and 9 p.m.; $40
“This virtuoso pianist’s most recent album is “Cinque,” an expansive two-disc collection that explores the music of his native Cuba and other Caribbean islands through a jazz lens, as it celebrates the story of Joseph Cinque, who led a successful revolt in 1839 aboard the slave ship Amistad. The album puts Villafranca’s brightly evocative, harmonically layered pianism alongside his talents as a composer and arranger. He performs this weekend at Smoke with Bruce Harris on trumpet, Greg Tardy on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Gregg August on bass and Dion Parson on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

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5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> CHRISTIAN SANDS HIGHWIRE TRIO
>> Billy Hart Quartet
>> Linda Simpson in Conversation with Alan Cumming
>> Fine Art Print Fair

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

American Ballet Theatre (LAST DAY)
The New Romantics
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 2PM; $30+
“Every fall, join American Ballet Theatre at the David H. Koch Theater for two weeks of mixed repertory ballet performances featuring contemporary masterpieces, legendary choreographers, and our world-class roster of dancers. This season will highlight the ABT Women’s Movement, unite classic movement and contemporary music, and celebrate Principal Dancer Herman Cornejo’s 20th Anniversary with ABT.”

CHRISTIAN SANDS HIGHWIRE TRIO
at Jazz Standard / 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; $30
“Barely 30, Sands is already known as one of the most commanding pianists of jazz’s young generation, a gospel-infused technician with contemporary sensibilities and a deeply rhythmic approach. His most recent album, “Facing Dragons,” features eight original compositions ranging from muscly postbop to dreamy extrapolations on samba, plus one radically reconstructed Beatles cover. Sands is also the creative ambassador to the Erroll Garner Jazz Project, a nonprofit devoted to the legacy of that historic jazz pianist. Here he will perform music from Garner’s repertoire with his Highwire Trio, featuring the bassist Luques Curtis and the drummer Ulysses Owens Jr.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Billy Hart Quartet (LAST DAY)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“What the Billy Hart Quartet has going for it, besides a veteran drummer whose C.V. is as rich in mainstream work (Stan Getz) as it is in left-of-center endeavors (Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi outfit), is a triumvirate of compelling players—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the saxophonist Mark Turner, and the bassist Ben Street—who take cues from the ecumenical leanings of their leader. This is an exemplary post-bop band whose excellent recordings offer only a taste of what it achieves live.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Linda Simpson in Conversation with Alan Cumming
The Wild Project, 195 E. 3rd St./ 7:30PM, $20+
“A frank and intimate conversation between two of downtown’s iconic performers, Alan Cumming and Linda Simpson. These two legends of New York City nightlife dish on the creativity, grit, and spirit that keeps the East Village a vital creative incubator.” (ThoughtGallery)

Fine Art Print Fair (Oct.23-27)
Start your art collection
Javits Center / 12-8PM, $25
“Practice frowning in front of some art as if you’re considering how it would look in your mansion — the Fine Art Print Fair is coming to town! With over 70 galleries exhibiting, there will also be conversations with artists (including Jeff Koons, of the divisive tulip sculpture), a meet-and-greet with artists and printmakers, and talks about art collecting. If the only art you’re currently collecting is the poster your last roommate leave behind, don’t worry — a $25 ticket is all you need to spend to rub shoulders with the printerati.” (thrillist.com)

Continuing Events

30th Annual New York Cabaret Convention (Oct.28-31)
Liz Callaway, Darius de Haas, Karen Mason are among 75 Artists
presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation
@ Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
All concerts begin at 6 PM, $25-$100.

KT Sullivan, artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation Sullivan said: “As founder of this organization, Donald Smith ceaselessly championed what he knew to be the ‘fragile world of cabaret.’ He would be delighted that we’re stronger than ever, three decades later, and fulfilling our charter in both necessary and new approaches to the entertainment. This year’s performers range in age and experience from the incomparable, 91-year-old Marilyn Maye to Anais Reno, who—at 15—won our Adela & Larry Elow American Songbook High School Competition Award just a few months ago. Vocalists are coming in from Chicago, Palm Beach, Colorado, and London to participate in the concerts, and we have 15 singers making their Cabaret Convention debuts in 2019.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/26-27 Madeleine Peyroux, Sony Hall
10/28 Ingrid Michaelson, Webster Hall
10/29 Joshua Radin & The Weepies, Gramercy Theatre
10/30 Sleater-Kinney, Kings Theatre
10/30 Pink Martini, Beacon Theatre

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

The New Pornographers
November 7
Brooklyn Steel
We love a good Canadian supergroup, of which the New Pornographers are one.

Slayer and Ministry
November 9
Madison Square Garden
It’s a metal show! Slayer is billing this as their last tour, so catch ’em while you’ve got the chance.

Ariana Grande
November 12
Barclays Center
Ariana Grande has a great voice; enjoy it at this show.

The Ergs
November 15
Brooklyn Bazaar
New Jersey pop punks the Ergs—fronted by a singing drummer—play their loud, fast, catchy songs live.

Taking Back Sunday
November 15–16
Terminal 5
These Long Island screamo practitioners are still at it.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

‘ARTISTIC LICENSE: SIX TAKES ON THE GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION’  (through Jan. 12). “Displays that artists select from a museum’s collection are almost inevitably interesting, revealing and valuable. After all, artists can be especially discerning regarding work not their own. Here, six artists — Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul Chan, Richard Prince, Julie Mehretu, Carrie Mae Weens and Jenny Holzer — guided by specific themes, have chosen, which multiplies the impact accordingly. With one per ramp, each selection turns the museum inside out. The combination sustains multiple visits; the concept should be applied regularly.” (NYT-Roberta Smith)
212-423-3840, guggenheim.org

Neue Galerie

ERNST LUDWIG KIRCHNER (through Jan. 13).

“You could be forgiven for drawing a connection between Kirchner’s shocking color palette and his character. It would be understandable enough, considering his problems with morphine, Veronal and absinthe; the nervous breakdown precipitated by his artillery training in World War I; and his suicide in 1938, at the age of 58, after the Nazis had denounced him as a degenerate. But to linger on Kirchner’s lurid biography would be unfair to the mesmerizing technical genius of his style, amply on display in this exhibition. Surrounding more or less sober portrait subjects with backgrounds of flat but brilliant color, as Kirchner did, wasn’t just a youthful revolt against the staid academic painting he grew up with. It was also an ingenious way to articulate subjective experience in an increasingly materialist modern world. (NYT-Heinrich)
neuegalerie.org

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

COMING SOON.

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/25 and 10/23.
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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/26) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 10/26/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ OCTOBER 26, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Billy Hart Quartet (Oct. 22-27)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“What the Billy Hart Quartet has going for it, besides a veteran drummer whose C.V. is as rich in mainstream work (Stan Getz) as it is in left-of-center endeavors (Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi outfit), is a triumvirate of compelling players—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the saxophonist Mark Turner, and the bassist Ben Street—who take cues from the ecumenical leanings of their leader. This is an exemplary post-bop band whose excellent recordings offer only a taste of what it achieves live.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Between the World and Me
>> BRIC JazzFest Marathon
>> Houston Ballet
>> The Astronomy of Walt Whitman: A Universe in Verse Pop-up
>> Fine Art Print Fair
>> A Different America: How Our Country Has Changed From 1969 Through Today

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Between the World and Me (Oct.25-26)
See Ta-Nehisi Coates’ work come to life
Apollo / 8PM, $30+
“Ta-Nehisi Coates’ National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me was brought, briefly, to life as a stage play at the Apollo Theater in March of last year. Coates gave Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo’s executive director, free reign to adapt his book. Forbes honored the source material with a critically acclaimed original score by jazz pianist Jason Moran and a series of performed excerpts from the text. The show is returning this week to the Apollo for three nights only.’ (thrillist.com)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

BRIC JazzFest Marathon (Oct.24-26)
Celebrate modern jazz in Brooklyn
BRIC House, 647 Fulton St.,Fort Greene / 7:30PM, $35
“BRIC’s annual JazzFest — a three-night festival with live music from both up-and-comers and world-famous phenoms — brings the best of global jazz to Brooklyn. On Friday night, vibraphonist Joel Ross will bring his very literally-named “Good Vibes” orchestra to the stage; on Saturday, drummer Kassa Overall and Joe Russo’s “Boyfriends” improv ensemble will close out the fest. If you don’t know your Thelonious from your sarrusophone, JazzFest is a very funky place to start learning.” (thrillist.com)

Houston Ballet (Oct. 24-26)
City Center, 131 W. 55th St./ 7:30PM, $35+
“New Yorkers like to think that they have the best ballet companies, but Houston Ballet gives them a run for their money. Since 2003, the Australian choreographer Stanton Welch has led its stable of exemplary dancers with a varied repertory. It’s one of the few ballet companies that the choreographer Mark Morris, who is picky, is willing to work with. This is lucky for us, because the company is bringing one of Morris’s recent works to City Center for a short run, Oct. 24-26, its first New York engagement in six years. Morris’s “The Letter V,” set to a Haydn symphony, is witty, lucid, and formal—he describes it as “pastoral.” The other two dances on the program are Aszure Barton’s “Come In” and “Reflections,” by Justin Peck, a choreographer usually associated with New York City Ballet. The Peck work, which he created for Houston this year, is quiet and full of clean geometries, a meditation on order and symmetry set to a piece for two pianos by Sufjan Stevens. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Astronomy of Walt Whitman: A Universe in Verse Pop-up
Governors Island / 2PM, FREE, donations welcome
“Cruise over to Governors Island for The Astronomy of Walt Whitman, a chapel pop-up curated and hosted by Brain Pickings’s Maria Popova. Enjoy a multimedia afternoon that celebrates science through Whitman’s poetry. Appearances include music in addition to astrophysicist Janna Levin, author Nicole Krauss, and Humans of New York’s Brandon Stanton. (While you’re out there, wear a costume to take part in the island-wide Halloween celebration.)” (ThoughtGallery)

Fine Art Print Fair (Oct.23-27)
Start your art collection
Javits Center / 12-8PM, $25
“Practice frowning in front of some art as if you’re considering how it would look in your mansion — the Fine Art Print Fair is coming to town! With over 70 galleries exhibiting, there will also be conversations with artists (including Jeff Koons, of the divisive tulip sculpture), a meet-and-greet with artists and printmakers, and talks about art collecting. If the only art you’re currently collecting is the poster your last roommate leave behind, don’t worry — a $25 ticket is all you need to spend to rub shoulders with the printerati.” (thrillist.com)

A Different America: How Our Country Has Changed From 1969 Through Today
Fordham University, 140 W. 62nd St./ 111AM-12:20PM, $65
Matthew Andrews / University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“How much has American society changed since the 1960s? And how do you gauge the extent of this change? In this session we will try to answer these questions by exploring a few of the more significant and pivotal moments in American history through the prism of sports. We will look beyond competitive outcomes on the fields of play—who won, who lost, and by how much?—and instead will focus on what these moments can reveal about the struggles for racial justice and gender equality in our nation.

Throughout our session we will consider the ways sports—a marathon, a college football game, a prizefight, a tennis match—have reflected larger trends in American life as well as influenced American history and the nation we occupy today. Whether this influence has been positive or negative is another question we will consider.”

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (LAST DAY)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (LAST DAY)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/26 Live From Here with Chris Thile, Town Hall
10/26-27 Madeleine Peyroux, Sony Hall
10/28 Ingrid Michaelson, Webster Hall
10/29 Joshua Radin & The Weepies, Gramercy Theatre
10/30 Sleater-Kinney, Kings Theatre
10/30 Pink Martini, Beacon Theatre

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

The New Pornographers
November 7
Brooklyn Steel
We love a good Canadian supergroup, of which the New Pornographers are one.

Slayer and Ministry
November 9
Madison Square Garden
It’s a metal show! Slayer is billing this as their last tour, so catch ’em while you’ve got the chance.

Ariana Grande
November 12
Barclays Center
Ariana Grande has a great voice; enjoy it at this show.

The Ergs
November 15
Brooklyn Bazaar
New Jersey pop punks the Ergs—fronted by a singing drummer—play their loud, fast, catchy songs live.

Taking Back Sunday
November 15–16
Terminal 5
These Long Island screamo practitioners are still at it.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

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

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL and A WARNING. WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
==============================================================
“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

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

3 Good Eating places

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

========================================================
“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
========================================================
NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available WINTER 2020).
◊ Order before FEB. 28, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

=====================================================
Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/25) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 10/25/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > FRIDAY/ OCTOBER 25, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

BRIC JazzFest Marathon (Oct.24-26)
Celebrate modern jazz in Brooklyn
BRIC House, 647 Fulton St.,Fort Greene / 7:30PM, $35
“BRIC’s annual JazzFest — a three-night festival with live music from both up-and-comers and world-famous phenoms — brings the best of global jazz to Brooklyn. On Friday night, vibraphonist Joel Ross will bring his very literally-named “Good Vibes” orchestra to the stage; on Saturday, drummer Kassa Overall and Joe Russo’s “Boyfriends” improv ensemble will close out the fest. If you don’t know your Thelonious from your sarrusophone, JazzFest is a very funky place to start learning.” (thrillist.com)

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

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Between the World and Me
>> Houston Ballet
>> La Bohème, Metropolitan Opera
>> Billy Hart Quartet
>> Fine Art Print Fair
>> The Library After Hours: Halloween Masquerade with Tim Gunn

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Between the World and Me (Oct.25-26)
See Ta-Nehisi Coates’ work come to life
Apollo / 8PM, $30+
“Ta-Nehisi Coates’ National Book Award-winning Between the World and Me was brought, briefly, to life as a stage play at the Apollo Theater in March of last year. Coates gave Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo’s executive director, free reign to adapt his book. Forbes honored the source material with a critically acclaimed original score by jazz pianist Jason Moran and a series of performed excerpts from the text. The show is returning this week to the Apollo for three nights only.’ (thrillist.com)

Houston Ballet (Oct. 24-26)
City Center, 131 W. 55th St./ 7:30PM, $35+
“New Yorkers like to think that they have the best ballet companies, but Houston Ballet gives them a run for their money. Since 2003, the Australian choreographer Stanton Welch has led its stable of exemplary dancers with a varied repertory. It’s one of the few ballet companies that the choreographer Mark Morris, who is picky, is willing to work with. This is lucky for us, because the company is bringing one of Morris’s recent works to City Center for a short run, Oct. 24-26, its first New York engagement in six years. Morris’s “The Letter V,” set to a Haydn symphony, is witty, lucid, and formal—he describes it as “pastoral.” The other two dances on the program are Aszure Barton’s “Come In” and “Reflections,” by Justin Peck, a choreographer usually associated with New York City Ballet. The Peck work, which he created for Houston this year, is quiet and full of clean geometries, a meditation on order and symmetry set to a piece for two pianos by Sufjan Stevens. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

The Metropolitan Opera
La Bohème (next Oct.30, 7:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $53+
“Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenors Matthew Polenzani, Roberto Alagna, and Joseph Calleja trade off as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Hei-Kyung Hong, and Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato and Emmanuel Villaume share conducting duties.”

Billy Hart Quartet (Oct. 22-27)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“What the Billy Hart Quartet has going for it, besides a veteran drummer whose C.V. is as rich in mainstream work (Stan Getz) as it is in left-of-center endeavors (Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi outfit), is a triumvirate of compelling players—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the saxophonist Mark Turner, and the bassist Ben Street—who take cues from the ecumenical leanings of their leader. This is an exemplary post-bop band whose excellent recordings offer only a taste of what it achieves live.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Fine Art Print Fair (Oct.23-27)
Start your art collection
Javits Center / 12-8PM, $25
“Practice frowning in front of some art as if you’re considering how it would look in your mansion — the Fine Art Print Fair is coming to town! With over 70 galleries exhibiting, there will also be conversations with artists (including Jeff Koons, of the divisive tulip sculpture), a meet-and-greet with artists and printmakers, and talks about art collecting. If the only art you’re currently collecting is the poster your last roommate leave behind, don’t worry — a $25 ticket is all you need to spend to rub shoulders with the printerati.” (thrillist.com)

The Library After Hours: Halloween Masquerade with Tim Gunn
New York Public Library—Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 476 Fifth Ave./ 7-10:30PM, FREE ($15 priority ticket)
“Join the third annual literary costume parade at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, hosted by Tim Gunn and local librarians. The scene at this library after hours get down also includes horror writers reading their favorite scary stories in the Rose Main Reading Room, spooky 16mm films from the library’s collection, and tricks, treats, and drinks all night.”

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (LAST DAY)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/26 Live From Here with Chris Thile, Town Hall
10/26-27 Madeleine Peyroux, Sony Hall
10/28 Ingrid Michaelson, Webster Hall
10/29 Joshua Radin & The Weepies, Gramercy Theatre
10/30 Sleater-Kinney, Kings Theatre
10/30 Pink Martini, Beacon Theatre

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

The New Pornographers
November 7
Brooklyn Steel
We love a good Canadian supergroup, of which the New Pornographers are one.

Slayer and Ministry
November 9
Madison Square Garden
It’s a metal show! Slayer is billing this as their last tour, so catch ’em while you’ve got the chance.

Ariana Grande
November 12
Barclays Center
Ariana Grande has a great voice; enjoy it at this show.

The Ergs
November 15
Brooklyn Bazaar
New Jersey pop punks the Ergs—fronted by a singing drummer—play their loud, fast, catchy songs live.

Taking Back Sunday
November 15–16
Terminal 5
These Long Island screamo practitioners are still at it.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

Coming Soon

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/23 and 10/21.
============================================================

Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/24) + Today’s Featured Pub (WestVillage)

Posted on 10/24/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > THURSDAY/ OCTOBER 24, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Melanie Charles’s Make Jazz Trill Again Project
Atrium @ Lincoln Center / 7:30PM, FREE
“Trained as an opera singer before turning to jazz, Brooklyn-based artist Melanie Charles has been making waves with her voice and versatility. Deemed “one of the most dynamic vocal pipes ever witnessed” by KariJazz, Charles can channel Nina Simone and Nancy Wilson as well her Haitian roots in one rousing and unequivocally unique concert. She has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center and on Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and collaborated with artists such as SZA, Jean Grae, and the Gorillaz. Tonight, Charles showcases her jazz-rooted, lo-fi multi-media experience in this captivating performance at the Atrium.”

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6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Houston Ballet
>> BRIC JazzFest Marathon
>> Mark Nadler: The Old Razzle Dazzle
>> Billy Hart Quartet
>> The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
>> Jennifer Tucker with Mark Frassetto and Saul Cornell on A Right to Bear Arms?

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Houston Ballet (Oct. 24-26)
City Center, 131 W. 55th St./ 7:30PM, $35+
“New Yorkers like to think that they have the best ballet companies, but Houston Ballet gives them a run for their money. Since 2003, the Australian choreographer Stanton Welch has led its stable of exemplary dancers with a varied repertory. It’s one of the few ballet companies that the choreographer Mark Morris, who is picky, is willing to work with. This is lucky for us, because the company is bringing one of Morris’s recent works to City Center for a short run, Oct. 24-26, its first New York engagement in six years. Morris’s “The Letter V,” set to a Haydn symphony, is witty, lucid, and formal—he describes it as “pastoral.” The other two dances on the program are Aszure Barton’s “Come In” and “Reflections,” by Justin Peck, a choreographer usually associated with New York City Ballet. The Peck work, which he created for Houston this year, is quiet and full of clean geometries, a meditation on order and symmetry set to a piece for two pianos by Sufjan Stevens. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.” (Marina Harss, NewYorker)

BRIC JazzFest Marathon (Oct.24-26)
BRIC House, Fort Greene / 7:30PM, $35
“One of the borough’s most celebrated musical institutions, BRIC is best known for its staple summer concert series, Celebrate Brooklyn! in Prospect Park. The organization puts the same keen curatorial eye for both local and international musicians to work at this massive festival. A week of jazz-related films and works culminates in a three-night star-studden marathon at the BRIC House in Fort Greene.” (TONY)

Mark Nadler: The Old Razzle Dazzle
Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe / 7PM, $30
“The hardest-working man in cabaret, Nadler tickles the ivories and the audience with his zany blend of musical intelligence and vaudevillian showmanship. His latest set is devoted to the art of the con, as laid out in the the sheets of the Great American Songbook.” (TONY)

Billy Hart Quartet (Oct. 22-27)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“What the Billy Hart Quartet has going for it, besides a veteran drummer whose C.V. is as rich in mainstream work (Stan Getz) as it is in left-of-center endeavors (Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi outfit), is a triumvirate of compelling players—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the saxophonist Mark Turner, and the bassist Ben Street—who take cues from the ecumenical leanings of their leader. This is an exemplary post-bop band whose excellent recordings offer only a taste of what it achieves live.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl St./ 6:30PM, $10
Evening Lecture Presented by Josh Mensch
“In 1776, an elite group of soldiers were handpicked to serve as George Washington’s bodyguards. In the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, these trusted soldiers took part in a deadly plot against the most important member of the military: Washington himself.

Drawing on extensive research, Mensch will discuss how Washington not only defeated the most powerful military force in the world, but also uncovered the secret plot against him.”

Jennifer Tucker with Mark Frassetto and Saul Cornell on A Right to Bear Arms?
Book Culture, 536 W. 112th St./7PM, FREE
“This collection of essays explores the way history itself has become a contested element within the national legal debate about firearms.

The debate over the Second Amendment has unveiled new and useful information about the history of guns and their possession and meaning in the United States of America. History itself has become contested ground in the debate about firearms and in the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Specifically this collection of essays gives special attention to the important and often overlooked dimension of the applications of history in the law.”

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/24 Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Town Hall
10/24 Jenny Lewis, Kings Theatre
10/24 Cigarettes After Sex, Brooklyn Steel
10/26 Live From Here with Chris Thile, Town Hall
10/26-27 Madeleine Peyroux, Sony Hall
10/28 Ingrid Michaelson, Webster Hall
10/29 Joshua Radin & The Weepies, Gramercy Theatre
10/30 Sleater-Kinney, Kings Theatre
10/30 Pink Martini, Beacon Theatre

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

The New Pornographers
November 7
Brooklyn Steel
We love a good Canadian supergroup, of which the New Pornographers are one.

Slayer and Ministry
November 9
Madison Square Garden
It’s a metal show! Slayer is billing this as their last tour, so catch ’em while you’ve got the chance.

Ariana Grande
November 12
Barclays Center
Ariana Grande has a great voice; enjoy it at this show.

The Ergs
November 15
Brooklyn Bazaar
New Jersey pop punks the Ergs—fronted by a singing drummer—play their loud, fast, catchy songs live.

Taking Back Sunday
November 15–16
Terminal 5
These Long Island screamo practitioners are still at it.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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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.

kac_120405_phude_corner_bistro_bar_1000-600x450In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town.

The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro celebrated it’s 55th anniversary last year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $9.75, 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: 1 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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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/23) + GallerySpecialExhibits: Chelsea

Posted on 10/23/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > WEDNESDAY/ OCTOBER 23, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Billy Hart Quartet (Oct. 22-27)
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S./ 8:30PM, +10:30PM, $35
“What the Billy Hart Quartet has going for it, besides a veteran drummer whose C.V. is as rich in mainstream work (Stan Getz) as it is in left-of-center endeavors (Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi outfit), is a triumvirate of compelling players—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the saxophonist Mark Turner, and the bassist Ben Street—who take cues from the ecumenical leanings of their leader. This is an exemplary post-bop band whose excellent recordings offer only a taste of what it achieves live.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> ALESSIA CARA
>> ‘Inside Chamber Music
>> Robert Glasper: Tribute to Roy Hargrove
>> Turandot – Metropolitan Opera
>> Mark Nadler: The Old Razzle Dazzle
>>American Ballet Theatre
>> coming soon

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

ALESSIA CARA
at PlayStation Theater / 7:30 p.m.; $48
“Millennial angst finally caught up with pop music: Where the Top 40 was populated with exuberant, hedonistic party anthems just a few years ago, today it’s increasingly flecked with unease. This Canadian upstart was keyed into this trend from the time she released her first single, “Here,” a cool alt-R&B ode to introversion, in 2015. Though she sometimes disappears into the soulless duties of major label stardom (tracking vocals for Zedd, singing on the “Moana” soundtrack), Cara produces her most memorable work when she foregrounds her own anxieties, as on her beauty-myth-blasting hit, “Scars to Your Beautiful.” (NYT-OLIVIA HORN)

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Inside Chamber Music
Rose Studio, Lincoln Center / 6:30PM, $25
“This season, Inside Chamber Music expands to explore twelve milestone chamber music works. Join distinguished composer and radio personality Bruce Adolphe for investigations and insights into masterworks that changed the trajectory of the genre. Inside Chamber Music lectures are beloved by regulars and a revelation to first-timers for their depth, accessibility, and brilliance. Each lecture is supported by excerpts from the featured piece, performed live by CMS artists.”

Robert Glasper: Tribute to Roy Hargrove
@ Blue Note / 8PM, +10:30PM, $45 (tough ticket, try the 10:30 set)
“Robert Glasper continues his month-long residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club, and tonight’s shows are part of a run of Roy Hargrove tributes with Terrace Martin, Keyon Harrold, Marcus Strickland, Ben Williams, Justin Tyson, Elena Pinderhughes, and Renea Neufville. Glasper is also known for bringing out other surprise guests at these shows… let’s see if he does tonight.” (brooklynvegan.com)

The Metropolitan Opera
Turandot (next Oct.26, 8:30PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $53+
“Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Roberto Aronica and Marco Berti as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritones James Morris and Nicolas Testé as Timur.”

Mark Nadler: The Old Razzle Dazzle
Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe / 7PM, $30
“The hardest-working man in cabaret, Nadler tickles the ivories and the audience with his zany blend of musical intelligence and vaudevillian showmanship. His latest set is devoted to the art of the con, as laid out in the the sheets of the Great American Songbook.” (TONY)

American Ballet Theatre
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM; $30+
“The “Balanchine, Bennett & the Beach Boys” program combines Balanchine’s “Apollo,” Jessica Lang’s jazzy new work to Tony Bennett songs and Twyla Tharp’s rollicking “Deuce Coupe” with a duet by Clark Tippet, a company member who died of AIDS in 1992 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and Oct. 24). For “The Masters” program, Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” is grouped with Tharp’s new “A Gathering of Ghosts” and Alexei Ratmansky’s fresh, recent ballet, “The Seasons” (Saturday evening and Tuesday). Wednesday’s “The New Romantics” program includes another piece by Lang along with works by Ballet Theater’s Gemma Bond, a member of the corps, and James Whiteside, a principal dancer.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

More Smart Stuff coming soon.

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

=============================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

Chelsea Art Gallery District*

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world. Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues. Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art.

Here is one exhibition the New Yorker likes:

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For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com) Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

*Now plan your own gallery crawl, but better plan your visits for Tuesday through Saturday; most galleries are closed Sunday and Monday.

TIP: After your gallery tour, stop in Ovest at 513W27th St. for Aperitivo Italiano (Happy Hour on steroids). Discuss all the great art you have viewed over a drink and a very tasty selection of FREE appetizers (M-F, 5-8pm). OR try this NYT recommendation: “When you’re done, adjourn to the newly renovated Bottino , the Chelsea art world’s unofficial canteen on 10th Avenue (btw 24/25 St.) “

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see recent posts in right sidebar dated 10/21 and 10/19.
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Bonus NYC Music Venues:
So much fine live music every night in this town. These are my favorite non jazz music venues on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who’s playing tonight:

City Winery – 155 Varick St., citywinery.com, 212-608-0555
Joe’s Pub @ Public Theater – 425 Lafayette St., joespub.com, 212-967-7555
Beacon Theatre – 2124 Broadway @ 74th St., beacontheatre.com, 212-465-6500
Town Hall – 123 W43rd St., thetownhall.org, 212-997-6661
Le Poisson Rouge – 158 Bleecker St., lepoissonrouge.com, 212-505-3474
and one more, not quite WestSide
Bowery Ballroom – 6 Delancey St. boweryballroom.com

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. caffevivaldi.com, 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening discovery and enjoyment.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.

I MEMORIALIZE THIS WONDERFUL CLUB AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/22) + Today’s Featured Pub (Midtown West)

Posted on 10/22/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > TUESDAY/ OCTOBER 22, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

American Ballet Theatre
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 7:30PM; $30+
“The “Balanchine, Bennett & the Beach Boys” program combines Balanchine’s “Apollo,” Jessica Lang’s jazzy new work to Tony Bennett songs and Twyla Tharp’s rollicking “Deuce Coupe” with a duet by Clark Tippet, a company member who died of AIDS in 1992 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and Oct. 24). For “The Masters” program, Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” is grouped with Tharp’s new “A Gathering of Ghosts” and Alexei Ratmansky’s fresh, recent ballet, “The Seasons” (Saturday evening and Tuesday). Wednesday’s “The New Romantics” program includes another piece by Lang along with works by Ballet Theater’s Gemma Bond, a member of the corps, and James Whiteside, a principal dancer.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> The Lineup with Susie Mosher
>> ‘SWEET-O-WEEN’
>> Manon-Metropolitan Opera
>> Charli XCX
>> Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju
>> Elizabeth Cobbs, The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers
>> Andrew S. Lewis and Lis Harris on The Drowning of Money Island

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Birdland / 9:30PM, $25
“Mosher is one of those talents you need to see to believe: warm, funny, biting, ferociously committed. In her weekly series at the downstairs Birdland Theater, she invites a gaggle of performers from Broadway and beyond to show their talents. Guests at the October 22 edition includ Andrea Dotto and Matt Cusack, Jessica Hendy And Jacob Yates, Justin Squigs Robertson, Marta Sanders, Leanne Borghesi, Sarah White Pruden, Holland Simmons and Weber, Drinkwater Bros., Sam Behr and musical director Brad Simmons.” (TONY)

‘SWEET-O-WEEN’
at Chelsea Music Hall / 9 p.m.; $13
“Sweet,” the monthly residency hosted by Seth Herzog, a warm-up comedian and frequent performer on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” continues with a Halloween theme. The featured guest performers include Gary Gulman, fresh from the premiere of his HBO stand-up special, as well as the Lucas Brothers and Brett Davis.” (NYT-Sean L. McCarthy)

The Metropolitan Opera
Manon (next Oct.26, 1PM)
Metropolitan Opera House / 7:30PM, $53+
“Exhilarating soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life, in Laurent Pelly’s revealing production. Tenor Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing. Maurizio Benini conducts Massenet’s sensual score.”

Charli XCX
Terminal 5 / 8PM, $35
“This bubblegummy singer has come far since the viral popularity of 2012’s “I Love It”—seven mixtapes and full-lengths, as well as several collabs with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, PC Music and Troye Sivan, to be exact. Refining her signature raucous, aggressive dance-club edge, new anthems “1999” and “Gone” demonstrate a wholly different songwriting maturity. Hence, a new album title to represent the full actualization: Charli. Catch the songs off the brand new eponymous third studio release here at this T5 gig.” (TONY)

Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju (Oct.19-22)
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
(U.S. production premiere)
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall / 7:30PM, $
“At the turn of 18th-century Japan, a clerk and a courtesan committed suicide in the forest of Tenjin. The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, a tragic play based upon these events, was banned after its 1703 premiere for more than two centuries. For this U.S. production premiere, renowned artist Hiroshi Sugimoto presents a bold, contemporary interpretation of the classic drama using bunraku puppet theater with music by Living National Treasure Seiji Tsurusawa and video by Tabaimo and Sugimoto. The puppets, imbued with life, captivate audiences with their lively movements rivaling the eloquence of actual human beings.”

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Elizabeth Cobbs, The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers
The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park S./ 8PM, FREE
“This is the story of how America’s first women soldiers helped win World War I…and then were forced to battle the U.S. Army. In 1918, 223 AT&T switchboard operators enlisted and were sent to France, where they ran communications while risking enemy fire and enduring an uneasy truce with male soldiers. After the war they were unexpectedly denied veteran status—and thus began a 60-year fight for recognition.” (ThoughtGallery)

Andrew S. Lewis and Lis Harris on The Drowning of Money Island
Book Culture, 536 W. 112th St./ 7PM, FREE
“A Forgotten Community’s Fight Against the Rising Seas” Threatening Coastal America”, tells the story of his hometown of Bayshore, NJ and the imperiled futures of less affluent coastal settlements.

The Drowning of Money Island is an intimate yet unbiased, lyrical yet investigative portrait of a rural community ravaged by sea level rise and economic hardship, as well as the increasingly divisive politics those factors have helped spawn. It invites us to confront how climate change is already intensifying preexisting inequality.”

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/21-22 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Steely Dan
October 22
Beacon Theatre
Donald Fagen keeps the jazz-rock music of Steely Dan, familiar from songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” going strong.
Advertisement

Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

A PremierPub / Midtown West

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

Sure, you could travel to Minsk or even Brighton Beach, for an authentic Russian experience, but why bother. On those days when you feel you must wash down your dish of kasha with a few glasses of icy, cold vodka, the Russian Vodka Room will definitely satisfy your urge.

From the outside this place looks a bit drab, and with no windows, a bit mysterious. Midtown tourists walk right by on their way to see “Jersey Boys,” just down the block.
(Alas, no more. After 10 years, “Jersey Boys” finally closed, now it’s “Mean Girls.”)

lThose in the know enter a secret hideaway, a dimly lit front room with soft jazz playing – a perfect spot for an illicit late-night rendezvous, or maybe a meet-up with your Russian spy handler, but that’s later in the evening. Early in the evening the large U-shaped bar fills with the after work happy hour crowd, a group made very happy by the much reduced prices.

Their website says: “Welcome Comrades”. Of course, this welcome focuses on dozens of different vodkas, including their own special infusions, which marinate in giant, clear glass jugs visible around the room. The large vodka martinis ensure that you won’t confuse this place with your mother’s Russian Tea Room.

But man does not live by vodka alone. Eat some food, especially the tapa like appetizers. Be decadent and try the cheese blintzes with chocolate, or try a main dish like beef stroganoff with kasha.

Your best bet is to go on a night when the piano man is playing. This guy, who looks like he has eaten a lot of those cheese blintzes, plays five nights a week from 7 to 12 (no Mondays and Thursdays). When the piano man is playing American pop tunes, and you are at the crowded, dimly lit bar testing the horseradish infused vodka, that’s when the RVR shines.

It’s the kind of place where the noise gets louder and the crowd gets happier as the happy hour goes on. I’m generally a beer guy, but I like to come here with a group of friends. We find a table in the back room near the piano man; we eat, and we drink vodka ‘till it hurts (and it will hurt).
=======================================================
Website: http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/
Phone #: 212-307-5835
Hours: 4pm-2am; Fri-Sun closes 4am (that could be trouble)
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day
$4 shots infused vodka (2oz), $5 cosmos; $4 czech draft beer
Music: FR-SU; TU-WE / 7pm-12am
Subway: #1 to 50th St.
Walk 2 blk N. on B’way to 52nd St.; 1 blk W. to RVR
Confusingly, the Russian Samovar is right across the street, on the S. side of 52nd St.
The RVR, your destination, is on the N. side of 52nd St.
Update: music now includes a younger, trimmer piano man. “Tiny” we miss you.

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

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

Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/21) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s 5th Avenue

Posted on 10/21/2019 by GregD

Today’s Super 7 NYC Events > MONDAY/ OCTOBER 21, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju (Oct.19-22)
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
(U.S. production premiere)
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall / 7:30PM, $
“At the turn of 18th-century Japan, a clerk and a courtesan committed suicide in the forest of Tenjin. The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, a tragic play based upon these events, was banned after its 1703 premiere for more than two centuries. For this U.S. production premiere, renowned artist Hiroshi Sugimoto presents a bold, contemporary interpretation of the classic drama using bunraku puppet theater with music by Living National Treasure Seiji Tsurusawa and video by Tabaimo and Sugimoto. The puppets, imbued with life, captivate audiences with their lively movements rivaling the eloquence of actual human beings.”

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

6 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Charli XCX
>> BJ THE CHICAGO KID
>> The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
>> Jim Caruso’s Cast Party
>> The Drama of Celebrity
>> Mark Morris

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Charli XCX
Terminal 5 / 8PM, $35
“This bubblegummy singer has come far since the viral popularity of 2012’s “I Love It”—seven mixtapes and full-lengths, as well as several collabs with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, PC Music and Troye Sivan, to be exact. Refining her signature raucous, aggressive dance-club edge, new anthems “1999” and “Gone” demonstrate a wholly different songwriting maturity. Hence, a new album title to represent the full actualization: Charli. Catch the songs off the brand new eponymous third studio release here at this T5 gig.” (TONY)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

BJ THE CHICAGO KID
at Music Hall of Williamsburg / 8 p.m.; $
“This R&B crooner, born Bryan J. Sledge, broadcasts ease and congeniality in his music. Though his songs rely heavily on the gospel vernacular, they champion earthly pleasures (“Sex X Money X Sneakers,” from 2012, clearly outlines his priorities), and his frequent appearances on tracks by Chance the Rapper, Schoolboy Q and the like reveal him to be an affable collaborator. But behind the breezy vibes is a workhorse who has been navigating the industry since the mid-2000s, when he cut his teeth as a backup singer to Mary Mary and Stevie Wonder. On Monday, Sledge will bring his neo-soul stylings to this Brooklyn concert hall in support of his recent album, “1123.” (OLIVIA HORN-NYT)

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Village Vanguard, 178 7th Ave. South (btw W11th/Perry St.) / 8:30PM +10:30PM, $35
“World class big band with 16 members on that small stage, a monday night institution.
“Almost exactly half a century ago, the trumpeter-composer-arranger Thad Jones and the drummer Mel Lewis began their Monday-night big band residency at the Village Vanguard, establishing what became a hallowed tradition.” (NYT)

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Cabaret)
Birdland, 315 West 44th St. (btw 8/9 ave) / 9:30PM, $25-$30
“The witty host attracts broadway stars on their night off, along with up and comers.”
“Part cabaret, part piano bar and part social set, Cast Party offers a chance to hear rising and established talents step up to the microphone (backed by the slap and tickle of Steve Doyle on bass and Billy Stritch at the ivories, plus the bang of Daniel Glass on drums). The waggish Caruso presides as host.” (TONY)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

The Drama of Celebrity
Columbia University, 116th St. & Broadway / 6:15PM, FREE
“With celebrity culture debasing so many layers of our society it’s a great time to examine where popular fame began. Columbia professor Sharon Marcus leads a panel of experts discussing her new book, The Drama of Celebrity, an exhaustively researched look at the roots of celebrity and the many forces that go into manufacturing it.” (ThoughtGallery)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

Mark Morris (with Wesley Stace)
Exclusive pre-publication memoir launch. Mark Morris in conversation with Wesley Stace, and a special appearance by the
Mark Morris Dance Group, 3 Lafayette Ave./ 7:30PM, $45
All tickets include a copy of Out Loud, to be distributed at the event.

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/21-22 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Steely Dan
October 22
Beacon Theatre
Donald Fagen keeps the jazz-rock music of Steely Dan, familiar from songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” going strong.
Advertisement

Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

COMING SOON.

===========================================================
Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
==============================================================
For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/19 and 10/17.
============================================================

Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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

NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/20) + Today’s Featured Pub (Greenwich Village)

Posted on 10/20/2019 by GregD

Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ OCTOBER 20, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

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

Taste of the Seaport
Sample foods, down by the East River
“Back for another go-around, the annual “Taste of the Seaport” will feature reps from more than 40 restaurants, all set up with samples of their wares along the waterfront. Several vendors will also be on hand, a KidsZone will be in place to keep the little ones entertained. Grown-ups can enjoy live music, wine and beer. Proceeds benefit PS 343 Peck Slip School and PS 397 Spruce Street School.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 20; South Street Seaport, Piers 16 and 17 (between John and Fulton streets),
INFO $45 (five tastes)-$150 “family pack” (20 tastes); tasteoftheseaport.org

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

5 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> Lee Konitz Nonet
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> PIE BAKING 101
>> Open House New York
>> Margaret Mead Film Festival
>> more coming soon

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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

Music, Dance, Performing Art

Lee Konitz Nonet
Jazz Gallery, 1160 Broadway, at 27th St., Fifth fl./
With his cool tone and exacting phrasing, Lee Konitz, a brilliant alto saxophonist who diverged from Charlie Parker in the late forties, still sounds like no one else on the horn. The ninety-two-year-old icon has found an invaluable collaborator in the saxophonist and arranger Ohad Talmor; Talmor’s charts, which will be re-created at this performance, anchor Konitz’s weaving improvisations on the recent album “Old Songs New.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

American Ballet Theatre
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 2PM, $
“The “Balanchine, Bennett & the Beach Boys” program combines Balanchine’s “Apollo,” Jessica Lang’s jazzy new work to Tony Bennett songs and Twyla Tharp’s rollicking “Deuce Coupe” with a duet by Clark Tippet, a company member who died of AIDS in 1992 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and Oct. 24). For “The Masters” program, Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” is grouped with Tharp’s new “A Gathering of Ghosts” and Alexei Ratmansky’s fresh, recent ballet, “The Seasons” (Saturday evening and Tuesday). Wednesday’s “The New Romantics” program includes another piece by Lang along with works by Ballet Theater’s Gemma Bond, a member of the corps, and James Whiteside, a principal dancer.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

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

Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Open House New York (Oct.18-20)
Citywide, More than 150 sites are free
“The Open House New York weekend gives you access to some of the city’s most important and interesting spaces including Tribeca’s African Burial Ground National Monument; Staten Island’s Fort Wadsworth, which was completed in 1864; and the city’s compost facilities. Take a peek into the neighborhood places you’ve always wondered about, or head to the boroughs you rarely visit — through Open House New York, you can learn more about the city’s architecture, design, history, and trash.” (Thrillist.com)

PIE BAKING 101
See if baking is really as easy as pie
Cook Space, Culinary Studio, Prospect Heights / 11AM-1:30PM, $95
“Get a headstart on pie-baking season with a Pie Baking 101 class at Brooklyn’s Cook Space. With tips on how to make a pate brisee (a classic pie crust) and a pate sucree (a sweet pie crust), you can learn how to bake a pumpkin pie that will impress your friends, wow your new girlfriend, or make your mother-in-law eat some humble pie. If you’re all thumbs in the kitchen, you’ve got plenty of time to practice between now and Thanksgiving.” (thrillist.com)

Margaret Mead Film Festival (Oct.17-20)
American Museum of Natural History / various times, $12
“Named for anthropologist Margaret Mead, this film festival spotlights documentaries, shorts, and other media intended to deepen our understanding of the world. Watch a film about Australia’s Indigenous drag queens competing for the title of Miss First Nation; learn how the people of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, are balancing growth with ecological issues; or see the chilling (and charming) future of AI unfold. It’s not Joker, but it might make you a better citizen of the world.” (Thrillist.com)

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

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

COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/20 Jim James & Teddy Abrams, (le) Poisson Rouge
10/21-22 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Steely Dan
October 15, 16, 18, 19 and 22
Beacon Theatre
Donald Fagen keeps the jazz-rock music of Steely Dan, familiar from songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” going strong.
Advertisement

Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

==========================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

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

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’. ”

maxresdefaultEach night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of fairly priced wines,  but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. Their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYCity will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

CAFFE VIVALDI HAS CLOSED, VERY SAD.
I HAVE LEFT THIS REVIEW ON MY SITE AS A KIND OF MEMORIAL and A WARNING. WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

As reported in the “Gothamist”:
“Caffe Vivaldi, one of the last bohemian bastions of the West Village, is set to close this weekend. During its 35 years on Jones Street, the casual cafe won the hearts of locals and celebs alike, including Oscar Isaac, Bette Midler, and Al Pacino.

Despite that friendly communal atmosphere, the owners ultimately struggled to survive under their notorious vulture landlord Steve Croman, who they say waged a harassment campaign against the restaurant, and eventually tripled their rent.”
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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.

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

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St. (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $9 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S. (corner of Bleecker St.)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th St. (btw. University Place/5th ave.)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. It’s cramped, even for NYCity, but usually there is room up the spiral staircase to sit down and eat. In good weather carry your sandwich a few blocks to Union Square park. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”
No reservations needed.
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NYCity is the most diverse and interesting place to find a meal anywhere in the world. With more than 24,000 eating establishments you might welcome some advice.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places, and essays on my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods on Manhattan’s WestSide, order a copy of my e-book:
“Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($4.99, available WINTER 2020).
◊ Order before FEB. 28, 2020 and receive a bonus – 27 of my favorite casual dining places with free Wi-Fi.

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Bonus: Nifty 9 – Best Cabarets / Piano Bars NYCity
These are my favorite places for an after dinner night on the town – music and drinks.
Hit the Hot Link and check out what’s happening tonight:

Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 W 54th St.

The Green Room 42 – 570 Tenth Ave.

Don’t Tell Mama – 343 W 46th St.

The Rum House, in the Hotel Edison – 228 W. 47th St.

Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 W 42nd St.

Marie’s Crisis – 59 Grove St.

The Duplex – 61 Christopher St.

Sid Gold’s Request Room – 165 W 26th St.

Cafe Carlyle, in the Carlyle Hotel – 35 E. 76th St.
This is the only one not located on Manhattan’s WestSide, and it ain’t cheap, but it has some of the finest singers.

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):
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NYC Events,”Only the Best” (10/19) + Museum Special Exhibitions: Manhattan’s WestSide

Posted on 10/19/2019 by GregD

Today’s Elite 8 NYC Events > SATURDAY/ OCTOBER 19, 2019

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as 1-2-3.

For future NYC Events, check the tab above:  “October NYC Events”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.

OR to make your own after dinner plans TONIGHT, see the tab above;  “LiveMusic.”

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

George Coleman Quartet Oct. 17-20)
Smoke, 2751 Broadway / 7PM, +9PM, $
“The unexpected death of the accomplished pianist Harold Mabern, in September, makes the tenor saxophonist George Coleman—Mabern’s boyhood friend and frequent collaborator—one of the last surviving members of the celebrated musical contingent that emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, in the late fifties. A recently released recording, “The Quartet,” celebrates the spirited cohesion that the Coleman-Mabern alliance achieved through the decades. For this engagement, the greatly mourned pianist will be replaced by Michael Weiss.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

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7 OTHER TOP NYC EVENTS TODAY (see below for full listing)
>> American Ballet Theatre
>> RAGAS LIVE FESTIVAL
>> Universal Jazz Ensemble
>> Steely Dan
>> Open House New York
>> Margaret Mead Film Festival
>> Author Talk: “I Was Their American Dream” & “Americana”

You may want to look at previous days posts for events that continue through today.

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Music, Dance, Performing Art

American Ballet Theatre
NYS Theater, Lincoln Center / 2PM, +8PM; $
“The “Balanchine, Bennett & the Beach Boys” program combines Balanchine’s “Apollo,” Jessica Lang’s jazzy new work to Tony Bennett songs and Twyla Tharp’s rollicking “Deuce Coupe” with a duet by Clark Tippet, a company member who died of AIDS in 1992 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and Oct. 24). For “The Masters” program, Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” is grouped with Tharp’s new “A Gathering of Ghosts” and Alexei Ratmansky’s fresh, recent ballet, “The Seasons” (Saturday evening and Tuesday). Wednesday’s “The New Romantics” program includes another piece by Lang along with works by Ballet Theater’s Gemma Bond, a member of the corps, and James Whiteside, a principal dancer.” (NYT-Brian Schaefer)

Elsewhere, but this looks worth the detour:

RAGAS LIVE FESTIVAL
at Pioneer Works / 7 p.m.; $35
“This nonstop, 24-hour music festival, now in its eighth year, will feature performances from over 70 musicians from across the worlds of Indian classical, jazz and other improvised music. The festival kicks off on Saturday night with a set from the percussionist Adam Rudolph and his Moving Pictures ensemble; it closes on Sunday evening with the Brooklyn Raga Massive’s “In D,” a new piece for large ensemble inspired by Terry Riley’s minimalist classic “In C.” In between, performers will include the esteemed bassist Reggie Workman, the young mridangam player Rajna Swaminathan and the sitarist Neel Murgai.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Universal Jazz Ensemble
Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th St./ 7PM, +9:30PM, $
“Joe Lovano’s prowess as a saxophonist is matched only by his near-obsessive craving for fresh musical experiences. The Universal Jazz Ensemble is yet another newly minted group from the musician; this one features a fusion of long-established improvisers—including the pianist Kenny Werner, the drummer Andrew Cyrille, and the vocalist Judi Silvano—with such younger talents as the drummer Tyshawn Sorey, the bassist John Patitucci, the guitarist Liberty Ellman, and the cornettist Graham Haynes. Their collective avant-leaning slant lends a tantalizing edge to the proceedings.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

Steely Dan
“Following the 2017 passing of co-founder Walter Becker, Steely Dan is now led by fellow original Donald Fagen, pictured. Fagen and the other players will keep the act’s iconic funk-meets-jazz-meets-rock sound alive in unique fashion for multiple dates at the Beacon Theatre. The band will perform a different classic album in its entirety each night, as well as an evening of greatest hits and another billed as a popular demand performance.” (Newsday)
WHEN | WHERE 8 p.m. Oct. 18-19 and 22, Beacon Theatre: 2124 Broadway, Manhattan INFO $ $159.50- $499; steelydan.com

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Smart Stuff / Other NYC EventS

Open House New York (Oct.18-20)
Citywide, More than 150 sites are free
“The Open House New York weekend gives you access to some of the city’s most important and interesting spaces including Tribeca’s African Burial Ground National Monument; Staten Island’s Fort Wadsworth, which was completed in 1864; and the city’s compost facilities. Take a peek into the neighborhood places you’ve always wondered about, or head to the boroughs you rarely visit — through Open House New York, you can learn more about the city’s architecture, design, history, and trash.” (Thrillist.com)

Margaret Mead Film Festival (Oct.17-20)
American Museum of Natural History / various times, $12
“Named for anthropologist Margaret Mead, this film festival spotlights documentaries, shorts, and other media intended to deepen our understanding of the world. Watch a film about Australia’s Indigenous drag queens competing for the title of Miss First Nation; learn how the people of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, are balancing growth with ecological issues; or see the chilling (and charming) future of AI unfold. It’s not Joker, but it might make you a better citizen of the world.” (Thrillist.com)

Author Talk: “I Was Their American Dream” & “Americana”
New York Public Library—Grand Central Library, 135 E. 46th St./ 2PM, FREE
“Join Grand Central Library for a conversation with the creators of two of the most talked-about graphic-novels of 2019 as they discuss their own life-changing journeys on the road to identity and self-discovery in America.

I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib

Americana (And The Act Of Getting Over It.) by Luke Healy”

Continuing Events

Ron Carter (Oct. 1-26)
Birdland, 315 W. 44th St./ various times, $30-$40
“If Ron Carter had retired in the mid-seventies, after helping cement the sonic identity of the now revered CTI Records, he’d still be recognized as one of the most substantial bassists in jazz history, having shared stages with a slew of legendary figures (including Miles Davis) and recorded with dozens more—but he didn’t. He has since added thousands of recordings to his résumé and established a respected solo career. Week one of this monthlong stint features the exemplary instrumentalist fronting his Great Big Band.” (Steve Futterman, NewYorker)

The 12th Imagine Science Film Festival (Oct.18-25)
Various locations, times and prices.
“Founded at Rockefeller University by geneticist and filmmaker Alexis Gambis in 2008, ISF has produced annual science film festivals in New York, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, as well as at satellite events worldwide, and serves as a major venue for the release of new and experimental works bridging the worlds of science and film. We seek to challenge and expand the role of science in the current cultural discourse by providing a forum for adventurous interdisciplinary collaboration.”

Archtober (Oct.1-31)
Various Locations / Times
“During this monthlong architecture-and-design festival, you can poke around NYC’s most prominent buildings (like the new Statue of Liberty Museum), attend lectures, films and other events—such as seeing Erez Nevi Pana’s piece Bleached at Cooper Hewitt.” (TONY)

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COMING SOON (WFUV)

10/18-19 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/19 Tank & The Bangas, Apollo Theater
10/20 Jim James & Teddy Abrams, (le) Poisson Rouge
10/21-22 Steely Dan, Beacon Theatre
10/23 Cigarettes After Sex, Webster Hall

Fall Concerts (nycgo.com)

David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway
October 4­, 2019–January 19, 2020
Hudson Theatre
The Talking Heads frontman hits Broadway with a show based on his latest album—but you can expect some old favorites as well.

Steely Dan
October 15, 16, 18, 19 and 22
Beacon Theatre
Donald Fagen keeps the jazz-rock music of Steely Dan, familiar from songs like “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” going strong.
Advertisement

Alessia Cara
October 23
PlayStation Theatre
The Canadian pop and R&B star known for the song “Here” plays in Times Square.

Sleater-Kinney
October 30 and 31
Kings Theatre and Hammerstein Ballroom
Minus one Janet Weiss, the Pacific Northwest rockers tour behind new album The Center Won’t Hold.

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♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, plus dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of  8.6 million, had a record 65 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2019 – the ninth consecutive year. BUT quality shows draw crowds. Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just earlier on the day of performance.

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WHAT’S ON VIEW
These are My Fave Special Exhibitions @ MUSEUMS / Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue
(See the New York Times Arts Section for listings of all museum exhibitions,
and also see the expanded reviews of these exhibitions)

Jewish Museum

‘SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION’

“After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought and refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles modern and contemporary art, by Jews and gentiles alike — Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze — with 4,000 years of Judaica. The works are shown in a nimble, non-chronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilletantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations.” (Farago) 212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

Museum of the City of New York

NY AT ITS CORE (ongoing)
“Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org” (NYCity Guide)

and you should be sure to check out these special exhibitions at that little museum on Fifth Ave., The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(open 7 days /week, AND always Pay What You Wish for NewYorkers)

Coming Soon

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Museum Mile is a section of Fifth Avenue which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world. Eight museums can be found along this section of Fifth Avenue:
• 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio (closed Sun-Mon)*
• 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York (open 7 days /week)
•  92nd Street – The Jewish Museum (closed Wed) (Sat FREE) (Thu 5-8 PWYW)
•  91st Street  –  Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (open 7 days /week)
•  89th Street –  National Academy Museum (closed Mon-Tue)
•  88th Street –  Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (closed Thu) (Sat 6-8 PWYW)
•  86th Street –  Neue Galerie New York (closed Tue-Wed) (Fri 6-8 FREE)
Last, but certainly not least, America’s premier museum
•  82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (open 7 days /week)*
*always Pay What You Wish (PWYW) for NewYorkers

Although technically not part of the Museum Mile, the Frick Collection (closed Mon) (Wed 2-6pm PWYW; First Friday each month (exc Jan+Sep) 6-9pm FREE) on the corner of 70th St. and Fifth Avenue and the The Morgan Library & Museum (closed Mon) (Fri 7-9 FREE) on Madison Ave and 37th St are also located near Fifth Ave.
Now plan your own museum crawl (info on hours & admission updated June 2, 2015).
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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 10/17 and 10/15.
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Bonus Live Music  – NYC Jazz Clubs:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. My favorite Jazz Clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide, feature top talent every night of the week.
Hit the Hot Link and check out who is playing tonight:

Greenwich Village:
(4 are underground, classic jazz joints. all 6 are within walking distance of each other):
Village Vanguard – UG, 178 7th Ave. So., villagevanguard.com, 212-255-4037 (1st 8:30)
Blue Note – 131 W3rd St. nr 6th ave. bluenotejazz.com, 212-475-8592 (1st set 8pm)
55 Bar – basement @55 Christopher St. nr 7th ave.S. 55bar.com, 212-929-9883 (1st 7pm)
Mezzrow – basement @ 163 W10th St. nr 7th Ave. mezzrow.com,646-476-4346 (1st 8)
Smalls – basement @ 183 W10th St. smallslive.com, 646-476-4346 (1st set 7:30pm)
The Stone at The New School – 55 w13 St. (btw 6/5 ave) – thestonenyc.com (8:30PM)

Outside Greenwich Village:
Dizzy’s Club – Broadway @ 60th St. — jazz.org/dizzys / 212-258-9595 (1st set 7:30pm)
Birdland – 315 W44th St.(btw 8/9ave) — birdlandjazz.com / 212-581-3080 (1st 8:30pm)
Smoke Jazz Club – 2751 Broadway nr.106th St. — smokejazz.com/ 212-864-6662 (7pm)
Jazz Standard – 116 E27 St. (btw Park/Lex) – jazzstandard.com – (1st set 7:30)

For a comprehensive list of the best places to hear All Types of Live Music in Manhattan see the tab above “LiveMusic.”

In Memoriam:
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538 (1st 7pm)
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprised with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It was my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.
Alas, Caffe V is no more, another victim of a rapacious NYC landlord. Owner Ishrat fought the good fight and Caffe V will be sorely missed.
Cornelia Street Cafe – UG, 29 Cornelia St. corneliastreetcafe.com, 212-989-9319
And more recently we have lost Cornelia Street Cafe. After 41 years, it too became another victim of an unreasonable rent increase.

I MEMORIALIZE THESE TWO WONDERFUL CLUBS AS A WARNING.
WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES.

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NYT Theater Reviews – Our theater critics on the plays and musicals currently open in New York City.

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

NYCity Vacation Travel Guide Video (Expedia):

 

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