There is a lot to
hear and see in this town – just
follow my lead
New York is a city
that breathes music, regardless of what one might think. There are
countless venues here, where on any given night you can wonder in and
listen to Latin, Middle Eastern, Asian (Korean Jazz on W32nd St.!!) at
little or no cost at all save your bar tab. The same goes with other
genres, ranging from rock to jazz to everything in between.
Selecting who to
hear might be a daunting task. Just walking through Greenwich Village,
you find well-known venues like The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard,
Cornelia Street Cafe, The Village Underground, Small's, the more
affordable Fat Cat, The Village Bistro and the veritable Bitter End,
where names like Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and Neil Diamond
made their names in decades past.
And there is also
Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island – just in Park Slope there
are the Tea Lounge, Barbes and Southpaw – to mention a few. On my neck
of the woods I can mention Cargo Cafe (jazz on Wednesdays), Adobe Blues
(music on the weekend) , Killmeyer's Bavarian Inn and Alor Cafe, a new
jazz venue that I am yet to find out exactly where it is.
Given my work
schedule and the fact that I need time to write and sleep (don't get
much of that these days) I try limit my music outings to 1-2 times a
week (sometimes more, especially in the summer). I know it doesn't sound
as much, but if you consider that by the end of the year I have attended
almost 200 shows, you begin to understand how it is. Lately, I've been
avoiding going anywhere on Sunday night – after all, I do need a day for
cooking my elaborate dishes while watching a DVD while going through a
bottle of wine or two with the missus.
For those who happen
to be in town, I can recommend a few things that are going on this
weekend. Tonight, the great Hiromi Uehara plays at Carnegie Hall. I have
written a lot about her, so I guess introductions are not exactly
needed. On Friday, New York-born vocalist Alexis Cole performs at St.
Peter's Church in celebration of her new collection of Holiday songs
entitled The Greatest Gift – Songs of The Season, a disc made
with a cause in mind: the proceedings from both her New York and Chicago
concerts benefit the World Bicycle Relief. You can find details on her
web page at www.alexiscole.com
(I will be attending that one)
On Saturday, Renaldo
The Ensemble plays its final performance at The Living Room – they've
had a longtime residence there doing their mix of Latin, burlesque,
opera, rock God knows what else. I heard their recent self-release CD
What Are You? and was impressed by what I heard. Unfortunately I
have been unable to catch them live as they perform after 11 – and I
need to be up at 8 on Sunday in order to prepare to play at the church
of Our Lady on Pompeii on Sunday afternoon – and I need my beauty sleep.
Check them out at
http://www.myspace.com/therenaldotheensemble
Finally, those
inclined to sacred music might want to head to Emmanuel Baptist Church
in Brooklyn (279 Lafayette Avenue), where my good friend David Russell
will be part of a band performing a special Holiday music program –
Performances will be at 8, 10 and 12 noon. For more info, visit http://www.ebc-ny.org
