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Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sylvie Courvoisier Trio feat. Drew Gress & Kenny Wollensen
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/brandon-lopez/
Improvising pianist Sylvie Courvoisier: a crystalline touch and a steel-trap mind.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Flushing: pour 2 oz. Cognac (see what I did?) and 1 oz. Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Anel Bat Dawid & Sistas of the Nitty Gritty
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
7:00 PM
Ecstatic Music Festival
Kaufman Music Center Live Stream
$15
https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/ecstatic-music-the-dawid-sivad-scott-trio/
Clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid is one of the jewels of the fertile Chicago avant-jazz scene. I've never seen her live, but her records are FANTASTIC. Her music is spiritual, spirited, righteous.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Yeah yeah a Chicago: rub the rim of a Champagne flute with a lemon wedge and dip the rim in superfine sugar. Pour 2 oz. Brandy and 1/4 teaspoon of Cointreau, with 1 dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine (oh, come on, make it Champagne).
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Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Lee Mingwei & Bill T. Jones: Our Labyrinth
DANCE / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
12:00 – 4:30 PM
Lee Mingwei & Bill T. Jones: Our Labyrinth
Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Wing, Charles Engelhard Court
1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
YouTube
Free on YouTube; Free with Museum Admission live
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/lee-mingwei-bill-t-jones-our-labyrinth/
The great Bill T. Jones helps reinterpret for New York a durational performance piece by Lee Mingwei. This is the wrap-up. Among the dancers is Sara Mearns!!!!!!!!!!.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those attending live should pick up a Black and White at William Greenberg: they'll feel better. Those watching at home can have an Abbey: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (you know I'm gonna tell you that Kina l'Aero d'Or is preferable) and orange juice, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 & OCTOBER 1, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Ibsen: Hedda Gabler
THEATER
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
5:30 PM
Bedlam Theater "Do More" Virtual Benefit Reading
Zoom
Facebook
Free (registration required for Zoom) (donation requested)
https://bedlam.org/benefit-reading/
Bedlam does these Zoomed readings right. That's almost certainly because the stripped-down, unadorned style of presentation the company employs in live performance lends itself to remote performances from the actors' separate apartments, viewed on each audience member's monitor in their own apartments. Tonight they do Ibsen's Hedda Gabler — almost certainly a play Chekhov had in mind as a positive example when he made his famous remark about guns in theater pieces.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fernando: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Linie Aquavit, and lemon juice, with a dash of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon peel.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/9/22/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Time for an El Capitán: pour 2 oz. Pisco and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 & OCTOBER 1, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Monday, September 28, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 (Weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Sep 28, 2020, 10:00 AM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 4:00 PM
Leigh Davis: Vigil
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2020 (continuing through OCTOBER 19)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel
500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.green-wood.com/event/vigil-fall/
Green-Wood's Historic Chapel was boarded up for renovations for a good long while. Now we all get to see how it's come out. Multi-media artist Leigh Davis has created an audio installation for the Chapel, drawing on her work with a choir that sings to the dying at their bedsides.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Maybe grab a slice at the excellent Luigi's and find a place to eat it. (N.B.: closed Sundays.)
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Mon, Sep 28, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 7:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2020 (Ongoing)*
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Sep 28, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2020 (Ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sunday, September 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-27/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bronco Buster: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Curaçao, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, September 26, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Rambert / Wim Vandekeybus: Draw from Within
DANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
8:00 PM
BAM Live Stream
$13
https://www.bam.org/rambert
The venerable British Rambert dance company — which started out long ago as a ballet company and then morphed into modern (how come that never happens with classical music?) — performs, live from their South Bank studios, a piece by the brutal yet formalist (I mean his choreographic style, not him personally) Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A bottle of Oude Gueze Tilquin a l'Ancienne.
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Saturday, September 26, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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Saturday, September 26, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
TVL + Ruido: Streaming Fest
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
6:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-tvlruido
Out of Buenos Aires comes a showcase of experimental electronic music by musicians all over the world.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Campari and Grapefruit, just like they drink in BA: pour 3 oz. Campari, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Top with club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 5:30 PM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 6:30 PM
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Saturday, September 26, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
S.E.M. Ensemble: Doing Music Outdoors
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
3:00 PM
25 Columbia Place, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Free (registration required)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/doing-music-outdoors-tickets-121586431289
Petr Kotik's longstanding New Music ensemble plays pieces by Kotik, Morton Feldman, Robert Ashley, Alvin Lucier, Phill Niblock, Judith Berkson, and others. Sold out (spots are extremely limited, obvs) — but watch for cancellations.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Right up the block is Sardinian charmer River Deli.
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Saturday, September 26, 2020, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Harlem Chamber Players: A Lament for Troubled Times
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
12:00, 1:00 & 2:00 PM
Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (registration suggested) (donation requested)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-lament-for-troubled-times-tickets-117766313213
Not the kind of music we usually List here: very straight common-practice 20th Century chamber music. But the two composers featured, both Americans — George Walker and Florence Price — have been almost insanely ignored (sure, Walker got a Pulitzer — but when was the last time you've seen his music programmed?), given the extremely high quality of their music. Could it be because they're Black — and one is a woman, to boot?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: On Saturdays, Hometown BBQ Industry City serves its fantastic pastrami sandwiches!
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Friday, September 25, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Toshiki Okada: Zero Cost House
THEATER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
8:00 PM
Pig Iron Theatre
Zoom
$10-$20
https://pigiron.ticketleap.com/zero-cost-house-zoom/details
Pig Iron brings back its Zoomed version of this fascinating kaleidoscopic theater piece. It's always pretty iffy to call someone The Voice Of Their Generation, but Toshiki Okada (b. 1973), with his real-into-surreal depictions of the lives of urban young adults, has given every appearance over the last couple of decades of being The Voice Of His Generation in Japan. This piece explores what happens when an artist becomes political: although it was written for Pig Iron a decade ago, it seems particularly timely now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Esquire: pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Grand Marnier, and 1 teaspoon orange juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, September 25, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kioto Aoki: Systems of Vision
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-kiotoaoki-1
Multi-media artist Kioto Aoki curates a program of pieces in which fellow multi-media artists approach sound as image-makers rather than strictly as composers.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pearl Button: fill a Collins or Highball glass with ice. Pour in 2 oz. Cachaça, 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc (as usual, I'm going to substitute Kina l'Aero d'Or), and 1/2 oz. lime juice. Top with San Pellegrino Limonata. Stir. Garnish with a grapefruit wheel.
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Friday, September 25, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Stephen Gauci & Cooper-Moore
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/stephen-gauci-and-cooper-moore/
Stealth Free Jazz masters Stephen Gauchi (on sax) and Cooper-Moore (on piano) go wherever their minds take them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Backward's Point: pour 2 oz. Scotch, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 3/4 oz. Cynar into an Old Fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, September 25, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dancing ART!
DANCE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
7:30 PM
Dixon Place DPTV
Zoom
Free (with registration) ($5-$20 suggested donation)
http://dixonplace.org/performances/dancing-art-9-25-20/
Dancers and visual artists combine to create interdisciplinary multi-media pieces.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pink Lady: pour 1-1/4 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Grenadine, with 1 egg white, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini or Nick and Nora glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 & 26, 2020 (Weekly)
5:00 PM FRIDAY
10:00 PM SATURDAY
Zoom
$10
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: At least one of these shows is late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Friday, September 25, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 (Weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Hickory: pour 1 oz. each of sweet and dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 3:30 PM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 5:30 PM
Baseera Khan: By Faith
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 – 27, 2020
FRIDAY 3:30 PM
SATURDAY & SUNDAY 1:00 & 4:30 PM
The Kitchen Online
Free (donation requested)
https://onscreen.thekitchen.org/baseera-khan
Visual artist Baseera Khan was just getting her life and her apartment in order. Then the Quarantine hit. As part of a residency at Queenlabs, she's working on a TV pilot based on this experience. This week, we get to watch film shoots. Rough cuts will be released later.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Seaport: pour 1-1/2 oz. Mezcal, 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse, 1 oz. pineapple juice, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, and 1 heaping teaspoon of Simple Syrup, with 1 or 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 11:00 PM – Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 12:00 AM
The Piano Reimagined: A Virtual Night of Modern Piano Duos
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
11:00 PM
Holocene Live Stream
YouTube
Twitch
Free (donation requested)
https://www.holocene.org/e/the-piano-reimagined-a-virtual-night-of-modern-piano-duos-118696344963/
Two Portland piano duos don't so much push the boundaries as disregard them: just what we like around here on this List.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: No. 8: pour 1 oz. each of Cognac and Rye, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Génépy, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Sondre Lerche
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
9:30 PM
Outer/Most Live Stream
$15
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sondre-lerche-livestream-tickets-119046012829
Sondre Lerche is one of those endlessly wry, endlessly tuneful singer-songwriters Scandanavia seems to delight in producing. But what makes this show particularly compelling is that he'll be performing his surprisingly ambient-leaning new album from the Lofoten Islands, which are remote even for Norway.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Witches: pour 1-1/4 oz. Linie Aquavit, 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse, and 1 oz. Manzanilla Sherry into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist and a dill sprig.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Josh McCowen & Madison Greenstone: Mundanas for Duo
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/john-mccowen-madison-greenstone-mundanas-duo
Wandelweiser pieces for two clarinets, combining very old compositional techniques (such as canon and counterpoint) with pretty new ones (such as multiphonics and microtonality).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm kinda feeling a Jasmine: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Cointreau, 1/2 oz. Campari, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 & 24, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Thursday, September 24, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Brandon Lopez
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/brandon-lopez/
Genre-denying bassist/composer Brandon Lopez debuts a new string trio.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tequila Gumption: pour 1 oz. each of Reposado Tequila and Mezcal, and 1/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and 1 dash of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Melissa Aldana
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live & Live Stream
1160 Broadway, NoMad, Manhattan
$15 live stream
$50 live (limited to 8 seats)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-melissa-aldana
Chilean Invasion at The Jazz Gallery! First, Camila Meza, now saxophonist Melissa Aldana. One of the most purely enjoyable voices of her generation on her instrument, Aldana plays with imagination and rigor. She's backed by a quartet.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those at home can make Chilean Pisco Sours, which might not be quite as good as their Peruvian counterparts (sorry) but are easier to make: pour 3 oz. Chilean Pisco and 1 oz. lime juice, with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour into a chilled Champagne flute or some such. Those in the audience can try to snag a table on the NoMad Rooftop before or after the early show, or before the late show.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: Los Vihuelistas
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/los-vihuelistas
Tonight TENET presents examples of the almost ridiculously entertaining body of vihuela (a precursor of the guitar)-accompanied song from the Spanish Renaissance.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Vermut Preparado: pour Spanish Vermouth into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange slice and an olive.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 (Bi-Weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic924
In New York in the 1960s there was this wildly popular children's show called Wonderama. Along with stories and games and contests and stuff, it featured variety acts, including magicians. It was taped before an audience of kids. My parents got me a ticket for maybe my eighth birthday. A magician came on. He was making handkerchiefs fly around him. What you could see in person, which you couldn't on the low-res TV screens of the time, was that the flying handkerchiefs were all on strings. This ruined magic on TV for me. I'm sorry I told you. I'm sure this show will be lots of fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Third Degree will help you suspend your disbelief: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 6:30 PM – Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 10:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Miranda
OPERA
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 – 26
6:30, 7:45 & 9:00 PM
LUMA Projection Arts Festival
Tri-Cities Opera/Opera Omaha
Free
https://www.tricitiesopera.com/miranda/
Kamala Sankaram's steampunk opera Miranda is really really good. Here, it's presented in a truncated form — but aside from watching Old Skool on YouTube, there are various interactive options. Not to be missed. (And a shout-out to the List's college-town opera company!)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Winona: pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1/2 oz. (room temperature) maple syrup into a cocktail shaker (with no ice). Stir. Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and 2 dashes of orange bitters to ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Pour in the Bourbon/maple syrup mixture. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 1:00 PM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 6:00 PM
Christopher McElroen: Static Apnea
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 – 27, 2020 (continuing through OCTOBER 17)
1:00 – 7:00 PM THURSDAY – SATURDAY
1:00 – 5:00 PM SUNDAY
The American Vicarious
Invisible Dog
51 Bergen Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Free (donation requested)
https://www.theamericanvicarious.org/projects/STATIC-APNEA-2020.html
Never has the phrase "I. Can't. Breathe." had so many different horrible implications. This 10-minute piece, played by a cast of one to an audience of one in a "specially constructed shipping container" to shield both the performer and the audience member from horrible disease, explores that.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go to one of the earlier performances in the day, take out a Báhn Mì from Hanco's (Smith Street) and find someplace to eat it. One of the later, La Vara for sure: this tribute to the fantasy of Muslim/Catholic/Jewish amity under Moorish rule in Southern Spain remains one of the very best restaurants in Brooklyn.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Michael Gordon: House Music
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
Ashley Bathgate
Bang on a Can Live Stream
$25 per person; $100 family
https://live.bangonacan.org/
Michael Gordon wrote House Music for supercellist Ashley Bathgate to play in intimate settings. And a live stream from Ashley's house is about as intimate as you could get. Tickets are supposedly limited.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cozy up with a Hot Toddy: pour 1 oz. Bourbon, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of honey into a big mug. Top with hot water. Stir until honey has dissolved.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Parlour Tapes+ Presents
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-parlourtapes
Can't have exploratory cellist Lester St. Louis playing without a Listing — especially when the show was put together by Chicago's terrific Contemporary Classical Parlour Tapes label. Also on hand are a duo of Zachary Good on exploratory clarinet and/or exploratory recorder and Lia Kohl on another exploratory cello.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bourbon Shake: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-parlourtapes
Can't have exploratory cellist Lester St. Louis playing without a Listing — especially when the show was put together by Chicago's terrific Contemporary Classical Parlour Tapes label. Also on hand are a duo of Zachary Good on exploratory clarinet and/or exploratory recorder and Lia Kohl on another exploratory cello.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bourbon Shake: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 1:00 PM
Eliza Bent: Karen, I Said
THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 – 26, 2020
6:00 PM WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
5:00 PM FRIDAY
12:00 PM SATURDAY
Bentertainment Live Stream
Free ($10 suggested donation)
https://elizabent.wordpress.com/
This very welcome new piece gives us another chance to engage with one of the burning questions of NYC alt theater: is Eliza Bent whacky or daffy? I incline to crazy like a fox. Here, Bent addresses . . . well, you know what she's addressing here.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Battle of New Orleans: pour 2-1/2 oz. Bourbon, 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon of Absinthe, with 2 dashes of Peychaud's bitters and 1 dash of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Brandon Collwes & John King: Sonic Gatherings
DANCE / MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 (Weekly)
6:00 PM
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.facebook.com/events/692636444699776/
Ex-Cunningham dancer Brandon Collwes and Downtown experimental music mainstay John King continue their interdisciplinary collaboration with each other and a changing galaxy of guest artists.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Freight Train Swizzle (maybe the last swizzle till next Spring): pour 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum and 3/4 oz. each of green Chartreuse, Falernum, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with NO ice. Dry shake. Pour into a mug or Highball glass 3/4 full of crushed ice. Stick in a straw. Float 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Top off with more crushed ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a mint sprig.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Lee Mingwei & Bill T. Jones: Our Labyrinth
DANCE / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 (continuing on SEPTEMBER 30)
12:00 – 4:30 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sackler Gallery
1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
YouTube
Free on YouTube; Free with Museum Admission live
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/lee-mingwei-bill-t-jones-our-labyrinth/
The great Bill T. Jones helps reinterpret for New York a durational performance piece by Lee Mingwei. There will be different dancers and musicians (and a different location within the Museum) each week. This week, the music is by personal-is-political soulmaster Justin Hicks.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those attending live should pick up a Black and White at William Greenberg: they'll feel better. Those watching at home can have a Wild Heart: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Aperol and Vermouth Blanc, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with bitter lemon soda. Garnish with 1/2 of an orange wheel.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Eva Margarita: Salt, Fat, Ashes, Heat
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free-$10
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/saltfatashesheat
In this durational piece, Eva Margarita cooks and eats three entrees containing her father's ashes.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ashes to Ashes: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila Reposado, 1/2 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. Agave nectar, with 1 teaspoon cocoa mix, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a pinch of ground cinnamon.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 & 24, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Center for Psychic Technology Presents
MUSIC
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-centerforpsychictechnology
A kind of spectacular show, really, what with mad List fave Speaker Music (putting the Black back into Techno); and electronic dance music formalist Cyanide; and SSPS, creator of cavernous soundscapes you can dance to; and avant-avant-avant-electronic noise-punk conceptualists Samantha Riott & Gyna Bootleg.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: King Cole: pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. Fernet Branca, and 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup into an Old Fashioned Glass. Add ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Denis O'Hare & Lisa Peterson: WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY?
THEATER
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 (continuing bi-weekly through NOVEMBER 2)
7:00 PM
New York Theater Workshop Live Stream
$10
https://www.nytw.org/show/what-the-hell-is-a-republic-anyway/
An exploration of the fall of the Roman Republic as it applies to now. I have to say that, even as someone who trained as an historian, I find retrospective historicizing a bit late at this point; we might better spend our time right now looking to the Belarusians for tips on direct action after an election is stolen or defied. But I'm just an arts writer, so what do I know?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hemlock. (I know, I know: that was Greek.)
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/9/22/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ladies and gentleman, from Brazil, the Rabo-de-Galo: pour 2 oz. Cachaça and 1/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cynar, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 2:30 PM – Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 5:00 PM
Emma Rice: Romantics Anonymous
THEATER
TUESDAY – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 – 26, 2020
2:30 PM TUESDAY – FRIDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY
Wise Children
Bristol Old Vic
St. Ann's Warehouse Live Stream
$20 advance; $25 day of show
https://stannswarehouse.org/show/romantics-anonymous/
British theatermaker Emma Rice brings fun and connection — you might even say joy — to the theater. Sure, she can be sentimental — but who's going to hold that against her at this exact moment in human history? So if this new musical — which was supposed to be touring the U.S. and abroad live this season, but you know — seems like it might be a cute candy-coated rom com, well, so what? You KNOW it'll be a fun, cleverly presented, vibrant cute candy-coated rom com.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pimm's Cup: pour 2 oz. Pimm's No. 1 and 1/4 oz. lemon juice into a Highball glass over ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with cucumber and whatever else you might have lying around.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
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Monday, September 21, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Andrei Kureichik: Insulted. Belarus(sia)
THEATER
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
8:00 PM
Arlekin Players Theater
Cherry Orchard Festival
Zoom
Free
https://cherryorchardfestival.org/insulted-belarus/
Another reading of Belarusian playwright Andrei Kureichik's reflective yet incendiary play Insulted. Belarus(sia), in solidarity with Belarusian dissident protestors. It's important for us Americans to get up to speed on how to attempt to oust a Russian-backed dictator after a faked election, as we'll soon be called upon to do so.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It is also in solidarity with our Belarusian brothers-in-arms that I am continuing to List Vodka cocktails, contemptible though they are. Caiproska: pour 2 oz. Vodka and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup over 6 pieces of lime and a brown sugar cube in a cocktail shaker. Muddle. Fill with ice. Shake. Dump into a rocks glass.
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Monday, September 21, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 (Weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff and friends' neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, September 21, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Junction Trio
MUSIC
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
7:30 PM
Music Mondays Live Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.musicmondays.org/september-2020
Any piano trio that teams up Stefan Jackiw, Jay Campbell, and Conrad Tao is obviously a big deal indeed. Tonight they pair Beethoven's Archduke Trio — all the nobility this type of music strives for, with none of the bombast — with John Zorn's Ghosts. (See, I'd have paired Ghosts with Beethoven's Ghost Trio — which is why I'm a hack wordslinger and they're brilliant musicians.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A Champs Elysees will do: pour 1-1/2 oz. Cognac, 1/2 oz. green Chartreuse, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, September 21, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Happy Hour Hang: Camila Meza
MUSIC
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020*
6:00 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
Zoom
$15 (limited to 15 audience members)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/happy-hour-camila-meza-2
Music and chat with the luminous singer-songwriter Camila Meza, whose Ámbar has been one of this List's favorite listens over the last couple of years.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: OK, Meza is Chilean not Brazilian. But nevertheless, a Por Do Sol: pour 1 oz. each of Cachaça, Vermouth Blanc, and Campari, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 10:00 AM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 4:00 PM
Leigh Davis: Vigil
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 – 27, 2020 (continuing through OCTOBER 19)
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel
500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.green-wood.com/event/vigil-fall/
Green-Wood's Historic Chapel had been boarded up for renovations for a good long while. Now we all get to see how it's come out. Multi-media artist Leigh Davis has created an audio installation for the Chapel, drawing on her work with a choir that sings to the dying at their bedsides.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Maybe grab a slice at the excellent Luigi's and find a place to eat it. (N.B.: closed Sundays.)
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Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 8:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 – 27, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (the Times complains about how hard it is to download from Bandcamp to an iPhone — trust me: if I can figure out how to do it, anyone can). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.) Bell and White are giving an online artists' talk about this piece as part of HERE's #stillHERE online initiative this Friday at 1 PM.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Mon, Sep 21, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Sep 27, 2020, 11:59 PM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 – 27, 2020 (Ongoing)
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM
New York Philharmonic
Central Park
59th Street – 110th Street/Central Park West – 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Free
https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/new-york-philharmonic
The New York Phil hops on the walk-around-the-landscaped-space-with-soundtrack train (see below). The highly allusive soundtrack was put together by Ellen Reid, who is one of the more soundscapey (and certainly one of the best) of today's many excellent young composers. This walk isn't guided: you download an app that triggers sounds sent to your earphones from various cells around the Park as you wander. So you can do it over many times. (Speaking of wandering around Central Park, here's something that I, for one, never knew.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Delicious pan-African at Teranga (and people say their outdoor dining set-up is lovely).
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Sat, Sep 19, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Sep 20, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 (Weekly through SEPTEMBER 26)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy19
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, September 19, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 (Weekly through SEPTEMBER 26)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$10
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, September 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Saturday, September 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
CompCord Ensemble: Now Is the Winter of Our Discotheque
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020
8:00 PM
Composers Concordance
Michiko Studios
149 West 46th Street, Midtown, Manhattan
Facebook
$30 live (limited to 10 audience members)
Free Facebook
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/now-is-the-winter-of-our-discotheque-tickets-117549757489
New compositions, each arising from both Shakespeare and disco. Presented live to 10 people, and on Facebook to the unlimited multitudes.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The live tickets include unlimited free drinks (you can only shudder at how bad they'll be), so you don't have to worry about being stuck in The Desert That Is Midtown without sustenance. Those watching at home can try a Sunflower: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, St-Germain, lemon juice, and Cointreau, and 1/2 teaspoon Absinthe, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, September 19, 2020, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Harlem Chamber Players: A Lament for Troubled Times
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2020
12:00, 1:00 & 2:00 PM
Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (registration suggested) (donation requested)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-lament-for-troubled-times-tickets-117766313213
Not the kind of music we usually List here: very straight common-practice 20th Century chamber music. But the two composers featured, both Americans — George Walker and Florence Price — have been almost insanely ignored (sure, Walker got a Pulitzer — but when was the last time you've seen his music programmed?), given the extremely high quality of their music. Could it be because they're Black — and one is a woman, to boot?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: On Saturdays, Hometown BBQ Industry City serves its fantastic pastrami sandwiches!
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Fri, Sep 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sun, Sep 20, 2020, 3:00 PM
Toshiki Okada: Zero Cost House
MUSIC
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – 20, 2020 (also on SEPTEMBER 25)
8:00 PM FRIDAY – SUNDAY
2:00 PM SUNDAY
Pig Iron Theatre
Zoom
$10-$20
https://pigiron.ticketleap.com/zero-cost-house-zoom/details
Pig Iron brings back its Zoomed version of this fascinating kaleidoscopic theater piece. It's always pretty iffy to call someone The Voice Of Their Generation, but Toshiki Okada (b. 1973), with his real-into-surreal depictions of the lives of urban young adults, has given every appearance over the last couple of decades of being The Voice Of His Generation in Japan. This piece explores what happens when an artist becomes political: although it was written for Pig Iron a decade ago, it seems particularly timely now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Esquire: pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. Grand Marnier, and 1 teaspoon orange juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Downtown Variety
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/downtown-variety-take-14/
La MaMa's showcase of beyond-the-fringe performers returns for a second season with what, for it, is a truly star-studded show. Among those stars are DJ Spooky, Big Dance Theater (doing a piece based on the Decameron — which I, for one, haven't heard about in, oh, it must be three days now), and the greatest political theater company in the entire world, Belarus Free Theatre (whose concerns must seem particularly pressing these days) (mark my words: our time will come soon enough).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A true modern classic, Julie Reiner's Gin Blossom: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Vermouth Blanc and Apricot Eau de Vie, with two dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-27/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northside Special: pour 2 oz. dark Rum (preferably Gosling's Black Seal), 1-1/2 oz. orange juice, and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 (Biweekly)
7:30 PM
Contemporaneous
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-community-salon-tickets-109687016820
A virtual salon. Artists and performers can share pieces in whatever stage of completion. Everyone else can comment and converse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The cold snap makes you think of an Improved Whiskey Cocktail: pour 2-1/4 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur, and 1/4 teaspoon Absinthe, with 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a big lemon twist.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
All Saints Brooklyn
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
5:00 PM
H0l0 Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://dice.fm/partner/h0l0/event/na998-all-saints-brooklyn-18th-sep-h0l0-new-york-tickets
A bunch of great NYC electronic dance music people, including the fabulous Tygapaw.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Courageous Koi: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon, Rye, and lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. each of Simple Syrup and Orgeat, with 3 dashes of Tiki bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and 3 cocktail cherries on a spear.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 (Weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Hickory: pour 1 oz. each of sweet and dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, September 18, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Andrei Kureichik: Insulted. Belarus(sia)
THEATER
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Live Stream
Free
https://www.facebook.com/hereartscenter/photos/rpp.59717248667/10157797526318668/?type=3&theater
A reading of excerpts from Belarusian playwright Andrei Kureichik's incendiary play Insulted. Belarus(sia), in solidarity with Belarusian dissident protestors. There'll be a reading of another set of excerpts on Monday from Arlekin Players Theater in Boston. It's important for us Americans to get up to speed on how to attempt to oust a dictator, as we'll soon be called upon to do so.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Barely a cocktail — but then, few vodka-based drinks are. Headless Horseman: pour 2 oz. Vodka, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled Highball glass. Stir in 4 oz. Ginger Ale. Garnish with an orange twist. It should at least get you drunk enough to temper your outrage (is that a good thing?), which is what people who drink Vodka cocktails must be after, since it certainly can't be the (nonexistent) flavor or complexity.
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Fri, Sep 18, 2020, 12:00 PM – Sun, Sep 20, 2020, 6:30 PM
Baseera Khan: By Faith
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 – 13, 2020 (continuing through SEPTEMBER 27)
FRIDAY 12:00 PM
SATURDAY & SUNDAY 5:30 PM
The Kitchen Online
Free (donation requested)
https://onscreen.thekitchen.org/baseera-khan
Visual artist Baseera Khan was just getting her life and her apartment in order. Then the Quarantine hit. As part of a residency at Queenlabs, she's working on a TV pilot based on this experience. Friday, we get to watch a rehearsal. Saturday and Sunday we get to watch film shoots.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mexico 70: pour 1 oz. Blanco Tequila, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Agave nectar into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Champagne fruit. Top with sparking wine. Garnish with a lime wheel.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Matmos: Low Cost-co Stream Dream
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
9:00 PM
Bandcamp Live Stream
$1 or more
https://matmos.bandcamp.com/merch/matmos-low-cost-co-stream-dream
Electronics/percussion madmen Matmos, making hay out of conceptual restrictions, couldn't be boring if they wanted to. Which they don't.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Been a little while since we've treated ourselves to a Naked & Famous: pour 3/4 oz. each of Mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Yuko Otomo & Matt Mottel: Walking the Steve Circuit
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/walking-steve-circuit-yuko-otomo-matt-mottel
ISSUE Project Room caps off its serial video feature paying tribute to the late Downtown poet Steve Dalachinsky, with a visual essay by the series' creators, Dalachinsky's widow, the painter and poet Yuko Otomo, and interdisciplinary artist Matt Mottel, revisiting the Downtown sites featured in the previous episodes and sharing their own insights.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: New York Sour (but of course): pour 2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Top with a float of Bordeaux.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 & 17, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Borderlands Trio
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live & Live Stream
1160 Broadway, NoMad, Manhattan
$15 live stream
$50 live (limited to 8 seats)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-borderlands-trio
Bassist Stephan Krump's Borderlands Trio features pianist Kris Davis, who's as good as current jazz gets.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those at home can make Black Barrels: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. each of Averna Amaro (or, barring that, Ramazzotti, CioCiaro, or Montenegro) and Amontillado Sherry, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist. Those in the audience can try to snag a table on the NoMad Rooftop before or after the early show, or before the late show.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Amirtha Kidambi
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
7:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio / Pioneer Works Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-pioneerworks-amirthakidambi
A showcase for vocalist Amirtha Kidambi, one of the most purely interesting musicians on the New York experimental scene. Her music has elements of Carnatic, jazz, contemporary classical, and various forms of pop. But it isn't eclectic — it's organic. Tonight she plays with her band Elder Ones and in combination(s) with electronic soundscaper Lea Bertucci and avant-jazz bassist Luke Stewart.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fog Cutter: 1-1/2 oz. white Rum, 1/2 oz. each of Gin, Brandy, and Orgeat, 2 oz. orange juice, and 1 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an ice-filled Highball glass. Float 1/2 oz. Amontillado Sherry on top. Garnish with a mint sprig.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 & 17, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kathleen Supové's Exploding Piano: Imploding
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
Sandbox Gallery Live Stream
$10 minimum (pay what you will)
https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/kathleen-supove
Kathleen Supové, that queen of avant-piano, will tickle, assault, and subvert the ivories.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chinatown Rickey: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. Fino Sherry, 1 oz. lime, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, with a handful of mint leaves, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Brandon Collwes & John King: Sonic Gatherings
DANCE / MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 (Weekly)
6:00 PM
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2671832829737349/
Ex-Cunningham dancer Brandon Collwes and Downtown experimental music mainstay John King continue their interdisciplinary collaboration with each other and a changing galaxy of guest artists. This week features passages from a King micro-opera built around Anne Carson's recitations of Sappho, with musical assists from artists including List fave Lester St. Louis and List über-fave Gelsey Bell.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's stick with a White Negroni (after all, it's Negroni Week) before Summer totally ends: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Suze, and Lillet Blanc (or even better, Kina L'Aero d'Or) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
TETHERED VII: Arthur Moon
DANCE / MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
4:00 PM
Four/Four Dance Hour
Public Records
233 Butler Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn
$10 live; Free streamed
https://www.facebook.com/events/1278435349176552/
https://publicrecords.tv/
Brooklyn band Arthur Moon gets together with an eclectic bunch of modern, ballet, and waack dancers. If you're very lucky, you can snag one of the very limited seats in the garden. If not, you can watch a live stream on your monitor.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're there, you're covered. Those watching at home can make themselves a Division Bell: pour 1 oz. Mezcal, 3/4 oz. each of Aperol and lime juice, and 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist (don't tell Phil Ward, but I usually end up using a lime twist).
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: Surge Amica Mea: Intimate Songs and Duets from Early 17th Century Italy
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/surge-amica-mea
Tonight TENET presents songs from the dawn of the Italian Baroque. You decide whether they're pretty or beautiful. (They're certainly emotive.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: They were drinking the precursor of the Sgroppino in Venice in the 16th Century, before this Baroque stuff was even dreamed of: put 1/3 cup lemon sorbet and a splash of Prosecco into a stainless steel bowl. Whisk until incorporated. While whisking, pour in 1 oz. Vodka and 3 oz. Prosecco. Pour the whole thing into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or maybe a Champagne flute).
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Lee Mingwei & Bill T. Jones: Our Labyrinth
DANCE / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 (continuing on SEPTEMBER 23 & 30)
12:00 – 4:30 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Great Hall
1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
YouTube
Free on YouTube; Free with Museum Admission live
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/lee-mingwei-bill-t-jones-our-labyrinth/
The great Bill T. Jones helps reinterpret for New York a durational performance piece by Lee Mingwei. There will be different dancers and musicians (and a different location within the Museum) each week. This week, the sound is by Holland Andrews.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those attending live should pick up a Black and White at William Greenberg: they'll feel better. Those watching at home can have a Wild Heart: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Aperol and Vermouth Blanc, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Top with bitter lemon soda. Garnish with 1/2 of an orange wheel.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 & 17, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
THEATER
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
6:30 PM
Bedlam Theater "Do More" Virtual Benefit Reading
Zoom
Free (registration required) (donation requested)
https://bedlam.org/benefit-reading/
Bedlam does these Zoomed readings right. That's almost certainly because the stripped-down, unadorned style of presentation the company employs in live performance lends itself to remote performances from the actors' separate apartments, viewed on each audience member's monitor in their own apartments. About this play, there can't be much left to say. List Fave (and then some) Jeffrey Young participates in the pre-performance music-making!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gotta be Toby Maloney's famous Juliet and Romeo cocktail: muddle 3 slices of cucumber and a pinch of salt in a cocktail shaker. Add a mint sprig and 2 oz. Gin and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass (only appropriate, right?). Garnish with a mint leaf, 1 dash of rosewater on the mint leaf, and 3 dashes of Angostura bitters.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show: How to Use an Onion
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/9/15/cybertank-variety-show-hosted-by-kallan-dana
Performing artists share what they've been working on. This week's edition is hosted by the extremely promising playwright Kallan Dana.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Ladies and gentleman, from Brazil, the Rabo-de-Galo: pour 2 oz. Cachaça and 1/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Cynar, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 & 17, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Monday, September 14, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
MUTEK Festival
MUSIC
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
9:00 PM
MUTEK Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://virtual.mutek.org/en/montreal-2020
Montreal's great electronic and digital music, art, and tech festival supplements this year's limited-access-by-necessity (in a country that won't admit us in any event) live performances with daily streams starting at 9:00 PM, ending tonight. It all looks great.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Montreal Cocktail: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Rye, Aperol, and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Monday, September 14, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 (Weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff's neo-Vaudeville is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Which is why we'll accompany it with Monkey Glands: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Monday, September 14, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Knights: Tenacious
MUSIC
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
7:00 PM
The Knights Live Stream
Free
https://theknightsnyc.com/tenacious
Brooklyn's favorite chamber orchestra celebrates itself in a free gala. And just when you're getting worn down by all the self-congratulation, the wonderful violinist/composer Jessie Montgomery will show up for a guest spot!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: MIght as well have a Brooklyn: pour 2 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. each of Maraschino liqueuer and Amer Picon (or, absent that, Golden Moon Amer dit Picon or Bigalet China-China or Amaro CioCiaro) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Mon, Sep 14, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Sep 20, 2020, 8:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 – 20, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (while you're at it, download Bell's "This Is Not a Land of Kings" as well: it's GREAT!). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Sunday, September 13, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Famous Swords: Video Dose
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020
8:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
The Brick
Twitch
Free (gratuities encouraged)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-26-video-dose/
This week Out of an Abundance of Caution is turned over to Brooklyn curatorial art squid Famous Swords. Should be endless fun.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Stork Club: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. Cointreau, 1 oz. orange juice, and 1/2 oz. lime juice, with two dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, September 13, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
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Sat, Sep 12, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 (Weekly through SEPTEMBER 26)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy5
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 (Weekly through SEPTEMBER 26)
10:00 PM
Zoom
$10
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
An immersive experience in which viewers wander from room to virtual room seeing different variety acts and interacting with them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's late on a Saturday, so I'm going to recommend something strong. Don't blame me for how you feel Sunday morning. Nineteen-Twenty Pick-Me-Up: pour 2 oz. Absinthe, 1 oz. Gin, 1 teaspoon Simple Syrup, and 1 dash each of Angostura and orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a wine glass, and fill up with soda water.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Micaela Tobin (WHITE BOY SCREAM) / Anna Luisa Petrisko
OPERA
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
9:00 PM
Indexical
Twitch
Free
https://www.indexical.org/events/2020-09-12-micaela-tobin-white-boy-scream-anna-luisa-petrisko-interview-w-joshua-minsoo-kim
Two creator/performers who make music-theater pieces dealing with culture and history (and, more pertinent to this List's fixations, don't recognize any borders between pop and classical). Micaela Tobin's Bakunawa, treating the pre-Colonial mythology of her motherland the Philippines, is a personal favorite. But Anna Luisa Petrisko's ritualistic work is very good as well.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bourbon Renewal: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. each of Crème de Cassis and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Eleanor Reissa & Frank London feat. (them/they/us): Mir Guyen Nisht Tzurik — No Turning Back
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 PM
International Virtual Yiddish Fest 2020
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://yiddishfest.org/speaker/no-turning-back/
Singer/playwright/actress/director Eleanor Reissa, that pearl of the contemporary Yiddish stage, is joined by the beyond-fab Klezmer+ trumpeter Frank London for a night of Yiddish songs of struggle and liberation. And they're backed by an intriguing new trio comprising guitarist Brian Seabrook, accordion (and much else) player Ilye Shneyveys, and Indian percussion master Deep Singh!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend a Jewish Absinthe: Put 8-10 mint leaves into a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 oz. overproof Bourbon (the drink was formulated to use Old Williamsburg 101-Proof) and 1/2 oz. Anisette. Add ice. Shake hard. Strain into a chilled glass of some kind.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, 2:30 PM – 7:15 PM
Ballet Collective: Natural History
DANCE
THURSDAY & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 & 12, 2020
6:15 PM THURSDAY & SATURDAY
2:30 PM SATURDAY
Ballet Collective Live Stream
Free
https://balletcollective.com/live
I neglected to note that all performances of Troy Schumacher's outdoor ballet in the Hudson Valley are also being live streamed, for those who missed out on getting tickets or are insufficiently bougie to be in the Hudson Valley.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Descanso Beach Smash: muddle 4 slices of lemon and 5 mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Pour in 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. Aperol, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass or a wine glass over ice. Garnish with 3 (small) orange wedges and a mint sprig.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020, 1:30 PM – 8:30 PM
ABCirque: Different Trains
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
1:30 & 7:30 PM
The Muse Live Stream
Pay what you will
https://themusebrooklyn.com/events
A Nouvelle Cirque interpretation of Steve Reich's piece contrasting the train trips Reich took as a child in the 1940s from one coast of the U.S. to the other in order to spend time with each of his well-to-do divorced parents with the rather different train trips other Jewish children were being forced to take at the time in Nazi-occupied Europe. This will be the best thing since the French Olympic synchronized swimming team reenacted the Holocaust.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Adriatique: pour 1 oz. Amaro Montenegro (or another orangey amaro), 1/2 oz. Aperol, and 1 oz. orange juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
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Friday, September 11, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 (Weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Hickory: pour 1 oz. each of sweet and dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Fri, Sep 11, 2020, 11:00 AM – Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 10:00 PM
Baseera Khan: By Faith
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 – 13, 2020 (also on SEPTEMBER 18)
FRIDAY 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM
SATURDAY 1:30 & 5:00 PM
SUNDAY 9:00 PM
The Kitchen Online
Free (donation requested)
https://onscreen.thekitchen.org/baseera-khan
Visual artist Baseera Khan was just getting her life and her apartment in order. Then the Quarantine hit. As part of a residency at Queenlabs, she's working on a TV pilot based on this experience. This weekend and next Friday, we get to watch rehearsals.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee Friday morning. Otherwise, let's have some Bittersweet Symphonies: pour 1-1/2 Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Punt e Mes and Aperol into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn't Make It
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
9:00 PM
Pioneer Works Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://pioneerworks.org/programs/swamp-dogg-live-on-pioneer-works-broadcast/
There are eccentric Old Skool R&B performers — and then there's Swamp Dogg, who's something beyond. But don't get the impression that he's inhuman or anything: Swamp Dogg is human to a fault. I wouldn't miss this for the world.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon and 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and 1 dash of orange bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 & 10, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Sep 12, 2020, 9:00 PM
Meta-Phys. Ed: The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproduction
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 – 12, 2020
8:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
The Brick
Twitch
Free (gratuities encouraged)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-25-the-work-of-art-in-the-age-of-technological-reproduction/2020-09-06/
Meta-Phys. Ed likes to put on what you might call The Theater Of Conceptual Ideas. So it's no surprise that here they're presenting a multi-media cabaret taking off from Walter Benjamin's seminal essay. Doing it online only makes it more meta (note the title change!).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: An unreconstructed flâneur like Benjamin would surely want a Boulevardier — even if it's not quite the season for it yet: pour 1-1/2 oz.Bourbon and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist, an orange twist, or a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Billy Hart Quartet
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
7:30 & 9:30 PM
Jazz Gallery Live & Live Stream
1160 Broadway, NoMad, Manhattan
$15 live stream
$50 live (limited to 8 seats)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/livestream-billy-hart
Billy Hart is quite simply one of the best jazz drummers now playing: you can HEAR him think. And what a quartet he's assembled over the past few years, all musicians almost as thoughtful and distinctive as Hart himself: saxophonist Mark Turner, pianist Ethan Iverson, and bassist Ben Street.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Those at home can make Smokescreens: pour 1-1/2 oz. peaty Islay Scotch, 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup (make the Simple Syrup's measure scant), and 1/4 oz. green Chartreuse into a cocktail shaker over 4 mint leaves. Muddle. Add ice. Shake. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a mint sprig. Those in the audience can try to snag a table on the NoMad Rooftop before or after the early show, or before the late show.
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Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – Fri, Sep 11, 2020, 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: Remote Collaborations
MUSIC
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2020
7:00 PM
Connecticut Summerfest Live Stream
Youtube
Free
https://www.facebook.com/ctsummerfest/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCxukfN-9BU&feature=youtu.be
The peerless International Contemporary Ensemble plays the kind of composers they champion and this List loves.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I spent the evening at Kenta Goto's great new (well it first opened mid-February — but we all know how long THAT initial stand lasted) Brooklyn outpost of Bar Goto. So if this email seems more disjointed (or just more pissed off) than usual, you know why (if it doesn't, that's telling, too). So let's all enjoy together Kenta's most famous creation, the Sakura Martini: pour 2-1/2 oz. Sake, 1 oz. Gin, and 1/4 teaspoon of Maraschino liqueur into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. If you happen to have a cherry blossom lying around, salt it and use as a garnish.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: O Solitude!: English Continuo Song from the 17th Century
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET Live Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/oh-solitude
The superb soprano Jolle Greenleaf is joined by archlutenist Hank Heijink (unfortunationately it's not pronounced "high jink") for a recital of 17th Century English lute songs. And if there's anything more purely enjoyable than English Renaissance-into-Baroque lute songs . . . well, it's the stuff on the programs TENET is live-streaming over the next two Thursdays.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: In 17th Century England, they'd probably have been drinking Beer or Ale.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM
Ballet Collective: Natural History
DANCE
THURSDAY & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 & 12, 2020
6:15 PM THURSDAY
2:30 PM SATURDAY
Private Preserve (details upon ticketing), Pine Plains, New York
Free (reservation required)
https://balletcollective.com/2020
Troy Schumacher's adventurous company presents a new outdoor ballet. Tickets are either socially-distanced picnic table, tailgate outside your car, or drive-in inside your car. Tickets are also completely taken — but there's a wait list.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You'll be eating and drinking at the show. Maybe takeout from the Terrapin?
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Thursday, September 10, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 & 10, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Brandon Collwes & John King: Sonic Gatherings
DANCE / MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 (Weekly)
6:00 PM
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2671832829737349/
Ex-Cunningham dancer Brandon Collwes and Downtown experimental music mainstay John King continue their interdisciplinary collaboration with each other and a changing galaxy of guest artists.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: White Negroni: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Suze, and Lillet Blanc (or even better, Kina L'Aero d'Or) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Tue, Sep 8, 2020, 9:00 PM – Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 10:00 PM
MUTEK Festival
MUSIC
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 – 13, 2020 (continuing on SEPTEMBER 14)
9:00 PM
MUTEK Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://virtual.mutek.org/en/montreal-2020
Montreal's great electronic and digital music, art, and tech festival supplements this year's limited-access-by-necessity (in a country that won't admit us in any event) live performances with daily streams starting at 9:00 PM. It all looks great.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Montreal Cocktail: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Rye, Aperol, and Suze into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 & 10, 2020 (Semi-weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
The Arrow of Time
MUSIC
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
2:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-the-arrow-of-time
Experimental electronic musicians (from the more "serious" rather than the more "pop" side of things, if you're inclined to sort things that way) originally from such exotic places as the United States and Rowanda/Belgium, streaming from Amsterdam.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: My Fair Lady: pour 1-1/2 oz. Genever, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, 1/2 oz Amaro CioCiaro (you can sub in Ramazzotti or Bigalett China-China if you don't have any), and 1 teaspoon of Maraschino liqueur, with 3 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 & 10, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Monday, September 7, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 (Weekly)
8:00 PM
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
YouTube
Facebook
Free ($12 suggested donation)
http://bindlestiff.org/bindlestiff-open-stage-variety-show-quarantine-edition/
Bindlestiff's neo-Vaudeville/Nouvelle Cirque variety show returns — and not a moment too soon, if you ask me!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Now that this wonderful show is back, I can go back to recommending Monkey Glands along with it: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and orange juice, and 1 teaspoon each of Grenadine, Simple Syrup, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or better still, Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with an orange twist.
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Mon, Sep 7, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 8:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 – 13, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (while you're at it, download Bell's "This Is Not a Land of Kings" as well: it's GREAT!). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
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Sunday, September 6, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Meta-Phys. Ed: The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproduction
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 (also SEPTEMBER 10 – 12)
8:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
The Brick
Twitch
Free
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-25-the-work-of-art-in-the-age-of-technological-reproduction/2020-09-06/
Meta-Phys. Ed likes to put on what you might call The Theater Of Conceptual Ideas. So it's no surprise that here they're presenting a multi-media cabaret taking off from Walter Benjamin's seminal essay. Doing it online only makes it more meta (note the title change!).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: An unreconstructed flâneur like Benjamin would surely want a Boulevardier — even if it's not quite the season for it yet: pour 1-1/2 oz.Bourbon (I actually like to use Rye) and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist, an orange twist, or a cocktail cherry.
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Sat, Sep 5, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Sep 6, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 (Weekly through SEPTEMBER 26)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy5
Sam Soghor contributes to the '90s Revival by bringing back his old public access show — online!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Double Barrel: pour 1 oz. each of Rye, dry Vermouth, and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, September 5, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Live from CollisionPGH
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-collision?mc_cid=913ff992db&mc_eid=6995dcaaec
Electronic music — from Pittsburgh! Yinz'll love it!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The area around Pittsburgh was once the Rye Capital of the Universe. So, a Ross Collins or three (it's a long show!): pour 2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, over two thin orange slices in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake very hard. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with another orange slice and a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, September 5, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Laurie Anderson & Christian McBride
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
8:00 PM
Guild Hall, East Hampton
Outer/Most Live Stream
$20
https://www.outermostagency.com/stream/laurie-anderson-christian-mcbride
Every now and then Laurie Anderson forgoes her usual composed music/performance pieces for a show and improvises on violin. Usually, it's with avant-garde experimentalists; I've never seen her do it with a mainstream jazzman like (the great) bassist Christian McBride. Frankly, I'm skeptical.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: This show's Collins will be the Bitter Tom: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. Campari, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 1 teaspoon each of Bénédictine and pomegranate molasses (which you can make by mixing Grenadine with molasses — you don't have to go crazy here) in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Saturday, September 5, 2020, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Warm Up 2020
MUSIC
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
12:00 PM
MOMA PS1/Boiler Room Live Stream
Free
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/6697
https://boilerroom.tv/session/moma-ps1-warm
Couldn't have a Summer entirely without PS1 Warm Ups. So they're capping off the Summer with a remote version featuring the usual collection of performers and spinners in the prevailing NYC dance styles, live-streamed from the PS1 courtyard with a stage design by Cécile McLoren Salvant(?). If you don't feel like watching from the confines of your home, it's being screened at various outdoor venues: Public Records, Elsewhere, 99 Scott, Ode to Babel, The Rockaway Hotel, Queens Botanical Garden, Cafe Erzulie, and Rise Radio.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's really close out the Summer with a day of that greatest of Summer coolers, the Tom Collins: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. (You can also build it in the glass, but it's better this way.) Top with club soda. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. Don't dare stop at one.
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Friday, September 4, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 (Biweekly)
7:30 PM
Contemporaneous
Zoom
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-community-salon-tickets-109687016820
A virtual salon. Artists and performers can share pieces in whatever stage of completion. Everyone else can comment and converse.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I said in Monday's List that I like Boulevardiers made with Rye instead of Bourbon. Subscriber MW points out that a Boulevardier made with Rye is called a 1794. Except, not exactly: the proportions are a little different — and it turns out to be better that way (not that contemporary bartenders aren't changing the proportions of Boulevardiers in a similar manner). SO: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari, with a dash of chocolate bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, September 4, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 (Weekly)
5:00 PM
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Facebook
Free
https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/ethel-online
The fab alt string quartet ETHEL brings its weekly recitals in the Met Balcony Bar home (theirs and yours). Expect old and new music, and surprise guests (from still more homes).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Hickory: pour 1 oz. each of sweet and dry Vermouth, with 2 dashes of orange bitters and 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, September 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sylvie Courvoisier & Ned Rothenberg
MUSIC
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
8:00 PM
Soapbox Gallery Live Stream
Pay what you can
https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/ned-rothenberg
A crystalline pianist joins with a uniquely hushed reedman for a night of what promise to be enthralling improvisations.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I've been waiting till the very end of the Summer to spring on you the very hardest Summer cocktail to make that I know, the Ramos Gin Fizz. Let's go for it: fill a Collins glass with ice and set aside. Pour 1 oz. Old Tom Gin, 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and lime juice, 1 oz. Simple Syrup, 1 egg white, 2 oz. heavy cream, and 3/4 teaspoon of orange blossom water (of course you have some of THAT around) into an ice-filled cocktail shake. Shake hard. Shake till your arm feels like it's falling off. Shake 50 times (count them). Strain into the Collins glass, from which you have discarded the ice. Pour from up on high to insure froth. Top with club soda. (It's all worth it.)
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Thursday, September 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cinema Ephemera
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 (Weekly)
8:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the Street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
https://www.bklynlibrary.org/event-series/cinema-ephemera
An eclectic collection of Stuff — artists' film shorts, concert footage, vintage video games, whatever — is projected onto the facade of the Central Library.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: You can grab a beer at Gold Star Beer Counter beforehand. I don't know anything in the immediate area still open afterward.
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Thursday, September 3, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Sophocles: Oedipus the King
THEATER
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
2:00 PM
The Oedipus Project UK
Theater of War
Free (with registration)
https://theaterofwar.com/schedule/the-oedipus-project-uk
This updated presentation of Sophocles's towering play about the intractability of fate and the folly of hubris features the great Kathryn Hunter. (They're pushing its relevance by saying it treats an overconfident ruler during a time of plague — but come on, that's like the half of it.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Rome with a View: pour 1 oz. each of Campari, dry Vermouth, and lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Highball or Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Thursday, September 3, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 & 3, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Staging Film: Domesticity, This Thing of Ours, 13 Words or Less
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/8/29/puppet-spread-limefest-edition
Cross-media experimentation: telling theater stories with film. Or film stories with theater. Or something.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Inside Job: pour 2 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. each of Absinthe and Maraschino liqueur, and 1 teaspoon of Simple Syrup, with 1 dash of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks or Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a with a couple of orange twists and a cocktail cherry.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Ben Monder
MUSIC
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
9:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/live-stream
Which compels you more: melody or harmony? Well luckily for you, guitarist Ben Monder has unique conceptions of both!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: See Summer out with a Trinidad Sour: pour 1-1/2 oz. Angostura bitters (yes you read that right: the bitters are the base liquor), 1/2 oz. Rye, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Orgeat into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/varietyshow/sep1
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Poet's Dream (nice!): pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Bénédictine, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 & 3, 2020 (Semi-Weekly)
10:00 AM
Free
https://metropolisensemble.org/house-music
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Metropolis Ensemble showcases ace musicians associated with its excellent self, or in any event friends of the ensemble, playing solo contemporary, classical, and newly commissioned pieces from home. Metropolis Ensemble has assured me they don't make these musicians play this early; these are (new) prerecordings prepared for this series.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Coffee.
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Mon, Aug 31, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Sep 6, 2020, 8:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, AUGUST 31 – SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park Entrance
35th Street at 4th Avenue, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn
Free (soundtrack must be purchased)
https://here.org/shows/cairns/
Something you can actually Go Out! to (although it's not quite "live"). Gelsey Bell, that vocal star of NYC Alt Classical, has conceived of a piece that walks you around Green-Wood Cemetery (starting at the Sunset Park Entrance). You download the soundtrack on your phone beforehand (while you're at it, download Bell's "This Is Not a Land of Kings" as well: it's GREAT!). Bell wrote the text and narrates, with a co-composing assist from the inimitable Joe White (who seemingly couldn't write an unenjoyable tune if he tried). The Cemetery itself will do the performing. (You can also listen to the soundtrack at home and pretend you're walking around the Cemetery.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bring bottled water. As for afterward, 5th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is designated for street dining on weekends, if you find that compelling. OTOH: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/23/reckless-driver-plows-into-sunset-park-outdoor-dining-area-injuring-patrons/
