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Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 (weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-7plz4
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, October 31, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tarik Davis: Host Invite
THEATER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$10-$125
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/31/host-invite
Horror? SciFi? Multi-national labor violations — or imposition of virtual reality?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Liberal: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye, 1/2 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Golden Moon Amer dit Picon (or CioCiaro), with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, October 31, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Lim: A Blue Moon Study by O-die
THEATER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020
7:00 PM
Ars Nova Live Stream
$10
https://arsnovanyc.com/A-Blue-Moon-Study-by-O-die
Ominous campy puppet theater on Halloween.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Skeleton Key: pour 1-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 3/4 oz. St-Germain, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice into a Collins glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Then, to show you're serious, dump in 8 (that's right!) dashes of Peychaud's bitters. To really taste those bitters, drink without a straw.
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Saturday, October 31, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 9:00 PM
Molissa Fenley: State of Darkness
DANCE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1, 2020
5:00 & 8:00 PM SATURDAY
8:00 PM SUNDAY
Joyce Theater Live Stream
$13
https://www.joyce.org/stateofdarkness
God did I love seeing Molissa Fenley do her solo Rite of Spring setting State of Darkness in 1988. Fenley's high-energy Minimalism at its most emotional and intense (Fenley was one of that school of artists in '80s who showed that Minimalism could be rough). Now the Joyce has put together a bill of seven fantastic dancers to each do a (separately ticketed) solo performance. And this weekend those dancers include Sara Mearns (Sunday) and Cassandra Trenary (Saturday night)!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mance Ryder: pour 1-1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of Mezcal, sweet Vermouth, and Cointreau, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and orange bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, October 31, 2020, 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tales From a Safe Distance: The Bolts of Fortune
OPERA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
8:00 PM
Decameron Opera Coalition Live Stream
$15 for all four weeks
https://decameronoperacoalition.org/
The final episode in this series where a bunch of different Indie Opera companies from all over the country get together to bounce off the Decameron. Each episode features two or three new operas based to one degree or another on Decameron stories, each company presenting one, with their own casts and creative teams. Exciting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Beautiful Stranger: pour 1 oz. Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Champagne flue. Top with Champagne.
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Distant Pairs: Ana da Silva & Phew
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Live Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/distant-pairs-ana-da-silva-phew
Another show in ISSUE's series of tech-enabled (very) remote duets, by people on different continents. Phew was founding Aunt Sally in Osaka around the same time as Ana da Silva was helping found The Raincoats in London. This show will be post-punk heaven.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Stinger: pour 2 oz. Cognac and 3/4 oz. white Crème de Menthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Made at Avoloch: New Morse Code: David Crowell / Robert Honstein
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
8:00 PM
YouTube
Free
https://www.facebook.com/events/265948117802333/
The splendid (and as far as I know, unique) cello/percussion duo New Morse Code plays music by two composers whose work scintillates (listen: you'll see what I mean): David Crowell and Robert Honstein.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: North End: rinse a chilled Champagne flute with Fernet. Pour 1-1/2 oz. limoncello and 1/2 oz. lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed flute. Top with Prosecco.
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Brad Balliett
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
7:30 PM
HUB Events
Peabody Institute Stream
Free
https://peabody.jhu.edu/live/
This List loves Brad Balliett too much to forego even a last-minute notice. He's a fine bassoonist, but we mainly love him as a composer and stylist who's not afraid to use elements of hip-hop and Early Music in his pieces, nor to be sheerly purely enjoyable, even catchy. (He's also not afraid to look exactly like his identical twin brother, cellist/composer Doug — when they play together it's like a Certs commercial.) Tonight's solo recital includes one of Brad's marvelous bird pieces (he's also a dedicated birder): the bird music video he made in the Spring was one of the highlights of early Quarantine.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Yellow Bird: pour 1 oz. white Rum and 1/2 oz. each of Galliano, Cointreau (or other Triple Sec), and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 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: It is officially getting to be Boulevardier season: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari 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, October 30, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The High Captain
THEATER
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 & NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (also on NOVEMBER 2)
7:00 PM
Bechdal Group
The Tank Live Stream
$10-$25
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/30/the-high-captain
Shipwrecked barge workers try to set up a government on their new island home (but they're all high on the ship's petroleum cargo). In other words, a non-metaphorical presentation of the 2020 election.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jungle Bird: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Jamaican (or Puerto Rican) Rum and pineapple juice, 3/4 oz. Campari, and 1/2 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass (NO ice). Garnish with an orange slice.
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Fri, Oct 30, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 11:00 PM
Eschaton END TIMES
PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30 & 31, 2020 (weekly)
5:00 PM FRIDAY
10:00 PM SATURDAY
Zoom
$35-$150
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eschaton
A special Halloween edition (prices will come back down next week) of this 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 weekend night, 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, October 30, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 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, October 30, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
h0tclub
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
Free
https://here.org/shows/stillhere/
Multimedia madpersons h0tclub create havoc.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Seelbach Cocktail: pour 1 oz. Rye and 1/2 oz. Cointreau, with 7 dashes each of Angostura and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Garnish with an orange twist that you have rubbed around the flute's rim.
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Friday, October 30, 2020, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tyshawn Sorey: Autoschediasms
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
11:00 AM
Alarm Will Sound
YouTube(?)
Free
https://www.alarmwillsound.com/event/online-3/
The invaluable Tyshawn Sorey challenges the distinction between improvised and composed music in a video-chat spontaneous live collaboration with musicians from the excellent Contemporary Classical/New Music ensemble Alarm Will Sound. It would be nice if they told us exactly where to find this stream.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Singapore Sling: pour 1 oz. each of Gin, Cherry Heering (or other cherry liqueur or brandy), Bénédictine, and lime juice into a Highball or Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Stir. Add 1 dash of Angostura bitters. Good morning!
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Manual Cinema: Frankenstein
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
10:00 PM
Cal Performances Stream
$15-$60
https://calperformances.org/events/2020-21/at-home/manual-cinema-frankenstein/
Part of the magic of Manual Cinema's truly magical steampunk projected puppet theater is that they're manipulating these pieces of paper projected into remarkable images right as you sit there: you can see what they're doing, and can't believe what it turns into before your very eyes. Will it have a like effect on canned video (where, let's face it, there are easier ways to make even more more superficially remarkable images)? We'll see.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: What else but a Corpse Reviver No. 2? Rince a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, lemon juice, Cocchi Americano, and Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Choral Composer / Conductive Collective: Restricted Movement
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
8:30 PM
#C4GoesRemote Live Stream
Free (with registration)
http://www.c4ensemble.org/
The music/tech nerds at C4 present a remote concert of new pieces. With instruments! And dance!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Joy Division: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, 1/2 oz. Cointreau, and 3/4 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, Oct 29, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 11:00 PM
Sim Yan Ying "YY": Where Are You?
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 – 31, 2020
8:00 PM THURSDAY
10:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
SUITE / Space 2020
Mabou Mines Live Stream
Free-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-sim-yan-ying-yy/
A new iteration of a piece about how we experience grief and confront death. I love art that takes you outside yourself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bitter Mai Tai: pour 1 oz. each of Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum, Campari, and lime juice, and 1/2 oz. each of Curaçao and Orgeat, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Dry shake. Pour into a mug 2/3 filled with crushed ice. Add more crushed ice to top. Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Jeremiah Cymerman: 40th Birthday Concert
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/citadels-sanctuaries-jeremiah-cymerman-at-40/
Sonic explorer Jeremiah Cymerman will celebrate the onset of middle age with a solo clarinet-and-electronics set, a set by his hypnometal band (along with Toby Driver and Mario Diaz de Leon) Bloodmist, and a set with an ensemble that is truly star-studded (by the standards of this admittedly obscure music).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Birthday Daiquiri: pour 1-1/2 oz. white Rum, 1 oz. lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, with 1 grapefruit peel, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an ice-filled Martini glass, coupe, or Nick and Nora glass. Top with Champagne. Happy birthday!
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 (Bi-Weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic108
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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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Bandé-Gamboa
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
7:00 PM
This Is Sessions, Lisbon Live Stream
$3-$10
https://dice.fm/event/xmorl-band-gamboa-aedt-29th-oct-stream-via-this-is-sessions-lisbon-aedt-global-tickets
Two bands were formed, each reviving a highly danceable pop/protest style from a former Portuguese colony in Africa: Funaná from Cabo Verde (which the government even outlawed!) and Gumbé from Guinea-Bissau. Then the bands were combined, to fuse the two styles. I don't usually go for fusion — but this is some highly, highly danceable protest music!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I'm not expecting any of us to have or have access to Grouge, the Cabo Verdean equivalent of Cachaça, which they like to use there to make Cabo Verdean Caipirinhas. So let's recur to the standard Caipirinha, from another former Portuguese colony: put 1/2 of a lime, cut into pieces, and 2 teaspoons of superfine sugar, into a tumbler or Old Fashioned glass. Muddle. Pour in 2 oz. Cachaça. Stir. Fill the glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. In my many many decades on this planet, I have never, not once, been able to stop at one.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: In Memoriam: Remembrances and Joy: Music by Buxtehude and Bach
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T( )Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/in-memoriam-remembrances-and-joy
German Baroque by the great Buxtehude and one of his fans.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: It's a little early in the night for it, but if you can stomach a liqueur that was originally called Göring-Schnaps (I can't myself), maybe a Jagermeister.
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Thu, Oct 29, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 – 31, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$80 per group just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances. (These are a special Halloween iteration — everything [including prices] will calm down next week.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tapas at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Kamala Sankaram: Only You Will Recognize the Signal
OPERA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 (weekly)
1:00 PM
#stillHERE
HERE Arts Center Live Stream
$5-$50 for whole series
https://here.org/shows/only-you-will-recognize-the-signal/
The creative and performing teams that brought us that great Zoom opera from early in the Pandemic, All Decisions Will Be Made by Consensus, now goes into space to colonize a new world (SPOILER ALERT: things do not go smoothly). You can watch weekly at the ungodly hour of 1:00 PM on Thursdays for 10-minute increments, or can see the thing whole at a more cossetting 7:00 PM on December 17.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Abbey: pour 1-1/2 oz Gin and 3/4 oz. each of Lillet Blanc (you know I'm substituting Cocchi Americano or Kina l'Aero d'Or) and orange juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, October 29, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 & 29, 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, October 28, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bearthoven / Bent Duo: Play Sarah Hennies: Spectral Malsconcities
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/bearthoven-and-bent-duo/
Composer Sarah Hennies is having A Moment — and it's richly deserved. Her music, often percussion-based, is evocative in a way you can't quite put your finger on (the music of her old rock band, Weird Weeds, was the same way), and has glowing textures and shifting, fascinating, intuitive underlying structures. Piano trio (jazz lineup) Bearthoven and the piano/percussion Bent Duo should play this stuff as to the manor born.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Am I running out of cocktails? Dunno, but am going to repeat the strangely appropriate Arsenic and Old Lace: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Crème de Violette into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Wed, Oct 28, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:00 PM
Eliza Bent: Karen, I Said
THEATER
WEDNESDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 – 31, 2020 (also NOVEMBER 2)
6:00 PM WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY
12:00 PM SATURDAY
bentertainment / New Georges / All for One Theater
Zoom
$5-$30
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/newgeorges/441357
Eliza Bent's best work yet (and that's saying something). I love the way she saves the most surgical skewering for Our Side. Funny and deceptively deep.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Suburban: pour 1 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. each of dark Rum and Ruby Port, with 1 dash each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Lisa Bielawa: Voters Broadcast
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
3:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library Plaza
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
http://www.lisabielawa.net/voters-broadcast
The eminently imaginative and communicative composer Lisa Bielawa has conceived of a brief participatory vocal piece about speaking out and being heard. You don't miss new pieces by Lisa Bielawa.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: No Hands: pour 1-1/4 oz. each of Campari and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of chocolate bitters, into a cocktail shaker WITHOUT ice. Stir. Pour into a Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Tue, Oct 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 9:00 PM
New York City Ballet: 21st Century Ballet
DANCE
TUESDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 – 31, 2020
8:00 PM
New York City Ballet Stream
Free
https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/new-works-festival/
NYCB's annual new works festival takes to the 'net. Each night features a fully-conceived video performance (meaning a cinematic presentation, not a film of a stage performance) of a different new piece. The choreographers are Pam Tanowitz (with Russell Janzen), Justin Peck, Sidra Bell, and Andrea Miller.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: French 75: pour 1 oz. each of Gin (actually the original recipe called for Cognac) and Simple Syrup, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, into an ice-filed cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a (very) chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Tue, Oct 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – Thu, Oct 29, 2020, 9:00 PM
Distant Pairs
MUSIC
TUESDAY – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 – 29, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Live Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/distant-pairs-joe-mcphee-taku-unami
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/distant-pairs-ingrid-laubrock-veryan-weston-art-life-self-isolation
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/distant-pairs-dreamcrusher-dis-fig
A series of tech-enabled (very) remote duets, by people on different continents. The pick of the litter is probably Wednesday's recital by Brooklyn (originally from Germany) saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and legendary London improvisatory jazz pianist Veryon Weston — accompanied by a visual elements showing disorientingly fractured online virtual social interactions. Free jazz legend Joe McPhee appears on Tuesday, playing for the first time with the unpredictable Japanese improv/experimental guitarist Taku Umi. Capping it all off in the most interesting manner possible, on Thursday, Dreamcrusher, who makes noise personal and expressive, works from Brooklyn (albeit originally from Kansas, they emphasize) with Berlin's Dis Fig, whose noise tapestries are epic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila, 3/4 oz. Punt e Mes, and 1/2 oz. Coffee liqueur (I mean, everybody has a bottle of Kalhúa lurking in the back of their bar, right?), with 1 dash of chocolate bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Metropolis Ensemble: Free Assembly
MUSIC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020
8:00 PM
House of Yes/(Le) Poisson Rouge Stream
Free (with registration)
https://metropolisensemble.org/all-events/free-assembly
A really great aggregation of New Classical, jazz, and avant-pop people get together for a bunch of new collaborations. What this List is about on a platter.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nuclear Daiquiri: pour 1 oz. overproof Rum, 2/3 oz. green Chartruese, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/3 oz. Falernum into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge. You're allowed to dilute it with water if you're feeling timid.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: Orchestrated Thoughts
MUSIC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020
7:00 PM
Tues@7
International Contemporary Ensemble Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://www.iceorg.org/events/tues7-oct27
An intriguing exploration of the interface of flute, drums, and visionary hip-hop.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I think we'll have another Pan American Clipper: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of Grenadine and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. You can toss in an apple slice if you like.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Shayok Misha Chowdhury & Kameron Neal: The Other Other
THEATER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020
7:00 PM
Ars Nova Stream
Free (with registration)
https://arsnovanyc.com/The-Other-Other
Chowdhury continues his Vichitra project, exploring the various corners of the queer Southern Asian imagination. In this one, a queer Black/Desi couple try to situate themselves in the wake of the Vice Presidential nomination of someone who's both Black and Desi (and has had each portion of her background challenged).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The Italian Job: pour 3/4 oz. each of Jamaican Rum, Cocchi Americano, Aperol, and Byrrh, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Molly Powers Gallagher: True Now
THEATER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020
6:30 PM
Bechdal Group
The Tank
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/27/the-bechdel-groups-fall-2020-workshop-series-molly-powers-gallaghers-true-now
Let's go to the promotional materials: "A floundering recent grad joins a multi-level marketing scheme to pay the bills only to discover she’s entrenched herself in a mad-as-hell Mom group seeking revenge for political corruption in the Department of Education." OK!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A lovely lovely Jasmine: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, 1 oz. Cointreau, and 1/2 oz. Campari 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, October 27, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Chekhov: The Bear
THEATER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020
6:30 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 Chekhov one-acters, which for amazingly perceptive understated bittersweet humor cannot be bettered.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Another piece that calls for a Vodka cocktail (Vodka will be certainly be drunk by a character at some point). Black Russian: pour 2 oz. Vodka and 1 oz. Kalhúa into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a barely surpressed gag at how not-very-good this cocktail is.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/27/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Americano: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Campari and sweet Vermouth into a Highball glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange slice.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 & 29, 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, October 26, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Option: Zeena Parkins
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
9:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/option-zeena-parkins
Downtown Harp Goddess Zeena Parkins plays a solo set and chats.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Too Soon?: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and Cynar, 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with 2 orange slices, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake very hard. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, October 26, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 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, October 26, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Shenny de los Angeles: The Ritual to Beauty
THEATER
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
8:00 PM
SUITE / Space 2020
Mabou Mines Stream
$0-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-shenny-de-los-angeles/
Three generations of Dominican women pass down beauty rituals — all keyed to the denial of their Blackness.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Santo Libre: pour 2 oz. aged Rum (Rhum Agricole by preference) and 1/4 oz. lime juice into tall glass over ice. Top with lemon/lime soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Monday, October 26, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Fall for Dance: Program 2
DANCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
7:30 PM
City Center Stream
$15
https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/FallforDance/
One advantage of Quarantine is that you can actually get to see Fall for Dance, albeit remotely. Among other things on this bill, there's Calvin Royal III doing a new piece by Kyle Abraham; and Ashley Bouder, Tiler Peck, and Brittany Pollack doing a few of the Gershwin numbers from Balanchine's ineffable Who Cares? Is that enough star power for you?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fortune: pour 1 oz. Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy and 1/2 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, with a handful of mint, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass, coupe, or Nick and Nora glass. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a mint leaf.
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Monday, October 26, 2020, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Tiffa Foster: Notorious MILFs
THEATER
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2020
6:30 PM
Bechdal Group
The Tank
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/26/the-bechdel-groups-fall-2020-workshop-series-tiffa-fosters-notorious-milfs
Let's go to the promotional materials: "When a group of diverse mothers from a Midwestern suburb decide that marriage and family have robbed them of their future, they form a guerrilla-style militia to take down the Patriarchy, one picket-fenced McMansion at a time." OK!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's recur to Audrey Saunders's great classic Intro to Aperol: pour 1 oz. Gin, 2 oz. Aperol, and 3/4 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Angostura 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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Mon, Oct 26, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 1, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 6:00 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, Oct 26, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 – NOVEMBER 1, 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, October 25, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/ooaaoc-and-famous-swords-present-ooaaoc-volume-thirty-two/
Unwieldy amorphous art squid Famous Swords takes over this great series again. You can always expect the unexpected.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Gottta say, I'm really loving the Mad Hatter: rinse a Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, October 25, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Jorge Sosa: Alice in the Pandemic
OPERA
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 & 25, 2020 (also on OCTOBER 27)
7:30 PM
White Snake Projects Stream
$0-$145
https://www.whitesnakeprojects.org/productions/alice-in-the-pandemic-a-virtual-opera-fall-2020/
No, this new digital opera was not written by the former Met, but rather the eclectic and compelling Mexican-in-New-York composer — in conjunction with another ace librettist (and my fellow law escapee), Cerise Lim Jacobs. It uses advanced technologies, 3D avatars, etc. — while referencing various folk cultures.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chignon: pour 2 oz. Reposado Tequila, 1/4 oz. Bénédictine, and 1/2 oz. each of orange juice, lime juice, and Orgeat into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Sunday, October 25, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sean Devare: "First Violin — Anugraha EP"
THEATER
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 & 25, 2020
7:00 PM
SUITE/Space 2020
Mabou Mines Stream
$0-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-sean-devare/
An excerpt from interdisciplinary artist Sean Devare's piece about the mythical origins of the violin. Here, the half-breed demon king of Lanka, imprisoned under a mountain for a thousand years as penalty for an act of defiance, fashions a stringed instrument and composes a song of devotion to the Great Destoyer in a bid to gain his freedom. On Trump, it would work.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Aliya: pour 1-3/4 oz. Arrack into a Highball glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Squeeze in a lime wedge, and drop the wedge in.
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Sunday, October 25, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 12:00 AM
Carmina Escobar: The Light that Heals
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
11:00 PM
Indexical Live Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.) ($5-$20 suggested donation)
https://www.indexical.org/events/2020-10-24-carmina-escobar-the-light-that-heals
A woman sits in a room in a studio in the Santa Cruz mountains, filtering through her body the sounds of a past communal experience. Those sounds in turn trigger light emanating from the woman's body. Carmina Escobar makes the sort of static ambient (but not bland) music that many of us have found to be a true balm in These Trouble Times.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: La Lechedora: pour 1-1/2 oz. Sotol (get some of this as yet little-known [but very trendy] Mexican cactus liquor: you'll thank me), 1/2 oz. Curaçao, 2 oz. milk, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with two dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020 (Weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-8p3gw-ekcg8
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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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 12:00 AM
Pamela Z: Solo Concert
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
11:00 PM
White Snake Projects Stream
Free (with registration)
https://ymlpcl3.net/1dd53bewqalaehywyacaweuaoahmeq/click.php
Pamela Z does voice-and-electronics with great aplomb, audacity, inventiveness, and mastery. But also, Pamela Z's music is entertaining as hell. Everybody who's afraid of electronic New Music: come on in!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Open and Shut: pour 1/2 oz. Cognac or Armagnac (your choice) and 1-1/2 oz. Amaro (your choice) into a rocks glass (NO ice). Garnish with an orange or lemon twist (your choice). If you were to have a piece of chocolate with this, no one would look askance.
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Saturday, October 24, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020 (Weekly)
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: 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, October 24, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
loadbang: Premieres
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
7:30 PM (they say it's EST, but I'm betting they mean EDT; taking them literally it would start at 6:30 current Eastern Time — but I don't think they mean that)*
loadbang Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.loadbang.com/
Live from the Norwegian Seamen's Church in Turtle Bay, the unique voice-reed-brass quartet presents a bunch of new (or newly revived) pieces. Loadbang is never boring.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scandinavian Daiquiri: pour 2 oz. Aquavit, 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. If you happen to have any star anise laying around, use it as a garnish.
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Saturday, October 24, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Pascale Armand: S#!thole Country Clapback
THEATER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
7:30 PM
Forklift
Loading Dock Theater
170 Tillary Street, Downtown, Brooklyn
Free by R.S.V.P. ($10 suggested donation)
http://loadingdocktheatre.org/forklift/
Actor/playwright Pascale Armand's family emigrated here from Haiti. And boy is she fucking pissed off about something.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nice homey Peruvian at Pollo d'Oro.
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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 4:00 PM
Shenny de los Angeles: The Ritual to Beauty
THEATER
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 & 25, 2020 (also on OCTOBER 26)
7:00 PM SATURDAY
3:00 PM SUNDAY
SUITE / Space 2020
Mabou Mines Stream
$0-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-shenny-de-los-angeles/
Three generations of Dominican women pass down beauty rituals — all keyed to the denial of their Blackness.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Santo Libre: pour 2 oz. aged Rum (Rhum Agricole by preference) and 1/4 oz. lime juice into tall glass over ice. Top with lemon/lime soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 9:00 PM
Molissa Fenley: State of Darkness
DANCE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 & 25, 2020 (also OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 1)
5:00 & 8:00 PM
Joyce Theater Live Stream
$13
https://www.joyce.org/stateofdarkness
God did I love seeing Molissa Fenley do her solo Rite of Spring setting State of Darkness in 1988. Fenley's high-energy Minimalism at its most emotional and intense (Fenley was one of that school of artists in '80s who showed that Minimalism could be rough). Now the Joyce has put together a bill of seven fantastic dancers to each do a (separately ticketed) solo performance. Without disparaging this weekend's fabulous performers, I have to say that I'm going to wait for Sara Mearns and Cassandra Trenary next weekend (yeah, I'll probably watch them both) (I'm a fanboy: so shoot me).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mance Ryder: pour 1-1/2 oz. Reposado Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of Mezcal, sweet Vermouth, and Cointreau, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and orange bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 5:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 6:00 PM
The Breath Project
THEATER
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 & 25, 2020
5:00 PM SATURDAY
8:00 PM SUNDAY
Cherry Lane Theater Live Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.)
https://www.cherrylanetheatre.org/the-breath-project
Small theater companies throughout the country band together to present works by Black multidisciplinary theater artists reflecting on what it's like to be part of an enslaved underclass subject to random discretionary murder by the state. Each piece is 8 minutes, 46 seconds long.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Half Past Midnight: pour 2 oz. Cognac and 1/2 oz. each Fernet and Crème de Menthe into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, October 24, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Christopher Rashee-Stevenson / Ionesco: VICTIMS
THEATER
THURSDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 & 24, 2020
7:00 PM THURSDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
SUITE / Space 2020
Mabou Mines Live Stream
Free-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-christopher-rashee-stevenson/
Excerpts from an adaptation of Ionesco's Victims of Duty — so you know it's going to be fierce, visceral, lunatic, and funny as hell.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scofflaw: pour 2 oz. Rye, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Grenadine, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, October 24, 2020, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
-
Saturday, October 24, 2020, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Lisa Bielawa: Voters Broadcast
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
11:00 AM & 12:30 & 2:00 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library Plaza
10 Grand Army Plaza, Across the street from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Free
http://www.lisabielawa.net/voters-broadcast
The eminently imaginative and communicative composer Lisa Bielawa has conceived of a brief participatory vocal piece about speaking out and being heard. (There will be an online performance next Wednesday, October 29).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brunch at Olmsted.
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Saturday, October 24, 2020, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Holly Bass: Moneymaker
DANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM LIVE
2:00 – 5:00 PM STREAMED
New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Free
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/moneymaker/
Sporting a pompadour, Holly Bass takes inspiration from James Brown and Sarah Bartmaan (the "Venus Hottentot") and dances all day to 20th Century pop music as well as Malcolm X, Shirley Chisolm, and Fanny Lou Hamer. You can watch her live through NYLA's front windows on West 19th Street from 8 to 8, or online from 2 to 5.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go live, I never thought I'd be sending people to Westville — but such are the times we live in. At home, make yourself a Rolls Royce: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1/2 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Bénédictine, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with lemon twist.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM
David T. Little: Vinkensport, or the Finch Opera
OPERA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020
8:30 PM (7:30PM CST)
Houston Grand Opera Stream
Free (registration required)
https://www.houstongrandopera.org/events-tickets/hgo-digital/vinkensport-or-the-finch-opera/vinkensport-or-the-finch-opera/
Not that we engage in ranking on this List, but David T. Little is the best current American opera composer (unless Missy Mazzoli is). When Little and ace librettist Royce Vavrek came upon a Times article in 2007 about a viciously competitive Flemish sport in which finches are coaxed to chirp, the one who chirps the most signifying the winner, they knew they'd found an opera plot even better than Il Trovatore's. Three years later, this piece was the result. And when someone recently figured out they could line up six birdcages six feet apart in someone's backyard, this video realization ensued. It will stream until November 22. I honestly think this will be one of the events of The Quarantine.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brouwerij Dilewyns Vicaris Tripel Gueuze. You will not believe how delicious it is.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kazim Ali / Charmaine Lee
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
Poetry Project Live Stream
Free
https://www.poetryproject.org/events/kazim-ali-charmaine-lee
Poet Kazim Ali declaims. Vocal magician Charmaine Lee (who, as I like to say, can make her voice do anything she can think of — and who can think of things for her voice to do that you could never imagine) works her vocal magic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: XYZ: pour 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, and 1 oz. Cointreau into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into an ice-filled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Turning Jewels Into Water: Standing at the End of the World
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/turning-jewels-into-water-standing-at-the-end-of-the-world/
The electronic duo Turning Jewels Into Water — comprising Val Jeanty and Ravish Momin — enlist dancers and a video artist to help them portray the transformations of individuals facing climate change.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scorpion Kick: pour 2 oz. white Rum, 1 oz. lime juice, 1/2 oz. Crème de Cacao, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup, with a handful of fresh mint, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Maybe drop a mint leaf on top.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tales From a Safe Distance: So Noble a Heart
OPERA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 (subsequent episode on OCTOBER 30)
8:00 PM
Decameron Opera Coalition Live Stream
$15 for all four weeks
https://decameronoperacoalition.org/
A bunch of different Indie Opera companies from all over the country get together to bounce off the Decameron. Each episode features two or three new operas based to one degree or another on Decameron stories, each company presenting one, with their own casts and creative teams. Exciting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tradewinds Negroni: pour 1 oz. sweet Vermouth and 3/4 oz. each of Cointreau and Angostura bitters (yes you read that right) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Downtown Variety
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020
8:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requeested)
http://lamama.org/downtown-variety-take-15/
One of the most consistently entertaining series of the Remote Era returns with its usual great line-up (tonight's is particularly good) of avant-performers of various ages and locations.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Indian Summer (which we're NOT having): pour 1-1/2 oz. Cognac, 1/2 Mezcal, and 1/4 oz. Allspice Dram (a/k/a Pimento Dram), with 1 teaspoon of Agave Syrup, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Jorge Sosa: Alice in the Pandemic
OPERA
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 & 25, 2020 (also on OCTOBER 27)
7:30 PM
White Snake Projects Stream
$0-$145
https://www.whitesnakeprojects.org/productions/alice-in-the-pandemic-a-virtual-opera-fall-2020/
No, this new digital opera was not written by the former Met, but rather the eclectic and compelling Mexican-in-New-York composer — in conjunction with another ace librettist (and my fellow law escapee), Cerise Lim Jacobs. It uses advanced technologies, 3D avatars, etc. — while referencing various folk cultures.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chignon: pour 2 oz. Reposado Tequila, 1/4 oz. Bénédictine, and 1/2 oz. each of orange juice, lime juice, and Orgeat into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sean Devare: "First Violin — Anugraha EP"
THEATER
FRIDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 & 25, 2020
7:00 PM
SUITE/Space 2020
Mabou Mines Stream
$0-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-sean-devare/
An excerpt from interdisciplinary artist Sean Devare's piece about the mythical origins of the violin. Here, the half-breed demon king of Lanka, imprisoned under a mountain for a thousand years as penalty for an act of defiance, fashions a stringed instrument and composes a song of devotion to the Great Destoyer in a bid to gain his freedom. On Trump, it would work.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Aliya: pour 1-3/4 oz. Arrack into a Highball glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Squeeze in a lime wedge, and drop the wedge in.
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Friday, October 23, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 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, Oct 23, 2020, 1:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 11:00 PM
Planet AFROPUNK
MUSIC
FRIDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 – 25, 2020
Times TBA
AFROPUNK Facebook Live Stream
Free (by R.S.V.P.)
https://afropunk.com/2020/10/your-guide-to-planet-afropunks-digital-destinations/
I was almost surprised at how much I missed going to AFROPUNK Brooklyn this Summer. You can complain about the Festival's programming's moves toward the mainstream since its strict punk beginnings — but that would miss the way the Festival now showcases the broad range of Alternative Black Pop in all its variegated glory. This virtual iteration will feature live streams from several of the Festival's global locations, so timing will be a bitch. But it'll be worth it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's pretend it's still AFROPUNK's traditional Brooklyn time of August and have a Freight Train Swizzle: pour 1-1/2 oz. aged Rum and 3/4 oz. each of Green Chartreuse, Falernum, and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour into a tall glass 2/3 full of crushed ice. Stick in a straw. Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Fill with more ice. Garnish with some mint leaves and grated nutmeg.
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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Center for Psychic Technology Presents
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020
9:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-nightdepository
A bunch of great noisemakers (Dreamcrusher, Charmaine Lee, King Vision Ultra) and superbassist Luke Stewart accompanied by No Land on words.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Switchblade: pour 2 oz. Tequila, 1/2 oz. Crème de Cacao, 3/4 oz. lime juice, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a hot pepper.
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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Stephanie Lamprea: A Voice Beyond Words
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/stephanie-lamprea-a-voice-beyond-words/
Questing soprano Stephanie Lamprea presents a program where the old chestnuts are by Georges Aperghis and Crumb. There will be dancing. And drumming.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Arsenic and Old Lace: Rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Crème de Violette into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Pedro Guirado Tango Quartet
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 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-pedro-giraudo-tango-quartet
God I love Tango: Europeans move to the end of the world and go absolutely batshit crazy — in a way that preserves European formal rigor, but underlays it with completely irrational passion (as well as the kind of deep melancholy you'd expect when you find yourself ensconced at the end of the world).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: We're not gonna overthink this, but rather will default to a Fernet and Coke: pour equal parts Fernet and Coke into a Highball glass over ice (if you want to be fancy about it, hold the glass at a tilt when you're pouring in the Coke).
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Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 7:30 PM – Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 8:30 PM
-
Thursday, October 22, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: In Darkness Let Me Dwell: English Lute Songs by Dowland His Contemporaries
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/in-darkness-let-me-dwell
John Dowland wrote the most delightfully depressed music ever — what Emo would have been if it were good. His English Renaissance contemporaries were sometimes more lighthearted — but not usually: the Elizabethans liked their melancholy (even if it was left to a Jacobean successor to really run with it). I adore this stuff immoderately myself.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: We now know that the second Queen Elizabeth enjoys four drinks per day, God bless her (that's nothing compared to her Mum, of course). We don't know what the first Queen Elizabeth liked to drink, but the country that beat back the Spanish Armada liked its Sherry. So, let's recur to that grand classic, the Adonis: pour 1-1/2 oz. each Fino Sherry and sweet Vermouth, 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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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020 (Bi-Weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic108
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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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Christopher Rashee-Stevenson / Ionesco: VICTIMS
THEATER
THURSDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 & 24, 2020
7:00 PM THURSDAY
3:00 PM SATURDAY
SUITE / Space 2020
Mabou Mines Live Stream
Free-$100
https://www.maboumines.org/production/suite-space-2020-christopher-rashee-stevenson/
Excerpts from an adaptation of Ionesco's Victims of Duty — so you know it's going to be fierce, visceral, lunatic, and funny as hell.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scofflaw: pour 2 oz. Rye, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Grenadine, with 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, Oct 22, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 7:00 PM
-
Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell / Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 – 24, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$10 per person just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, an immersive experience where audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have specialty cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tacos at Tia Pol.
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Thursday, October 22, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 & 22, 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, October 21, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
-
Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Artists Fund Benefit
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free (donation of at least $25 requested)
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/issue-project-room-artist-fund-benefit-jim-orourke-sarah-hennies-holland-andrews-jeremy
A massive group of usual ISSUE suspects assemble for a fund-raiser. I'm most excited about Sarah Hennies and a duo performance by Middle Eastern cultural provacateurs Leyya Tawil and Porest(!!). But look at the line-up and get excited about whomever you want.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Pepper: pour 2-1/4 oz. Bourbon, 1/2 oz. Cholula Hot Sauce (you might have to sub for this), 3/4 oz. lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, with 1 dash of Worcestor Sauce, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with black pepper.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Fall for Dance: Program 1
DANCE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
7:30 PM
City Center Stream
$15
https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/FallforDance/
Well, one advantage of Quarantine is that you can actually get to see Fall for Dance, albeit remotely. Among other things on this bill, a new duet by Christopher Wheeldon for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg. Is that enough star power for you?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Turf: pour 1 oz. each of Gin and dry Vermouth and 1/2 teaspoon each of Maraschino liqueur and Absinthe, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Cecilia Lopez & Lars Laumann: El Porvenir: August 1996
MUSIC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/cecilia-lopez-lars-laumann-el-porvenir-august-1996/
Minor Argentine sub-theme this week. Here, video artist Lars Laumann (Norwegian in Berlin) presents found footage of a skating show at a Buenos Aires club, with music (prepared piano and electronics) provided by Argentine ex-pat-in-New York Cecilia Lopez.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Garibaldi: pour 1-1/2 oz. Campari and 4 oz. orange juice into a Highball glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange wedge.
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Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 7:30 PM – Sat, Oct 24, 2020, 8:30 PM
Sarah Gancher: Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy
THEATER
TUESDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20 – 24, 2020
7:30 PM
The Civilians Live Stream
$20.20
https://thecivilians.org/upcoming/russian-troll-farm/
A workplace comedy about the hilarity that ensues when a bunch of Russians are employed to pretend to be Americans, sewing discord and disinformation in the U.S. (and ordering takeout Thai for themselves).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I guess we'll have to do another Vodka cocktail, however mediocre. Kangaroo: pour 1-1/2 oz. Vodka and 3/4 oz. dry Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. (For some reason, tasteless morons call this inferior but extant drink a Vodka Martini, thus desecrating a great classic cocktail that for a time became extremely difficult to get owing to the ministrations of the tasteless morons.)
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
International Contemporary Ensemble: IFCA Music for Strings
MUSIC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020
7:00 PM
Tuesdays at 7
International Contemporary Ensemble Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tues7-ifca-works-for-strings-tickets-125167355931?aff=iceorg
Until the Iranian Female Composers Association popped up to show us, who knew that there was a current cohort of astonishingly good young Iranian composers? Now we know.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Pan American Clipper: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 1-1/2 oz. Lairds Bonded Apple Brandy and 3/4 oz. each of Grenadine and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. You can toss in an apple slice if you like.
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Tue, Oct 20, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 3:00 PM
Leila Buck: American Dreams
THEATER
TUESDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 – 25, 2020
7:00 PM TUESDAY – SATURDAY
2:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Working Theater Live Stream
$0-$100 ($30 suggested)
https://theworkingtheater.org/events/american-dreams/
Let's say the only way to get American citizenship was to compete on a game show. An interactive theater piece.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Fashioned: put an orange peel at the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup (or a sugar cube). Muddle. Pour in 2 oz. Rye (or Bourbon if your tastebuds are feeling lazy). Stir. Add ice. Stir again. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/20/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: 4 o'clock: time for a Siesta: pour 1-1/2 oz. Tequila and 1/2 oz. each of grapefruit juice, lime juice, Simple Syrup, and Campari, with 2 dashes of Angostura 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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Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 & 22, 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, October 19, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Option: Steve Baczkowski
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
9:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/option-steve-baczkowski
Improvising reed player Steve Baczkowski plays a solo set and chats.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A favorite of the RAF during World War I, the Depth Bomb: pour 1 oz. each of Brandy and Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of Grenadine, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Monday, October 19, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 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, October 19, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Julia Bruskin & Aaron Wunsch
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
7:30 PM
Music Mondays Live Stream
YouTube
Facebook
Free
https://www.musicmondays.org/october-2020
We can wonder about the bad faith in the Classical Music Performing Establishment's having effectively ignored the Black composer George Walker for decades whereas suddenly you can hardly find a mainstream program without him.* Or we can just enjoy the opportunity to finally hear the superlative music. Cellist Julia Bruskin and pianist Aaron Wunsch, two excellent players (and a couple!), should do it well. Also on the program are two composers whom the Classical Music Performing Establishment hasn't ignored, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Thistle: pour 2 oz. Scotch and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura 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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Monday, October 19, 2020, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Happy Hour Hang: Darcy James Argue
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020
6:00 PM
The Jazz Gallery Live Stream
Zoom
$15 (limited to 15 audience members)
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/happy-hour-darcy-james-argue
Wait, does Brooklyn big band leader Darcy James Argue even play anything? I've never seen it. Well, we'll all have a chance to find out in this evening of music and chat with an extraordinarily interesting musical mind.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Club Cocktail: pour 2 oz. Whisky (your choice) and 3/4 teaspoon of Grenadine, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and a lemon twist.
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Mon, Oct 19, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 – 25, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 6:00 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, Oct 19, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Oct 25, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19 – 25, 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, October 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-thirty/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: I enjoyed last week's Mad Hatter so much I'm going to repeat it: rinse a Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, October 18, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Sandbox Percussion
MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020
7:30 PM
YouTube
Free
https://sandboxpercussion.com/event/sandbox-virtual-concert-series/
If I were Sandbox Percussion, I wouldn't have scheduled one of my series of online concerts in competition with the Bang on a Can Marathon. But nobody asks me (if anybody wants to ask me, I'm certainly available). The usual bunch of great stuff played by this quartet of great percussion guys.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Admiral: pour 2 oz. Scotch, 1 oz. lime juice, 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup, 1/4 teaspoon Absinthe, and 1 dash of orange bitters into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe.
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Sunday, October 18, 2020, 5:26 PM – 6:26 PM
Ka Baird feat. Max Eilabacher: The Brooding Exercises
PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020
5:26 PM
The Kitchen OnScreen
Free
https://onscreen.thekitchen.org/ka-baird-with-max-eilbacher
A video of Ka Baird performing outdoors at twilight time Somewhere In Brooklyn, with ambient sound, the sound of the miked ground, and piano/electronics/vocals. Baird's stuff is always more hypnotic/compelling than it sounds in description.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Barracuda: pour 1 oz. each of Rum and Manzanilla Sherry and 3/4 oz. each of lime juice and Simple Syrup, with two dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe garnished with a lime wedge and a cocktail cherry. (You can also serve it as a cobbler, over crushed ice in a Highball glass — but it's getting a little cold for that.)
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Sunday, October 18, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Bang on a Can Marathon
MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020
3:00 PM
Bang on a Can Live Stream
Free (donations requested)
https://marathon2020.bangonacan.org/tix/
The previous episodes of this year's stretched-out remote Bang on a Can Marathon have been such fabulous fun that I've now learned it's idle to single out particular performers: it's the gestalt. So tempting as it is to tell you that Deerhoof's Greg Saunier has a new solo percussion piece, performed by David Cossin, called John Paul George and Ring Pry Open the Gates of Hell; or that there's a world premiere by Annie Gosfield; or a solo performance by Dirty Projector David Longstreth; or new Gemma Peacocke performed by Nathalie Joachin no less; or a solo performance by Tyshawn Sorey; or a 91st-birthday tribute to George Crumb . . . tempting as it is to point those out, I'm not gonna. Just watch.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The thing to drink over this long show is lots of beer. I'm going to go for Other Half Small Riwaka Everything India Pale Ale (a recommendation of subscriber AS).
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Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020 (Weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-6hgya
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, October 17, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020 (Weekly)
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: 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, October 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/matthew-shipp-the-piano-equation/
Matthew Shipp, one of the most thoughtful musicians on the face of the planet, plays a set of solo piano. The eponymous album is fantastic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Straight Up: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch, 1/2 oz. Cocchi Americano, and 1/4 oz. Amaro Miletti, with 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 9:00 PM
Northern Spy Records & NNA Tapes Label Showcase
MUSIC
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17 & 18, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-northernspy-nnatapes
Great stuff. Among the greatest of the stuff: Brooklyn trumpet fave Steph Richards leading an astonishing band (I mean, really, Steph: how did you get Jason Moran, Stomu Takeishi, Kenny Wollesen, and Qasim Naqvi?) in an "olfactory set," with recipes provided for you to create the requisite aromas at home(!!!!!!). The Baring Teeth duo of another Brooklyn trumpet fave, Nate Wooley, and ace drummer Ryan Sawyer. Gloom Alt Pop/Alt Classical duo LEYA. Alt/Future Popsters Psymon Spine. And that's just cherry-picking!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Deep Sea: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Absinthe, 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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Saturday, October 17, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Miles Mandwelle: Bushwick Dumpster Play
THEATER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
8:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/bushwickdumpsterplay
The most beautiful and talented bartender in Bushwick, her loser boyfriend, and the gay moose who lives in the dumpster next door. Oh, and the Canadian Mountie who's after all of them.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bushwick: pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/2 oz. each of Maraschino liqueur and either Golden Moon Amer dit Picon or Bigallet China-China. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, October 17, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 2:30 PM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 7:15 PM
Contemporaneous: TWO
MUSIC
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17 & 18, 2020
2:30, 3:15, 4:00, 4:45, 5:30 & 6:15 PM
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Free ($25 donation requested)
https://www.contemporaneous.org/upcoming-events/2020/10/10/two
A violinist from the marvelous Contemporaneous ensemble plays solo violin music by David Lang and the suddenly (but happily) ubiquitous Jessie Montgomery (who knows a thing or two about violin-playing herself) for an audience of one somewhere in Prospect Park. Not surprisingly, all the slots are taken — but things happen.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Grab some terrific dumplings at East Wind Snack Shop (Windsor Terrace) and take them back into the Park to eat.
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Saturday, October 17, 2020, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Raising Cain!: The Opening Act
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
2:00 & 3:30 PM
Dixon Place Fundraiser
The Clemete Parking Lot
107 Suffolk Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
$5-$250
https://sites.google.com/dixonplace.org/raisingcain/all-events/rc-opening?authuser=0
Music! Performance! Dance! PUPPETS! Actually live in an actual parking lot!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Great ramen at Nakamura (AS IF you're going to be able to get one of the 25% capacity seats in this tiny place!).
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Saturday, October 17, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Jennifer Koh: Alone Together
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
2:00 PM
Lincoln Center New Stages
Hearst Plaza
Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, Manatthan
$25 per 2-person pod
http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home/show/alone-together-791
The splendid violinist Jennifer Koh gives the live-before-an-audience premieres of a few of the slew of solo violin works she commissioned for live streaming over the summer. The recital will also be live streamed.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Might as well pick something up at Épicerie Boulud.
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Saturday, October 17, 2020, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Yoshiko Chuma & The School of Hard Knocks: The School of Hard Knocks to Dead End: My Diary, Tipping Utopia to Dead End: Love Story
PERFORMANCE / DANCE / THEATER
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020
11:00 AM
La MaMa Live Stream
$5 minimum ticket price
http://lamama.org/love-story/
A 24-hour-long piece reflecting back on Yoshiku Chuma's estimable career in the New York performance/theater scene and reflecting her perennial (and if anything more timely than ever) concerns with national security and perceived (true and false) dangers, borders, immigration, and war.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Morning Cocktail: pour 1 oz. each of Brandy and dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon each of Curaçao, Maraschino liqueur, and Absinthe, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry a lemon twist (that you've expressed into the drink). (Gee, this sounds a lot like a smaller, lower-octane version of a Chinese Cocktail with Brandy instead of Rum, doesn't it?)
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Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kioto Aoki: Systems of Vision
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-kiotoaoki-2
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: Not particularly seasonal, but a Palm Sunday: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of dry Vermouth, Suze, and Aperol into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aaron Diehl Trio
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
Caramoor Live Stream
$10
https://www.caramoor.org/events/aaron-diehl-trio-livestream/
Aaron Diehl just may be the most strictly elegant composer/pianist working in jazz right now.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Roosevelt: pour 1-3/4 oz. dark Rum, 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. orange juice, with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ekmeles: Alphabet, Grammar, Litany, Macle
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020
8:00 PM
Ekmeles Live Stream
Free
http://ekmeles.com/stream.html
This splendid vocal ensemble has put together a program that looks like it was created especially for me (indeed, if they had also included some Feldman, I'd think it was created especially for me): Saariaho, Cage, Agata Zubel (if you don't know her stuff, boy are you in for a treat), Julius Eastman. Visual elements created by the singers themselves!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Water Lily: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Crème de Violette, Cointreau, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
-
Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
-
Friday, October 16, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tales From a Safe Distance: Prompted by Appetite
OPERA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020 (subsequent episodes on OCTOBER 23 & 30)
8:00 PM
Decameron Opera Coalition Live Stream
$15 for all four weeks
https://decameronoperacoalition.org/
A bunch of different Indie Opera companies from all over the country get together to bounce off the Decameron. Each episode features two or three new operas based to one degree or another on Decameron stories, each company presenting one, with their own casts and creative teams. Exciting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mela d'Alba: pour 2 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and 1 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into a tumbler over ice. Stir. Express a lemon twist into the drink and drop the twist in.
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Friday, October 16, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 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: Dempsey: pour 1 oz. Gin, 2 oz. Calvados, 1 teaspoon of Grenadine, and 1/2 teaspoon of Absinthe into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, October 16, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 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, October 16, 2020, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Anonymous Ensemble: Flight
PERFORMANCE / THEATER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020
1:00 PM
#stillHERE IRL
HERE Live Stream
$5-$50
https://here.org/shows/flight/
In 2018, Anonymous Ensemble began began work on a kind of performance that would bring together participants from around the world through use of the internet. The next year they began active development of technologies to eventuate this vision. Little did they realize that in 2020, it would become an absolute necessity. This performance links HERE in Hudson Square with venues in Bogota, Copenhagen, and Melbourne.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Garibaldi: pour 2 oz. Campari and 1 oz. orange juice, 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, October 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Thursday, October 15, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Justin Allen feat. Savannah Harris: Bass
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/drums-justin-allen-savannah-harris
Justin Allen is exploring the fundamentals of punk band music. At successive shows, he'll employ extended vocal techniques in duets with each of the typical punk-band instruments. This show, it's the estimable Savannah Harris on bass.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Second Marriage: pour 1 oz. each of Bourbon and Calvados, and 1/2 oz. Pedro Jimenez Sherry, with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Thursday, October 15, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Jaleel Shaw
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 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-jaleel-shaw
Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw is earthy and soulful — another "in the tradition" guy who makes the music fresh.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're going, see if you can snag a table at the NoMad Rooftop (or at least the fantastic bar, which has also moved up there). Those watching at home can make a Midnight Stinger: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and Fernet, and 3/4 oz. each of lemon juice and Simple Syrup, into a cocktail shaker with no ice. Dry shake. Pour into a rocks glass 2/3 full of crushed ice. Shove in a straw. Add more crushed ice. Garnish with mint.
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Thursday, October 15, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: L'Amour en Diminutions: Les Airs de Cours de Chabanceau de la Barre
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/l-amour-en-diminutions
While Monteverdi and the late Italian madrigalists were doing Renaissance-into-Baroque in Italy, Joseph Chabanceau de la Barre and other composers of Airs de Cours were doing the same thing in a quite different, more refined and less dramatic, way in France. This music isn't just exquisite — it's mega-hyper-über-exquisite.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The name's in English, but the cocktail is French through and through: Yellow Cocktail: pour 3/4 oz. each of Gin, Suze, yellow Chartreuse, and 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, October 15, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
V: That Kindness: Nurses in Their Own Words
THEATER
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
7:00 PM
BAM Live Stream
Free (donations requested)
https://www.bam.org/theater/2020/that-kindness
A bunch of mainstream acting stars do a reading of The Artist Formerly Known As Eve Ensler's adaptation of interviews with front-line nurses who responded to COVID.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Thanks to subscriber BA for an Improved Hot Toddy recipe: muddle a lemon in a mug. Pour in 1/4 cup of really flavorful tea. Stir in 1 teaspoon honey and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Pour in 1 oz. Bourbon. Stick in a cinnamon stick.
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Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 6:00 PM – Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 6:00 PM
the cell/Dark Matter: Garden of Eden
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 – 17, 2020 (continuing through DECEMBER 19)
6:00, 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY
2:00, 3:00, 4:00 & 5:00 PM SATURDAY
338 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$10 per person just show
$190 for 2/$340 for 4 show, cocktails & food
http://www.thecelltheatre.org/gardenofeden
Inspired by the Secret Gardens of New Orleans, audience members journey through a labyrinthine secret garden replete with tarot images, ending with an actual tarot reading. Those who pay (a lot) more can then have speciality cocktails and food at Saturday performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Tacos at Tia Pol.
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Thu, Oct 15, 2020, 5:30 PM – Fri, Oct 16, 2020, 6:30 PM
Billy McEntee: Cory and Sim's Love Conquers the Earth
THEATER
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15 & 16, 2020
5:30 PM THURSDAY
2:00 PM FRIDAY
Loading Dock Theater
170 Tillary Street, Downtown, Brooklyn
Free by R.S.V.P. ($10 suggested donation)
http://loadingdocktheatre.org/forklift/
That's right: actual live theater (with an extremely limited audience). In the past, this piece would have been called "dystopian". But is it even possible to have dystopian theater any more? Isn't the word for that now "realist"? Anyway, this one's about love, revolution, drag, queerness . . . actually, doesn't sound very dystopian. Sounds hopeful. So maybe the word for it is "escapist" (NOT a pejorative) (especially not now)?
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Nice homey Peruvian at Pollo d'Oro.
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Thursday, October 15, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Leah Ogawa: The Magic Tree
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
4:00 PM
La MaMa Kids Online
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/magic-tree/
A puppet(!) retelling of a Japanese folktale about a girl who goes in search of a magical medicine to save her baby sister (Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail?).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Fortunately (or not), we're not kids. So even if we're not in this show's target audience (although adults who don't like puppetry can just stop speaking to me), we at least have the consolation of a stiff drink. Gloom Raiser: pour 2 oz. each of Gin and dry Vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon each of Absinthe and Grenadine, 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, Oct 15, 2020, 1:00 PM – Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 7:00 PM
Christopher McElroen: Static Apnea
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 – 17, 2020
1:00 – 7:00 PM
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, October 15, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 & 15, 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, October 14, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Nathalie Joachim feat. Spektral Quartet: Fanm d'Ayiti
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
10:00 PM
Cal Performance Stream
$15/viewer
https://calperformances.org/events/2020-21/new-music/nathalie-joachim-and-spektral-quartet-fanm-dayiti/
Flautist/singer/composer Nathalie Joachim's tribute to her Haitian female forebears is a wonderful thing of great beauty and interest. I know nobody who's heard it who doesn't love it. If you're not yet a member of that "have heard it" group, be sure to join tonight.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Broken Corazon Club: pour 1-1/4 oz. overproof Rhum Agricole Blanc, 3/4 oz. each of pineapple juice and lime juice, 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur, and 1/4 oz. Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Float 1/4 oz. Fernet on top. Garnish with a lemon slice and an orange slice.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Arlekin Players' Theater: State v. Natasha Banina
THEATER
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 & 14, 2020
8:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://bacnyc.org/performances/performance/arlekin-players-theatre
One of THE Zoomed theater smashes of the Quarantine returns yet again. We are taken, by means of really remarkable acting and effective visuals, into the head of a teenaged orphan on trial for manslaughter in Russia — with the audience as jury. If you haven't seen it already, do not miss this shattering experience — and increase your hopes for remote theater in the bargain.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: We really do have to abandon our standards and have a Vodka cocktail with this. Kamikaze: pour 1-1/2 oz. Vodka and 1 oz. each of Cointreau (or other Triple Sec) and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge. You KNOW Natasha likes them!
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Trio Sapiace
MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020
2:00 PM
Austrian Cultural Forum Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://www.acfny.org/event/trio-sapiace/
This Viennese piano-cello-sax trio (you don't see THOSE ever day) was supposed to come over to the Austrian Cultural Center in New York for a recital, but things being what they are they're streaming from Vienna's Altes Rathaus instead. There's a piece written for them by neo-Second Viennese School composer Reiner Bischof, and some Beethoven, Schulhoff, Rota (a rare treat!), and — if they must — Bruch.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Hugo: pour 1-1/2 oz. Prosecco, 1 oz. St-Germain, and 1/2 oz. club soda into a glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge and mint.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Pharoah Sanders: Another Trip Around the Sun
MUSIC
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2020
7:00 PM
Zebulon Live Stream
$25
https://dice.fm/artist/pharoah-sanders-l6ew
Most people might take it easy on their 80th birthday — but not avant-jazz legend Pharoah Sanders. Aided by another intense exploratory player, Azar Lawrence, the great saxophonist is leading a septet in four sets — arranged throughout the day so as to play at 7:00 PM in different global time zones — from an experimental music space in Los Angeles. Sanders was noisier than practically everyone else in the '60 — and while his music may have become more rounded since then, it hasn't gotten more timid or less intense.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cosmic Cocktail: pour 3 oz. dark matter and 7 oz. dark energy, with 1 dash each of ordinary matter and ordinary energy, into a lead recepticle. Shake. Pour out into the universe you've just created.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/13/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Chinese Cocktail: pour 2 oz. amber Rum and 3/4 teaspoon each of Curaçao, Maraschino liqueur, and Grenadine, with 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and a lemon twist (which you've expressed into the drink).
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Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 & 15, 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, Oct 12, 2020, 10:00 PM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 4:00 PM
Leigh Davis: Vigil
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 – 18, 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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Monday, October 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 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, October 12, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Arlekin Players' Theater: State v. Natasha Banina
THEATER
MONDAY & WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 & 14, 2020
8:00 PM
Baryshnikov Arts Center Live Stream
Zoom
Free (registration required)
https://www.shakespeare.org/calendar/2020/08/26/state-vs-natasha-banina
One of THE Zoomed theater smashes of the Quarantine returns yet again. We are taken, by means of really remarkable acting and effective visuals, into the head of a teenaged orphan on trial for manslaughter in Russia — with the audience as jury. If you haven't seen it already, do not miss this shattering experience — and increase your hopes for remote theater in the bargain.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: We really do have to abandon our standards and have a Vodka cocktail with this. Kamikaze: pour 1-1/2 oz. Vodka and 1 oz. each of Cointreau (or other Triple Sec) and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge. You KNOW Natasha likes them!
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Monday, October 12, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Vision Festival Healing Soul
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 (continuing on OCTOBER 12)
4:00 PM
Arts for Arts Live Stream
$15 per day
https://www.artsforart.org/healingsoul.html
The titanic annual Free Jazz festival goes online with an even more staggering line-up than usual, including this evening David Murray and a knockout ensemble led by William Parker.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Dobbs: rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with Fernet (DON'T be subtle). Pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1 oz. sweet Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Monday, October 12, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Option: Farida Amadou
MUSIC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020
2:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
https://ess.org/esscalendar/option-farida-amadou
The rather astonishing Belgian bass guitarist Farida Amadou plays a solo set and chats.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A glass of De Ranke XX Bitter.
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Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:00 AM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 6:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 – 18, 2020 (Ongoing)
7:00 AM – 6:00 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, Oct 12, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Oct 18, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 – 18, 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, October 11, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-thirty/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mad Hatter: rinse a Martini glass or coupe with Absinthe. Pour 2 oz. Rye, 3/4 oz. lemon/lime juice (combined), and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sat, Oct 10, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020 (Weekly)
11:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/olddogandzippy26-8p3gw-4l84h
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, October 10, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020 (Weekly)
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: 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, October 10, 2020, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Asha Tamirisa / Delicate Sen / Anna Friz
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
9:00 PM
Indexical Live Stream
Twitch
Free ($5-$20 donation requested)
https://www.indexical.org/events/2020-10-10-asha-tamirisa-delicate-sen-anna-friz
Two multimedia artists and a band present sets featuring sounds and, at least for two out of three, sights.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Left Hand: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. each of Campari and sweet Vermouth, with 2 dashes of chocolate bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Saturday, October 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
Room | To | Breathe
Bright Shiny Things Live Stream
$25
https://thecell.viewcy.com/e/schuberts_die_schne
Don't tell Schubert, but I almost prefer his faux naif song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin with the accompaniment played on guitar rather than piano. But the reason this gets Listed is the animations by Kevork Mourad abstracting the dreamscape in the poor lovelorn protagonist's mind. Guitarist/composer David Leisner made and plays the transcription of the accompaniment; the excellent baritone Michael Kelly sings.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Schubert didn't live nearly long enough to make it to Adolf Loos's American Bar (he'd have to have been 105, whereas he didn't even make it to 32). But you know he'd have gone if he did. And probably he'd have drunk a cocktail formulated by the great architect himself, the Fein G'Spritzer: pour 2 oz. Champagne into a Champagne flute. Top with 1 oz. Perrier.
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Saturday, October 10, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Anastasia Clarke: Ego Death Repair Tool Kit 1
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/anastasia-clarke-ego-death-repair-tool-kit-ir/
Anastasia Clarke is a real sonic explorer, using objects as well as electronics. This time she promises something therapeutic.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Scotch and Soda: fill a Highball or Collins glass with ice. Pour in 2 oz. Scotch. Holding the glass at an angle, pour in 4 oz. club soda. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Saturday, October 10, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TJG Online Lockdown Sessions: Steven Bernstein / Emma Frank / Clarence Penn / Cory Smythe
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
7:00 PM
Jazz Gallery Live Stream
Zoom
$20
https://www.jazzgallery.org/calendar/lockdown-session-17
Another Jazz Gallery initiative, this one featuring musical segments recorded by the participating artists during the week preceding the stream, and then live chat with the artists afterward. Strong line-up this week. List fave Cory Smythe just released a knockout contemporary classical-meets-progressive-jazz album — and his piano stylings are as eloquent as his compositions. Trumpeter Steven Bernstein has been a mainstay of the Downtown music scene since the last century. Clarence Penn is one of those drummers who's more a Compleat Musician than just a rhythm player. And Emma Frank is an intriguing folk-jazz-R&B vocalist.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brandy Daisy (really, a Modern Brandy Daisy, as it deliciously updates one of the very earliest cocktails ever): pour 2 oz. Brandy and 1 oz. each yellow Chartreuse and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Saturday, October 10, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
EdgeCut: CAPTIVITY
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2020
5:00 PM
Nowhere
$7-$20 interactive; Free (with registration) live stream
https://www.edgecut.org/captivity
Multimedia artists from all sorts of places present pieces addressing the notion of "captivity" (and also hold a rave). You can go the full-bore ticketed 3D interactive route, or watch live streams for free (with registration).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northern Lights: pour 1-1/2 oz. blended Scotch, 3/4 oz. St-Germain, 1/4 oz. each of Fir Eau de Vie, orange juice, and Demerara Syrup, and 1/2 oz. lemon juice, with 2 dashes of Tiki 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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Saturday, October 10, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 10, 2020, 2:30 PM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 7:15 PM
Contemporaneous: TWO
MUSIC
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10 & 11, 2020 (also SEPTEMBER 17 & 18)
2:30, 3:15, 4:00, 4:45, 5:30 & 6:15 PM
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Free ($25 donation requested)
https://www.contemporaneous.org/upcoming-events/2020/10/10/two
A violinist from the marvelous Contemporaneous ensemble plays solo violin music by David Lang and the suddenly (but happily) ubiquitous Jessie Montgomery (who knows a thing or two about violin-playing herself) for an audience of one somewhere in Prospect Park. Not surprisingly, all the slots are taken — but as we all learned last week, things happen.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Grab some terrific dumplings at East Wind Snack Shop (Windsor Terrace) and take them back into the Park to eat.
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Fri, Oct 9, 2020, 11:59 PM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 12:59 AM
CulturHub: Vital Signs
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 & 10, 2020
11:59 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/vital-signs/
OK, how can we say this? Sophisticated technology permits the intermixing of bio-data from performers in New York and Korea, turning it into holographic projections. Moreover, the audience somehow participates online. Good thing this is on so late!
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: A short glass of Amaro dell'Erborista.
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Friday, October 9, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Simora Piderhughes & Jack DeBoe: Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears
MUSIC / THEATER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020
8:00 PM
Joe's Pub Live Stream
YouTube
Free
https://publictheater.org/productions/season/fall-2020/venus-smiles-not-in-the-house-of-tears/
I often wish singer-songwriter Simora Pinderhughes were less pretentious and less sentimental. Well, nothing to be done about the sentimentality — but if he were less pretentious, he wouldn't be joining Jack DeBoe in creating a "transformative concert event" engaging in "an intimate, radical experiment in multi-genre storytelling".
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Roselyn Cocktail: pour 2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. dry Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Grenadine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, October 9, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Chris Cochrane: How Will We Recognize Each Other
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/chris-cochrane-how-will-we-recognize-each-other/
Longtime Downtown/Brooklyn guitarist Chris Cochrane leads a bunch of longstanding NYC alt/experimental musicians in a night of noise, improvisation, noise, and celebration (and noise).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Green Beast: muddle 3 slices of (peeled) cucumber in the base of a cocktail shaker. Pour in 1 oz. each of Absinthe and lime juice, 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup, and 2-1/4 oz. chilled water. Fill with ice. Shake. Strain into a Collins or Highball glass over ice. Garnish with an (unpeeled) cucumber slice.
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Friday, October 9, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tales From a Safe Distance: Both Gladsome and Grievous
OPERA
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 (subsequent episodes on OCTOBER 16, 23 & 30)
8:00 PM
Decameron Opera Coalition Live Stream
$15 for all four weeks
https://decameronoperacoalition.org/
A bunch of different indie opera companies from all over the country get together to bounce off the Decameron. Each episode features two or three new operas based to one degree or another on Decameron stories, each company presenting one, with their own casts and creative teams. Exciting.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Old Pal: pour 2 oz. Rye and 1 oz. each of Campari and dry Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. (See what I did?)
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Friday, October 9, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
-
Friday, October 9, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 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, October 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Thursday, October 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Justin Allen feat. Taja Cheek: Bass
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/bass-justin-allen-taja-cheek
Justin Allen is exploring the fundamentals of punk band music. At successive shows, he'll employ screaming vocal techniques in duets with each of the typical punk-band instruments. This show, it's Taja Cheek (you know her as local alt-R&B star L'Rain) (and as the person who puts together PS1's great live music programs) on bass.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Zone Amarillo: pour 1 oz. each of Mezcal and Reposado Tequila, 3/4 Punt e Mes, and 1/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse, with 2 dashes each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters, into a rocks glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange twist and a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, October 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Morgan Guerin: Wishes
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/morgan-guerin-wishes/
Call-it-jazz-if-you-have-to-have-a-name-for-things composer/multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin premieres a new two-part work for mixed ensemble. Guerin himself will play the EWI (that's Electronic Woodwind Instrument to you).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Jeez Louse: pour 1-1/2 oz. Averna amaro, 1/2 oz. Cynar, and 3/4 oz. each of Cointreau and lime juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with an orange wheel. Drink through a straw.
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Thursday, October 8, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Shinkoyo / Artist Pool Presents
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-shinkoyo-artist-pool
Droney, thrashy, absorbing, fun music.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Maravilla: pour 2 oz. Mezcal, 1/4 oz. Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro, and 1/2 oz. Crème de Cacao, with 2 dashes each of orange bitters and chocolate bitters, into a rocks or Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
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Thursday, October 8, 2020, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Livestream Concert: Miles Okazaki "Trickster"
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 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-miles-okazaki
Intriguing guitarist Miles Okazaki leads his "Trickster" band.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you're going, see if you can snag a table at the NoMad Rooftop. Those watching at home can strike it Filthy Rich: pour 1 oz. each of Rye and sweet Vermouth, 1/2 oz. each of Cynar and Bénédictine 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, October 8, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: Patience, Patience: Music of J.S. Bach and Purcell
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/patience-patience
Vocal and instrumental music by possibly the greatest composer in the European classical tradition, and also by one of the most sheerly enjoyable.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Mead Ambrose: pour 2 oz. blended Scotch and 1 oz. Mead (your choice: tend toward the drier side), with 3 dashes of orange bitters, in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Thursday, October 8, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Society of American Magicians: Flavors of Magic
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020 (Bi-Weekly)
7:00 PM
The Tank Live Stream
$5
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/flavorsofmagic108
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, Oct 8, 2020, 7:00 PM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 5:00 PM
Vision Festival Healing Soul
MUSIC
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8 – 11, 2020 (continuing on OCTOBER 12)
7:00 PM THURSDAY
5:00 PM FRIDAY
4:00 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Arts for Arts Live Stream
$15 per day
https://www.artsforart.org/healingsoul.html
The titanic annual Free Jazz festival goes online with an even more staggering line-up than usual, including among many many others such luminaries and luminaries-in-the-making as Wadada Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, David Murray, Bill Frisell, Gerald Cleaver, Amirtha Kidambi, Val Jeanty, and of course William Parker. Thursday streams from Firehouse 12 in New Haven; the remaining shows from La Plaza at the Clemente on the Lower East Side. Very limited available live tickets for the New York shows can be gotten (if there still are any) from the presenter at todd@artsforart.org.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you somehow procure a live ticket, you can stop by Pig & Khao for Southeast Asian before or afterward (depending on the day's timing). Those watching at home can make Brown Derbies: pour 2 oz. dark Rum, 1 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of Maple Syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe.
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Thu, Oct 8, 2020, 1:00 PM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 6:00 PM
Christopher McElroen: Static Apnea
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8 – 11, 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, October 8, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 & 8, 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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Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
La MaMa Design Fest
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020
7:00 PM
La MaMa Live Stream
Free (donation requested)
http://lamama.org/designfest/
A theater festival featuring the work of the winners of a competition among emerging theater designers.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Easy Street (in case it warms up again): put 3 (peeled) cucumber slices at the base of a cocktail shaker. Pour in 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. each of St-Germain and lemon juice, and 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup. Muddle. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a few (unpeeled) cucumber slices.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Christopher Williams: A Glimpse into the World of Narcissus
DANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020
7:00 & 7:30 PM
New York Live Arts Live & Livestream
New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Free (R.S.V.P. required for live stream)
https://newyorklivearts.org/event/a-glimpse-into-the-world-of-narcissus/
Excerpts from Christopher Williams's dance piece to Tcherepnin pere's Ballets Russes score Narcisse et Echo, with visual design by Andrew Jordan. It's being put on in NYLA's lobby; you can either watch it in person from the sidewalk outside or remotely via live stream.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: If you go, wonderful Palestinian at Quanoon. Those watching at home can have a Sands: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin, 1 oz. Grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz. lemon juice, and 3/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur 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, October 6, 2020, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
CyberTank Variety Show
THEATER / PERFORMANCE / DANCE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020 (Weekly)
4:00 PM
The Tank
Twitch
Free
https://thetanknyc.org/cybertank-calendar/2020/10/6/cybertank-variety-show
Performing artists share what they've been working on.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Air Mail: pour 2 oz. gold Rum, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of honey into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour (unstrained) into a Collins glass over ice. Top with 1/2 oz. Brut Champagne.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Metropolis Ensemble: House Music
MUSIC
TUESDAY & THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 & 8, 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, October 5, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show
PERFORMANCE
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 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, October 5, 2020, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Gelsey Bell feat. Joseph White: Cairns
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 – 11, 2020 (Ongoing)*
7:00 AM – 6:00 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, Oct 5, 2020, 10:00 AM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 4:00 PM
Leigh Davis: Vigil
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 – 11, 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, Oct 5, 2020, 6:00 AM – Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 1:00 AM
Ellen Reid: SOUNDWALK
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
MONDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 – 11, 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, October 4, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of an Abundance of Caution
PERFORMANCE / THEATER / DANCE / MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
8:00 PM
The Brick Live Stream
Twitch
Free (tips requested)
https://www.bricktheater.com/event/out-of-an-abundance-of-caution-volume-29/
Pieces from the back of beyond. The front of beyond, too.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Have we done a Last Flight yet? Pour 1/2 oz. each of Bourbon, green Chartreuse, Aperol, and lemon juice into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass.
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Sunday, October 4, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Brian Nabors: For Wounded Nations
MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
5:00 PM
ACO Sextet
American Composers Orchestra Live Stream
$5
https://americancomposers.org/events/brain-nabors-aco-sextet/
A brand new chamber work by the eclectic composer Brian Nabors, ear-pleasing in the Atlanta manner.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Vieux Carre: pour 3/4 oz. each of Rye, Cognac, and sweet Vermouth, and 1 teaspoon of Bénédictine, with 2 dashes each of Angostura bitters and Peychaud's bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into an Old Fashoned glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Sunday, October 4, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Galactic Zoo & The Singleman Affair: Million Tongues Festival
MUSIC
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
3:00 PM
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-milliontongues3
A further installment of this year's online iteration of Chicago's great festival of psychedelic, neo-psychedelic, and post-psychedelic musics.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Bols Deep: pour 2 oz. Genever and 1 oz. Simple Syrup, with 3 or 4 dashes of Angostura bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
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Sunday, October 4, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Sat, Oct 3, 2020, 11:00 PM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 12:00 AM
Sam Soghor: Old Dog & Zippy
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 (Weekly)
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, October 3, 2020, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Eschaton
PERFORMANCE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 (Weekly)
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: 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, October 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Luke Stewart & Leila Bordreuil: Works for Feedback Ensemble
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/luke-stewart-leila-bordreuil-works-for-feedback-ensemble/
If there's one thing bassist Luke Stewart and cellist Leila Bordreuil know about, it's feedback. Tonight, they're joined by a gaggle of like-minded musicians (let's give a special shout-out to the marvelous Julia Santoli on vocals) to kick out the feedback jams.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Let's recur to that old old favorite (like from 1898), Ada Coleman's Hanky Panky: pour 1-1/2 oz. each of Gin and sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. Fernet Branca, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Saturday, October 3, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
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Saturday, October 3, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Composers Concordance: Now Is the Winter of Our Discotheque
MUSIC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020
5:00 PM
Comp/Lit Festival
Kostabi World Chelsea
225 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
$20 (live audience limited to 15 audience members)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fortune-favors-the-rave-tickets-119422428699
Experimental Electronic Music, Influenced By Literature.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: The live tickets include unlimited free drinks (you can only shudder at how bad they'll be). For food afterward, try some delicious Palestinian at Qanoon (the extra "o" makes all the difference).
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Saturday, October 3, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Saturday, October 3, 2020, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
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Fri, Oct 2, 2020, 9:00 PM – Sat, Oct 3, 2020, 10:00 PM
Dayna Stephens Quartet
MUSIC
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 & 3, 2020
9:00 PM
Village Vanguard Live Stream
$10
https://villagevanguard.com/event/dayna-stephens-quartet
Saxman Dayna Stephens isn't avant enough to be avant-gutbucket. He's just In The Tradition — but fresh! You cannot listen to him without being intellectually stimulated, while having a very good time.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Brown (after the University): pour 2 oz. Bourbon and 1 oz. dry Vermouth, 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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Friday, October 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Anthony McGill
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
Caramoor Music Festival Live Stream
$10
https://www.caramoor.org/events/anthony-mcgill-gloria-chien-livestream/
Anthony McGill, the undisputed star of NYC mainstream classical clarinet, is such a solid musical citizen that he can't help but join wonderful evergreens by Brahms and Weber with a new(ish) work by Jessie Montgomery, who's never written a piece I've heard that's less than vibrant. Gloria Chien accompanies on the piano.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Now that it's Fall, we can resume drinking Boulevardiers: pour 1-1/2 oz. Bourbon and 3/4 oz. each of sweet Vermouth and Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
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Friday, October 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
María Grand & Amirtha Kidambi
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
Roulette Live Stream
Free
https://roulette.org/event/maria-grand-amirtha-kidambi/
Saxophonist María Grand and vocalist Amirtha Kidambi have played together in bands, but this is their first ever duo appearance. Grand is establishing herself as one of the more interesting new voices on her instrument. Kidambi's sets at Pioneer Works a couple of weeks ago were particularly invigorating and enthralling, even for her: you could just feel her and her band's excitement at getting back on stage.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Monte Leone: pour 1-1/2 oz. Gin and 1/2 oz. each of Gran Classico bitter, blanc Vermouth, and Fino Sherry, with 2 dashes of orange bitters, into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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Friday, October 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
DACAMERA: Gala Opening Night Livestream
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
DACAMERA Live Stream
Free (with registration)
https://www.dacamera.com/?event=gala-opening-night-livestream&event_date=2020-10-02
Houston's great chamber/jazz organization DACAMERA presents a gala that actually doesn't insult your intelligence! The unsurpassable flautist Claire Chase doing Marcos Balter is closest to the heart of this List. But let's not overlook the great Davóne Tines singing spirituals; Sharon Isbin playing some of her beloved Latin-American specialties on her guitar; Bach Cello Suites from Sonia Wieder-Atherton; solo percussion from Pedrito Martinez, who if he isn't the best Afro-Cuban percussionist on the planet is up there; and pianist James Francies, whose neo-Fusion appeal frankly escapes me.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Not a Houston Cocktail, that's for sure! While it has no particular Houston connection, a Brugal (from the Dominican Republic, in fact) might be nice: pour 2 oz. aged Rum, 1 oz. lime juice, and 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup over a handful of mint in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake. Strain into a Martini glass or coupe.
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Friday, October 2, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Ears&Eyes Records Festival
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-earsneyesfest
Experimental music and media from the great cities of Chicago and Buenos Aires (with a ringer from NYC).
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Northside Special: pour 2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum, 1-1/2 oz orange juice, and 1/2 oz. each lemon juice and 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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Friday, October 2, 2020, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Virtual Community Salon
MUSIC / PERFORMANCE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 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: Warday's: pour 1 oz. Gin, 3/4 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 1 oz. sweet Vermouth, and 1/4 oz. green Chartreuse 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, October 2, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
ETHEL and Friends: Balcony Bar from Home
MUSIC
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 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, October 1, 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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Thu, Oct 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 4:00 PM
LEIMAY: Correspondances
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 – 4, 2020
8:00 PM THURSDAY
12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00 & 8:00 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY
12:00, 2:00 & 4:00 PM SUNDAY
#stillHERE IRL
Astor Place, East Village, Manhattan
Free
https://here.org/shows/correspondences/
The first presentation of a live installation that will travel among the boroughs. A bunch of nude bodies wearing gas masks are enclosed in separate transparent chambers, each partially filled with sand. The bodies try effortfully to rise. Periodically, their efforts are foiled by a blast of sand in their respective chambers. If you can think of a better metaphor for the last several months, I don't want to hear about it.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Foxface serves amazingly great sandwiches during the day, and now real dinners at night.
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Thursday, October 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Justin Allen feat. S*an D. Henry-Smith: Guitar
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
8:00 PM
ISSUE Project Room Stream
Free
https://issueprojectroom.org/event/guitar-justin-allen-san-d-henry-smith
Justin Allen is exploring the fundamentals of punk band music. At successive shows, he'll employ screaming vocal techniques in duets with each of the typical punk-band instruments. This show, it's S*an D. Henry-Smith's guitar.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Diamondback: pour 1-1/2 oz. Rye and 3/4 oz. each of Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and sweet Vermouth into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or coupe (or, for a treat, a Nick and Nora glass). Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
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Thursday, October 1, 2020, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Out of Site
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
8:00 PM
The Quarantine Concerts
Experimental Sound Studio Live Stream
$10 suggested donation
https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-outofsite3
Varied performance artists perform varied performances.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Cloak and Dagger: pour 1 oz. each of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, some kind of aged Rum, and 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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Thursday, October 1, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TENET Vocal Artists: Broken Hopes: Select Songs and Duets by Claudio Monteverdi
MUSIC
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
7:00 PM
TENET T()Night Stream
Pay what you wish-$60
https://secure.givelively.org/event/tenet-nyc-inc/broken-hopes
I remember reading some high-culture prig in the Times around 1969 asking why he should bother to follow his colleagues' insistent advice that he get to know the music of Miles and Aretha when there was even just one Monteverdi madrigal he hadn't heard yet. If narrow-minded cultural bigots want to deprive themselves of unimaginably great music on so-called principle, fine — it's their immeasurable loss. But it would be an equally immeasurable loss to know the music of Miles and Aretha but not the fabulous dramatic beauty that inheres in Monteverdi's vocal music. Tonight TENET presents songs and duets (NOT, to be clear, madrigals) by that great and historically critical Renaissance-into-Baroque master. (PS to that Times high-culture prig, if he's still alive to read it: Lamento della Ninfa and "Chain of Fools" go great together.)
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Venetian Spritz: pour 3 oz. Prosecco and 1-1/2 oz. each Aperol and soda water into a tumbler over ice. Stir gently. Garnish with a green olive.
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Thursday, October 1, 2020, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
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Thu, Oct 1, 2020, 1:00 PM – Sun, Oct 4, 2020, 5:00 PM
Christopher McElroen: Static Apnea
THEATER / PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 – 4, 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, October 1, 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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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).
