New York Winter Jazzfest 2017

2017 Map
Despite the heavy snow fall, I explored several new venues and bands this year on Jan 7 with my friend Iona and her husband Peter. Great way to start out the new year!

Venues highlighted in yellow were the places I visited. 

Overview

Last year I did not check out performances in the New School venues because I stayed in the village area. It was great to check out 3 of the 4 venues in the New School area this year. Both the 12th St Auditorium and Tishman Auditorium offer plenty of space and seating. Tishman has stadium seats while 12th St has a more gradual slope. The festival also increased the number of ticket/wristband pick up locations so I had no trouble getting my wristband. Iona and Peter joined me around 7:40pm for my first concert of the night: Ralph Peterson and Aggregate Prime (instruments featured: flute, drum, guitar, upright bass, piano). I enjoyed the lyrical phrases from some of the pieces (at times almost wondering if some of the pieces would nicely paired with a vocalist?) Or better to just let the instruments do their own singing/talking.

Iona and I then made our way to Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles duo performance at Tishman (this show was written up in many 'must see lists' for festival previews) where Peter graciously saved seats for us before the venue quickly filled up. The ECM rep during her intro mentioned this was the first time the two took stage (in this combo, usually more musicians in the group) and that they hope to work on a future recording of the two! Ravi played several different saxophones during the performance. David played the piano and at times added percussion on or under the piano bench. The beautiful sound flowing from both instruments and the balance of the music dialogue between the musicians easily mesmerized the entire audience. I liked some of the lighter pieces where you can really enjoy the sound of the featured instrument with very light accompaniment from the other instrument. 

While the performance by Ravi/David was a difficult one to follow, we walked to New School 5th Fl theater to hear Edmar Castaneda World Ensemble. While researching the festival, I came upon this group and the harp jazz so had to check it out. Harp is certainly not a typical jazz ensemble instrument, But then again, this was not a typical jazz ensemble. Edmar welcomed his ensemble of musicians all hailing from different parts of the world, as one would introduce members of his family to a large crowd of guests at a house party. The warmth and hospitality was infectious. I also enjoyed the piece featuring his wife on vocals (they got married 20 days after first meeting at a Queens jam session!). The solo harp piece that Edmar dedicated to God was also awe-inspiring. I thought the New School 5th Fl theater was a bit on the small side (maybe around 100 seats seated) but it was also filled with a great audience that soaked up all the positive energy from the group.   

I ended the evening with a very high energy rock/disco/funk/jazz performance from Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians. Unlike the previous auditorium/stage/seated concerts, this was in the very crowded restaurant/bar called SOBs. Peter highly recommended this group so Iona and I took a quick cab ride from New School to Varick St to join him. What a crowd! Possibly the first time in the evening that I saw people moving and dancing (then again, I think Zinc Bar, Bitter End, and Django probably also had a lot of dancing from the more dancing friendly venues). The entire concert was basically a really fun jam session featuring fantastic guitars, bass, and strings. All attitude and all funk and probably the right way to end another year of a great winter jazzfest for me. Just keeps getting better every year!

Venues

listing of venues and their calendars so you can check a future concert.

• New School Events Calendar (will need to filter by Music School or other type). Would love to see a future show at the Tishman. 
• SOBs (Sound of Brazil)  (204 Varick St, near W. Houston)

Bands I saw

listing of bands that you can check out their music or in person at their future concerts!

• Ralph Peterson and Aggregate Prime (guitar, bass, piano, flute, drums) 
• Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles (sax and piano)
• Edmar Castaneda World Ensemble (harp, flute, harmonica, sax, trombone, keyboard, drumset)
• Marc Ribot Young Philadelphians (bass, guitars, strings, drums, more) Peter mentioned they are not always in this combo of musicians so look out for the various bands/groups.

Bands for next time

Particular bands I want to see at future shows

• Black String (jazz ensemble with Korean instruments)
• Claudia Acuna (vocals)
• Glenn Crytzer (hot jazz)
• Peter and Will Anderson (sax/clarinet)
• Scott Tixier (violin) with Tony Tixier (piano)

More Reading/ Listening

• My previous NY winter jazzfest posts: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/NYWJF
• 2017 Jazzfest playlist research on youtube (this I put together while listening to bands and figuring out my lineup prior to the show, note some band members may have changed)

New York Winter JazzFest 2016

The best way to kick off the new year is to explore new venues and new music. Last night I went to a jazz marathon as part of the annual NYWJF (New York Winter Jazz Festival). As always, there is a lot to cover and I will try to break it up into three sections: Venues, Bands, and More Reading. A special shout out to my friend and fellow musician E. for exploring new music adventures together.

NYWJF added and changed a number of new venues this year. This meant some of the venues were farther away and made it harder to venue hop as before. Django at Roxy was particularly out of the way but they were hosting the French Quarter Jazzfest (cross-over with Winter Jazzfest) so I suppose concert goers just have to be aware of the risks of venue hopping and chance of lines. The festival had a page that posted live availability info which was helpful. It didn't stop us from trying to get into venues that were listed "full" since people would enter and exit in the middle of the show.

Venues

Greene Space this was a particularly small space which had a few seats and mostly standing room only. I listen to WNYC and am aware of the space for selected performances and shows but was happy to attend a live event for the first time.



Django is in the basement level of Roxy hotel (pic below with Samy). It had a cavern and cozy feel with a fun cocktail list. I would probably come back to check out future shows although the crowd noise level was a bit overwhelming. They do serve bites in addition to drinks. A lot of other venues as part of the festival do not offer food (probably because they are so close to other eateries in the village). This hotel was hosting day 1 of the French Quarter Jazz Fest (I like these cross-fest concerts). just wish they were better advertised...luckily they had a flyer because google search really didn't have a clue.


Zinc Bar and Greenwich House School were venues I had visited during last year's Jazzfest and also subsequent concerts throughout the year.

Bands

Visual Electric Guitar

Kaki King with her beautiful white electric guitar. The guitar told a story with video / photos / music too! E. and I both liked the NYC cityscape piece and one of the ballad/slower jams (I don't know the name but the song featured small colorful bubbles in the background)

Kaki King - guitar

I first learned about Kaki King from a post to her Ted Talk/Performance. Her performances feature visual elements (projected colors behind her and also her guitar has images/colors that fit with the song). Try to get a glimpse of her and the guitar if you go see a live show.

Dream Pop with Indian Rhythms 

Tongues in Trees was playing in the Zinc Bar when we stumbled into this venue which was listed as "FULL" on the crowds page. Their website describes it as Indie dream pop, which is accurate. All they are missing is a flute, really! Unfortunately my picture didn't get the percussion player.

Samita Sinha - vocals / Grey Mcmurray - guitars, vocals / Sunny Jain - drums 

Gypsy Guitar, Clarinet, and Dance!

Tatiana Eva-Marie & The Avalon Jazz Band featuring Oran Etkin.
Guitar seems to be underlying theme of my jazzfet experience this year. In any case, probably the show with the highest energy and warm feelings. Guitar, clarinet/bass clarinet, and lovely vocals and some audience participation too (singing and dancing). NY Hot Jazz is such a great org/event and I'm so glad I found out about them during last year's jazzfest. Unfortunately due to crowd factor I was not able to get a photo of their performance. They probably have fit in with the French Quarter fest too, now that I think about it.

Piano and Guitar

Samy Daussat "Gypsy Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg"

Samy Daussat - gypsy guitar / Stéphane Cochet - Piano / Claudius Dupont - double bass / Vanina De Franco - vocal

Flute, Sax, Guitar and Music Box

Sylvain Rifflet
When I was researching groups with flute (NUWJF has a page outlining all the instruments and musicians in all the acts), I came upon this band and immediately wanted to put them on the list of bands to see. Of course Django is not close to the other venues by a long shot so I ended up taking a cab from Greenwich House Music over (worth it!)

Sylvain Rifflet - tenor saxophone, clarinet, music box / Benjamin Flament - percussions, processed metal / Philippe Gordiani - guitar / Jocelyn Mienniel - flute, kalimba

More Reading / Listening

• Takuya Kuroda http://www.takuyakuroda.com/
• Jay Rodriguez Evolutions http://jayrodriguez.com/
• Véronique Hermann Sambin http://www.veroniquehermannsambin.com/ (really wish I had seen her perform. love her voice)
• Miss Lily's http://www.misslilysnyc.com/home (remember to take breaks between sets with some yummy food!). I got the chicken curry patty and sorrel drink. 
• My previous NY winter jazzfest posts: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/NYWJF

Winter in New York City

We have had our share of cold and snow in New York this winter, but not enough to stop some recent visitors from enjoying the city. While my previous NYC guides and tips have been more summer and warmer weather focused, I thought I'd summarize some winter outing tips for future reference.

Top 5 picks for non-holiday season winter months in NYC (in no particular order):

• Museum: Metropolitan museum of art, (or other museums such as Natural history museum, Guggenheim museum, MoMa)
• Music: jazz bars in the village, or whatever type of music suits your mood. 
• City watching: pick any food and coffee place with a nice window and watch the snow fall. people watching is awesome too.
• Ice skating: Bryant Park, Prospect Park, Central Park, Rockefeller, etc. Tip: wear stretchy pants and finger less gloves! take a break with hot chocolate and marshmallows.
• Bookstores/Comic Shops: Strand is great for browsing/reading/buying. For comics I usually go to Midtown comics but Forbidden Planet is just a few doors down from Strand so good for a combination visit. Here's my bookstore list (which seriously needs to be updated. sigh)

Misc Tips

• weather tip: dress warmly and wear warm comfortable boots. if the weather is below 10, may be easier to plan your day around one neighborhood (food/drinks/music/fun) as to avoid too many cold subway transfers or walking.
• host tip: make sure to stock up on hot chocolate. my favorite is Godiva's hot chocolate (dark chocolate). I make it with hot water and add cinnamon/nutmeg. then add a bit of milk. You can also make this with hot milk (a min or two in the microwave). 

Q's visit notes

Q is a friend I met in Shanghai years ago. Despite the number of years that has passed, I'm glad we are still able to chat and catch up and hang out together. It was her first time in NYC. NYCGO has a nice list of top attractions here http://www.nycgo.com/must-see-nyc/

Fri - Jazz at Met museum (this was a special event organized by Jazz and Colors), starbucks under Rockefeller Center (the worst starbucks service I've seen in the city, but it is indoors and has seating and good for a chat), Q and her classment went to Top of Rock and Times Square afterwards.

Sat - Financial District - Charging bull, Battery Park sights, Wall street, New York Stock Exchange, Stone St for lunch at Ulysses burger and coffee. Excellent Statue of Liberty photo op on board the free Staten island ferry. Quick mid-afternoon snack break at Underground pizza. Another break afterwards for hot chocolate.
Artsy spiral building and ceiling photo shoot at Guggenheim (looks prettier during the day though). They have free Sat evening admission so we also looked through exhibits (mostly under construction though).
Metropolitan Museum visit to see more exhibits. Luckily they open late on Friday and Saturdays. Egyptian temple, armor wing, american wing. persian, islamic, chinese art exhibits (peking opera face paints). bus downtown then ramen break. Zinc Bar jazz concert (Monika Oliveira and the Brazilians. great flute and sax parts and of course singing).
we ordered birth of cool and A-train cocktails.

Sun - french toast with apricot/chocolate and genmaicha tea
Brooklyn Bridge. Seaport stationery shop and park for views of BWM (Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Manhattan) bridges
grocery store challah adventures.
sesame bagel with veggie cream cheese

E's visit notes

E and I met in middle school and were penpals (yes real letters and stamped envelopes) when I moved out of state. We managed to stay in touch and I'm glad I got to visit her in SF a few times and soon in Philly too. 

Sat
Japonica - good tuna sashimi, Japanese pickles and green tea. we watched snow fall outside. it's very relaxing to watch snow.
origami meetup at Cosi- butterflies, modular origami
flamengo jazz guitar Andreas Arnold - Cornelia Cafe. For cocktails I ordered a madison manhattan and E ordered a sneaky ginger.
Rasa - Malaysian curry.
Dessert at Amorino. I had a gelato (cafe and hazelnut). E. and R. ordered very thick looking Italian hot chocolate.
We wandered through Strand bookstore until closing.

Sun
French toast brunch
brunch part two: Open door gastropub Caribbean wings and virgin bloody mary (tomato juice and hot sauce)
E went to catch a broadway show with family, I had flute ensemble practice followed by a flute concert.

NYC winter jazzfest 2015

NYC Winter Jazzfest took place across several venues during Jan 8-10, 2015. On Jan 10, I braved the cold to choose my own adventure down in the village. This year there were 10 venues and 100+ bands which made itineraries and combinations a tricky affair. I tried the best I can to fit in different bands and different venues. Clearly, I can't seem to just sit still in one or two places (which would make things much easier logistically).  

The Prep

Prior to the weekend, I browsed through the bands' albums on the Winter Jazzfest itunes playlist. There I found I really enjoyed listening to Hadar Noiberg (I play the flute so always looking for flute performances) and marked her appearance on my prep list. I also think it's interesting to read through the personnel listing to find out what instruments / people are listed for the different groups. 

Check-in and Stop 1 - Piano

The check-in at the Judson Church was wrapped around two street block corners. I was in no mood to stand in line in the brutal, wind-chilled evening so opted to take my chances at the secondary check-in site at Subculture. Luckily, there was no line and I caught the end of a performance and grabbed a Crisp beer. While taking a break between acts, I took the opportunity to review the official program (paper is better than mobile phone) and mark up bands/venues with a small highlighter. Some of it is purely logistics (trying to make my way across the different venues) while others feature bands/instruments that I'm interested in (flute, cello, trumpet, etc). I also bookmarked the crowd report site which gave an indication of the space capacity at various venues every 15 minutes. 

Subculture http://subculturenewyork.com/

Alfredo Rodriguez Trio (band link)

I really enjoyed the ballad piece called veinte anos (20 years).  

Stop 2 - Electric Cello Hip Hop

Bowery Electric http://www.theboweryelectric.com/

Dana Leong Trio (band link)

I wish I had seen more of this performance. Very good crowd energy and really, what beats electric cello hip hop? have to look into more of their shows.

Stop 3 - Flute Melodies 

Now I know why there was a huge line last time I tried to go here. It's not a huge space and the immediate area next to the stage are sit-down seats/tables only (no standing). Luckily I got a seat not too far from the crowd and was able to enjoy the show. Very cozy space and good drinks, probably will come back for other shows.

Zinc Bar http://www.zincbar.com/homepage

Hadar Noiberg Trio (band link)

I enjoyed the piece called Persian love song. need to see what type of flute she has because it certainly sounded different. 

I ordered "the A train" with gin (with cucumber, lime, pimms, and white cranberry juice). 

Stop 4 - Sax Magic

Minetta Lane Theatre http://minettalanenyc.com/index.php

Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls (Charlie Parker project) http://rudreshm.com/

Stop 5 - Dancin' Good Hearty Warm Jazz

Greenwich House Music School http://www.greenwichhouse.org/music_school/index

David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (David link) - they perform every Wed at Birdland!

I loved "Dream a little Dream", "Stardust" and really everything they played. The crowd loved them too.

of course after reading a bit more about them, I realized that the band does not always feature the same members. Listing some other performers and their site(s) so you can check them out too. I listed them according to order in pic above (left to right)

Clarinet/ Tenor Sax - Adrian Cunningham

Banjo / Guitar - Jared Engel

Trumpet - Bria Skonberg

Tuba/Lead - David Ostwald

Trombone - Dion Tucker (official site?)

Drums - Joe Saylor (official site?)

some other pics

previous Winter Jazzfest write-up [link]
look forward to the next winter jazzfest!

C is for Chili

Read through a few chili recipes from the NYTimes Cooking App and settled on a mix of three of four recipes using roughly the ingredients below.

Ingredients 

makes about 4 servings. or 2 servings for a very hungry person

• jalapenos (for main chili and optional topping)
• red bell pepper
• small can of crushed tomatoes (should actually use large can)
• couple of table spoon of tomato sauce
• small onion
• cucumber (i had half left in the fridge so threw this in the mix.probably not required as part of any chili recipe)
• can of kidney beans (didn't know there were regular and dark kidney beans until I saw both in the store)
• many spices and flavorings (see spice section below): salt, pepper, cumin, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper flakes, hot sauce.
• garlic
• ginger
• lime (half juiced)
• cilantro and cheese (for topping after cooking)

Simmering

Prepare all ingredients and cut/dice as needed. Heat oil to bottom of pan, add garlic and ginger. Then add peppers, jalapenos, and onions to sautee until onion becomes translucent. Add everything else (except lime juice) and cook. Stir frequently and cook on low/med heat for 1 hour or more. be sure to taste for spice and salt. Don't worry if the mix looks a bit watery to start with. the stuff will cook down. Add lime juice to the last 15 min or so.

Topping and Garnishes

chop up cilantro (or parsley or some other fresh herb of choice) and slice up more jalapeno to add to the chili. I made rice so my dinner was chili over rice with cilantro/jalapeno/shredded Mexican cheese. Not pictured are some rosemary bread and semolina bread toasted and buttered. 

Spice line-up

This photo below includes too many spices than necessary. I'd like to think cumin, nutmeg, salt, garlic, and lime were the key ingredients. I also threw in this pepper mix which has cayenne, chipotle flakes, and paprika. Half a lime was juiced and put toward the latter half of the simmering process.

Notes for next time: 

• get the larger can of crushed tomatoes (48oz) instead of using a small can of diced tomatoes (14oz).
• try actually using a bit of clove.
• Time cooking of rice a bit closer to 2nd half of simmering. I cooked it too early and ended up worrying about rice getting cold. 
• try adding ground meat (beef or turkey)
• I think it was a bit much to have rice and bread (not pictured in photos). Will probably go for one or the other in the future. 

Also want to thank A., who showed me the best vegetarian chili and the secret of spices. and also to Manhattan Chili in GCT which has delicious chilis and great corn bread too. What's in your favorite chili recipe? Are you really particularly about the meat, beans, or specific spices?

NYBG Orchid Show 2014

If you are in the NYC area, you are probably getting cabin fever from staying indoors most of this winter season. For some of us, outdoor gardens like BBG is a fun way to watch early spring flowers bloom and trees under a blanket of snow. For others, I recommend the tropical garden show for some warmer weather and nice colors. Every year, New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx puts together a fantastic orchid show. 

The show opened a week ago and will continue until April 21. This year's theme is Key West, FL.

http://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2014/orchid-show/index.php

Besides the obvious stars of the show, there are also other events like music and poetry. I caught a bit of the performance by Jimmy Kenny and the Pirate Beach Band and it's inspired me to look into more tropical tunes. 

Beat the winter blues, check out the orchid show!

There were four statues representing four seasons between the conservatory and the dining pavilion. This particular one is summer, as represented by many different types of summer blooms.

More BBG

Garden walking tours in the winter are good for the soul. 

Origami Holidays and High Line in the Snow

Our friend Talo Kawasaki created a shadow box Three Kings installation for a restaurant called El Quinto Pino (in Chelsea). A group of us attended the event featuring the beautiful exhibit. Food and bubbly was also provided, definitely try the mushroom croquette when you’re back!

The snowman above is made of three rose auditoriums (designed by our friend Uyen and folded by Talo).

Since it was snowing that day and the High Line was a block or two away, Linda and I braved the snow to see NYC’s winter wonderland! I never paid much attention to the benches but their colors sure stand out!

I found blue TANT (a type of origami paper, comes in mono color with plenty of variations) colored building! How awesome. 

For food afterwards, Linda and I visited yet another Westville and ordered these four market sides with blackened chicken and salmon. Brussel sprouts, fennel, butternut squash, and plantains.  Tried soy chai latte (thumbs up) at Whole Foods and liked it, even though I always go for the almond latte. If you are adventurous, you can get latte with the following types of milk at Whole Foods: regular cow milk, soy, almond, and rice.

Thanksgiving 2013 in Photos

2013 marks the first time my parents joins J’s family for Thanksgiving. We all had a good time.

My favorites were all back. In order: zucchini quiche, sweet potato with marshmallows, turkey (cranberry not pictured), and corn bread.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of L’s deserts. She made tarts and pies and all kinds of goodies.

After dinner we didn’t do a lego set or music but had a juggling contest. Pretty impressive.

I didn’t do any black Friday shopping but did make the two following investments over the weekend: Crunchyroll Anime Account and Brooklyn Botanical Garden Membership. On crunchyroll I binged on the entire season of Madoka. When I went back to NY I had so much cabin fever that I joined a walking tour at the garden. It was a sunny and crisp day and no crowds. I highly recommend it. Below are some pics from the garden, featuring trees with interesting barks and a bonsai plant with autumn colors!

After spending a good amount of time in the cold outdoors, decided to call up my friend Wes and splurge on ice cream at Ample Hills. Sadly we ate all the ice cream before taking pics. Tip: they also have amazing coffee and hot chocolate if you don’t want ice cream in the winter (blasphemy!). Line isn’t as long as warmer weather times and of course there is plenty of seating. Our orders were:

salted crack caramel - this was a crowd favorite when we first went with origami group post cherry blossom festival at BBG in the spring

stout chocolate Guinness –  amazing dark chocolate with Guinness flavor. goes super well with caramel.

honey – this is so tasty, I don’t know why more places don’t have honey flavored ice cream?!

cookie au lait – coffee ice cream with cookies (think fancier oreo ice cream!). can’t go wrong with this.

Hunting Cherry Blossoms in Snow: DC Trip

While most people are satisfied with photos from their trip, I like to write about it. This means that after I finally uploading photos, I’m still not done. Taking trip notes helps this blogging process but self-selection and editing renders most of those notes useless. Similar to my IndieCade blog write up (link here), I’ll capture only the highlights. What better to represent highlights than my single sighting of a cherry blossom tree! Since I booked my trip before the cherry blossom forecast, I was in DC too early to see proper peak season around the Tidal Basin. Peak season this year is April 3-6.

Day 1: Monument Walk

J. and I stayed at a place within walking distance from the National Mall which meant we were also quite close to the monuments and main cherry blossom walk around the tidal basin. We passed the Washington Monument (still under construction after last year’s earthquake), World World II Memorial (fountain was off), and Martin Luther King’s Memorial before reaching Jefferson Memorial. Below is a photo from across the Tidal Basin. It was a warm day and we were able to walk around the monuments and memorials without the usual crowd. Mostly likely everyone was more on top of the cherry blossom forecast than I was.

There were also a number of treasures inside the Smithsonian Castle. My favorite item is the cup&saucer set designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Day 2: Catching Up

B. moved closer to the metro recently so of course we had to crash his place. We browsed through the Netflix selection and watched Thor (with snarky commentary of course). Overall it was a decent movie and makes me want to read more about the series and find that children’s book on illustrated Norse Mythology. Prior to this, my only exposure to Thor was through reading Marvel Civil War. His character didn’t really make an impression on me (not going to spoil it for the rest of you). Most of the other highlights of Day 2 were food related so I will leave that for later in the post.

Day 3: Sculpture Garden in the Snow

I’ve been to the National Gallery Sculpture Garden (see my fav sculpture) and the Ice Rink but somehow missed the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden all these years frequenting the National Mall. While I was waiting for the museums and galleries to open at 10:30am, I wandered around the mall and found this sculpture garden. Perfectly timed with light snow falling. Most of the signs indicating artist names were snowed over so I will have to update this next time I get the names.

Food Round-up

We ended up going to eat in Gallery Place / Chinatown several times.

• Gordon Biersch http://www.gordonbiersch.com
  Long wait for dinner but once you get going, great food, drinks, and service. I wasn’t crazy about the Miso Mahi but J’s Märzen burger looked good.
  Märzen: our favorite beer (I found this while my family tried the beer sampler at another location).
• Crepe on the Walk http://www.crepes-a-gogo.com/Menu.html
  We fought over dessert for a while but really enjoyed this place. I got the strawberry, lemon, and sugar. J. got something with nutella. The real issue with crepes is that I haven’t been to Café Bonaparte [old review] in a while and I miss it. Next time I will need to make a trip over there.

Grease Lightning light up Bryant Park

Besides juggling in Bryant Park (http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2012/08/juggling-and-summer.html), my other favorite activity is ice skating. One of the perks is that admission is entirely free if you bring your own skates and a lock (just leave all bags at home since the lockers are rather small).

Before the holidays, the rink plays assorted swing and jazz which fits the midtown scene very well.
Around the holidays they start playing jolly tunes. And also be sure to check out all the holiday stores nearby. Post holidays they have assorted music, including DJ nights featuring theme music from local radio stations. (Maybe next year NASH FM will also be featured?) And then I read that they play movies?!

At first I was skeptical of the rink side movie idea. After all, Feb is typically a cold month. Then I heard they were playing Grease, so I just had to check it out!



While the line to get a wristband is quite long, I managed to get in the rink right around
Grease Lightning, easily one of the most fun dance scenes. At my high school everyone always danced and sang to Grease medley (summer nights/grease lightning, you're the one I want, we go together). The ice skating rink crew clearly needs to learn the dances and do a better job leading the crowd. It was a bit distracting to try to watch the movie and skate. Luckily I've seen the movie many times so it was good to skate to the musical numbers.



You can also snag a rink side seat and watch (but skating was much warmer) or try the rink side lounge area which is enclosed. The crowd is not quite as crazy as the summer movie series.

Ice skating season ended already, but mark your calendar for Oct when the rink returns! I hope to see what other movies they pick for the next season (maybe Happy Feet or Rocky Horror?)
http://citipondatbryantpark.com/

Definitely files under 'only in NY', unless other cities also have winter ice skating movie festivals?

2013 NYC Winter Jazzfest

Catchy line spotted on the subway: shorter days mean longer nights. Interesting way of looking at it, since most people complain about the lack of sunlight and outdoor activities in the winter months (ski is all well and good, but not a city sport). The cure? Music!
While I was researching activities from my various sources (Time Out, Village Voice, The Skint, etc), I found out about the Winter Jazzfest. Later on I found on this festival has already been going on for 9 years. It’s grown to 6 venues and 70+ bands spanning two nights. The final tally for me was 1 evening, 5 venues, 2 bar drinks, 1 coffee break, 3 complete performances, and a hand full of partial performances.

Favorite Performance

Gregory Porter (at Le Poisson Rouge) http://www.gregoryporter.com/

Favorite Venue

Le Poisson Rouge: I was here most of the evening. Many friends recommended this venue and I finally checked it out. The fish tank at the entrance is still a bit weird for me but the performance space is excellent. The gallery room is a good place to take a break too.

---

Other Venues

The Bitter End: Small venue with giant mural with legends on the left and photos of music greats on the right.

Sullivan Hall: I didn’t note the surroundings but I was within 5 rows of the band.


Bowery Electric: This venue was a bit far from the action (the other 5 venues are within block of each other). I did like the “cave” nook they set up for the performer though.


Culture Project Theater: Not a bar obviously. Can come back to check out the performances.

Zinc Bar: This is the only venue I didn’t get to visit.

List of Performance I Saw (* ones I particularly liked)

• Pedrito Martinez
• The Big Picture featuring David Krakauer
• Ari Hoenig Group*
• 40Twenty feat. Vinnie Sperazza
• Tony Malaby Tuba Trio
• James Carter Organ Trio*
• Gregory Porter*
• Bugge 'n Friends with Erik Truffaz, Ilhan Ersahin, Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell

Tips for next year and beyond

• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Don’t wear huge jackets.
• Take drink breaks (this includes coffee, water, soda, etc)
• Be open to hear new things, but feel free to venue hop
• Sit and relax once in a while. This is of course only possible in Le Poisson Rouge (in the gallery room there are some benches and seating) and Culture Project (theater has seats).
• Bookmark venues in your map app so you can look them up quickly if you venue-hop. The official program (paper copy) also has a small map which is handy. Why wasn’t it on the website?
• Check official twitter page for updates.
• Support the bands and have a great time!

Reference

official site http://www.winterjazzfest.com/
online jazz radio thejazzbee.org
twitter http://twitter.com/WJF2013