this week in music

HARLEM EATUP! FESTIVAL

Ginny’s Supper Club is one of dozens of eateries participating in third annual Harlem EatUp! Festival

A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE AND SPIRIT
Multiple locations in Harlem
May 15-21, free – $1,500
harlemeatup.com

The third annual Harlem EatUp! Festival takes place May 15-21, with dozens of chefs, restaurants, culinary organizations, mixmasters, and artists participating in tastings, walking tours, dinners, concerts, and more celebrating Harlem culture. Below is only a handful of the nineteen special events happening across the borough.

Tuesday, May 16
Homage to Billie Holiday, with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Rickie Lee Jones, Lizz Wright, Bettye LaVette, Deva Mahal, Ruthie Foster, William Bell, Southside Johnny, Rachael Price, members of Antibalas, and others, hosted by Bevy Smith, the Apollo Theater, $40 – $1,500, 8:00

Wednesday, May 17
Dine In Harlem: Ginny’s Supper Club, with food prepared by Michael Anthony and Marcus Samuelsson and live music from Nate Lucas and the Rakiem Walker Project, $125, 7:00

Friday, May 19
The Harlem EatUp! Annual Luminary Awards Dinner Honoring Jonelle Procope of the Apollo Theater, with food prepared by Roger Mooking and Alex Becker and live music by the Rakiem Walker Project, hosted by Marcus Samuelsson, Ginny’s Supper Club, $230, 6:30

Saturday, May 20
The Harlem Stroll: Ultimate Grand Tasting, featuring dishes from more than two dozen Harlem restaurants, including BLVD Bistro, Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken, Harlem Chocolate Factory, Harlem Pizza Co., Melba’s Restaurant, Madison Street Bakehouse, Red Rooster Harlem, Settepani, Sisters Caribbean, and Zoma, with Bordeaux wine classes and live music from the Rakiem Walker Project, Morningside Park, $85-$110, 12:30 – 5:30

Saturday, May 20
and
Sunday, May 21
The EatUp! Main Stage, Morningside Park, with Marcus Samuelsson, Karl Franz Williams, Brian Washington Palmer, Donatella Arpaia, Darryl Burnette, Roger Mooking, Lorenzo Boni, Raymond Mohan & Leticia “Skai” Young, Daniel Holzman, Johnny Mambo & Friends, Vy Higgensen’s Choir from Harlem, Lorenzo Laroc, the Rakiem Walker Project, Pierre Thiam, DJ Stormin Norman, and New Beginnings Drum & Bugle Corps, free, 12:30 – 5:30

The Harlem Stroll Marketplace, with more than two dozen food vendors, a kids’ zone, demonstrations, live performances, and more, Morningside Park, free, 12:30 – 5:30

Sunday, May 21
The Harlem Stroll: Ultimate Grand Tasting, featuring dishes from more than two dozen Harlem restaurants, including Sexy Taco Dirty Cash, Chaiwali, Shake Shack, Safari Restaurant, SpaHa Soul, Solomon & Kuff Rum Hall, Mere Viola’s Sweet Delight, Lady Lexis Sweets, LoLo’s Seafood Shack, and Harlem Tavern, with Bordeaux wine classes and live music from the Rakiem Walker Project, Morningside Park, $85-$110, 12:30 – 5:30

BROOKLYN MUSEUM FIRST SATURDAY: BANG ON A CAN MARATHON

The Bang on a Can Marathon moves to the Brooklyn Museum for its thirtieth anniversary (photo © Ben Gancsos)

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, May 6, free, 5:00 – 11:00
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

The May edition of the free First Saturday program at the Brooklyn Museum focuses on the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the innovative new-music ensemble that held its first marathon concert in 1987. On May 6, the group will be at the Brooklyn Museum for its thirtieth anniversary, performing from 2:00 to 10:00. (Suggested admission is $16 before 5:00 and free after.) “Thirty years ago we started dreaming of the world we wanted to live in,” founding members David Lang, Michael Gordon, and Julia Wolfe said in a statement. “It would be a kind of utopia for music: all the boundaries between composers would come down, all the boundaries between genres would come down, all the boundaries between musicians and audience would come down. Then we started trying to build it. Building a utopia is a political act – it pushes people to change. It is also an act of resistance to the things that keep us apart.” In addition to the marathon, there will be pop-up teen apprentice gallery discussions in “Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas”; a Found Sound Nation interactive workshop in which you can record in the Mobile Street Studio; David Parker’s Turing Tests, a Brooklyn Dance Festival presentation featuring dancers from the Bang Group, with a score by Dean Rosenthal; a hands-on art workshop in which participants can make their own musical instrument and then join the Orchestra of Original Instruments in the Biergarten, with Bang on a Can All-Star guitarist and instrument designer Mark Stewart; and pop-up poetry and conga drumming curated by Jaime Lee Lewis, with Jennifer Falu, Hadaiyah Bey, Ahlaam Abduljalil, and Jamie Falu. In addition, you can check out such exhibits as “Iggy Pop Life Class by Jeremy Deller,” “Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty,” “Infinite Blue,” “A Woman’s Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt,” “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85,” and, at a discounted admission price of $12, “Georgia O’Keefe: Living Modern.”

MAY DAY 2: PUNK ROCK ALL STARS

punk avenue punk rock all stars

Who: Phil Marcade, the Rousers + Friends (Steve Shevlin, Barry Ryan, Danny Ray, JF Vergel), the Waldos, Lenny Kaye, Andy Shernoff, Lynne Von, Daddy Long Legs, Legs McNeil
What: New York City book launch of Punk Avenue: Inside the New York City Underground 1972-1982 by Phil Marcade (Three Rooms Press, May 2, $15.95)
Where: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., 212-505-3474
When: Tuesday, May 2, $20-$25, 7:00
Why: “Why were the seventies so important and interesting? Probably because nobody cared,” Debbie Harry writes in the preface to Phil Marcade’s Punk Avenue. In the foreword, legendary punk chronicler Legs McNeil explains, “If I ever was going to direct a movie of Please Kill Me, the book Gillian McCain and I did, I would put Philippe Marcade in the background of every scene, giggling with some exotic French beauty — just like in real life.” On May 2, Marcade, who was the lead singer of the Senders going back to 1976, will emerge from the background and be front and center at Le Poisson Rouge for a party celebrating the release of his book, which details the early punk scene in New York City, from his stint in jail to his fling with Nan Goldin, from the 1977 blackout to hanging with just about everyone who was part of the punk scene, at such places as Max’s Kansas City, the Chelsea Hotel, and CBGB’s. Marcade will perform with the Rousers + Friends, including Steve Shevlin, Barry Ryan, Danny Ray, and JF Vergel, along with the Waldos (feat. Walter Lure from the Heartbreakers), Lenny Kaye, Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, Lynne Von, Daddy Long Legs, and other special guests. In addition, Marcade will sit down with McNeil for a conversation and sign copies of the book.

WFMU RECORD FAIR 2017

record fair

Who: Live performances by Bloodshot Bill, the Atlantic Thrills, Baby Shakes, Ronnie Fujiyama, Matmos with Chuck Bettis, and Laurice and more than two hundred record and CD dealers
What: WFMU Record Fair
Where: Brooklyn Expo Center, 79 Franklin St. between Noble & Oak Sts., Greenpoint
When: April 28-30, $7 (weekend pass $25)
Why: Hot on the heels of last weekend’s tenth annual Record Store Day, independent, freeform, listener-supported, noncommercial radio station WFMU (91.1) is hosting its yearly record fair, taking place over three days at the Brooklyn Expo Center. In addition to the above live acts, there will be screenings of Brendan Toller’s Danny Says, followed by a Q&A with the director, Christopher Sullivan’s Consuming Spirits, editor Aaron Schimberg’s Triumph of the Il, and Barbara Kopple’s Miss Sharon Jones! WFMU will also be broadcasting live from the venue. For a two-dollar-off admission coupon — the equivalent of a pair of $1 LPS — go here.

SAKURA MATSURI 2017

Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY at Sakura Matsuri. Photo by Julie Markes. Courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY will return to annual Sakura Matsuri in Brooklyn (photo by Julie Markes / courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Ave. at Eastern Parkway
Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30, $25-$30 (children under twelve free), 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
718-623-7200
www.bbg.org

It’s still frightfully cold as May approaches, but perhaps spring will be in the air this weekend for one of the city’s most fabulous annual festivals, the Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The weekend celebrates the beauty of the blossoming of the cherry trees with live music and dance, parades, workshops, demonstrations, martial arts, fashion shows, a community bookstore, a bonsai exhibit, Shogi chess, garden tours, the Mataro Ningyo Doll Museum, book signings, giant origami, food, clothing, cosplay, kimonos, insect hotels, a Japanese market (Ito En, Minamoto Kitchoan, Royce’ and Raaka Chocolates, sushi pillows, tenugui wraps, handmade hair ornaments, Togei Kyoshitsu Ceramics), lots of children’s activities, and more. Among the guests are Runi Hara, Kate T. Williamson, Sophocles Plokamakis, Jed Henry, Rio Koike, Soumi Shimizu, Sōkyo Shimizu, Akim Funk Buddha, Jeremy Aaron Horland, J-Music Ensemble, and Tao Yaguchi. Below are daily featured highlights of this always lovely party, with many events going on all day long and over both days; advance tickets are required. To track the blooming of the cherries, check out the updates here.

Saturday, April 29

The Art of Kendama (wooden toys in motion), with Team KENYC and DJ Panic, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 11:00

Takarabune Dance: Awa Odori dance and narimono drum ensemble from Shikoku, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 12 noon

Dancejapan with Sachiyo Ito, Main Stage at Cherry Esplanade, 1:30

Ukiyo-e Illustration Demonstration with Jed Henry, Ink Alley at the Osborne Garden, 2:00

Stand-up Comic Rio: Rio Koike’s Tokyo Magic Show, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 3:15

Sohenryu Tea Ceremony, with tea masters Soumi Shimizu and Sōkyo Shimizu, BBG Tea Center at the Auditorium, 4:00

Hanagasa Odori flower hat procession, with the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 4:00

Uhnellys indie rock, Main Stage at Cherry Esplanade, 5:15

Sunday, April 30

Japanese Garden Stroll, guided tour, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, 10:00 am

Akim Funk Buddha’s Urban Tea Ceremony Unplugged, BBG Tea Center at the Auditorium, 12 noon

Kuni Mikami & East of the Sun, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 1:00

Sohenryu Tea Ceremony for Families, with tea masters Soumi Shimizu and Sōkyo Shimizu, BBG Tea Center at the Auditorium, 2:00

KuroPOP, J-pop dance party, J-Lounge at Osborne Garden, 2:30

Manga Drawing with Misako Rocks, the Osborne Garden, 3:00

NY Suwa Taiko Kids All Stars, J-Lounge Stage at the Osborne Garden, 4:15

The Eighth Annual Sakura Matsuri Cosplay Fashion Show, with hosts Becka Noel and Dhareza Cosplayza and original music by Taiko Masala, Main Stage at Cherry Esplanade, 5:15

RECORD STORE DAY 2017

record store day st vincent

Multiple locations
Saturday, April 22
www.recordstoreday.com

“It is with deep honor and humility that I accept this ambassadorship. Rest assured I do not take my duties lightly,” says St. Vincent, the official ambassador for Record Store Day’s tenth anniversary event, taking place on April 22. Record stores all over the city will be participating, offering limited edition discs; the list includes Jazz Record Center, Record Mart, Rock and Soul Records, the various Academy stores, Second Hand Rose Music, Record Runner, Turntable Lab Storefront, Village Music World, Generation Records, In Living Stereo, Good Records NYC, Downtown Music Gallery, A-1 Records, Deadly Dragon Sound, and Record Grouch. Among the special 45s, twelve-inch singles, and LPs to watch out for is tunage by Prince, David Bowie, Sharon Jones, Peter Tosh, Ken Kesey, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt — and some living people as well, like Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Drive by Truckers, David Crosby & the Lighthouse, Spoon, Bettie Serveert, Sting, Pokey LaFarge, Crooked Beat, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Mike Peters, and moe., in addition to tributes to Leonard Cohen and the Clash. There are also double-sided singles by Tegan and Sara / the Regrettes, the Flamin’ Groovies / Dylan Gardner, and Talking Heads / Wildling. Record stores keep going the way of the dinosaurs, so support your local music shop and listen to songs the way they were meant to be heard. Oh, and getting back to St. Vincent, who’s following in the footsteps of such previous ambassadors as Dave Grohl, Chuck D, and Iggy Pop, you can check out her preparation for her ambassadorial responsibilities here.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: THE DREYFUS AFFAIR

the dreyfus affair

BAM Fisher, Fishman Space
321 Ashland Pl.
April 27 – May 7, $55-$140
718-636-4100
romanticcentury.org
www.bam.org

With the current rise in hate crimes in America and around the world, particularly involving anti-Semitism, it is an excellent time to revisit one of the most famous military cases of the nineteenth century, when French artillery officer Captain Alfred Dreyfus was arrested for treason and faced a court-martial that could send him to Devil’s Island, chosen primarily because he was Jewish. Manhattan-based Ensemble for the Romantic Century will be telling the famous story in its own inimitable style in The Dreyfus Affair, at BAM Fisher, combining narrative with historical music; the company was previously at BAM with 2015’s Jules Verne: From the Earth to the Moon and 2016’s Akhmatova: The Heart Is Not Made of Stone. Tony nominee Max von Essen (An American in Paris) stars as Alfred Dreyfus, with Peter Scolari as Émile Zola, Mark Evans as Matieu, Alfred’s older brother, Meghan Picerno as Alfred’s wife, Lucie, and Timothy McDevitt as Lieutenant Georges Picquart. The cast also features Daniel Rowan, Dee Pelletier, Mark Andrew Coffin, Mark Light-Orr, and Richard Waddingham. The score will include works by Ravel, Franck, Halévy, Rameau, and Ligeti, performed by Grace Park and Daniel Cho on violin, Chieh-Fan Yiu on viola, Nico Olarte-Hayes on cello, Jake Chabot on flute and piccolo, Parker Ramsey on organ and harpsichord, and Max Barros on piano. The show is written by Eve Wolf and directed by Donald T. Sanders, with sets and costumes by Vanessa James, lighting design by Beverly Emmons, and projection design by David Bengali.

Ensemble for the Romantic Century will present THE DREYFUS AFFAIR at BAM

TICKET GIVEAWAY: The Dreyfus Affair runs April 27 through May 7 at BAM Fisher, and twi-ny has three pairs of tickets to give away for free. Just send your name, daytime phone number, and favorite play, movie, or book about Alfred Dreyfus to contest@twi-ny.com by Friday, April 21, at 12:00 midnight to be eligible. All entrants must be twenty-one years of age or older; three winners will be selected at random.