NYC Day 16: Cassandra Wilson at The Blue Note Jazz Club

The very delightful and talented Cassandra Wilson

CASSANDRA WILSON AT BLUE NOTE JAZZ CLUB. 131, West 3rd Street, New York.
I have long wanted to see the Jazz chanteuse Cassandra Wilson in live performance, and on this date I finally did.

In a show that lasted barely one hour, Wilson and her five piece band presented a virtuoso performance that barely scratched the surface of her vast recording career. I have no complaints about the choice of songs (after all, I am almost completely ignorant about her musical career, other than to say that I have been aware of her as a much acclaimed artist for many years). And I certainly have no issues with the incredibly talented ensemble playing for her, especially the brilliant violinist whose surname I did not catch but whose first name was Charlie. But I would dearly have liked to have experienced a longer show from Ms Wilson.

Members of Ms Wilson's ensemble warm up onstage.

Photography during the show was strictly forbidden.

This was my first visit to this famed institution. The Blue Note Jazz Club. It has been located on West 3rd Street since it first opened in 1981. Wikipedia provides more information:

Blue Note Jazz Club is a jazz club and restaurant located at 131 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the Nat Adderley Quintet being the featured performers for the night. The club’s performance schedule features shows every evening at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm and a Sunday jazz brunch with performances at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. 

History
Bensusan's belief was "that if he brought big acts into a comfortable environment with great food, he could pack the house night after night." The Blue Note was soon established as the city's premier jazz club, with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Canadian-born drummer David Mendel, Dan Frieber, Lionel Hampton, Oscar Peterson and The Modern Jazz Quartet among prestigious regular performers there. Bensusan booked Ray Charles for a full week every year. It is still considered one of the world’s most famous jazz venues and one of the best known and most expensive in New York.

Well, it certainly wasn't cheap. To date, this event has been the most expensive during my current visit with a total upfront cost coming in at $126.60 (approx AUD$165.60). This includes the $55 ticket, meal+two beers, tip, and state taxes. I say 'up front cost' deliberately because my bank's foreign transaction fees still need to be added to this amount. Still, I can live with all that. I'm just saying, an extra 20 to 30 minutes from Cassandra Wilson would have made for a more perfect night. But thank you, Ms Wilson, it was a real pleasure -- while it lasted.

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Sunday, July 2 | Expenses; $144.86 (AUD$189.35)

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NYC Day 15: The Cloisters and a rained out Midtown evening

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MET CLOISTERS TALK: Medieval Frescoes with Sigrid Goldiner
I went to the Cloisters in plenty of time to start this tour with an elderly and very anorexic looking Sigrid Goldiner. Maybe I'm being too harsh on Sigrid, but by god she was thin to the point of being invisible! I listened to the first 15 minutes of her talk with great interest, and then wandered off on my own for the next couple of hours.

I toyed with the idea of heading home for the evening, but on a whim I decided to take the M4 bus all the way to 42nd Street, and waste some time there before getting something to eat. As it happens, the heavy rain showers that had been threatening all day, decided to let loose just after I had entered a Pret A Manger for something to eat, and I sat out the deluge inside away from the rain. However, the rest of the evening did not look like it was going to escape without the occasional downpour, so I walked back to Madison Avenue and caught another M4 bus back to The Heights. 

A poisonous Mandrake plant in the Cloisters Medieval garden

And that, dear reader, is a summary of my second week highlights in New York City. Here, as near as I can calculate are my daily expenses for this past week.

Week Two Expenses (Figures in brackets are Australian dollar amounts)
Museum Memberships $19.15 ($25.15)        | Ongoing
MTA Pass $28.00 ($36.80)                            | weekly expenses
Accommodation $152.00 (200.00)                | $199.15 ($261.95)
Sunday 25, June | Expenses $49.00 ($64.55)
Monday 26, June | Expenses $77.00 ($101.20)
Tuesday 27, June | Expenses $72.50 ($95.30)
Wednesday 28, June | Expenses $38.37 ($50.10)
Thursday 29, June | Expenses $0.0 ($0.0)
Friday 30, June | Expenses $103.95 ($135.20)
Saturday 1, July | Expenses $29.50 ($38.35)
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TOTAL: USD$569.47 | AUD$746.65

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General view of the Cloisters from the Medieval Garden

NYC Days 13 & 14: The Met Egyptian Wing, and Playing For Change

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Thursday 29, June | Expenses $0.0
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Today was a rest day. I didn't even leave the apartment but instead stayed in resting and reading. Some days you just have to stop and recharge.

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Friday 30, June | Expenses $103.95 ($135.20)
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MET MUSEUM MEMBER FRIDAYS
I hit the Met Museum again and joined a one hour tour of the Egyptian Wing which was very informative. Many of the treasures in this section obviously go back thousands of years before the modern Christian calendar begins with the 'birth' of Jesus. What amazes over and over again is the use of what then must have been modern technology to build the huge pyramids and mausoleums beneath them. 

One also needs to acknowledge the development of the tools and expertise used to embalm and entomb the pharaohs and general citizenry of Egypt. And let's not forget the production of bright colours that were also developed thousands of years ago, and which today are almost as bright and as fresh as they were when first applied to the casks and coffins in which the dead were buried.

This and the images below: Cover and internal decorations of Egyptian burial casket.

It is hard to believe that these artifacts are thousands of years old given the quality of 

material and the vibrant colors that are still visible. 

Playing For Change Band
Highline Ballroom, 431, W 16th Street
 From the Met I slowly made my way to the Highline Ballroom where I joined the line for the days main event, a performance by the Playing For Change Band. If you are not familiar with Playing For Change (PFC), a brief recap is in order: Playing for Change is described as a multimedia music project that seeks to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music.

In 2005, Mark Johnson was walking in Santa Monica, California, when he heard the voice of Roger Ridley (now deceased) singing "Stand By Me." Roger had so much soul and conviction in his voice, and Mark approached him about performing "Stand By Me" as a Song Around The World. Roger agreed, and when Mark returned with recording equipment and cameras he asked Roger, "With a voice like yours, why are you singing on the streets?" Roger replied, "Man I’m in the Joy business, I come out to be with the people." Ever since that day, the Playing For Change crew has traveled the world recording and filming musicians, creating Songs Around The World, and building a global family. [ Source: Wikipedia]

From such humble beginnings has the Playing For Change Band grown. On this night it consisted of 12 musicians and singers, including the very popular Grandpa Elliott, who appeared in the first video for the song, Stand By Me, and who had not performed with the band for the past year or two. 

It's also worth noting that PFC also created a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation, which builds music schools for children around the world. Truly it is said: From little things big things grow. As anticipated, it was a great night of music delivered by musicians from as far afield as South Africa, Israel, Japan, North and South America and elsewhere. The mood was upbeat and joyous throughout, and the show capped of a busy week of gigs for me that made my second week in New York hard to beat.