Keith Jarrett @ Carnegie Hall

The master of jazz piano played to a full house Wednesday night at Carnegie and if you were fortunate enough to be there, you were fortunate indeed.  Mr. Jarrett's virtuosity and composition are simply sublime.  He has mellowed and and sweetened as has his rapport with the aging audience in the hall.  Not that there was a young representation of jazz lovers.  Mr. Jarrett gives a full bodied performance as he moves along with his playing adding his own soft moaning to great impact.  I am reminded of Thelonious Monk's playing, somehow he always hits the right notes.  Amazing how a solo piano can fill the great hall of Carnegie with such impact.  I urge everyone to try to hear Mr. Jarrett live, but at the very least to purchase his music and enjoy jazz piano at its best.

MET - American Wing

Another reason to be grateful for what the BIG APPLE has to offer - The American Wing @ the MET has recently reopened.  Going through the galleries on the 2nd floor en route to the American Wing, the great European masters are there to savor, Rembrandt, Vemeer, Valezquez and Gainsborough to name a few.  Think of these as a prelude to the American Wing which opens onto the veranda looking out into Central Park.  There is a plethora of art forms to admire.  We're treated to our domestic arts of the 17th - early 19th century.  There is much to admire in silver, glassware, ceramics and furniture.  The galleries branching off the veranda house the best of the early American  artist's oil paintings and sculptures.  I want to point out the numerous Sargent and Hassam oil paintings in particular.  As we exit back through the European galleries I can't help but think, not too shabby, but in the tradition of the American way - we've one upped you!

YEAH GIANTS

GO Giants!  Okay - i admit to being a couch potato yesterday with all the great football.  What incredible defense - a game of inches.  And, what can I say about the Tebow - he can make a believer out of the nonbeliever, but let's give the receiver and his stiff arm a lot of the credit.  I'm looking forward to the Giants Packers game Sunday.  GO GIANTS!  Let me suggest some reading for those who might multitask during the commercials and halftime.  Rules for Civility, by Amor Towles for delicious fun which takes you back to the glamorous days of New York in 1938.  After the game, be sure to tune your television to PBS for Downton Abbey and experience the melodrama of  the upstairs/downstairs lives of the aristocracy and working class amidst the destruction and change of WWI.  Maggie Smith alone is worth tuning in for - but there is so much more to savor.  We gals enjoy the games, and I'm betting the guys will find much to enjoy with this Masterpiece Classic.

Go Rangers Go Rangers

I've been getting pretty comfortable recently @ MSG.  Two Knicks games & two Rangers games.  Both Rangers games ending in victory while both Knicks games, resounding defeats.  With the Rangers games the fans get plenty of fast action on the ice along with brutal fighting - on & off the ice.  Some crazy out of control fans got into a blood brawl in the stands that required 4 security guards to haul the still fist flying  jerks out.  The fighting was so disruptive it  turned the tables on the Rangers. Play was suspended until the men were ejected and the players became spectators.  At last nights  overtime win by the Rangers, former Pres. Bill Clinton was there along with players from the Giants. (Go Giants!)  And, the coup de grais       was the Ranger T-Shirt landing in my lap, only slightly dampened by the beer falling on my back.  The crowd walking out of the stadium continued to cheer, "GO RANGERS GO RANGERS."  Leaving MSG from the Knicks loss the previous night, I overheard two men talking, "well, the Knicks will finish last & we'll get a great draft pick." "Nah, the Knicks will continue to play mediocre basketball and we're basically  screwed."

knock knock knickerbockers

knock knock anybody home @ the garden?  Apparently not - We knicks fans have been waiting for the season to begin after the long, drawn out lockdown.  And, with a truncated season we're ready to get down to business.  We've got some great talent on the team along with Stoudemire & Anthony. You'd have thought we'd have routed the Raptors and the Bobcats.  But, NOOOOOO....it didn't look as though anyone on defense showed up, the passing was terrible and the Knicks just looked flat.  Hey Knickerbockers, maybe you should check out some college basketball and see how these kids put 100% into each minute, not just a late 4th period rally.  Remind yourselves of the love of the game cause we fans want something more to love.

"Blood & Gifts

The aptly named "Blood & Gifts," @ Lincoln Center is a relentless look back at our heedless intervening in Pakistan from 1981-1991.  What makes this play so compelling, in addition to a stellar cast & intriguing staging, is the biting and brilliant writing.  Our American operative in Pakistan, James, interacts with his Russian & British counterparts as well as the leader of the rebel Pakistani insurgency. It is from these three men the real emotional epiphanies are wrought with poignancy.  This is a play that rings out against the futile barbarity spawned by militia support from interfering, self-serving nations.  As the Russian operative pointed out, "You'd think we'd have learned the lesson from Viet Nam."   Will this play appeal to the masses?  Hardly, this verbose play pounds home that our interference only results in further death & destruction.  Making matters worse is the callous war games club our congress continues to foster.   To whom am i recommending this play?  To theatre goers who relish a play that lingers and warrants further discussion, if not, frustration.

Next up:  "Bonnie & Clyde" 

"Bonnie & Clyde" on B'wy

Let this review save you from not only wasting your money but your time.  In all honesty, I walked out at intermission (a good reason to try and get aisle seats.)  The show begins with two tacky dummies in a car riddled with bullets.  This proved to be the harbinger for a bloody awful show. Although,  the two dummies may have been the smartest thing in the show.  Did i hate this show?  You think?  I am just amazed that this stinker got produced on broadway.  Do yourself a favor, don't even think about getting discounted tickets for this show.

Instead, consider going for a walk in the park before it starts getting too cold out there.

MeMelinda

Maurizio Cattelan @ the Guggenheim

Before the Maurizio Cattelan exhibit gets taken down (which should be an event in and of itself) I encourage you to go.  Go with a friend, go with the kids, just go and have fun with the show.   There is nothing on the walls of the Guggenheim as you wind your way around, instead all the art is suspended from the oculus of the building (an amazing feat) giving you an interesting an unique vantage point in your ascent or descent.  The taxidermy specimens are quixotic and hilarious.  I couldn't help but be amused by the jocularity of the exhibit.  See what you think the artist was trying to do other than merely getting a RISE out of you.  I'd love to hear your reactions.

MeMelinda
Next up:  Keith Jarrett @ Carnegie Hall

ringing out the old year

Every year in the big apple, i ask "what are you people thinking?" who crowd into times square (TS) waiting for the ball to drop:  free music and entertainment perhaps, a chance to bond with fellow revelers, the euphoria of a new beginning and the irrepressible spirit -  we're still standing!

Bravo!  i applaud you and wish you all a fortuitous new year.  Bur for those who choose to ring in a jubilant new year without the insanity and time commitment of the dense TS crowd, may i suggest Central Park at midnight for the free and fabulous fireworks.  We shared desert and champagne leading up to midnight with friends and then strolled to the park together where there was plenty of space for all.  Our neighbors in the park released glorious Chinese lanterns that soared above the tree tops.  We cheered on the runners in the park as they passed and smiled at the children blowing their party horns.  I felt a sense of unity amongst those gathered together that i hope will linger.

We are in this together my friends, happy healthy new year!
Me Melinda