|
FREE!
Well,
if any of you have wondered where I and the intermittent spurts
of bile that usually appear in this space have gone—well, we
haven't gone anywhere. But we've been short-handed in the music
section, and there's the new layouts and all the Ticketmaster stuff
and…well, don't get me started. But now the smoke seems to be clearing,
and hopefully I'll be back offering my unsolicited benedictions
and damnations on a semi-regular basis.
But, first, let me knock off a few of those community service hours.
As we all know, summer is rising hot on the horizon, and in New
York City, that means one thing: free music! I know, I know. You've
spent all your coin on Daisy
Dukes and popsicles,
trashy
novels and Sprewell
jerseys, summer
shares and beers
from the bodega—but you have nothing to fear. From the
bottom of the Seaport to the top of Central Park and even over in
Brooklyn, you can crawl down from your sweltering apartment or up
from your excessively air-conditioned workplace and catch some fine
free entertainment.
Well, as always, the big deal is Summerstage
and, as always, the big question is, "Who's playing on the Fourth
of July?" Well, kids, get ready for New York City's finest:
DJ Mixmaster Mike, downtown girls Luscious Jackson, and the ever-popular
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Mike will be throwing down his
own fierce beats (rather than the somewhat flaccid ones he dished
out for another local band I won't mention here). LJ will be hot
on the high heels of their upcoming album, "Electric Honey," and
about to head off to Lilith Fair. And the Blues Explosion, led by
the lovely and talented Mr. Spencer, won't be in danger of shaking
the roof from its rafters as they blast out new
tunes and the old favorites, but they may cause any nearby Geiger
counters to show certain aberrations. Other highlights of the stage
will be children's shows that beat the shit out of Raffi—They
Might Be Giants and the mighty Sugarhill
Gang will be rocking it for the kids. Also high on the list
are a
bill of hot local rappers Black Star, whose debut
album was one of last year's best, along with ex-Brand New Heavies
diva N'Dea Davenport; and a reunion
of the legendary Texas supergroup, the Flatlanders, known separately
as Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Jimmy LaFave.
And, as long as we're in the realm of the mythical, here's your
chance to see Marianne
Faithful. For nothing. Is this city great or what?
Central
Park also has other delights of a jazzier nature to offer. Wynton
Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra will be playing
on the Great Lawn. Up at the Charles
A. Dana Discovery Center, there's a whole pocketful of free
jazz shows. And over in Bryant
Park, the JVC
and Bell
Atlantic Jazz Festivals are holding several free concerts. Bell's
event
features hot Latin pianist Danilo Perez, along with Stefon Harris'
and Jason Moran's bands. The notable entry from JVC is in cooperation
with the Bryant
Park Film Festival, as trumpeter Terrence
Blanchard plays film music, featuring selections from Duke Ellington's
score for "Anatomy of a Murder," followed by a screening of the
film.
If you're one of those swing people, they've got lots of it down
in Wagner Park, located in the Stepford community of Battery
Park City and on the World
Financial Center Plaza; you'll also find a smattering of blues,
jazz, and Latin, too. The acts feature a number of local heroes,
including the R&B stomp of the Flying
Neutrinos and the sleazy Vegas charm of Ron
Sunshine and Full Swing. Across the Westside Highway, in Battery
Park, there'll be another
July 4 concert features gumbo hoodoo piano legend Dr. John and
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Castle
Clinton in the park will also feature several shows, including
one by folk legend Richie
Havens—just remember to show up early to get tickets. Also
located in Manhattan's deep end is South
Street Seaport, which will host a variety of free shows, including
the Bell Atlantic kickoff
gig by Terraplane and G. Love & Special Sauce.
The uptown spot is Lincoln
Center Plaza, where the dancers of Midsummer Night's Swing reel
around the fountain five nights a week. Sure, it costs $11 to get
out on the dance floor, but the music rings far and wide and you
can always foxtrot between the flowerbeds. The 1999 season kicks
off with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks featuring New Orleans trumpet
whiz Nicholas Payton, includes appearances by Sleepy
LaBeef and a DJ dance night with Felix
Hernandez of the Rhythm Revue (another Independence Day gig),
and concludes with that perennial favorite, saxmaster Illinois
Jacquet and his big band.
Heading
for Brooklyn, there's the perennial concert series at the Prospect
Park Bandshell: The big shows include the Velvet-Undergrounded
sounds of Luna,
the portable
New Orleans of Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Rosie Ledet,
and Max Roach and friends will play the First
Annual Kenny Dorham Festival. And Metrotech
will be hosting its fabulous summer R&B series—no artists have
been announced yet except for the legendary southern soul diva and
national treasure, Irma
Thomas. (Watch the site for an interview with Ms. Thomas, conducted
by our own Kerry Burke, who will restrain his awe long enough to
ask 20 questions.)
If you're penniless and absolutely must be indoors, keep
in mind there's no price tag on the sweatin' and honky tonkin' at
the Rodeo
Bar; the blues and swing at Tramps
Café are likewise gratis, and they even provide the snacks.
Free rock at Luna
Lounge (Arlene
Grocery gets way too hot and crowded), free jazz at Detour,
and free singer-songwriter action at the Living
Room. Fee like wandering further afield? Try uptown's Soha
and Brooklyn's Black
Betty which feature a mix of jazz, rock, and lounge-y oddities
for no money down. So, go ahead, pump all your change into that
Ms.
Pac-Man video game. You won't need it.
|
