Today at Saint Peters Church on the Upper Eastside there will be a jazz-filled funeral for renowned trombonist Benny Powell starting at 7pm. Jazz and swing fans are invited to come by and pay your respects, and hear some incredible music while you are there. Benny was born March 1, 1930 in New Orleans, learned…
Category: New York
My Birthday “Mad Hatter” Picnic in Prospect Park
I had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating my birthday with friends in Prospect Park for a “Mad Hatter” picnic party. A dozen or so of some of my favorite people gathered for some relaxing, noshing, games, kite-flying, and frisbee tossing as the afternoon turned into the evening. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather…
If I have learned one thing in my 41 years on this planet, it is this…
DON'T POSTPONE JOY. Seen at Luna Park in Coney Island.
Talk on history of of b-boying by Ken Swift and Joe Schloss now online (video)
HHTF Humanities Series: Ken Swift (Pt 1) from Clyde Valentin on Vimeo. The nice folks at the Hip-hop Theater Festival have released online a video of the really interesting conversation between b-boy pioneer Ken Swift and hip-hop historian Joe Schloss that took place a few months ago at NYU. I learned a lot from attending…
Swinging to the Moonshiners of New Orleans at Lincoln Center (video)
Tonight the incredible Moonshiners of New Orleans tore it up for an appreciative, if sweaty, crowd of dancers at Midsummer Nights Swing at Lincoln Center. Such an amazing band! And their first time playing outside of New Orleans! Other Moonshiners videos: a slower, latin-inflected number Moonshiners with vocalist singing French song Lindy hoppers on Damrosch…
1stFans Ice Cream Social on the Roof of Brooklyn Museum (pics)
I love being a 1stFan of the Brooklyn Museum. It's always interesting getting a personal, curated view of what's happening at one of my favorite cultural institutions in the city. And at $25 a year, it's a steal! On Saturday, 1stFans got a very special treat: an ice cream social on the roof of the…
Birthday Festivities Continued: Smoked Montreal Meat & The Big Apple for Dessert
The festivities continued on my actual birthday, Saturday, July 3. It began with an incredible lunch at the Mile End Delicatessan in Boerum Hil, Brooklyn. I've been wanting to go to this place since it opened a few months ago. Passing it by on my way home from Quaker Meeting, there were always long lines…
Liberty Belle July 4th Party: not letting the jerks spoil your fun
This post was going to be about the Liberty Belle Extravaganza that was held last night on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel in the Upper Westside. Specifically, I was going to write some screed about enforcing dress codes, lax hotel security staff, and inflated drink prices. But from my own experience, I know how…
Quakers March for Justice & Equality in Pride Parade! (video)
I was proud to march with a group of about a dozen New York Quakers in the Gay Pride Parade yesterday in Manhattan, along with hundreds of other groups and tens of thousands of onlookers. It was a glorious, if hot, day in the city, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Local Quakers…
Syncopated Sweethearts performing at Fram (video)
Here's those four cuties Eve, Gina, Lisa and Shana, aka the "Syncopated Sweethearts", performing a solo jazz & charleston routine at Frim Fram last week. So cute! It was somewhat bittersweet since Lisa C. is moving this week to live in New Orleans! Lisa is so much fun to dance with and to watch dance…