[We are] teaming up with 92YTribeca this month to bring you three consecutive Thursday nights of drinks, conversation, and edification. Eater takes the stage on Thursday, July 16, hosting a conversation amongst former Top Chef contestants (including Harold Dieterle of Perilla and Leah Cohen of Centro Vinoteca) about what it takes to make it in the NYC restaurant industry once the cameras are gone.
...Racked takes the stage on Thursday, July 23, hosting a conversation about the new world of sales. Guests, including Gilt Groupe co-founders Alexandra Wilkis Wilson and Alexis Maybank, will discuss how they do it and how you, the shopper, can score.
...Curbed takes the stage on Thursday, July 30, hosting a conversation about the changing world of renting in New York city. Guests include Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Dottie Herman and Miller-Samuel’s Jonathan Miller to discuss new buildings, hot neighborhoods, how to find deals and the ever-present question of rent versus buy. Joining the conversation are Dottie Herman, the CEO of major New York City brokerage Prudential Douglas Elliman, and real estate market savant Jonathan Miller, who’ll discuss his first-ever rentals market report, which debuts in July.
Award-winning filmmaker Aviva Kempner told the 92nd Street Y audience at the June 25 screening of her latest documentary, “Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg,” that when she mentioned Gertrude Berg to Fran Drescher, the response of “The Nanny” was, “Who was Gertrude Berg?” There was a communal gasp. “She was the Oprah of her day,” says one of the “talking heads” in the film. “She invented the template for the sitcom,” paving the way for “I Love Lucy” and others that followed. And wait until you see the film and hear what Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has to say about the impact that “Mrs. Goldberg” had on her family and childhood. Opening July 10 at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema, it is a must-see. Imagine a woman who wrote and acted in 12,000 radio scripts… who created a show portraying Jews in a positive light; hired Jewish actors, including Menasha Skulnik, and to counter Hitler’s rants, presented a Passover Seder on the air. “She was the most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of,” a press release notes.
The post-screening question-and-answer session between Kempner and Annette Insdorf, director of undergraduate film studies at Columbia University, disclosed a number of Goldberg gems. According to a poll, she was “the second most respected woman in America, after Eleanor Roosevelt.” She was a genius at product placement and a savvy product pitch woman. “Was she religious?” Insdorf asked. It seems that Molly Berg, the iconic American Jewish mother, the keeper of the flame, according to Kempner, “celebrated Christmas” and lived elegantly on Park Avenue. She brought a Bronx family — that happened to be Jewish — into the living rooms of America. And they welcomed and loved her! So, if younger members of your family, friends or neighbors have heard of Molly Berg, here’s a chance for them to discover one of America’s media trailblazers whose impact still resonates on TV screens worldwide.
As part of their agenda while here in New York City, the group traveled to Jackson Heights, Queens where Alison Gardy, director of international relations at 92Y told the Daily News: “I hope they’ll see how diverse communities can work toward common goals. People live together here that could not live together back home. And they make it work.”
That’s certainly one of Grace Yeanay’s goals. She runs an organization that helps Liberian women get out of prostitution and poverty by teaching them marketable skills. Often, the women are from feuding tribes.
She was impressed by how different immigrant groups in the U.S. successfully live in the same communities.
“Everyone is different, everyone has their own ideas and all of those ideas can come together,” said Yeanay, 34, executive director of Young Women Organized for Sustainable Development.
Galit Toledano-Harris, 47, executive director of the Youth Renewal Fund in Israel, was similarly impressed with the area.
“It was a totally different experience,” she said of the tour. “There’s a place for everybody.”
You can read the full article here, and see more photos of 2009 Ford Fellows here on our Facebook.
Classical MP3’s For Money, and Your Concert Videos for Free
Kottke.org, “a weblog about the liberal arts 2.0 edited by Jason Kottke since March 1998,” has published a link to Amazon where you can get 99 classical mp3s for $8. He has since updated the post five times with similar offers elsewhere.
We’d like to continue those updates here, and maybe even do you one better by pointing you to a few videos on our blog featuring a variety of acclaimed musicians playing your favorite classical music, as well offering you a free CD from pianist Bill Charlap.
Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis, a frequent guest at 92Y, was here recently with pianist Denes Varjon, where they performed a beautiful rendition of Schumann’s Abendlied Op.85, No.12.. Steven returns for his Family Music series in the fall with concerts spotlighting Dvořák, Fauré and Schubert.
The Gwarizm blog recently mused about Heavy Metal Style and noted Crispin Glover’s role in River’s Edge:
I know one thing – if I had a clothing label, I’d theme an entire season on Crispin’s look in this film. As Layne, driving around in a crazy souped-up car high on acid pumping Metal Blade-era Slayer spouting slurred schemes, he owns the film.
Hard to argue with that. Catch the 1986 cult classic (based on a true story and controversial at the time), also starring Dennis Hopper, Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye, at 92YTribeca on Friday, July 3.
Iran: A Conversation About the Elections, Protest and the Future
Clockwise from top left: Shaul Bakhash, Haleh Esfandiari, Roger Cohen, Karim Sadjadpour
Only one month following the start of Iran’s civilian uprising, PEN American Center joins forces with The New York Review of Books and 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center for New York City’s first public discussion about the recent events in this pivotal Middle Eastern country on July 15 at 92Y. Shaul Bakhash, a leading expert on Iran and frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books will moderate a panel including New York Times’ columnist Roger Cohen— who has recently returned to the U.S. from covering the elections —and Iran analysts Haleh Esfandiari (Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson international Center for Scholars, who was imprisoned in Iran in 2007) and Karim Sadjadpour (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington D.C.).
With traditional media shut down (and the masses turning to Twitter), it is increasingly difficult to follow events on the ground and behind the scenes in Iran. What is happening in heavily censored Iran today? And where are today’s events taking this country of 70 million people (two-thirds of whom are under the age of 30)? Do not miss this extraordinary opportunity to hear real stories from the streets and a discussion led by experts on the future of this complex country.
To purchase tickets ($15/$8 for students with ID and PEN members), go to www.smarttix.com or call 212-868-4444.
92Y Podcast: Pianist Bill Charlap, Artistic Director of Jazz in July Summer Festival
Pianist Bill Charlap, Artistic Director of 92nd Street Y's Jazz in July Summer Festival, recently sat down with us for a phone conversation. In the first half of the podcast above, Bill tackles the first week of Jazz in July, followed by a discussion of the second week. He spoke about his vision for the festival, the significance of New York Jazz, the role Vince Guaraldi (composer of the Charlie Brown songs) played in quietly introducing America to his own music without notice, why this series is unique in the season and more. At one point, Charlap declared the acoustics at our concert hall as the best of any he has played.
The music you hear during brief moments in the podcast is from Bill's album, Stardust. Yesterday, we gave a few copies of that album away, but you can still win your free copy by visiting our Facebook page and leaving a comment on our wall. We've got one more CD to give!
You can also download the MP3. [10 MB]
[Right-click and select "Save Target As:" or equivalent to download.]
Subscribe with iTunes or add our podcast feed to your RSS news reader and have future 92nd Street Y podcasts delivered automatically.
400 years ago, a fellow by the name of Henry Hudson sailed into the waters of Manhattan, introducing a European state of mind to an island full of greenery and Native Americans. 167 years later, America declared their independence. On this long weekend coming up to celebrate the Fourth of July, allow your beleaguered self some rest, and enjoy yourself.
You can get a jump on the festivities at 92YTribeca with some swing music and beer. On Friday, Jul 3 you can catch JC Hopkins Biggish Band featuring Queen Esther and Todd Londagin. The New Yorkerwrote: “Hopkins writes swinging material tailor made for a vacuum-tube radio and it’s delivered with a timeless flair by the lead singer, Queen Esther.” And you know that New Yorkers love their swing music and the Jazz Age. For those who need pointers, swing lessons will be provided before the show.
We hear that the sun we’ll be around this weekend as well, if you can believe it. There is a long list of beers from Lagunitas Brewing Company that we have available that will taste extra good. Particularly our big sharing bottle of Coney Island Sword Swallower, perfect for this weekend. Of course, if Pabst Blue Ribbons is your thing, we’ve got you covered there as well.
On the Fourth of July, there are the fireworks of course. This year, they will be honoring the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage here. For the first time since 2000, the display will be exploding over the Hudson River.
92Y Video: Los Romero: 50th Anniversary Concert at 92Y
Los Romero performing GIMÉNEZ: El baile de Luis Alonso (1896)
Last March in celebration of Los Romero‘s 50th Anniversary, they played a concert at the 92Y. Above is a clip from that concert, as well, we have another one here on our YouTube page.
When the Romeros (then Celedonio and his sons Celin, Pepe, and Angel) first took the stage in 1960, there was no precedent for a professional guitar quartet and no repertory. That guitar quartets now flourish everywhere, with catalogs full of music, original as well as arranged, is the fullest tribute possible to the still-thriving career of this pioneering ensemble.
Program notes from this concert can be viewed below.
Upcoming events
Erev Shira – Israeli Music Night with Sariel: Jul 18
Win a Free Copy of Pianist Bill Charlap’s CD, “Stardust”
Pianist Bill Charlap is Artistic Director of 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July Summer Festival talking place this Jul 20-30. The Festival features six concerts celebrating Oscar Peterson, Sondheim & Styne, The Gerry Mulligan Songbook, The Music of Vince Guaraldi, a Saxophone Summit, and New York Jazz.
In honor of Bill’s vision for the festival, we are offering a free copy of his CD, Stardust, to the first commenter who can correctly identify the composer of the music of Charlie Brown.
Leave your answer in the comments below, and remember to include a contact email so we can get your CD to you!
Arik Einstein (Batzal Yarok, Shleeshiyat Gesher Hayarkon, and Hahalonot Hagvohim) was born the son of a theater performer in 1939 in Tel Aviv. Einstein released his first solo album twenty one years later after his release from the IDF in 1959, and is credited with helping lay the foundation for the first Israeli rock albums.
During the 60’s in Israel, an alternative music scene began to develop that was centered in Ramle. At the time, according to Haaretz.com:
Haaretz Magazine produced an article on these bands, writing that the city with “the best steaks and ice cream in the city, and also the best pot - seven liras per 10 grams,” groups with names like Hasha’aftanim, Ha’apachim, Hakochavim and Tziporey Ha’esh competed for the affections of young fans…
[In clubs] on Hamasger Street they used to play Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin,” recalls political commentator and literary critic Prof. Nissim Calderon of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “This music trickled in, but it was considered utterly on the fringe. The mainstream did not accept it until Arik Einstein and Shalom Hanoch began to internalize those energies. We were busy developing an ethos of local music.”
On Jul 18 at 92Y, co-sponsored by the Israeli House, come celebrate the the 70th Birthday of Arik Einstein. The evening will be entirely dedicated to his songbook with musicians and singers Sariel, Lilach Koch and Oran Eldor, with the lyrics being projected onto a large screen, turning the event into one big sing-along.
An easy way to tell the venues apart is by name. 92Y, or the 92nd Street Y as it is known for some, is uptown on 92nd St and Lexington Ave. A place the New York Times called: “the quintessential New York institution.”
And 92YTribeca, named the Best New Comedy Venue in 2008 by TONY, is downtown on Hudson St, in Tribeca.
92Y=Uptown on Lexington.
92YTribeca=Downtown on Hudson.
You could also download and print out the map above, which handily folds into billfold size, just like those cute little subway maps!
Upcoming events at 92YTribeca
NY Eye & Ear: Bi-Annual Record Fair and All-Ages Music Fest Package on Jul 11.
Women of NY Cinema: Jul 11. Part of the NY Eye and Ear Record Fair
Matt Dentler at indieWIRE is quite impressed by the “cool shows” in comedy, music and film, at 92YTribeca, and seems genuinely surprised that this all happens while being located in – gasp! – NOT Brooklyn! Kids these days.
“If you live in Manhattan,” Matt said, “you usually have to make the trip to Williamsburg to get this kind of eclectic, indie-minded programming. Now you just have to head down to Hudson and Canal.”
I’d heard about the 92Y Tribeca as more and more cool shows became booked on their calendar. Impressive comedy lineups featuring Zach Galifinakis and Eugene Mirman, music lineups featuring St. Vincent and Yo La Tengo, and film lineups that include sing-a-long shows and festival favorites.
Matt went on to praise 92YTribeca curator Cristina Cacioppo, who he says, “is on a mission to offer some quality alternatives,” in film screening and series. It is praise well deserved.
You can read the full article here. To see what all the hubbub is about, you can view 92YTribeca listings for Music, Film, Theater, Comedy, and more.
(Pictured in photo: Trinidad director PJ Raval with Cristina Cacioppo/indieWIRE)
Alice McDermott “is a genius of quiet observation,” said the Los Angeles Times. “One of our finest novelists.” McDermott’s books includeCharming Billy, winner of the National Book Award, and After This. In January 2008, she appeared at 92Y for our Afternoon Night Table Series hosted by award-winning journalist, essayist and television commentator Roger Rosenblatt. You can listen to the full program above, where they talk about the art of fiction, both writing and teaching it.
You can also download the MP3. [27 MB]
[Right-click and select "Save Target As:" or equivalent to download.]
Save Now and Become a Subscriber of 92Y's Unterberg Poetry Center: The 2009-2010 season will feature appearances by some of today’s finest authors, among them Adrienne Rich, Annie Proulx, A.S. Byatt, Chinua Achebe, Orhan Pamuk, John Irving, Paul Auster, Rita Dove, Charles Simic, Louise Glück, Philip Levine, Natasha Trethewey, Javier Marías, Peter Esterházy, John Banville, Sam Shepard and Suzan-Lori Parks. Special events include A Celebration of Vladimir Nabokov with Martin Amis; An Evening of Beckett; The Tenth Muse with John Ashbery and much more.
Subscribe with iTunes or add our podcast feed to your RSS news reader and have future 92nd Street Y podcasts delivered automatically.
Neil took to his blog to share his thoughts on the interview, writing:
“Best interview ever—partly because it was the very last thing of the tour (hurrah) and partly because Chip is a brilliant interviewer. He’s funny and smart and makes a comfortable space to talk in—I’m not sure how to explain it beyond that.”
The video above feature the discussion in it’s full hour and 25 minutes glory.
Masha Leon of The Forward 
She was impressed by how different immigrant groups in the U.S. successfully live in the same communities.
We’d like to continue those updates here, and maybe even do you one better by pointing you to a few videos on our blog featuring a variety of acclaimed musicians playing your favorite classical music, as well offering you 
Pianist Bill Charlap is Artistic Director of 92nd Street Y’s Jazz in July Summer Festival talking place 
Matt Dentler at 
