McCoy Tyner at SummerStage

The Mccoy Tyner Quartet appeared Wednesday night at SummerStage and the band was just as hot as the 90 degree weather.Featuring Ravi Coltrane on saxophone, Esperanza Spalding on bass and Francisco Mela on drums the combo traded solos through a consistently tight set.  McCoy Tyner has influenced two generations of jazz pianists, most notably Chick Corea, and he was at his best, coolly swinging through the summer heat.  Ravi Coltrane has become an accomplished leader over the years and proved equal to the task of matching the master at his best.  Combined with a rhythm section that grooved seamlessly with both, the performance made everyone forget the sweltering heat and get into the incomparable experience of world class jazz singing at the heart of Central Park.

Dar Williams & Stephen Kellogg

Last night’s SummerStage Gala Benefit to raise funds for the Parks Foundation’s free music festival featured the songs of Simon and Garfunkel, and what better way to celebrate summer in the city than by enjoying the music of New York’s most legendary singing duo. The weather was perfect and after being introduce by Mayor Bloomberg, Art Garfunkel observed that he and Paul had always felt that some of the best interpretations of their music had been by others. On this night those words seemed especially apt – if not prescient.

The evening kicked off with a bouncing rendition of “We’ve Got A Groovy Thing Going Baby” by Dar Williams and Stephen Kellogg. This was followed by a smokingly soulful take on “Mrs. Robinson” by the Homes Brothers. With these first two songs the gauntlet was laid down and each successive act was challenged to keep up with the one before.

Aimee Mann

Next on the bill was “Baby Driver” featuring Jorma Kaukonen, one of several Simon & Garfunkel contemporaries to perform, and the multi-talented Larry Campbell. This was followed by a hauntingly evocative version of “Scarborough Fair” by Ollabelle, which also served brilliantly as the back-up band for the evening. Aimee Mann and John Roderick then took their turn with “The Only Living Boy In New York“, followed by Marc Cohn and Jonatha Brooke treating “Sounds of Silence” to their remarkably complementary vocal interpretation. As dusk turned to night, it seemed that each successive song built upon the last in a rising wave of good vibrations.

Loudon Wainright and Lucy Wainright Roche then sang “Bleecker Street“, which featured an impromptu dance by father and daughter. This was followed by another folk veteran, Livingston Taylor, combining with Jill Sobule on the “59th Street Bridge Song“, forever immortalized as “Feelin Groovy“. Corey Chisel and Brendan Benson then gave their take on the Andean flute classic “El Condor Pasa“, one of Paul Simon’s initial forays into rich oeuvre of international music. Veteran Ricky Skaggs then led Joan Osborne and Gordon Kennedy out onto the stage for a solid performance of that sixties anthem to adolescent angst (mine anyway) “I Am A Rock“. John Forté and the angelic Valerie June followed with Cecilia, Forté exhorting the crowd to clap along to the playful pop melody. Next “April, Come She Will” was given a beautiful interpretation by David Hines and Olivia Mori. The duo of Dean and Britta then leant their singular voices to “Homeward Bound”

Shawn Colvin

One of the high points of the evening was the combination of Shawn Colvin and Paula Cole giving a stirring rendition of “America“. Their brilliantly combined voices soaring into the Central Park night had the crowd on its collectively well-shod feet and was one of the most powerfully evocative performances of the evening.  Cole and Colvin made the song theirs in a way that few others had approached and took the night to an entire other level. The torch was then passed to Ben Gibbard and St. Vincent who answered with a suitably psychedelic version of “Fakin It” with St. Vincent’s distorted guitar wailing into the darkness.

Last on the menu, but by no means least, were songwriters Alejandro Escovedo and New York’s own Willie Nile giving a stirring rendition of “The Boxer” that had the crowd dancing in the aisles. This was followed by an ensemble encore with everyone on stage harmonizing to “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”

Paul Simon

The show’s production was flawlessly managed by City Winery’s Michael Dorf. The staff of SummerStage once again made the evening a complete success by their always attentive professionalism. The perfect evening with a good cause benefitting from brilliant performances as all the acts donated their time to the City Parks Foundation which makes the SummerStage free performances possible. Halfway through the evening Paul Simon joined the crowd and afterwards it seemed that everyone was reflecting his unassuming smile and charmingly unaffected good nature. A much more intimate night than the duo’s classic 1981 performance, but one that resonated through the Central Park night long after the lights had dimmed.

To enroll in the lottery, visit the online registration site or call 212-628-2345 between 10 AM- 4 PM on the dates stated above.  The lottery, which will be selected at random by a computer generated drawing, will be open for 24-hours beginning at midnight.

If you are one of the 30 lucky campers, the Urban Park Rangers will provide you with the tents and food and you bring the sleeping bag!

• To camp on Saturday, June 5, 2010, online registration begins on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

• To camp on Saturday, July 3, 2010, online registration begins on Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

• To camp on Saturday, August 7, 2010, online registration begins on Wednesday, July 28, 2010.

In order to guarantee everyone an equal chance of attending our programs, we’ve developed a lottery for program registration.

How the Lottery Works:

• The lottery will be open to submissions for a 24-hour period, beginning at midnight on the dates specified below.
• If you do not have access to a computer and cannot visit the library to register online, we will be able to enter your name for you if you call the phone number listed alongside your program of interest in the table below between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the day of the lottery.
• We permit one registration entry per household per program. If you enter more than once, you will be disqualified from the lottery.
• The lottery closes at 11:59 p.m. Soon after, a list of attendees is randomly generated by computer. If you are selected, you will receive a phone call to confirm within a few days of the lottery.
• In the case of cancellation, we will select and notify the next eligible group on the (also randomly generated) waiting list.

New Year's Eve Run

Emerald Nuts Midnight Run – Thursday, December 31 / DJ Music and Dancing • 10:00 p.m. / Costume Parade and Contest • 11:00 p.m. / Fireworks and 4M Race • Midnight / Central Park, New York / C, $ [Key]

Update: Register in-person for the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run during number pickup at NYRR. See below for hours (including until 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve).

Kick off the New Year with a spectacular fireworks and laser light show at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run. Join the fun and celebrate with a costume parade, dancing, and much more.

Party Location - Dancing and the costume contest will be held at the Central Park Bandshell, just south of the 72nd Street Transverse in Central Park, New York. The closest entrance is at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street.

Details to come. Start on the 72nd Street Transverse heading east. Turn left (north) on East Drive. Continue north to the 102nd Street Transverse. Turn left (west) onto the 102nd St Transverse and turn left (south) onto West Drive. Continue south on West Drive to the 72nd Street Transverse. Turn left (east) onto the 72nd Street Transverse to the finish line near the entrance to Cherry Hill.

All participants will receive a long-sleeve shirt plus a special souvenir. Size satisfaction is subject to availability.

Number Pick-up/Registration

If checking in on race day, be sure to allow yourself enough time to get from NYRR to the festivities (approximately a mile away). There is no registration or number pickup in Central Park.

Note: Bathrooms, bag storage, and changing facilities will not be available at the NYRR building after 8:00 p.m. on race day. This run is a fun run and results will not be posted online.

Currier and Ives Sleigh Race

This past Sunday Central Park was covered by a thick blanket of white as New York City enjoyed the first snowfall of the season.  Later that day the slopes all around the park were covered with all manner of sleds and toboggans as New Yorkers young (and not so) took advantage of the rare, pre-holiday opportunity for downhill racing.  I took a walk up the East Drive towards McGown’s Pass (E. 106th St.) later in the evening and experienced a moment of “Time And Again” temporal displacement.  Streetlights twinkling through the snow, not a car to be seen, or heard, just the soft white mantle covering the road and trees, muting what little sound there was.  Easy to imagine the park a century or so ago, when the first snow of the season was the occasion for a race to the Tavern that once stood at the top of McGown’s Pass.

For most of the latter half of the 19th century, right up until its demolition in 1915, the McGown’s Pass Tavern awarded a magnum of champagne to the first sleigh that reached it each season.  The tradition was carried on with the Central Park Casino until it’s demise in 1934.

McGown's Pass Tavern at 106th St.

The Tavern was originally owned by the McGown family and had existed on the spot in various incarnations for over two hundred years.  It was originally a stop along the Boston Post Road and the site has also been the home of Mt St. Vincent Convent and a museum.  By the turn of the last century it had been rebuilt into an extremely popular restaurant and sportsman’s club – reportedly a favorite uptown spot for then Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt.

The space once occupied by the Tavern is now the site of the Central Park Composting Center, a very valuable, if somewhat less fashionable, use for the hill at 106th St.  But even now, on a still night following a snowstorm you can almost hear the muffled thump of hooves and jingling of sleigh bells through the crisp winter air.

Back on November 2, another man was attacked near the East Drive and the Great Lawn. A week before that, there was another mugging near 97th Street and West Drive. Police do not believe the incidents are connected – I don’t think so either, however this is a reminder that with the Park getting dark by around five pm now it is advisable to take some common sense precautions.

Stick to parts of the Park drive that are well populated with dog walkers and other runners – in general the farther north you get in the park the sparser the crowds, this applies especially after seven PM in the winter months. The NYRR has a number of running groups that meet every night that accommodate runners at a variety of speeds and distances.

Harlem Meer Social Hour:
Pumpkin Carving for Adults with Suzanne Beason
Thursday, October 15, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
At the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues)
Join us at our monthly series for adults as Suzanne Beason demonstrates how to carve and decorate a one-of-a-kind
jack-o’-lanterns.

Pumpkin Carving for Families
Friday, October 23, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
At the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues)
Create a jack-o’-lantern and display it in our annual Pumpkin Sail on Sunday, October 25. For children ages six years and older with an accompanying adult.

Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail
Sunday, October 25, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
At the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (Inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues)
Enjoy spooky storytelling, pumpkin crafts, live saw music, yummy candy, and New York City’s largest pumpkin flotilla! Bring your own jack-o’-lantern to participate in the pumpkin sail. Great for all ages!

Halloween Crafts
Thursday, October 29, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
At Chess & Checkers House (Mid-Park at 64th Street)
Get in the Halloween spirit with a crafting extravaganza in Central Park. Great for all ages!

Spooks at Belvedere
Friday, October 30, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
At Belvedere Castle (Mid-Park at 79th Street)
What better place to celebrate Halloween than a spooky castle? Great for all ages!

For more information about these programs, click on the program names above.

Halloween in Central Park is provided by the Central Park Conservancy’s Public Programs staff at no cost to you, thanks to the generosity of foundations, corporations, and individual members. You can support us too! Learn more here:www.centralparknyc.org/support

Hosted by the National Parks Conservation Association and PBS, “Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park”  featured highlights from Ken Burns’s new PBS documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” (premiering September 27 on PBS) and musical acts by an array of talented performers. The live show from East Meadow in Central Park was shared via satellite to PBS affiliates and other partners assembled in various locations around the country.

Feel Free: A National Parks Celebration in Central Park

Pavement performing at SummerStage in 2010

A benefit concert to support the full season of free programs at Central Park SummerStage.

After years of speculation, the most important American band of the Nineties is returning to the stage with the lineup of Mark Ibold, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West reuniting for dates around the world in 2010. Please be advised this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion.

Described in their own Wikipedia entry as having experienced “moderate commercial success,” Pavement’s catalog for the Matador, Domino, Drag City and Treble Kicker imprints has come to define in the eyes of many the blueprint for independent rock over the past generation. An evidentiary compilation release is planned to coincide with the touring sometime in 2010.

The first show announced is a New York performance on September 21, 2010 at Central Park SummerStage. The general on-sale is slated for 10:00 AM EDT on Friday, September 25, 2009. Please note that tickets will be available without surcharges from the Nokia Theatre box office in Times Square and from Earwax at 218 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.

But, that doesn’t mean you’re always going to like it.

I will admit, at the very outset, that I can’t think of one time I’ve said the words “Wow, that Greek Chorus, they really made the play.”  Or “Wow, that Greek Chorus, I loved the way they outlined the plot in sonorous chanting” or even “Wow, that Greek Chorus, they really didn’t make my skin crawl.”  This may mark me as the rankest philistine.  And I would welcome enlightenment at the feet of a theater scholar, explaining, once again, the history and purpose of those bleacher bums of dramaturgy.  I would just gently suggest that they don’t use the current production of Euripides’ “The Bacchae” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park to make their case.

Dionysus has returned to Thebes to make pay back to everyone for doubting his god-hood – and this especially includes his mom’s family, the royal tribe of Cadmus.   For some reason they have denied the fact that Zeus was his father and that he is a god.  Jonathan Groff’s portrayal of the Greek deity is almost perfectly balanced between precocious and powerful, while being oddly dressed like John Cougar Mellencamp circa 1984.  This choice in costuming seems even more jarring when compared to the aforementioned chorus, which is inexplicably dressed like extras from the original Star Trek.  And not the cute little uniforms either – these were bright orange, billowy things, sort of bouffant unitards.  Just a thought – if the play is about Dionysus, the god we can thank for debauchery, drunkenness and erotic excess, shouldn’t someone on stage look, well, sort of hot?  And no, I’m sorry, we can’t count Groff’s Elvis Fonzerelli look.  The rest of the performances ranged from very good to adequate, with Anthony Mackie’s turn as Pentheus, the conservative king of  Thebes, a stand out.  Come to think of it – Mackie in drag, as he is led off to spy on the bacchantes, is also the sexiest female on stage.

Now, as I’ve pointed out already, I am anything but a theater scholar, and I won’t pretend to be that familiar with this play.  I do question this interpretation of the play for the Shakespeare in the Park Festival.  Did we have too much fun during the wonderfully exuberant production of “Twelfth Night” earlier this summer?  Was it payback time?  And it’s also not that I don’t enjoy classic Greek tragedy.  I have sat spellbound through productions of “Medea” that still give me goosebumps, and that’s not exactly light fare.  In this case I have to say that by the climax of “The Bacchae”, with Pentheus’s mom, Agave, ranging about the stage, ecstatic, screaming, drenched in gore and waving around the blood soaked skull of her son (who, in death, has oddly changed ethnicity) was a bit much on an already much too humid August night.   Any emotional connection I might have felt for the woman was overwhelmed by a voice in my head that kept saying “She looks like Carrie on prom night.”  Hmmm.  Maybe the dramatic structure was undermined by the team of orange clad gymnasts that looked like they were going to break into the backup vocals of  ”Summer Nights” at any moment.  But what do I know.

Otherwise the musicians were excellent and Philip Glass’s music was remarkable, although it did seem somewhat misplaced at times.  I do love the idea that we were getting to experience Greek Theater the way it had originally been staged, outdoors, under the sky.   Only back then they had probably never seen the Fonz, the Starship Enterprise or Grease.