It was a rare treat that last week my post-vacation biz travel had me in NYC with a free evening spent not as a loser in a hotel room on my lap top answering e-mail until midnight but watching my favorite anarchists from Holland,
The Ex -- performing a
FREE CONCERT in the park next to Lincoln Center. I spotted the listing, gasped, and called Blaine to see if he could meet me there. According to him, things like this happen in New York City ALL THE TIME. Even better, it was a line-up that incorporated musicial superstars from Africa -- The Ex performed with
(renowned Ethiopian saxophone legend,
Gétatchèw Mèkurya (plus an amazing dancer w/ a big knife below!) wow!
Also in the line-up -- afro-jazz from NYC's
Either/Orchestra with
vocalists Mahmoud Ahmed and
Alèmayèhu Eshèté. The talents of these African legends are collected on a CD series called "
Ethiopiques" (I have a few of them, but now I have it on my list to pick up the whole lot (because there are always more CDs to purchase, right?)
Did I mention that these fellows are superstars in Africa? Thus, when
Alèmayèhu Eshèté hit the stage, the audience, including lots of Ethiopians living in NYC, screamed like watching Tom Jones in Vegas. In fact, Alèmayèhu performed a little like Tom Jones in Vegas, which made it even better. You can see what a suave entertainer he is from the photo above. In the New York Times review they compare him to James Brown, but I insist -- Tom Jones! 
Because I only had a free bag of apple chips for dinner, Blaine & Ingrid took me right around the corner to
Rosa Mexicana because in NYC, there is also a good restaurant on every block. I was exhausted and missed the Chef, but still I thought...I could live in this town.
Also in the line-up -- afro-jazz from NYC's Either/Orchestra with vocalists Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté. The talents of these African legends are collected on a CD series called "Ethiopiques" (I have a few of them, but now I have it on my list to pick up the whole lot (because there are always more CDs to purchase, right?)
Did I mention that these fellows are superstars in Africa? Thus, when Alèmayèhu Eshèté hit the stage, the audience, including lots of Ethiopians living in NYC, screamed like watching Tom Jones in Vegas. In fact, Alèmayèhu performed a little like Tom Jones in Vegas, which made it even better. You can see what a suave entertainer he is from the photo above. In the New York Times review they compare him to James Brown, but I insist -- Tom Jones! 
Because I only had a free bag of apple chips for dinner, Blaine & Ingrid took me right around the corner to Rosa Mexicana because in NYC, there is also a good restaurant on every block. I was exhausted and missed the Chef, but still I thought...I could live in this town.
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"A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe."
Le Corbusier
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