Annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival set for Aug. 27 in Tompkins Square Park

The City Parks Foundation announced the 2017 season of SummerStage earlier today... the programming includes the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park on Aug. 27. Joshua Redman is the headliner that Sunday afternoon.

Here's more on the Jazz Festival via the news release...

This year, SummerStage will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, New York City's annual salute to the eponymous late saxophonist. The festival, which each year coincides with Charlie Parker's birthday, takes place uptown in Harlem's historic Marcus Garvey Park and downtown in Tompkins Square Park, across the street from the apartment Parker called home.

This year, the festival has been extended to four days and will include Emmy Award-winning tap dance virtuoso Jason Samuels Smith, world-renowned Anat Cohen Tentet, jazz master Lee Konitz Quartet, slow-funk Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science, reverend drummer Louis Hayes, young American vocalist Charenee Wade, Grammy nominated Joshua Redman Quartet, modern jazz creative voice Lou Donaldson, saxophonist Tia Fuller of the all-female band touring with Beyoncé, vocalist Alicia Olatuja, and more.

You can find the full lineup of SummerStage here.

Parker photo by William P. Gottlieb

The Post reports on the 'East Village crime wave'

[Reader-submitted photo]

The New York Post checks in with a not-so-subtle piece on the recent spate of burglaries/robberies in the neighborhood: "East Village crime wave has residents living in fear."

Per the report:

A brazen bandit is causing panic in the East Village, where petrified residents are demanding a sit-down with the NYPD following as many as eight break-ins.

In one case, the bold thief stood over his sleeping victim with a flashlight and demanded his belongings. In two other heists, stunned residents walked in on the invader as he ransacked their $6,000-a-month apartments.

There are interviews with residents of an East Fourth Street building that was hit.

Jeff Young, 50, a fourth-floor resident of the same building, said on Wednesday that two men posing as gas-company workers tried to talk their way into his apartment.

Young said he “heard a click” that convinced him they had a gun, but the would-be home invaders “bugged out” and he warned them he “had a gat [pistol].”

“This neighborhood was rising and now it’s falling apart,” he told The Post.

And a third-party perspective on this.

Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD detective sergeant and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the burglar’s brazen behavior is worrisome.

“This is not normal burglar behavior and has a high likelihood of more serious implications — rape or murder,” he said. “Burglars don’t look for a confrontation — they want to enter your home, grab your stuff and get out.”

Flyers posted in the buildings where the break-ins occurred mentioned a multi-block association meeting with the 9th Precinct set for Wednesday evening. However, according to the article, this isn't happening.

Meanwhile, crime statistics (PDF here) in the 9th Precinct show that burglaries are up 58 percent in 2017 (38) from 2016 (24).



The overall crime line in the Precinct is down 1.8 percent for the year ... and you can see the historical numbers...



NYPD sources told the Post that the 9th Precinct has made 17 burglary ­arrests in 2017.

And here's the map an EVG reader made showing where the recent robberies/burglaries took place..



The Post reported that the "targeted buildings house college students and young professionals, and none have a doorman. At all but two, a reporter was buzzed in, no questions asked."

Finally, some common-sense advice from the NYPD...

Be sure to close & lock your windows when heading out. #NYPD #Burglary pic.twitter.com/oL3rnGUAIR

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) April 8, 2017

Updated 6 a.m.

ABC 7 has a similar news story titled "Crime Wave Leading to Fear, Panic Among East Village Residents."

Previously on EV Grieve:
A report of 7 burglaries in the past month in these 6 East Village buildings

[Updated] More on the 1st Avenue bike collision

Last Wednesday morning, a box truck struck a 31-year-old woman riding in the northbound bike lane on First Avenue at Ninth Street.

She was listed in critical condition at Bellevue.

-----

Updated 4/12

A friend of the victim told us on Sunday that doctors were optimistic about her chances for recovery.

Unfortunately, there were complications. DNAinfo now reports that Kelly Hurley was taken off life support yesterday.

Per DNAinfo: "Investigators were still reviewing video, the spokesman added, and the driver could still be charged."

-----

As for this intersection, Streetsblog noted:

The block of the First Avenue bike lane approaching 9th Street has a “mixing zone,” in which cyclists and drivers turning left negotiate the same space during the same signal phase.

Intersections that separate cyclists and turning in time with “split-phase” signals have a safer track record than mixing zones, but DOT prefers to limit them to intersections with high pedestrian volumes.

On Friday, the guerrilla street engineers at the Transformation Department "staged an intervention" at the intersection ...

Mixing zone before. Drivers cut across cyclists' path or cyclists must merge into 1st Ave. pic.twitter.com/1Jdpr5N4KS

— Transformation Dept. (@NYC_DOTr) April 7, 2017

Safer for pedestrians too. #demandmore pic.twitter.com/R6SBjZrnnz

— Transformation Dept. (@NYC_DOTr) April 7, 2017

An EVG reader noted other obstacles for cyclists in the bike lane that have nothing to do with traffic... namely the trash that piles up on the weekends...



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updating] Reader report: Bike-truck collision on 1st Avenue at 9th Street

Porchetta returns (for 6 weeks) to 7th Street

As we first noted back in November, Porchetta closed on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Matt Lindemulder (co-owner along with Porsena's Sara Jenkins) told us that they'd hope to find another location soon for the quick-serve restaurant, which specializes in Italian-style roast pork sandwiches and platters.

Grub Street reports that, starting today, Porchetta returns "as a six-week lunchtime pop-up" at Porsena Extra Bar, the Porsena spinoff restaurant that Jenkins owns at 21 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

Grub Street notes some menu additions, including rigatoni with porchetta ragù and porchetta mac ’n’ cheese.

Porsena Extra Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.

Sunday's parting shot

Avenue A near Ninth Street this afternoon... photo by Steven...

Last few days for Love Shine on 6th Street

[Photo by Fenton Lawless]

The sale continues at Love Shine, 543 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

As we noted in February, the 20-year-old shop that sells handmade bags, accessories and gifts was closing due to to an uptick in rent and downturn in business.

The shop is open tonight until 9:30 ... they'll be back tomorrow and Tuesday and that's it.

However, owner Mark Seamon is moving his business online. You can find them on Pinterest ... Facebook ... and Instagram.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Love Shine is closing shop on 6th Street and moving online

Out and About With Mark Seamon

Week in Grieview

[After Thursday's rain in Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Ryan John Lee]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

RIP David Peel (Thursday)

Bike-truck collision on First Avenue at Ninth Street (Wednesday)

Remembering Glenn O'Brien (Friday)

A report of seven burglaries in the past month in these six East Village buildings (Tuesday ... Saturday)

A refurbished Quad Cinema reopens April 14 (Friday)

Out and About with Terry and Harmony (Wednesday)

A look at Jared Kushner's financial disclosure report (Monday)

An ode to Angelica Kitchen (Friday)

Bringing "the beauty of Japanese Tea Ceremony" to Seventh Street (Thursday)

Lanza's has returned — on 23rd Street (Tuesday)

Red Hook Lobster Pound closed for now in Extra Place (Monday)

Webster Hall has a new owner (Tuesday)

The new Carmen Pabon Garden is now open to the public on weekends (Friday)

Ummburger vying for the Mancora space on First Avenue (Wednesday)

Christo and Dora have more company in the city (Monday)

Slim dining options at the Hyatt Union Square for the time being (Tuesday)

Construction watch: 79 Avenue D (Friday)

About the for rent sign outside Somtum Der on Avenue A (Monday)

Up to 4 floors at the all-new 34 E. 13th St. (Wednesday)

Village Pourhouse makes closing official (Tuesday)

A quick look at the revamped Whole Foods Market® Bowery and its higher-profile bakery (Monday)

...and a scene from Tompkins Square Park yesterday via Derek Berg...







---

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Your chance to see the Moon and Jupiter meet in Virgo from 3rd Street

Last night, Felton Davis had his telescope set up on Third Street as "the almost-full waxing gibbous moon begins its monthly sweep in front of the constellation Virgo, where, it so happens, the dazzling planet Jupiter also resides."



Felton will be back out this evening at 8:30 ... outside Maryhouse at 55 Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. As he said in the comments, "prepare to watch Europa (in the news lately because of its detectable atmosphere) pass in front of Jupiter, casting a shadow!"

And thanks to Grant Shaffer for these photos.

Saturday's parting shot

[Click on image for larger size]

Photo by Allen Semanco...

For views of the Moon and Jupiter this weekend

Via East Village astronomy buff Felton Davis...

For the next three nights, the Moon will grow to full sliding through the constellation Virgo, and passing by the bright star Spica, and the planet Jupiter. If the weather is clear I will set up directly in front of Maryhouse at 55 E 3rd St. (between First Avenue and Second Avenue) starting at 8:30 pm for the Moon and hoping for a good view of Jupiter by 9:30 p.m.

Today: Sale at Angelica Kitchen; funky fun at Jane's Exchange

Two items to note...

Angelica Kitchen is closing on April 7th. On Saturday April 8th and Sunday April 9th the contents of the restaurant will be offered in an Auction/ Sale. The contents include decorative items, art, indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting fixtures, professional kitchen equipment and supplies. . Many unique and special items will be available. Besides the typical items one would expect from a restaurant there are sculptures by Bill King, custom wood fabrications by Jefferey Mase, lights by Richard LLoyd, our unique ceramic benches by Tom Ashcraft, mosaic vases by Linda Benzwenger and so much more. . Auction: Cash or bank check Sale: Cash or credit cards for non-auction items over $50. . Proceeds to be distributed to the local farmers and small businesses that have supported Angelica Kitchen throughout the years and who could be adversely affected by this closing. Angelica Kitchen is located at 300 East 12th Street See you soon! #angelicakitchen #farm2table #vegannyc #nycauction #nycauctions

A post shared by Angelica Kitchen (@angelicakitchen) on Apr 7, 2017 at 3:28pm PDT

And for the kids (6 and under)...via the EVG inbox...

Join Esther and her puppet friends for an hour of songs, stories, and FUNKY FUN in this warm, intimate setting! And it's *FREE*! Jane's Exchange is a wonderful little kids consigment shop in the heart of the East Village. Come early- or stay after the show- to shop! Lots of clothes and toys in MINT condition at cheap cheap prices.

Esther is a singer/songwriter, and the founder of Thunder and Sunshine, a funky rock band for kids. She's also the singer and co-founder of The Electric Mess, a NYC rock band established in 2007, which has toured various U.S. and European cities. She does bi-monthly story hours (every other Thursday) at Bank Street Bookstore, and performs for kids all around town, both as a solo act, and with Thunder and Sunshine.

Jane's Exchange is at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Report provides a few more details on recent East Village burglaries

[Reader-submitted photo]

NBC 4 has more on the recent burglaries in seven East Village buildings...

One woman said she came home on a Saturday to an open bedroom window before she realized her laptop was gone. A man who lives in a building on East 3rd Street said he went to sleep, only to find his laptop, mohair jacket and iPhone gone.

Police say a man entered an apartment inside a building on East 4th Street around 12:30. When one of the residents discovered him in their roommate's bedroom, he claimed to have been doing electical work. Moments later, the unknown man disappeared — along with a television, laptop and Amazon Fire stick.

And...

"It's nuts because this is a nice neighborhood," said resident Ruben Reyes.

The NBC report does not provide any description of the suspect. Or how a man disappeared carrying a TV and laptop.

There will be a multi-block association meeting with the 9th Precinct on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. Location still TBD.

Updated:

A reader (see the comments) created a map showing the locations of the burglaries...



Previously on EV Grieve:
A report of 7 burglaries in the past month in these 6 East Village buildings

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Bobby Williams...

Remembering Glenn O'Brien

[Image via glenn.obrien.com]

There are many tributes today for Glenn O'Brien, the writer, editor and downtown personality, who died at age 70 following an illness.

Per ARTnews:

A dapper, instantly recognizable art world fixture with bright white hair and reliably impeccable jackets, O’Brien trained his dry, deadpan wit on art, music, and fashion as an editor and contributor for Rolling Stone, Oui, High Times, Allure, Esquire, and The New Yorker, among many other publications.

O’Brien was born in Cleveland. He spent his college years at Georgetown University, where he became friends with the art writer Bob Colacello. The pair went on to study film at Columbia University and become the editors of Interview in the early 1970s, when Andy Warhol was still publishing the magazine out of the Factory.

“They thought, ‘Let’s get some nice clean-cut college kids who aren’t amphetamine addicts and see if they can run the magazine,’ ” O’Brien told The New York Times in 2015.

In the 1980s, O’Brien effectively channeled the Factory for the Mudd Club crew with his public-access television show TV Party, a blend of live music, half-coherent interviews, zany skits, and idiosyncratic debauchery.

Per New York magazine:

O’Brien borrowed generously from the hipster affect of the Beats, but adapted that stance for the New Wave era. Zelig-like, he made an appearance, by his own account, as the underwear model on the Rolling Stones’ Warhol-designed Sticky Fingers album, helped mastermind the controversial CK Jeans ads denounced by Bill Clinton, and edited Madonna’s Sex book (not that many people were focused on the text). Even if you hadn’t read his work or seen his picture, you undoubtedly saw something he had created, and it shaped your consciousness in some way.

He lived nearby (Bond Street?) and in recent years invited cameras inside his home...

So Sad about us

The Jesus and Mary Chain recently released Damage and Joy, their first album in 18 years. The video here is for "Always Sad."

They'll be playing out at the all-new Brooklyn Steel on May 14.

The Macrobiotic Chewing Guild

Memories abound,

That single desk

in the window on 8th Street.

Dragon bowls

that would feed two.

Slightly yellow people,

Chewing and chewing,

Enquiring how fresh

the Tofu. How many

times do you chew?

The organic Sun sets.

Bread and spread no more.

Where will the masticators,

wander to re-fill,

the hungry and the ill.

•

peter radley

Marking the closing of Angelica Kitchen,

after 40 odd years in the East Village. April 7, 2017.

A refurbished Quad Cinema reopens next Friday (April 14!)

[Photo from Monday]

The countdown is on for the return of the Quad Cinema on 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

The Quad has announced an April 14 reopening date for the refurbished theater.

Here are some details on what to expect via a piece in Variety:

The updates to the facility include a new modern design; the capability to screen films in 35mm, 16mm, 4K digital and 3D formats; and a wine bar adjacent to the lobby.

In the overhaul, the venue’s seating capacity will downsize from 560 seats to 430, divided among four theaters meant to have the intimate feel of private screening rooms with improved sightlines and seats. The theater’s rebranding also includes a new logo.

And for what will be playing...

A retrospective of the work of Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmuller will coincide with the relaunch of the Quad, where inaugural first-run titles will include Terence Davies’ “A Quiet Passion,” Katell Quillevere’s “Heal the Living” and “Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back,” Maura Axelrod’s documentary about a conceptual artist.

Programmers also have on the docket a Bertrand Tavernier retrospective timed to the upcoming first-run engagement of the French filmmaker’s latest, “Journey Through French Cinema.” The repertory screen will also show titles that are featured in the documentary.

The Quad's Instagram account is posting some coming-soon highlights...

A post shared by Quad Cinema (@quadcinema) on Apr 4, 2017 at 8:25am PDT

And there'll be double features...

Nazi hunter Jon Voight infiltrates a cabal of former SS officers at large in Ronald Neame's suspense-filled THE ODESSA FILE, screening at the Quad as part of our ongoing Two for Tuesdays on a double feature with another classic '70s Frederick Forsyth adaptation, THE DAY OF THE JACKAL. #jonvoight #andrewlloydwebber #theodessafile #frederickforsyth #doublefeature #twofortuesday

A post shared by Quad Cinema (@quadcinema) on Mar 29, 2017 at 8:22am PDT

Back in the summer of 2014, news broke that the Quad Cinema, family-owned and operated since 1972, was now the property of real-estate developer, film producer-distributor and movie buff Charles S. Cohen. He since hired C. Mason Wells, the IFC film programmer, and Gavin Smith, former Film Comment editor, to help with programming.

“Not only was the Quad New York’s first multi-screen cinema, it was also a true neighborhood theater, drawing Village audiences with its sophisticated art-house fare,” Cohen said in a statement announcing the April 14 reopening. "The new Quad will preserve both the welcoming, communal atmosphere and the cultural cachet of the original theater while updating — and upgrading — the moviegoing experience for contemporary cinephiles."

The Quad closed for the renovations in May 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Now playing at the Quad Cinema: Closed for Renovations

The new Carmen Pabon Garden is now open to the public on weekends

Back in October, local elected officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the Carmen Pabon Garden — named for the longtime LES activist and community gardner — on Avenue C between Eighth Street and Seventh Street. (Carmen died last fall at age 94.)

While it appeared that someone had been tending to the space ... there hadn't been any notice about the space being open to the public...



However, sometime last week, a sign arrived noted that the garden is now open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (weather permitting) ...



DNAinfo reported last fall that local architect Paul Castrucci designed the garden, which features Magnolia and Pink Dogwood trees, cherry laurel and holly shrubs.

Eastville Gardens, the apartment complex whose official address is 342 E. Eighth St., is on the site once occupied by El Jardin de la Esperanza. The 22-year-old garden was bulldozed in February 2000 to make way for the new development via Donald Capoccia of BFC Partners. (You can read more background here.)


[File photo via Dave on 7th]

Construction watch: 79 Avenue D

The first floors of the all-new 79 Avenue D are now visible above the plywood here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.


[No. 79 construction pic by George Cohen]

As previously reported, L+M Development Partners are putting up a 12-story retail-residential building that will include 110 apartment units, 22 of which will be permanently affordable. Amenities will include a fitness center, landscaped roof deck and an outdoor terrace.

Gone are the one-level storefronts including Rite Aid, which relocated one block north to the ground floor of the Arabella 101 building. Rite Aid signed a lease to return to the retail space at No. 79.

The project is expected to be completed in 2018. It will look something like the rendering on the plywood...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Space that houses Rite Aid on Avenue D hits market for $22.5 million

Report: New 12-story, mixed-use building in the works for Avenue D

Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D

RIP David Peel

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park in 2010 by Shirley Dluginski]

Musician David Peel, a longtime East Village resident and fixture at marches and demonstrations the past five decades, died today. He was 73.

Last Friday, Peel suffered a massive heart attack and was in critical condition at the VA Hospital. He was expected to have bypass surgery this week.

He is best known for his seminal counter-culture albums, such as 1968's "Have a Marijuana" on Elektra Records, with his band the Lower East Side.

His 1972 record "The Pope Smokes Dope" on Apple was produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

He was born David Rosario on Aug. 1, 1943 in Brooklyn. He served for several years in the Army.

According to an obituary at Celebstoner:

With the '60s countercultural revolution beginning to take shape, Peel moved to San Francisco, where he dove into the new hippie scene. When Peel came back to New York, he picked up a guitar and started writing songs and leading singalongs in Washington Square Park.

Peel took the name because he was prone to smoking banana peels. "It looked like grass," he told High Times in 1977. "We kept it in vials and called it banana grass."

One day in 1968, Elektra Records A&R rep Danny Fields heard Peel and his gang of protestors singing in the park. In the 2015 documentary, "Danny Says," Peel recalled:

"I met Danny Fields in 1968, He brought me to Max's Kansas City and bought me a steak dinner. How could I say no to a steak dinner when I was used to eating pizza all my life on the street?"

Fields signed David Peel & the Lower East Side to a two-record contract.

An April 2012 feature in The New York Times noted how a new generation had discovered Peel.

He was a regular last fall at the Occupy Wall Street movement’s Zuccotti Park encampment, and now shows up in Union Square to jam with the Occupy protesters there.

Peel was also a regular during the summer concerts in Tompkins Square Park. He lived on Avenue B. He was unmarried and didn't have any known family members.

His friend Steve Bloom wrote for Celebstoner:

Wherever Peel was, with his loud voice and boisterous personality, you couldn't miss him ... Peel, who answered the phone, "Yo, yo, yo" and had a characteristic stutter, will be missed.

The Times article from 2012 noted that "he planned to continue to sing on the streets and in the parks downtown 'until the day I drop dead and go to rock ’n’ roll heaven.'"

Updated: Billboard published an obituary here.

Thank you David Peel. You made a difference to this Big Apple teenager.
I was proud to be a New York City Hippie!https://t.co/9Ya2ooR2Sl

— Jody Denberg (@JodyDenberg) April 6, 2017

Very sad to hear that #DavidPeel passed away today. RIP David, and may you #HaveAMarijuana where ever you land🙏 photo taken LES pic.twitter.com/xkTb944rDx

— dina regine (@dinaregine) April 6, 2017

A part of my childhood is gone. RIP #davidpeel

— EdenBrower (@edenbrower) April 6, 2017