Live Jazz: Who Knew?

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Turns out there's live jazz in our 'hood regularly! I've been meaning to check out Parlour Jazz on Vanderbilt since moving to the neighborhood, but never have. Apparently, the jazz club is housed in a brick townhouse between Myrtle and Park. Parlor Jazz 718-855-1981 www.parlorjazz.com

The website takes me back to 1996, but I'm definitely going to make checking this out a priority

I've also seen web mention of something called Jazz 966, which seems to happen at 966 Fulton. This also may or may not be an old folks home? Jazz 966 718-638-6910

Finally, it appears that this renovated space, called LOX, next to Kush on Fulton is slated to be a new jazz club!

dscf1265.jpg

If it opens while I'm away, I expect a FULL report.

Events at Urban Glass

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Hi, all: Still in Krakow, and have received a few interesting event emails as of late.  Hopefully I will have time to elaborate more when I return, but for now, here's the info in case you want to check it out:

Friday, July 20 at UrbanGlass

7 – 9 pm Andrew Newbold Object and Atmosphere Opening reception

Free, open to the public

9 pm – midnight Rock the Hot Shop $15 admission, 21 + over

Friday, July 20, Philadelphia-based artist Andrew Newbold's solo exhibition opens in the Robert Lehman Gallery at UrbanGlass. The glass and metal sculpture and site-specific installation reflect the artist's interpretation of his own experience with industry, specifically glass production, and embrace the manufactured landscape of such industrial spaces. Newbold describes the glass factory as a place filled with interesting systems, varieties of containers, vessels, and objects with individual personality, character, and function. As a fabricator of functional metal forms and as an artist, Newbold observes a symbiotic relationship between the workplace and studio environments.

For works such as The Stack, Newbold assembles simple forms with primary building processes in repetition, thereby imbuing the objects with new life and identity. In Glass Containers, bent glass and formed metal cones are combined to create a composition that evokes a precarious balancing act. By integrating sculptural objects with their surroundings, the artist dissolves the separation between the gallery and the object, creating atmosphere and experience.

A graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, Andrew Newbold received his MFA from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in 2005.  Awarded the Creative Glass Center of America Fellowship in 2006 and a 1998 Glass Art Society Conference scholarship, he has exhibited widely throughout the eastern United States . Newbold's work was included in UrbanGlass' juried 2005 MFA Exhibition. As the winner of that group show competition, he earned the opportunity to mount this solo exhibition at UrbanGlass. Newbold is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the Tyler School of Art and continues to work in metal fabrication.

Following the opening reception for Object and Atmosphere , UrbanGlass hosts a Rock the Hot Shop event from 9:00 pm to midnight. Mighty Redeemer Sound spins records throughout the evening. $15 admission also includes Blue Point Brewing Company beer and white wine sangria all night and a blown glass cup for the first 100 to arrive. The event, which raises funds for the UrbanGlass Education program, is sponsored by Blue Point Brewing Company of Long Island.

UrbanGlass: New York Contemporary Glass Center is a not-for-profit international art center located at 647 Fulton Street, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY. The mission of UrbanGlass is to advance the use and appreciation of glass as a creative medium and to make glass accessible to a diverse audience through its programs, educational initiatives, and publications.

UrbanGlass

647 Fulton Street , 3rd Floor

(Enter at 57 Rockwell Place, between Fulton and DeKalb)

Fort Greene, Brooklyn

718.625.3685 :: www.urbanglass.org

B, M, Q, R to DeKalb; 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins; C to Lafayette; G to Fulton

For more information, please contact Brooke Benaroya, 718.625.3685, ext. 210, brooke@urbanglass.org.

two events this week

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tonight: green drinks at habana outpost, fulton st. @ s. portland, 7–9pm

what is green drinks? "every month, people who work in the environmental field, or simply have an interest in it, meet up for a beer at informal sessions known as greendrinks. it's your chance to mix with other like-minded folks, network, share info and make friends. attendees have found employment, developed new ideas and even done deals! so join us--many report making great contacts every time!"

for more info, see the green drinks website.

friday:

outdoor showing of fast food nation at the green acres garden, at the corner of greene and franklin. 7pm. free food and drink (burgers, veggie burgers, lemonade, etc) will be served.

il torchio

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as suspected here, and confirmed here, a new italian eatery is coming soon to myrtle between washington and waverly. i was passing by today and saw an open door, so i stopped in, chatted with one of the owners, frank, and the manager, andrew, and got some pre-opening photos. as lesterhead mentioned in her earlier post, the place is looking gorgeous:

iltorchiowinerack.jpg

iltorchioshelving.jpg

iltorchiowall.jpg

the wine rack and all of the shelving are made from wood from orginal beams that they took from the ceiling, as is the top of the bar. there's also an outdoor space that looks like it will be lovely:

iltorchiooutdoor.jpg

it will be called il torchio, in honor of this:

iltorchiotorchio.jpg

which is, of course, a torchio, or old-fashioned hand pasta press.

but most exciting, to me anyway, is the concept for the place: italian wine bar and tapas restaurant. they will have bottles from all regions of italy, and instead of the traditional appetizer/pasta/main course menu, will serve tapas-style small plates.

frank owns this building and the two next to it—his business up until this point has been construction, this will be his first food & wine venture.

they hope to be open in the next few weeks, once all of their licenses have come through from the city. so keep your eyes open....

il torchio 458 myrtle ave. 718-422-1122 www.iltorchionyc.com [not up and running yet]

Community Gardens Updates

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I've received a few Community Garden updates since I posted the comprehensive list. First, here's a blog covering all three of the Brooklyn Bears gardens.

Next, the Hollenback Garden into posted on the NYC Green Thumb site is apparently outdated. The garden coordinators have sent me the latest information:

The Hollenback Community Garden Located at 460 Washington Avenue Between Gates and Greene Avenues Brooklyn, NY

Planting the Seeds of Hollenback The Hollenback Community Garden began in 1980, through the hard work and dedication of community members who saw possibility in a lot rendered empty by the fire that destroyed the Hollenback Mansion.

Brick by brick, and wheel barrow by wheel barrow they cleaned up the site and then seed by seed, they created beauty from destruction.

To learn more garden history, come in and ask to speak to Gertrude. She is one of the concerned citizens who started the garden, and she has been gardening at Hollenback ever since.

Who are we? We are currently about 40 gardeners, each working in individual plots as well as sharing responsibility for communal areas used by the garden membership and the larger community. Our garden is part of the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust, a coalition of 34 community gardens.

What do we do? ☼ We create a place for garden members from the community to produce locally grown food.

☼ We preserve a flourishing green oasis for the community to visit and enjoy, contributing to overall neighborhood beautification.

☼ We make all garden decisions democratically at monthly meetings.

☼ We offer several community events every season, including live music, movies, BBQs, garden workshops, tours

☼ We share our gardening knowledge and experience with the community

☼ Environmentally speaking, we harvest rainwater from a neighboring rooftop, and store it in a 700 gallon tank, reducing both our use of potable water and the amount of rainwater that goes into the city’s overworked sewer system. You can find more information on rainwater harvesting in the city at waterresourcegroup.org

☼ We are very proud of our compost system. We not only compost garden compostable materials, but we also process the food waste of over 50 community members, as well as for the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market. Compost collection lessens the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, and converts that waste into a valuable fertilizing material. The compost we produce is used in our garden and neighborhood tree pits, as well as by community members. Our compost piles have been used as a learning tool by New York City’s Master Composting Class from the Queens Botanical Garden, as well as by the Lower East Side Ecology Center and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It has even been featured on Japanese television. To learn more about our compost, come in and ask for Charlie Bayrer, our head composter.

Where are we going? ☼ We are currently involved in a project to install a composting toilet in our garden. This will allow us to provide restroom facilities for visitors and gardeners, without having to depend on the non-sustainable, chemical, and costly involvement of a rented port-o-potty. We feel that a composting toilet is safer and more environmentally friendly. We also hope that the presence of the composting toilet will serve as a further platform for our garden, and our community, to learn more ways to harness every resource we can when it comes to supporting our planet from the strain we place upon it.

What can you do? ☼ Any time the front gate is open, please come in for a visit. Stop in, smell and admire the flowers, talk to gardeners, sit and read or just relax in the shade. Bring your family and your sketchbook. Share your knowledge and your questions.

☼ Respect the hard work of all the gardeners by not picking any fruits, vegetables or flowers. Also make sure to let them know that their hard work is noticed and appreciated.

☼ To help you plan a visit, we have regular Garden Open Hours, which are: Wednesdays: 6pm to 8pm Saturdays: 3pm to 7pm Sundays: 10am to 12pm and 3pm to 7pm

☼ To get more information, inquire about membership, join our mailing list, find out how you can help, learn about community events, ask a question, or make a request, you can reach the garden coordinators at hollenbackcommunitygarden@yahoo.com Cara Perkins at 917-701-2875 Mark Trushkowsky at 917-804-0414

Brooklyn in Krakow

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It seems my webmaster is doing his job posting my drafts while I am in Poland. Just wanted to check in, and share a little bit of Brooklyn in Krakow... On the street, you can buy obwarzanki from street carts, not unlike the carts in the city that sell pretzels and the like. Obwarzanki cost just 1 zloty (approximately 33 cents), and come in plain, sesame, poppy and salt. obwarzanki

They're a lot like bagels, but flatter and wider. The one I bought was a bit dry, but then again, so are bagels you buy from the silver breakfast carts on the street. I'll have to find a proper bakery and try one there.

St. James Block Association Block Party

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News from local artist Ellie Balk, who will be coordinating another community mural at the St. James Block Party: I'm hoping we can get some people out to show support, eat some hot dogs and dance like we do it in in Brooklyn.

The Block Party is scheduled for July 14th, with a rain date of July 21st. I will set up around 10 and paint until we are done painting. This mural painting event is for EVERYONE...the young, the old, the creatively challenged...

I am seeking donations of latex paint and brushes in addition to the donations from Sisters Hardware.

The mural will be happening at the end of the block on St. James at the corner of Gates ave.

Check it out and report back!

Ice Cream in the Hood

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If it gets hot again while I'm away, I've earmarked a few places to get frozen treats:

  • Java Dave's on Lafayette, which boasts several homemade flavors of ice cream
  • Connecticut Muffin on Myrtle, offering a wide selection of frozen yogurt flavors, available in a cup or cone
  • Cio Bella gelato cart outside of Choice (Grand Ave) -- I've noticed it once, and hope it's been returning!
  • Mario's Pizza on DeKalb, selling cheap and tasty cups of Italian Ice

I have so many posts drafted up (to be published by my "webmaster") that you might not even know I'm away!

See you in a few weeks...

xo,

LH