OMG! Applebee’s located on the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Avenue lost their lease and are now officially closed. I recall the night they first opened. It was jammed pack, shoulder to shoulder. Everyone was there and the passed hor’s d oeuvres were to die for. They had kept the momentum going ever since. Food, friendly service and ambiance was always welcoming. Clean restrooms with the multiple television sets always turned to a game. The establishment will be missed, I’m sure, by many: the after-work crowd, who would come in to sit at the bar and chat with the bartender; those who came to celebrate a birthday, with the wait staff gathering around to sing happy birthday. It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
Not saying goodbye at all, but hello, is Raw Space. The new cinema-café, special-event venue located at 122nd Street and Seventh Avenue, is open to all creatives who are looking for a raw space to host their productions. The space is well lit, comfortable and, well, a raw space, enabling you to do your thing. Rental rates are reasonable and include 60 chairs, two 6-foot tables, a basic PA system, a video projector, DVD/Blu-ray deck, Wi-Fi and a technician. Most recently, Sonia Sanchez came to town to view a screening of “Harlem Love.”
Celebrating 70 years of sobriety was the St. Nicholas Group, an Alcoholic Anonymous group that is as committed as they are sincere. The group meets at St. Philips Church, 134th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues every Sunday at 4 p.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m., and they filled the sanctuary to the rafters. The countdown from 70 years of sobriety right down to one day had supporters cheering and pledging to take it one day at a time.
Not quite 70, but gathering just the same, were longtime, way back friends at the retirement party held in honor of Marvin “Hammer” Stevens. Hammer and his brother Kelsey have been coaching girls’ basketball at the Children’s Aid Society, Milbank and Douglas Community Center, and throughout the years have seen many of the young girls go to college on the most coveted basketball scholarships. The guys gathering at Hammer’s retirement party go back to when they were youngsters, most coming out of 122nd Street. Pastimes were spent playing flag football and stickball on a team sponsored by Blumsteins Department Store on 125th Street. Chronicling the groups every move was photographer Carl Nesfield, now deceased. Someone, somewhere must know the whereabouts of Nesfield’s photo collection, which is a treasure.
Also a treasure is the menu at Johnny Kaks Restaurant, located at 143rd Street and Seventh Avenue. It has a little something for everyone. The chef aims to please. Stop by and have a taste. Your first time will not be your last.
If you weren’t at Paris Blues, 121st Street and Seventh Avenue, Friday night, you really missed a show. The three-piece band, with husband on the trumpet, sounding every bit like Miles Davis reincarnate, and wife on the vocals (and castanets for one number), put on an incredible show. Singers and musicians sat in with the band, and guests were treated to a tap dance performance that was—what’s the word?—incredible. Live jazz performances are featured every night, including Sunday. There’s no cover and a two-drink minimum (pssst, the bar maids are heavy handed). A guaranteed good time.
The 2017 Harlem Whiskey Renaissance will take place March 30 to celebrate the era of the Harlem Renaissance by providing an evening of music, performance, food and, of course, whiskey that hearkens back to the era. Whiskey from around the world will be poured, with talk about the history of the spirits and music provided by the Harlem Renaissance-inspired Dandy Wellington.
For one night at Mist Harlem, you can get a taste of the Harlem Renaissance, along with several tastes of some of the best whiskeys in the world. All funds go to benefit Boys & Girls Harbor of Harlem.
“Jazz: Then and Now” is a conversation series, presented as part of the Stretch Music Residency, with leading artists in jazz that fosters intergenerational dialogue on the history of jazz and jazz now. The next event will take place Friday, March 24, 7:30 p.m., at Harlem Stage, located at 150 Convent Ave. at West 135th Street, across from Aaron Davis Hall. For the next two weekends, Kosi at WOW Café Theater will present “Ghosts Appearing Through the Sound,” honoring the legacy of Abbey Lincoln through music, poetry and dance. Located at 59-61 E. Fourth St., Fourth Floor. Buzz No. 6. Tell them Joe sent you.
Rest in peace to the great jazz musician Rudy Wallace. A jazz drummer from the Hill, Wallace played with all the jazz greats, including Jackie McClean, Sonny Rawlins and so many more. Missed by many but the most by longtime friend Dickie Butts, who remembers, “The thing that made Rudy important was that he was dependable.”
More than $1.6 million was raised by the more than 700 guests who gathered at Lincoln Center’s Koch Theatre to celebrate the 25th anniversary gala for the Randall’s Island Park Alliance. Honorees Richard and Christine Mack received a special honor, which was a ball field to be named “Mack Field” at Randall’s Island Park, in honor of their unparalleled commitment to RIPA, and it was all a surprise. Receiving the Champion for Children Award was former New York Yankee, three-time Major League Baseball All-Star and 2009 World Series Champion, Mark Teixeira. The evening master of ceremonies was Brian Sullivan, host of CNBC’s “Power Lunch.” The cocktail hour, which was followed by a sit-down dinner, included a Champagne toast provided by Moet Hennessy celebrating the 25-year milestone of transformation. Any New Yorker who is a New Yorker knows of Randall’s Island before and after, which could not have been possible without the funding and leadership of the Alliance. Among those in attendance were Courtney C. Hall, The Hon. LaShann DeArcy, Mitchell Silver, Karim and Luz Gandulla-Hutson.
Until next week…kisses.