Day 29: Femi Kuti, mo’ MoMA

Central Park is home to Summerstage, a series of free concerts and events during the New York summer, and tonight saw Femi Kuti bring out the infectious afrobeat vibes made legendary by his father, the late Fela Kuti.

The day was hot, once again easily reaching into the 30’s (C), and in the afternoon we returned to MoMA to finish viewing the Richard Serra “Forty Something” exhibition that we saw part of a few weeks ago. So we came back to take a look at the giant indoor section of these weatherproof metal sheets that appear deceivingly simple. 3 different parts of the indoor exhibition – “Band”, “Torqued Torus Inversion” and “Sequence” – allow you to walk through, around and between the pieces and see perfectly aligned artistic lines from one spot, then taking one step in any direction offers a completely different yet complimentary view of these towering, perfectly balanced sheets. The “Sequence” piece literally throws you off balance when walking between two contrasting sheets, one leaning out from you and the other curving towards you.

Around 5.30pm, the museum is closing, and my attempt to catch a subway back to the apartment finds me stuck in the stifling muggy underground waiting for a train that wasn’t stuffed beyond capacity. Luckily they were coming through every few minutes for the rush hour, and after letting 2 of them pass, I jump on the 3rd (and still overcrowded) train and discover rain and thunderstorms have since started. Nothing is going to put me off going to see Femi Kuti, so Rose and I arm ourselves with plastic bags and umbrella’s and head over to Central Park shortly after 6pm. The rain is coming down good, occasionally easing off, and although it’s definitely put some people off attending, there’s still a good crowd that turns up.

7pm rolls around and his band, The Positive Force, enter the stage. His horn players line up do a short piece, move into position and allow his 3 backup singers, dressed in little outfits come on and the shaking begins (more on that later). Lastly, Femi enters and opens up with “Truth Don Die”, the rain fades off and the crowd are into it (by this time, many of them have accepted the rain and stripped down anyway!). Femi works through spiritual and politically charged-songs, jumping between the mic, saxophone and his piercing elongated repeated notes on keyboards. His backup singers take any opportunity when they’re away from their mics to shake all parts of their bodies at incredible speed, mixing in sexually-rampant swivelling hips, thrusts and traditional voodoo-styled stomps and jumps. The percussionist hits skins with equally impressive speed to the high-tempo african rhythms. There are strong signs of him almost being possessed during parts of his performance, especially throughout songs such as “Sorry Sorry”, “Scatta Head” and “Beng Beng Beng” (video will be up soon).

After around 90 minutes of performance, including the encore, the crowd is invited to stay and watch “Music Is The Weapon” – a documentary on his father, Fela, and his life which included 15 wives, his struggles against the Nigerian government and his plans on becoming the nations president. Fela died on August 2nd 1997 from Aids-related causes, and over 1 million people attended his funeral.

PS: Apologies for the lack of updates in between… I’m working on them.

Day 17: Josh Wink

The day had finally arrived. One of the main reasons I had come to New York was in hopes of witnessing Josh Wink play again. I had seen him play back around 1998 with Doc Martin at the St James, and while Doc Martin was fantastic, it was Josh Wink who stood out for me that night. Much of the crowd had left for whatever reason – maybe it was that Winks musical style that didn’t appeal to the largely-uneducated crowd, maybe they didn’t know who he was – but either way, those who left missed out. I had never witnessed a DJ make so much out of so little, yet keep the dedicated bumping along in such a unique way… it was like a gourmet chef at work, starting with the most basic elements, slowly adding new things into the mix and eventually creating a masterpiece.

I was concerned for a while. Just before leaving for New York, news had broken that Josh had been named as one of the residents for DC10 in Ibiza, which could’ve potentially meant he spent most of the summer out of America, possibly even missing his monthly “Last Wednesday” residency at Fluid in Philadelphia. I kept checking his myspace page for updates on gigs, and on Thursday 21st June an update came through announcing his appearance at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn. I don’t care what dramas we went through getting to a Brooklyn club last week, I was prepared to walk if I had to. It turns out that Luna Lounge was on a main road, so a subway trip and short walk and we were there.

Arriving shortly after midnight and walking in the venue to discover a room painted black and lit up only by red lights – it was perfect. The crossover from the warm-up DJ to Josh was just taking place, and a few final set-up adjustments were going on. Using only an Allen & Heath mixer, 2 CDJ’s and a couple of sampler/effects units, we were away with some aptly dark and minimal tunes, with a deep voice booming over the speakers – “you look like shit…. are you okay? have some water, and put your shirt back on… you’re a mess”. It was a twisted sign of the great things to come as I placed myself firmly besides the speakers at the front.

With everyone locked into the groove, small changes throughout the songs were used keep the excitement building at a steady pace – rapid snare rolls, sweeping synths, rumbling basslines all rolled in and out, then finally a breakdown with a simple key-line where he plays with the acapella of “Sixth Sense” (his collaboration with poet Ursula Rucker on his sophomore album ‘HereHear’), twisting and looping her words back and forth – “You know what gravity is, right? That force that keeps our two feet, face, back, ass, ears, knees on the ground. Something like a God-made magnet. Scientists say if you jump, gravity pulls you down”. Taking one of the next lines, “there’s other ways to jump and stay high”, he re-loops and slowly pitches it down before throwing all drums back in, completely re-energising the crowd.

Over the next hour, he pieces together a solid stack of tracks, each one perfectly complimenting the last and building the atmosphere, and then his signature acid lines start creeping in – first as subtle basslines, then the full on tweeked-out 303’s are brought forth, and everyone goes nuts. The piercing acid lines vibrate right through me (still placed in front of the speaker stack), and I’m loving every second of it. His entire set is constructed perfectly and naturally, and he’s smiling while playing, obviously enjoying the music getting out there and also knowing what tricks he pulls out to control the crowd. He’s the puppetmaster.

My only complaint for the night was that it finished up so early… He closed his set around 4am, and I hung around and was fortunate enough to meet him, get a picture and attempt to tell him what an impact his DJ and production work has had on me.

Another fan (Chris) behind me who has just moved back to New York from Berlin picks up on my accent and asks where I’m from and what the scene is like back in New Zealand. Both he and Josh Wink tell me how the New York scene is nothing compared to 10 years ago, and I explain how I’d take this “watered down New York scene” over our current NZ scene any day!

Meanwhile, the guy trying to hit on Rose explains that there’s an afterparty, so the three of us plus Chris all decide to walk along to it, but after walking several blocks in the wrong direction then finally arriving at the right place, the party is “at full capacity”, so Rose and I leave it at that, catch a cab and head back to Manhattan. Driving over the bridge around 5.30am once again showcases an awesome sunrise over the city.

It is nights like this that truly ruin 99% of all other club experiences.

Day 16: Dancetracks

It was about time I got myself along to a New York record store… they’re a dying breed all around the world, and there’s only a few left in NYC, so I decide to make Dancetracks my first stop.  Caught the subway down to 4th Street then walked several blocks east,  passing the New York Hells Angels headquarters along the way.

Finally arriving on East 3rd Street and getting out of the 30C heat, I step into the store around 1.30pm.  The two employees welcome me and continue their typical New York-style conversation.  I slowly make my way around the walls of vinyl and dig through the crates.  About half an hour later, one of the employees checks how I’m doing, and noticing the different accent, asks where I’m from and what kind of music I’m into.  Before I know it, I have a pile of at least 40 records recommended by him, and he’s mixing them up live over the store sound system on their Urei mixer and spring-mounted turntables.  A few local regulars make their way through the store, so I’m handed the vinyl and make my way to one of the listening booths, going through the staff recommendations as well as old gems I’ve managed to discover.  After painstakingly cutting down the must-have’s, maybes and the passes, I make my way to the counter with 25 or so delicious pieces of vinyl.  While my choices are being added up, another song playing in the store catches my attention, so I add that, as well as some Body & Soul tickets, to the pile and finally walk out of the store 4 hours later!

The east side of Manhattan is lacking the number of subways that run through it compared to the rest of the city, so I wander uptown around 12 blocks, pick up some Pomegranate Raspberry Snapple, then over to 5th Avenue and finally find a subway to get me back home before the vinyl melts.

Mmmmmmm snapple….

Day 15: The Statue Of Liberty

The heat well and truely hit today, reaching 93F (34C), and the breeze that runs through the city is hot and muggy. The clouds are heavy and it would’ve undoubtedly been even hotter if they weren’t there.

Making the most of the hot weather, we decide to go to Liberty Island. After a ride on the stuffy subway (where you quickly leap from the stifling underground platform to the air-conditioned train), we reach Battery Park, pick up tickets and proceed to the line and the first of several security checks for the day. Empty all pockets, walk through scanner, make sure the stack of $1 bills in my jeans aren’t hiding anything thing, then eventually get onto the ferry and settle ourselves on the top deck to make the most of the view and seabreeze.

It’s a short 10-minute trip before you reach Liberty Island, and while walking around you try to balance the view of looking up at the Statue of Liberty without walking in the way of the hundreds of tourist photos being taken.

Prior to 9/11, thirty or so visitors could make their way up to the very top and take in the view from the crown. Temperatures at the top of the statue during summer apparently reach up to 120F (48C), and queues to get up could run for 3 hours. That’s now closed off, but with a Monument Access Pass you can still (following another security check and 120-odd stair climb) go up several levels of the pedestal offering views of Manhattan, New Jersey, Ellis Island, Verranzano Bridge and some sway-inducing views when looking directly up at the statue.

Also inside the statue are several rooms displaying the history and facts of the statue, plus a full size replica of the face and foot, as well as the original torch – which was replaced in the mid-1980’s.

Following some much-needed refreshment from the heat and a visit to the gift store (where they even had US$21 bottles of maple syrup in the shape of the statue of liberty), we head back to Manhattan. We walk through the heavily guarded Wall Street and past the New York Stock Exhange (I don’t envy their employees who have to get into work each day), then head over to Ground Zero. Heavily fenced off while construction on new buildings continues, there are a few signs and information pieces around, but our attempt to find the viewing platform doesn’t lead us anywhere. I jump on the closest subway home while Rose continues shopping for Snowboards!

(Photo’s will be up soon)

Day 14: Cesaria Evora

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here two weeks now… so much has been seen and done, yet in the New York grand scheme, the surface has barely been scratched.

Our second trip to Carnagie Hall in as many days, this time to see Cesaria Evora – a woman from Cape Verde whose voice is the very definition of morna (a genre incorporating the Portuguese fado with the Brazilian modinha to essentially create a mix of bluesy, mournful lyrics and/or nostalgic love songs backed by exotic Brazilian-styled rhythms).

Transcending the fact that it was all sung in her native Creole language, the nature and feel of the music doesn’t require you to understand any of lyrics – the rich soulful tones perfectly portray the emotion of each piece. A stoutly woman, Cesaria sings barefoot, placed in the centre of the rug on the stage, and rarely moves from the spot. In contrast to yesterday’s performance by Eartha Kitt, Cesaria evokes little physical movement or emotion, and instead allows her voice and spirit to do the work. The only dialogue she gives between songs is to introduce band members, and even then her accent is so thick that it’s difficult to make out what was said!

An american guy sitting in front of us, complete with long-drawly accent, politely offers us advice about various New York attractions, and at the end of the evening – following an encore performance from Cesaria (where she has people dancing the isles while singing “Angola” [hear Carl Craig's remix] and the uptempo “Sangue De Beirona” [hear Francois K remix]) – he tells us how he was trying to convince his friends to come to the concert but were put off by the fact that they wouldn’t understand any of the words.

Open this entry for an amazing video from 1995, Cesaria singing “Angola”, plus an amazing guitar solo performance.
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Day 13 (Pt 2): Eartha Kitt

Our first trip to the famous Carnagie Hall tonight was to witness the incomparable Eartha Kitt for her “Fabulous 80th Birthday Celebration”. An actress and singer with a voice and persona unlike any other, she filled the room from the second she set foot on stage – not looking anywhere near 80 years old. In true cabaret-style, her dress with the high cut in it was used at her will to showcase her legs and, along with her infamous purr, tease the crowd on.

She struts through songs with all the confidence of the world, her band perfectly atuned to whatever corner she turns – happily backing her while she stops abruptly through song and uses nothing but perfectly-timed pauses, her steely gaze, impudent body language, and a mixture of languages to dialogue and flirt with members of the audience, especially the men in the front row. Between her stage-owning strides, she throws in the occassional flirtatious dance, understated but saying everything she needs to with a few swings, dips or leg-flashes.

An hour passes by before intermission, after which she returns with costume change (but still with the same cut in the dress!), and a few friends who appear as guests, each with voices of pure jazz gold. Eartha lets them run through their songs, all of which are performed as a tribute to her, and also joins on in one or two such as Santa Baby. After the guest section, Eartha takes the reigns again and shows off her vocal abilities, whether it be belting out the large sustained notes, jazzy-scats or purring through notes so smooth they’re like chocolate on a hotplate.

After her final song, the band continues while Eartha politely embraces and shakes hands with all those who have rushed to the front of the stage to get a bit closer to the worlds most famous Catwoman!
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Day 13 (Pt 1): Museum of Modern Art

Visited the legendary MoMA today, a building that went through massive renovations between May 21 2002 until September 27 2004 and is home to 6 floors of art, sculptures and a various exhibitions. Currently on display in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden is Richard Serra’s Forty Years, massive yet minimal with perfectly placed giant sheets of curved metal that show off a different views with every step you take… view the online exhibition here, including videos of the installation.

Rose and I started on the top floor with special exhibitions, then moved down to Level 5 (Painting and Sculptures I) containing work from artists such as Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet. We then stopped off a snack at their cafe (where I got a sundae with Hazelnut Ice Cream, Salted Caramelized Peanuts and Caramel milk chocolate glaze), before heading down to Level 4 (Painting and Sculptures II), showcasing some slightly more bizarre and off-centre work from Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Robert Morris, Marcel Broodthaers and Bridget Riley. Following that we noticed that a wall spanning all 6 levels contained work by Dan Perjovschi – random drawings that make up “What happened to us?”. Check this page for details and videos on him at work.

Then we head out to the first part of Richard Serra’s Forty Years exhibition, placed outdoors alongside the museums fountains. It’s another hot New York day and the perfect time to see these massive structures.

It was quite late in the afternoon and we hadn’t even got to Levels 2-4, but we both decided we needed new clothes for Eartha Kitt’s performance at Carnagie Hall tonight! So we head down to Macy’s again and get ourselves stocked up!

MoMA Photos and details about Eartha Kitt to follow shortly……

Day 12: Sunday, Day of Rest

After getting home at 5.30am from Demon Days, I hit the sack but Rose decides to head out for a run through Central Park… crazy, but I wasn’t about to stand in her way!

“The city that never sleeps” phrase is accurate, even on a slow night there is stuff always going on, and it’s a noisy city. I’m 11 stories up, and the general street noise, car horns from drivers sick of waiting for 2 seconds at a green light, overnight rubbish collectors and frequent sirens definitely take a lot of adjusting to. Even after a week and a half, I’m still woken up several times during the night.

I eventually wake up (properly) around 1pm and take my time getting out of bed. Rose continues to sleep for a while longer. 4pm rolls around and we’re both hungry and exhausted, so walk a few blocks to pick up some food, and then end up wandering around Times Square, taking a proper look in all the big chocolate stores, pick up some NYC souviners and check out the massive Virgin Megastore.

3 hours later, realising how even a slow look around the place can make time disappear, and we return to the apartment and take it easy for the rest of the night. McDonald’s Cinnamon Melts – awesome!