You HAVE to check this out. Wednesday in May is one of those nights where the calendar gets unfair — psych-rock, jazz heavyweights, and a Louis Armstrong tribute all running inside the same five-mile radius. If you only have one night this week to leave the house, make it this one.
Don’t Miss: The Black Angels at Brooklyn Steel
Don’t Miss — The Black Angels with L.A. Witch at Brooklyn Steel. Doors 7 PM, show 8 PM. 16 & over. 319 Frost Street, Brooklyn. The Austin psych-rock institution doesn’t tour like this every year, and Brooklyn Steel’s room — all concrete and ceiling — was practically designed for their wall-of-fuzz sound. Pair them with L.A. Witch as the opener and you have the best lineup in town tonight.
The Black Angels have been the standard-bearer for American psychedelic rock for nearly two decades, and their NYC stops are reliably packed. Brooklyn Steel holds 1,800 and has the kind of low-end response that flatters reverb-soaked guitars. If you can swing a Preferred Terrace ticket, the second-floor balcony has its own bar and a private restroom, which on a sold-out Wednesday is the difference between a great night and a long line.
For the Jazz Heads: Lee Ritenour at the Blue Note
Down in the West Village, Lee Ritenour — the Grammy-winning guitarist who has played with everyone from Pink Floyd to Sergio Mendes — is at the Blue Note (131 W. Third St.) on Wednesday night. The Blue Note runs two sets, traditionally 8 PM and 10:30 PM, and the early show usually has better sightlines while the late show is where the room gets loose. Lee Ritenour is a player’s player, and if you have ever wondered how a session legend builds a solo, this is the seat for it.
The Blue Note also has a heavy Thursday and Friday booking this week: alto giant Kenny Garrett anchors the room May 21 and May 22, with R&B-jazz crossover artist Tone Stith sharing the Thursday bill. Garrett’s residencies always sell out the weekend sets — book Thursday if you can.
The Sleeper Pick: David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band at Birdland Theater
Here is the kind of show that gets buried under the marquee names: tubist David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band plays the Birdland Theater (315 W. 44th St.) tonight at 5:30 PM, with doors at 4:30. It’s a 75-minute, early-bird set built around the music Armstrong made famous, and at $35–$46 it’s one of the best deals in Midtown. Ages 10 and up, which makes it a rare actual all-ages jazz option. Ostwald’s residency continues Wednesday, May 27, same time. Walk in for a $20 minimum, stay for the trad-jazz horn arrangements that don’t get played anywhere else in the city.
Coming Up at MSG Later This Week
If your tastes run bigger, Madison Square Garden has two stacked nights at the end of next week — Diljit Dosanjh brings his Aura World Tour to MSG on Sunday and Monday, May 24 and 25. The first NYC stop sold quickly; the second was added in response. The Garden has been the rare American arena that lights up for Punjabi pop, and Diljit’s stage production reportedly fills the full room. For Friday, May 29, Charlie Puth and Daniel Seavey share the bill at MSG, and Saturday May 30 is Kid Cudi’s Rebel Ragers Tour with Big Boi, A-Trak and Chip Tha Ripper opening.
Heads-Up for Jazz Fans: The Village Vanguard Is Closed
One scheduling note for the jazz crowd: The Village Vanguard, the 7th Avenue South basement that has been the spiritual home of NYC jazz since 1935, is closed for routine maintenance and won’t reopen until Monday, July 13, when the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra returns for its weekly Monday-night residency. If you were planning a Vanguard pilgrimage, push it to mid-July — and in the meantime, the Blue Note, Birdland, Smalls, Mezzrow and Smoke are all open and booking.
Small-Venue Wednesday Wrap-Up
Webster Hall (125 E. 11th St.) has metalcore band Thornhill headlining tonight with 156/Silence, Vianova, and Fox Lake opening — 7 PM doors. Irving Plaza has Wage War, Nevertel and Orthodox in a heavier-music bill the same night. If your Wednesday is more about discovery than a name, both rooms will deliver — Webster Hall holds about 1,500 and Irving Plaza 1,000, so neither show is going to feel like an arena.
Whatever you pick, the rule for a Wednesday night in NYC stands: leave the house. There’s no city on earth where you can be in a 75-minute Armstrong tribute at 5:30, a Grammy-winner’s jazz set at 8, and a psych-rock wall-of-noise at 10. Pick a route, ride the L or the 1, and remember that the small rooms are where you’ll be telling stories from.
Sources verified
Black Angels at Brooklyn Steel — Bowery Presents / AXS. David Ostwald Eternity Band — ostwaldjazz.com / TicketWeb. Blue Note NYC lineup — bluenotejazz.com. Madison Square Garden May lineup — msg.com calendar + Songkick / Ticketmaster. Village Vanguard maintenance closure — villagevanguard.com.
