I arrived in town at 2P, walked down Broadway to Madison Square where they were having an arts/food market (the Mad Sq Mark't), then on to Union Square to people watch and read a few poages of John Grisham's Ford County - Stories, then picked up my friend at work near Astor Place, walked to 5 Guys for a hamburg, and finally to Greenwich Street to settle in and get ready for the evening.
I took the subway up to 50th Street and walked down one block to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on 49th Street to see the Broadway show Fela. ---The hottest musician in Africa in the late 70's was Fela Kuti. His club was called the Shrine. Fela's created a new kind of music - Afrobeat - pounding eclectic rhythms drawn from music traditions around the globe, and mixed with incendiary lyrics to openly attack the corrupt and repressive military dictatorships that rule Nigeria and much of Africa. --- Fela starred Kevin Mambo as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Patti LaBelle as his mother, Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti.
After Fela, I hopped on the subway and rode down to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square and walked over to the Zinc Bar to see Mark Whitfield (guitar), Billy Kilson (drums), Davis Alexander Whitfield (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass), with special guests Michael Dease (trombone) and his fiance' Sharel Cassity (alto sax).
Finally it was around the block to Caffe Reggio for a mocchiato before heading back to Greenwich Street to bed. A great first day!
