Cornelia Street Cafe Announces Tony Malaby, Robin Verheyen Quartet & More

In May 1977 three artists--Robin Hirsch, a writer and director; Charles McKenna, an actor; and Raphaela Pivetta, a visual artist--stumbled across a tiny storefront on Cornelia Street in the heart of Greenwich Village and thought it the perfect place to open a café. For two months they scraped and sanded, plumbed and plastered, and did the intricate dance one does with the authorities who live beyond the Village, and on the weekend of July 4, 1977, mirabile dictu, they opened the Cornelia Street Café.

This Weekend At Cornelia Street Cafe

Fri Apr 02nd 9:00PM & 10:30PM
TONY MALABY QUARTET-MARK HELIAS'S OPEN LOOSE

(Tony Malaby, tenor saxophone; Kris Davis, piano; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Tom Rainey, drums; Mark Helias, bass; Tom Rainey, drums; Tony Malaby, saxophone)
Malaby/Davis/Opsvik/Rainey + Mark Helias' Open Loose
First Set:
Malaby/Davis/Opsvik/Rainey

Second Set:
Mark Helias' Open Loose

"Saxophonist Tony Malaby, is one of the most compelling living voices on his instrument who is able to musically expand in multiple musical directions. Whether it is in a modern harmonic linear approach or a sonic approach. His is not an eclectic style, but an authentic language in which he is able to create meaning and communicate feeling through the primal power of sound and rhythm."
- Mark Dresser (July 2008)

Malaby is joined by some of his favorite NY improvisers - Advanced Reservations recommended.
Cover $10 http://www.tonymalaby.com

Sat Apr 03
9:00PM & 10:30PM TONY MALABY QUARTET-MARK HELIAS
(Tony Malaby, tenor saxophone; Kris Davis, piano; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Tom Rainey, drums; Mark Helias, bass; Tom Rainey, drums; Tony Malaby, saxophone)
Malaby/Davis/Opsvik/Rainey + Mark Helias' Open Loose
First Set:
Malaby/Davis/Opsvik/Rainey

Second Set:
Mark Helias' Open Loose

"Saxophonist Tony Malaby, is one of the most compelling living voices on his instrument who is able to musically expand in multiple musical directions. Whether it is in a modern harmonic linear approach or a sonic approach. His is not an eclectic style, but an authentic language in which he is able to create meaning and communicate feeling through the primal power of sound and rhythm."
- Mark Dresser (July 2008)

Malaby is joined by some of his favorite NY improvisers - Advanced Reservations recommended.
Cover $10 http://www.tonymalaby.com

Sun Apr 04th 8:30PM
ROBIN VERHEYEN QUARTET
(Robin Verheyen, saxophones; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Thomas Morgan, bass; Jeff Davis, drums)

Robin Verheyen Quartet is the newest project of Belgian saxophonist and winner of the 2008 Django D'Or Prize Robin Verheyen. His latest record 'Painting Space' with pianist Bill Carrothers got great reviews all around the world and now for this new quartet he will work together with acclaimed trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Thomas Morgan and Dutch drummer Flin van Hemmen. They will perform new music by Robin Verheyen especially for this band. Collectively they have performed with Steve Coleman, Fred Hersch, Roy Hargrove, Michael Brecker, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, Sam Rivers, Jason Moran, David Binney,...
'You didn't hear the name of Robin Verheyen yet? That will change... Since the maturity of his sound and the virtuosity of his phrasing on soprano as well as tenor, will be much talked about, as well as the daring architecture of his compositions.'
-Gwen Cathelin Jazzman France
Cover $10 http://www.robinverheyen.be

Mon Apr 05
8:30PM AMRAM & CO
(David Amram, piano, french horn, flutes, composition & surprises; Kevin Twigg, drums, glockenspiel; John de Witt, bass; Adam Amram, percussion; John Ventimiglia, actor)
This series explores in his highly personable, generous and informal style the astonishing variety of David Amram's interests and accomplishments--renowned composer of symphonic classical music, jazz compositions, improvisation, spoken word, scat, he sits at the piano, schmoozes about music, about the greats, the beats, the obscure, the legendary; plays the French horn, pulls out all kinds of instruments (flutes, drums, horns) gathered from his many circumnavigations of the globe, pulls in guests drawn from just about every artistic walk of life.
Cover $10 http://www.davidamram.com

Spoken Word

Fri Apr 02
6:00PM SON OF PONY
(Ona Gritz & Dan Simpson)
The Friday night legendary open mic poetry series.
Arrive before 6 pm to sign up.

Ona Gritz & Dan Simpson are our featured poets tonight
Kat Georges, host. Cover $7

Sat Apr 03
6:00PM THE LIAR SHOW
(EMILY EPSTEIN, NY Underground Comedy Festival; ROBERT HURST, The Moth Urban Storytelling; JOANNE SOLOMON, De La Guarda; LESLIE GOSHKO, Frigid NY Festival)
Seek Truth. Get a T-Shirt.
4 Storytellers, 3 True Stories, 1 Pack of Lies.

Uncover the liar and win a prize worth its weight in fool's gold.

$15 admission includes one drink.
Andy Christie. Cover $15

Sun Apr 04th 6:00PM
PROGNOSTICATING THE WORLD'S WHEAT AND BLUEGRASS
(Susie Dworkin; Frank Oteri; The String Messengers)

In 1999, a terrifying new form of wheat stem rust disease - spotted in Uganda and dubbed "UG99" - began to destroy the world's harvest of wheat, the staff of life, 22% of humanity's calories. It moved from Africa up the Arabian Peninsula; now it's threatening India and Pakistan. Next stop, China, Ukraine, France, Kansas. Breeders everywhere began searching wheat seed collections for sources of resistance. The largest collection was at the International Center for Improvement of Maize and Wheat in Mexico, developed by the brilliant Danish scientist Bent Skovmand. For three decades, Skovmand (1945-2007) collected, preserved and shared thousands of wheat varieties, becoming the central librarian for all the world's grain breeders. In an era when corporations and governments often jealously guarded breeding information, Skovmand fought to keep his seed bank a center for free, open scientific exchange. Can scientists like Bent Skovmand stop Ug99? Who's protecting the world's vital seed collections? What's being done to guarantee food security against new plagues and global warming?
Hear the answers when agricultural science visits Cornelia Street Cafe in the person of Susie Dworkin, author of the recent The Viking in the Wheat Field. Susie will discuss how a few scientists persist in trying to save the world despite mutating pathogens, terrifying new weather and the Byzantine politics of the battle for control of world agriculture.

For our arts section, what better than the future of bluegrass, a style originally devoted to Kentucky's grass and horses, as represented by long time friend of Cornelia Street, Frank Oteri, who in another life curates 21st Century Schizoid Music here on the 4th Monday of every month?

Frank's group The String Messengers features Frank York on fiddle and lead vocals; Mandola Joe York on bass vocals, mandolin, mandola; Jeff York on atomic guitar; Jon York on middle fiddle, that's a vie-oh-lah to the sophisticated folks of New York City; Uncle Murphy on additional vocals and rhythm guitar; Ratzo York (known to the outside world as Ratzo B. Harris) on the larger-than-life bass fiddle, with extra strings for good measure.

Frank and compadres will consider how Bill Monroe's and the Stanley Brother's legacies offer another world heritage that can be crossed to produce hybrids with the vigor to withstand the stressful artistic environments of the future.

A discussion between Susie and Frank will be mc'd by ex-blueberry breeder and current biologist / musician Dave Soldier.
Roald Hoffmann, David Soldier, hosts. Cover $10

Mon Apr 05th 6:00PM
MONOLOGUES & MADNESS

Actors, time limits, laughter, tears, our floorboards are used to perfection.
An Evening of Original Monologues. No slamming, no judges, just great material, excellent actors and YOU.

Come See These Amazing Daredevils Perform Without a Net!!!

Tulis McCall, host. Cover $10 http://www.monologuesandmadness.com

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