Downtown After Dark is award winning journalist Russ Tarby's weekly take on the best and brightest of happenings inside and outside of Downtown Syracuse. Each week he adds best bets too.
Bio:
Central New York journalist Russ Tarby has been writing about entertainment, crime, sports and politics since the 1970s. His reviews and feature stories have appeared in newspapers such as the Village Voice, the Dallas Observer, the Auburn Citizen and the Syracuse Post-Standard.
For 12 years, he worked as music and books editor for the Syracuse New Times and while there he won several Syracuse Press Club awards including a Best Feature Story award for 'The Sweet Man,' his 1998 profile of 95-year-old jazz trombonist Spiegle Willcox.
In 2000, he was named music writer of the year for weeklies with a circulation of less than 55,000 by the international Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.
Tarby was a member of the steering committees which founded the Syracuse Area Music Awards(Sammys) and the Syracuse Walk of Fame.
He has been a member of the Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse's Board of Directors since 1993.
In 2007, Tarby edited "Into The Deep," a book by Dr. Andrew G. Hodges about the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway on the island of Aruba.
Tarby now works as a free-lance writer and editor. He compiles two weekly columns, Downtown After Dark for the Syracuse City Eagle and Livin’ in Liverpool for The Review, both published by Eagle Newspapers.
He can be reached at 457-1517, or via e-mail at russtarby@netscape.net.
With swift skaters and savvy stickhandlers such as Stefan Legein, Maksim Mayorov and Alexandre Picard, the Syracuse Crunch should score scads of goals during the 2009-2010 American Hockey League season which got underway last weekend in Scranton.
Home opener Saturday
The home opener is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, against the Adirondack Phantoms, at downtown’s Onondaga County War Memorial. The Phantoms are the top farm team for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, and the Crunch are affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
While Crunch Coach Ross Yates can count on a solid scoring punch from the likes of Legein, Mayorov and Picard as well as Kevin Harvey, Mike Blunden, he’ll also call upon the muscle of enforcers Jon Mirasty and Tom Sestito and the grit of defensemen Jon Sigalet and Grant Clitsome to keep games close.
Goaltender Dan LaCosta returns to kick pucks away from the net backed up by newcomer Kevin LaLande.
Captain Mac!
Sturdy center Derek MacKenzie was named team captain for this year’s Crunch, while Frischmon and Picard are alternate captains.
The 28-year-old MacKenzie becomes the eleventh full-time captain in franchise history. He follows Zenon Konopka, captain for the 2007-08 Crunch, and Dan Smith, 2008-09. Neither Smith nor Konopka are on the current Crunch roster.
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, MacKenzie has served as an alternate captain for each of the last two seasons. An indefatigable workhorse who can also find the net, MacKenzie has appeared in 126 Crunch games, collecting 47 goals, 54 assists and 96 penalty minutes. He led the club in playoff scoring during the team’s 2007-08 playoff run, notching 14 points (6g, 8a) in 13 games.
After Saturday’s opener, the Crunch returns home on Friday, Oct. 16, for a game against the Norfolk Admirals. Ticket prices range between $13 and $22; 473-4444;
Falcone-Cavallo reunion
Vincent Falcone, one of the most successful musicians ever to come out of Syracuse, enjoyed an impromptu reunion with Jimmy Cavallo Sept. 19, at the Turning Stone Casino & Resort, in Verona.
Both Falcone and Cavallo had gigs that Saturday evening in celebration of the Feast of San Gennaro at the casino’s 5,000-seat Event Center. Jimmy played at 5:30 with his Syracuse-based House Rockers, while Vince – former musical director for Frank Sinatra – appeared at 8 p.m. with Sinatra acolyte and former Saturday Night Live star Joe Piscopo.
“I haven’t seen Jimmy in many, many years,” Falcone told me. “So we had a wonderful reunion. It was so good to see him and have the chance to remember old times.”
In his 2005 book, Frankly Just Between Us, co-authored by Bob Popyk, Falcone – an in-demend pianist, bandleader and arranger – listed Cavallo as one of Central New York ‘s many “great musicians” along with Chuck and Gap Mangione, Sal Nistico, Nick Brignola, Sam Noto, Sy Simpson, Danny D’Imperio, Anna Marie Genovese, Calvin Custer, Tony Leonardi and Tony Riposo.
Based in Las Vegas for many years, Falcone’s presently working with many stars including Jerry Lewis, Jack Jones, Frankie Randall, Julius LaRosa, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Joe Piscopo and occasionally Tony Bennett.
Vince returns to the Turning Stone again on Nov. 5 with Steve Lawrence.
Blues on Burnet Avenue
Sparky Town Restaurant continues to present live music from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, when pianist Dan Robbino adds a warm touch to the dinner hour. A member of the Shakedown Band, Bonecasters and the Chris Terra Band, Robbino plays a wide variety of genres including jazz, classical, blues, country and ragtime.
Then at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct.10, Miss E (a.k.a. Melissa Ragonese) plugs in her guitar at Sparky Town. Syracuse’s own rock’n’roll and blues diva, Miss E plays CNY’s most prominent venues with her band, Dovetail Joint, but Saturday, she’ll be playing solo. Admission is free.
Sparky Town Restaurant is located at 324 Burnet Ave., at the corner of Catherine Street. For dinner reservations, call 422-8401. For info, visit sparkytown.net
Gomez hosts Redhouse Live
Redhouse Live, a slap-happy improv project conceived by Tim Mahar and Laura Austin, returns to The Redhouse, 201 S. West. St., at 8 p.m. Friday Oct. 9. The laugh-struck troupe also features Stephen Peters and Jeff White, musical director Emmett Van Slyke and emcee Glenn Gomez Adams of TK99’s Gomez & Dave Morning Show.
In addition to their live performances, Redhouse Live conducts comedy improv workshops for a variety of skill levels from those with a casual interest to those with career aspirations in acting or stand-up.
Redhouse Live will take the stage on Oct. 9, Nov. 20, Dec. 18, Jan. 22, Feb. 26 and April 9. Admission costs $15, or $12 for students and seniors. To get you in a silly mood, a cash bar is available. For info, dial 425-0405.
Hedonists here Sunday
Get down with Annie & The Hedonists at the Westcott Community Center, 826 Euclid Ave., at the corner of Westcott Street, when they perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 p.m. Admission costs $15 ($12 for WCC members); 478-8634.
This eclectic combo from the Albany area is anchored by the impressive voice of namesake Annie Rosen. The Hedonists perform everything from jazz, swing, torchy blues, standards, gospel, honky tonk and folk, and handle a vanful of instruments from trumpet to clarinet, saxophone to mandolin.
Hanna & Phil in F’ville Oct. 11
The Westcott Nation’s swinging-est married couple, Hanna Richardson and Phil Flanigan, will perform a free concert of standards along with pianist Rick Montalbano for the Motto Sheet Music Collection’s Sunday Musicale, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at Fayetteville Free Library’s reading room, 300 Orchard St.; 637-6374, ext. 328.
On Nov. 16, the library presents a jazz trio fronted by Syracuse saxophonist John Rohde.
Trio parks at Pasta’s
For something totally different, check out Kanjira, the offbeat trio now playing from 6 to 9 p.m. every Sunday, at Pastabilities, 311 S. Franklin Ave., in downtown’s Armory Square.
Kanjira (pronounced Kahn-JEER-ah) features the otherwordly music of Karl Sperber, Carl Lovell and Tamaralee.
Its tunes can evoke humor (think Paul Simon) or deeper human emotions (e.g. Miles Davis), as Kanjira’s music boasts both jazz and world beat influences. The tres musicians utilize a storeful of instruments including guitars, flutes, saxophones, trumpet, percussion and, of course, their voices.
Kanjira’s sky-oriented repertoire includes tunes such as “Heavy Clouds” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Admission is free at Pasta’s; 474-1153.
Vincitore opens for Wailers
Dark Hollow’s lead guitarist leads his original band, the Mike Vincitore Project, when the combo opens for The Wailers, at 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St., on Syracuse’s East Side. For info, visit thewestcotttheater.com.
Keep an ear out for Mike’s new numerical tune, “214.”
Cagney sizzles in White Heat
Considered one of the classic gangster films of all time, White Heat will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, as part of the Syracuse Cinephile Society’s fall film series at the Spaghetti Warehouse.
Starring James Cagney as deranged gang leader Cody Jarrett and Margaret Wycherly as his equally crooked mother, White Heat was directed by Raoul Walsh in 1949. Cagney’s sociopathic Cody Jarrett was the actor’s last great gangster role.
The crime drama also stars Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien and Steve Cochran.
Vintage movies run Monday nights through Dec. 7, at the Spaghetti Warehouse, 689 N. Clinton St., near the Inner Harbor. Admission to each screening costs $3, or $2.50 for Cinephile members. For info, call the restaurant at 475-1807.
On Oct. 19, audiences will enjoy Tin Pan Alley, a 194o musical starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Betty Grable and Jack Oakie.
By the way, the Cinephile Society now has a Web site, which can be accessed via two different addresses: syracusecinephile.com and syracusecinefest.com.
Poe’s deathday
Oct. 7 marked the 160th anniversary of the death of Edgar Allan Poe, one of my all-time favorite American writers. The wildly rhythmic poet and inventor of the detective story, Poe lived parts of his life in nearby Saratoga Springs and in the Bronx before dying in Baltimore Oct. 7, 1849. He was 40 years old.
Contact: russtarby@netscspe.net.
CATEGORY: General Entertainment
TAGS: CRUNCH squad,Onondaga County War Memorial,Derek MacKenzie,Falcone-Cavallo, Bob Popyk,Frankly Just Between Us,Chuck and Gap Mangione, Sal Nistico, Nick Brignola, Sam Noto, Sy Simpson, Danny D’Imperio, Anna Marie Genovese,Calvin Custer,Tony Leonardi,Crunch Coach Ross Yates,Jerry Lewis, Jack Jones, Frankie Randall, Julius LaRosa, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Joe Piscopo,Tony Bennett,Sparky Town Restaurant ,Emmett Van Slyke,Glenn Gomez Adams,Annie & The Hedonists,Kanjira,James Cagney,Spaghetti Warehouse syracuse,Russ Tarby,hanna and phil flanagan,john rohde,Tony Riposo
