Category Archives: art and culture

Harlem Gal invites you to see ‘Attack the Block’

20110711-022342.jpg
Don’t forget you can see a free movie Tuesday, July 19 at Magic Johnson Theater! You and a guest are invited to a screening of Attack the Block.

From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone.

Here is the lowdown on how to see Attack the Block:

To download a free screening pass, go to Gofobo.com/RSVP and enter the RSVP code HLMGAL55U0.
Date: Tuesday! July 19th
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Magic Johnson Harlem

And please remember, screenings by HarlemGal Inc. are on a first come first serve basis.

‘Prince of New Orleans’ to open Davell Underground in Spanish Harlem


This has got to be the best news I have read any Saturday morning. Nola.com, a Louisiana publication, is reporting that Davell Crawford, a musical sensation from New Orleans and dubbed ‘Prince of New Orleans,’ is opening up Davell Underground, August 11, in Spanish Harlem. Davell Underground will be “a new performance space in a former storage room within The Kiosk, a Moroccan restaurant and hookah joint located at East 116th and Park Avenue. This location is right by Urban Garden Center and La Marqueta!

The article says Davell Crawford, who moved to New York City after Hurricane Katrina, and his business partner plan to present live music several nights a week in Spanish Harlem. The roster will include such New Orleanians as Charmaine Neville, Donald Harrison Jr., Delfeayo Marsalis, Benny Turner and Herlin Riley. Crawford also plans to feature New Yorker musicians, including the flutist Bobbi Humphrey.

Crawford tells Nola.com that “I don’t want to call it a ‘club.’ It’s a ‘room. We will have great music there for as long as the people of New York want to accept it, and as long as I can keep it rolling.”

This Harlemite will accept Davell Underground. Count me in. I will be there in Spanish Harlem, August, to listen to music from New Orleans! Yeah!

Listen now to Davell Crawford!

Catch Reel Harlem in Jackie Robinson Park

Reel Harlem, an annual summer event covering music and film continues. Tonight, July 13th, festivities are in the Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell, 148th St. & Bradhurst Avenue

At 7:00 pm hear the National Jazz Museum All Stars-a Latin Jazz Tribute.

Starting at 8:30 pm, see From Mambo to Hip Hop , a film that covers in one hour the incredible history of a community that, despite the odds, fuelled a musical revolution. From Mambo to Hip Hop delivers a terrific insight into the post war jazz and mambo era and traces the evolution of music from salsa to disco to hip hop. This is a story rooted in the South Bronx and it’s a tale told with both pride and passion.

Then Thursday, July 14 at 8:30 p.m., also at Jackie Robinson Park, the National Black Programming Consortium presents When the Drum is Beating. The movie explores Haiti’s complex past and present through the music of 62-year-old Septentrional, the country’s oldest and best-known band and the memories of its founder and leader Ulric Pierre-Louis. As Haiti disintegrates around them, three generations of musicians who make up the band struggle to go on and prevent this national treasure from being lost.

All of these events are FREE and brought to you by the Maysles Cinema and other various Harlem organizations!

See ‘Attack the Block’ for free in Harlem

You and a guest are invited to a FREE screening of Attack the Block. From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone.

Here are the details:

To download a free screening pass, go to Gofobo.com/RSVP and enter the RSVP code HLMGAL55U0.
Date: Tuesday, July 19th
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Magic Johnson Harlem

And please remember, screenings by HarlemGal Inc. are on a first come first serve basis.

20110711-022342.jpg

Attend Live@1220 Fifth in Spanish Harlem

20110708-114109.jpg
For the third summer in a row, the Museum of the City of New York will host its eight-week music series on its outdoor terrace overlooking Fifth Avenue and Central Park. The series called “LIVE@1220 Fifth” will take place Wednesday evenings from July 13 through August 31 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Admission includes after-hours access to the Museum as well as one complimentary cocktail or refreshment.

This year’s lineup of DJ sets and live bands, features local New York artists from many musical genres, including jazz, hip hop, rock and roll, Afrofusion, Latin jazz, boogie-woogie, and more! Below is the music schedule:

July 13: Sophia Urista soul, funk, and blues
July 20: Bobby Sanabria & Quarteto Aché Latin jazz
July 27: Baby Soda street jazz
August 3: Juliana Riccardi Band alternative rock and ethereal pop
August 10: Mamarazzi featuring Precision Dance Troupe African-rhythm-infused funk music
August 17: The Tickled Pinks retro boogie-woogie
August 24: DJ Devon Craig Johnson jazz, hip hop, and modern pop
August 31: The KNOX Band featuring Carla Scott pop, rock, and funk hits

Admission is $15 for non-members and $10 for Museum members. To purchase your tickets, go to MCNY.org.

SUBSCRIBE and CONTACT HarlemGal Inc.

Follow HarlemGal and her blog posts by subscribing via email. This function is located on the lower right hand side of the blog page or better yet, send her feedback, or story ideas by clicking on the contact link located at the top of the page.

If these options are not your thing, feel free to reach out through twitter, tumblr or Facebook!

20110707-120649.jpg

High end fashion brand Balenciaga shoots new ads in a Harlem church

According to Harper’s Bazaar and Fashionista.com, Balenciaga’s new ads were shot in a Harlem church. But what church? Can anyone tell from the photo below which church the model in the left hand side is photographed in?

20110706-035429.jpg

See ‘Freeing Silvia Baraldini’ tonight at Maysles Cinema in Harlem

The director of Changing Face of Harlem has informed us that there is an interesting film playing tonight at the Maysles Cinema, located at 343 Lenox Avenue. For one night only, see award-winning Freeing Silvia Baraldini tonight, July 6th, at 7 p.m.

The film is about an Italian national who was arrested in the 80’s and sentenced to 43 years in prison in part for her participation in helping to free a Black Panther from prison.

To read more about the film and purchase tickets, go to Maysles Cinema.

20110706-114348.jpg

The Mafrika Music Festival returns to Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park

The annual Mafrika Music Festival returns to Marcus Garvey Park this coming Sunday, July 10. If you recall last year they did not have it because the park was under construction.

The program starts at 10 a.m. and runs all day. Many local businesses are contributing to the festival, including one of my favorite places to dine and listen to music, i.e. Yatenga French Bistro and Bar and ShrineNYC.

So if you have no plans this Sunday, head on over to the Mafrika Music Festival at Marcus Garvey Park, enter at 120th street and 5th Ave. For more information, go to Mafrika.com

Meet Louis Mendes, a street photographer from Harlem

Jul 1, 2011 @ 12:28

20110701-122452.jpg
By HarlemGal
On my way to work today I had the pleasure of meeting (actually bumping into) Louis Mendes, a street photographer from Harlem best known for his speed graphic camera. Our paths crossed right on the northwest corner of 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd. I quickly asked “are you taking pictures of people right in front of Harlem Tavern today?” He said “no, I am waiting for someone.” I said “you should take photos tonight, there will be tons of people here.” He said “we’ll see.”

Then Louis took a photo of me and then I asked “can I take a picture of you?” He agreed and said “I might be here later tonight.” I said “I hope so ’cause it’s going to be happening.”