Weekend Column: Robert Beck Takes a Painter’s Look at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola

Jazzed Up
By Robert Beck

The many advertisements I received about  Richard Thompson’s show at Symphony Space had me thinking about the stellar entertainment options we have on the Upper West Side. I went to his show the last time he was here and almost did again this time. Another one of my favorite nights out was when they showed Bugs Bunny Cartoons at Geffen Hall while the NY Philharmonic played the corresponding classical soundtracks. It was highfalutiner than you might think.

When my friends come to town and ask for something different from the Standard New York checklist experience, I recommend they go to Dizzy’s Coca-Cola. My wife took me there for Valentine’s Day, which tops my list. Live Jazz, dinner and drinks, a background of the Gotham city Skyline (I have to use that term here, as there is something very fedora bout Dizzy’s), towering behind a twinkling park at night. The nightclub, located at Jazz At Lincoln Center in the Time Warner Center, is named after Dizzy Gillespie, but it could have referenced Nina, Chet, Billy, or Miles. Their spirits can be felt in the room, excusing themselves between the tables, tapping a matchbook on the bar, and sitting in with the band when the hours get wee.

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