{#MusicMonday} #TheOfficialTwitterPartyDJ Celebrating @PaquitoDRivera 70th Birthday @BlueNoteNYC + through June 30 Blue Note Jazz Festival Presented by @Sony and #Inglot

I have eclectic taste in music, fellow eclectics will tell you they have a lot of everything, something from pretty much every genre but rarely listen to the same artist for prolonged periods of time, rotating from various gems in their extensive music collection.

There are some artists I have in every format that music has been produced in: 8 Track, Vinyl, Cassette, CD and now digital.

Paquito D'Rivera is one of those artists.

Last week I got to celebrate his 70th birthday at the iconic and legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City and it was EPIC!

Now through June 30th the Blue Note Jazz Festival which is being sponsored by Sony and Inglot, is bringing a ton of great artists to the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Photo Highlights:

Above: I just had to nab a shot of the stage before the crowd rolled in!

Above: Reserved Table Baby! Look who's high rolling and on the list! :)

Above: Each table has its own Gold Star, sort of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Jazz, my table was Illinois Jacquet. Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B sax solo. (He was a skilled improviser and he also doubled on the bassoon!)

Above: After soaking up the vibes it was time to order a nice libation and I was so stoked to see the "Plum Razz Martini" on the menu as I love Plum Sake!

Plum Razz Martini Cocktail:

Stoli Razberi
Umeshu Plum Sake
Fresh Lemon Juice

Above: 'The Paqman' performing at Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. From 6/12-17 he performed 12 sets, all different repertoire, there was little something something for everyone!

Above: While this was not my first time seeing Paquito D'Rivera perform live it was my first time seeing him perform at The Blue Note Jazz Club!

Above: I love when musicians banter with the crowd and one of my favorite moments was when the band was about to perform some brazilian music when Paquito asked if anyone was from Brazil in the crowd, an audience member said she was, and that she saw him perform there as well.

Above: We were surprised with a Meet & Greet! This is Cheryl Goodman, Head of North American Global Communications for Sony who I captured at the precise moment when she was pointing to me and telling Paquito "I was so cool!" I think I love this picture even more than my photos with him, because I will NEVER forget this moment!

Above: As you can tell by the laughs Paquito is very down to earth. I seriously have no idea how artists have any energy left for meet and greets after a performance.

Above: A forward facing one, you know for insta!

MY TAKE:

Last year I told you guys about the launch of Sony Square Space, (linking you to my Square Space coverage in case you missed it) and this year it's Sony Hall. While the concert I attended was in the West 3rd venue, Sony Hall, equipped with Sony's technologies is integrated throughout a 12,000 square-foot venue owned/operated by Blue Note Entertainment in the heart of New York's Theatre District (at the Paramount Hotel). Offering a full-service restaurant and bar with a capacity of 1,000 standing and 500 seated.

There is a reason why live plays trump movies and concerts trump CD's, nothing beats theatre or music being experienced live.

I do not know how Paquito D'Rivera has so much energy. At 70 I am probably going to want a nap for my birthday! LOL

Note that the West 3rd venue is quite intimate and it's shared tables so for this venue you really want to round up a bigger crew so you will be seated with folks you know. If you are a smaller group be prepared to share your table. I only mention this as that night I observed a couple on a first date, and they seemed a bit over-whelmed at having folks so close up and personal.

But as a music lover you are also getting a great chance to connect fellow music lovers which can be fun.

We enjoyed quite a few shared apps and a variety of the drinks and everything was great including wonderfully attentive service. But finding a drink with Plum Sake was such a pleasant surprise. And I am going to have to get a bottle of this brand because I really liked it. I personally would use regular stoli and let the plum sake do the talking but I wasn't mad at the stoli razberi!

And I have to admit my Nikon did its thing considering the low lighting. I played around with a few of the photos using my photo editor and did some sepia and black and whites that I didn't include here, I will use those for a Wordless Wednesday because they impart such a totally different mood/vibe that they would be perfect for the day that the interwebs focuses on photos.

One of Paquito D'Rivera's best collaborations was on "Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis, featuring Conrad Herwig and Paquito D'Rivera" you definitely want a CD of music that was recorded live at the blue note as a memento of your experience. There is a gift shop on the second floor, so be sure to hit it on the way out.

I am literally posting about last week out of order, so stay tuned for an upcoming Travel meets Tech post next (it's actually where I was during the day that day, this performance was in the evening)!

Readers Sound Off: Who is your favorite Jazz Musician? Have you been to the legendary Blue Note?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure:  This is NOT a monetarily compensated Post, but it certainly should be. This is not just my passion project, it's my business/brand. This is an event recap and passes were provided for Editorial Consideration. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.