Brian Lehrer yesterday had a fun show on the best and worst things to do in NYC. The producers were inspired by a blog post from “Guest of a Guest” titled “Worst things to do in NYC”. (By the way, one of the worst things to do in NYC is read the Guest of a Guest blog with its annoying popup video that it did not ask if you wanted to see.) Ok, certain things I might agree with–the Sex and the City Tour–but Free Concerts??? Their complaint: so crowded. But this depends on the concert. I saw the Branford Marsalis Quartet this summer in Prospect Park: it was not crowded, I had a great seat, and they were sizzling.

A couple years back in Prospect Park I saw Henry Butler–who rode the spirits of Jelly Roll Morton, James Booker and his teacher Alvin Batiste (who also taught Marsalis). It was raining when I saw him, so there was no crowd at all, and I stood right next to the stage. Simply stunning. I just learned Butler passed July 2. I am so blessed I was able to see him, for free in NYC!