MUSIC

HEAD OF THE HIP-HOP CLASS This year has been as strong a year for hip-hop music as any in recent history, but those who are new to the genre could feel left behind amid discussions of the relative merits of Lil’ Mama and Lil’ Wayne. The Hip-Hop 101 party at the Delancey is an opportunity to get acquainted with the origins of hip-hop. Large Professor, a producer and emcee who hails from Flushing, Queens, hosts the event. Featured performers include local rap group Black Sheep, and rappers Hero and Shabaam. Tonight, 8 p.m., the Delancey, 168 Delancey St. at Clinton Street, 212-254-9920, free.

COMEDY

FUNNY FACE The first Hysterical Festival of women’s comedy hits the stand-up circuit in October. Until then, audiences who like their comedy with a side of sass can support the cause at the Hysterical fund-raiser, presented by Bust magazine. The evening’s host is comedian Carolyn Castiglia (VH1, MTV2). Performers include Heather Lawless (“Flight of the Conchords,” “Be Kind Rewind”), Adira Amram (Upright Citizens Brigade), Rachel Feinstein (Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”), Ophira Eisenberg (VH1, US Weekly Fashion Police), and Bridget Everett (Ars Nova’s “At Least It’s Pink”). Tonight, 8 p.m., Comix Comedy Club, 353 W. 14th St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-524-2500, $20.

FILM

BEYOND WARSAW The Millennium Film Workshop hosts “Borderlanders: Finding Their Voice,” a festival featuring films about the borderland regions of Central and Eastern Europe. Films include an autobiographical piece by Jonas Mekas. The festival concludes this week with two evenings of documentary films portraying the cultural complexity of Poland and other Eastern European countries throughout history. Each program will offer two or three films, followed by question-and-answer sessions. Wednesday–Thursday, 8 p.m., Millennium Film Workshop, 66 E. 4th St., between Bowery and Second Avenue, 212-673-0090, $8 general, $6 members.

FOOD & DRINK

PACK YOUR KNIVES Chef Tom Colicchio dishes on the publication of “Top Chef: The Cookbook” (Chronicle), the official companion guide to the hit Bravo food series of the same name. The book features 100 recipes from the first three seasons of the show, including dishes from the “elimination rounds” and the “quick-fire challenges,” as well as in-depth interviews with past contestants. Full-color photo spreads take readers onto the show’s set. Mr. Colicchio, whose Craft restaurant group includes Craftbar and ‘Wichcraft, shares judging duties on the show with the special projects manager of Food and Wine Magazine, food critic Gail Simmons, and a former food expert on the network’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” Ted Allen. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 E. 17th St., between Broadway and Park Avenue, 212-253-0810, free.

MUSEUMS

RENAISSANCE MEN Before the Italian masters painted the ceilings of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, there were sketches and planning to be done. “Michelangelo, Vasari, and Their Contemporaries: Drawings from the Uffizi” gathers drawings by Ponteromo, Andrea del Sarto, and Bronzino. They were involved in creating the artworks that decorated the various apartments at the Florentine palace, which served as the home of the Medici dukes in the 16th century. Cosimo I de’ Medici commissioned artist Georgio Vasari to create and preside over much of the artistic expansion and direction at the palace. The show comprises nearly 80 sketches. Through Sunday, Tuesday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave. at 36th Street, 212-685-0008, $12.

WONDER BREAD The exhibit “Bread/ Lechem: Photographs by Margalit Mannor” focuses on a recycling tradition in Israel in which stale bread is collected from bakeries and turned into cattle fodder on some contemporary Israeli farms. A Jewish man who had fled a Polish ghetto is said to have started the practice in 1943. The Hebrew words beit and lechem — reminiscent of the word “Bethlehem” — together mean “Home of Bread,” and the title of the exhibit evokes the phrase. Through Sunday, April 27, Tuesday–Thursday, and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, $8 general, $6 students and seniors, free for children and members.

MUSIC

IPANEMA TO NEW YORK As part of the second annual BossaBrasil Festival, two ambassadors to Brazilian jazz give concerts at Birdland. A Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer, Cesar Camargo Mariano, plays with his trio, and vocalist/guitarist Joao Bosco. Mr. Bosco performs Brazilian melodies tinged with his influences — the music of his Lebanese ancestors and that of African slaves. A special guest, American jazz tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, joins Mr. Bosco during the week-long engagement. Tuesday–Saturday, 8:30 and 11 p.m., Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-581-3080, $30–$40.

GROUP THINK The Staten Island-bred Wu-Tang Clan unites its remaining eight members, performing songs from the rap group’s latest album, “8 Diagrams.” (A founding member, rapper ODB died at 35 in 2004.) The multi-monikered performers include Method Man, Ghostface, Raekwon the Chef, and the RZA. Wu-Tang Clan shot to fame in the early 1990s after the release of the single “Protect Ya Neck,” a verbose, hookless song that came to represent the group’s lyrically driven style and coded “mathematics,” a philosophy loosely derived from Islamic teachings and street culture. The rappers sample new tracks and others from their expansive catalog of group and solo albums. Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Plaza, between 15th and 16th streets, $55–$60.

READINGS

NOT YOUR BUBBE’S YIDDISH The Jewish Museum hosts Michael Wex, who reads from and signs copies of “Just Say Nu: Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won’t Do)” (St. Martin’s Press). In it, Mr. Wex examines the origins of the Yiddish language and presents a practical guide to using words and phrases in everyday situations, including insults to hurl while driving and expressions for parts of the anatomy. Mr. Wex, who is widely considered one of the leading forces behind the current revival of the Jewish dialect, is the author of the best-selling “Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods” (Harper Perennial). Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, free with museum admission, $12 general, $10 seniors, $7.50 students, free for members, children under 12, and to all on Saturday.

SOUL SURVIVOR The 92nd Street Y hosts an evening with Hungarian Jewish author Imre Kertész, the winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature. Mr. Kertész is the author of several books, including “Fatelessness” and “Kaddish for an Unborn Child,” which draw from the writer’s own experience as a Holocaust survivor. The senior editor of the New Republic, Ruth Franklin, joins the author in conversation; a reading of the author’s work by actor Bill Camp follows the talk. The program also includes a musical performance by pianist András Schiff, who is a close friend of Mr. Kertész.

Thursday, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $18 general, $10 for age 35 and under.

TALKS

MURDER MYSTERY Symphony Space hosts a tribute to the Belgian mystery writer Georges Simenon, best known for his Inspector Maigret novels. In 1966, Simenon was awarded the highest honor bestowed by the Mystery Writers of America, the Grand Master Award. Fellow writers and admirers, including thriller writer and deputy editor of Harper’s magazine, Colin Harrison, discuss his works. A Tony Awardwinning American actor, Fritz Weaver, performs an excerpt from one of Simenon’s novels. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Symphony Space, Leonard Nimoy Thalia, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, $21–$25.

THEATER

EVENING SHADE “Almost An Evening” marks Academy-Award winning filmmaker Ethan Coen’s debut as a playwright. The Atlantic Theater Company production, directed by Neil Pepe, comprises three short plays: “In Waiting” follows a man who, as the title suggests, waits for an extended period; “Four Benches” depicts a voyage of self-discovery by a British intelligence agent that leads him to steam baths in New York and Texas, and “Debate,” which takes up cosmic questions. The cast includes F. Murray Abraham and J.R. Horne. Through Sunday, June 1, Tuesday–Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 and 7 p.m., Bleecker Street Theatre, 45 Bleecker St., between Lafayette and Mott streets, 212-541-8457, $20–$50.

TOURS

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS The Municipal Art Society presents “Commemorating the Flushing Remonstrance: Religious Freedom in North Flushing,” a walking tour of North Flushing. The neighborhood, home to a spiritually diverse mix of mosques, churches, temples, and synagogues, has its roots in a petition for religious pluralism issued in 1657 to the ruling Dutch colonial government. Tour participants join urban geographer Jack Eichenbaum, who explains the history of these places of worship. The walk includes a stop at the Quaker Meeting House, New York State’s oldest house of worship. Sunday, 1 p.m., meet at St. George’s Church, 39th Avenue at Main Street, North Flushing, Queens, 212-935-2075, $15 general, $12 Municipal Art Society members.

PAINTINGS

GROWING IN ABSTRACT “The Art of Gesture: Abstract Works From the 1950s and ’60s” is a celebration of painters who flourished in New York during that era. The group show includes works by Robert Richenburg, Jon Schueler, and George McNeil. Pieces in the exhibit include Herman Cherry’s “Untitled (CO60–101)” (1958), above.

Through Saturday, April 26, Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, the Fuller Building, 41 E. 57th St. at Madison Avenue, 212-486-7660, free.

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