Ricky Powell's 50th Birthday and The Funky Uncle's Parkbench Mixtape

Frank's favorite Funky Uncle and curator of his very own Frank Book, Chapter 43, Ricky Powell celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday with a party and epic slideshow at Il Bagatto in NYC. The party, which kicks off a month of festivities dedicated to the Rickster also debuted Ricky's new mixtape project with DJ Smoke L.E.S.,The Funky Uncle's Park Bench Mixtape. The party was everything you'd expect for an ode to the man who conceived, developed and maintained the "bummy sophisticate" lifestyle with supermodels mixing with living legends over endless red wine and Heineken and a specially prepared vegetarian feast from Beatrice Tosti di  Valminuta. As the special red velvet birthday cake kicked in, Ricky treated guests like Alek Wek, Ashley Smith, Kimmy Matulova, Stretch Armstrong, Bobbito Garcia, Edan Portnoy, Brandee Brown, Mel D. Cole, Aviva Klein, Noah Ritter, DJ Jasmine Solano, Jason Goldwatch, Kaves, 13th Witness, and Jose Parla  to a one of a kind rendition of his slideshow that showcased not only his humor and deep involvement in everything from hip hop to art to sports culture but also displayed the photographer's heart - his tribute to Jam Master Jay delivered directly to Jay's son TJ Mizell nearly brought the house down. If you missed it, come through on Tuesday November 22 (that's tomorrow) for part two - a solo show at Miss Lily's Variety with an after party at the Box or to his upcoming group show on December 17 at MILK. Ricky Powell's birthday celebrations and The Funky Uncle's Park Bench Mixtape are being produced by TheGoodLife! with support from PONY, Kangol, Heineken, Village Slum and of course Frank151. Check out some photos from the party by Craig Wetherby below and go to wearethegoodlife.com for complete event info and to download the mixtape for free.