This brief news item appears in the Sounds of the City column in the May 7 issue of the
Village Voice:
Knit Picks
If you took a look at the Knitting Factory main space's April calendar, you saw punk semi-legends the Subhumans, Mark Gardener from Ride, alt-metal's Nothingface, singer-songwriter Vic Chestnutt, and hipper-than-thou A.R.E. Weapons. A solid lineup for a rock club, but the longtime flagship of downtown jazz's schedule featured only two jazz acts.
This change in booking has evolved over the last year with most hardcore jazz clientele moving over to Tonic for their Derek Bailey and John Zorn. According to Jared Hoffman, president of KnitMedia, the parent of the Knitting Factory, the club is adhering to its original charter of new and different music: "The problem was that the cutting-edge genres that made the Knitting Factory what it was in the early years continued to be a focus. And the cutting edge always changes." While that sounds progressive, the bottom line is now the bar. "Selling tickets is not a measure of how well you're doing," he adds. "It's whether the people who buy the tickets come in the door and drink." Apparently downtown types don't like to get shitfaced while watching Matthew Shipp. Who knew?
The club sometimes features Knit veterans like Tim Berne or William Hooker in the old office, and tap bar residences still include some jazz combos, but the club has turned a page. It should also be noted that Matt McDonald has been let go after three and a half years as club programmer. While founder Michael Dorf's departure earlier this year was much publicized, music fans are more likely to feel McDonald's dismissal in the months to come. —Tad Hendrickson
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0319/sotc.php
(Don't you just love the attempt at rationalizing the marginalization of jazz and improv as being due to the "cutting edge" moving on? But they're still willing to book Cecil Taylor's trio for two nights in the Main Space in July...)
Linear Mode
