Jazzin'
Fans of New York City's Knitting Factory scene will be thrilled on March 14 when Tim Berne's Bloodcount takes the stage at the Silo Brew Pub, 630 Barrett Ave. To those who are aware of the Knitting Factory and the artists who are featured there, Tim Berne needs no introduction, but if you're curious, here's the type of press he's getting:
The New York Times writes: "Mr. Berne is one of jazz's structural innovators. He doesn't abide by the traditional format of theme-solos-theme. There's gamesmanship in Mr. Berne's music, but it rarely sounds like a dry intellectual exercise. Even when he is on his way to a melody rather than stating one, his phrasing is song-like, with every note savored and considered."
Kevin Whitehead of the Village Voice writes: "Bloodcount is one of the most interesting bands working now, period."
The Wire: "Alto saxophonist Tim Berne shares Ornette's soft but keening tone, extravagant interval leaps and linear melodic logic but takes them even further into avant garde territory with a polyphony that is free to build, explode and fragment according to it's own strange impulse."
Bloodcount creates music that challenges conventions of both "jazz" and "avant garde," incorporating the high energy with improv of "free jazz" but filtering these concepts through non-traditional structures. These structures can take the group's improvisations through several changes without ever coming back to the originally stated theme, as a player would [if] playing a standard.
Bloodcount features Berne on alto sax, Michael Formanek on bass, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone, and Jim Black on drums. Their stop in Louisville is part of their current North American tour.
This concert is sponsored by Artswatch. Check this out if you can; though we've done well here in Louisville bringing in quality straight-ahead jazz acts, there have been very few acts like Bloodcount passing through. A good attendance will mean more to come.
Tickets are $8 for Artswatch members and $10 for non members. They are available in advance at Carmichael's bookstore, 1925 Bardstown Rd. The show starts at 8 p.m. If you need more info, call Artswatch at 893-9661 or e-mail thayes@iglou.com.
One last note: This is my last column for awhile for Louisville, Music News. I've enjoyed writing it and I hope you've enjoyed reading it, but it's time to move on. Thanks.