Photos by Stacie Joy
The annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival takes place this afternoon in Tompkins Square Park.
Although EVG applied for press credentials for backstage access, as we have in previous years, organizers declined our request, saying they had reached capacity.
Given the festival’s location on our home turf — and our past coverage of the event — the decision is disappointing and a little puzzling.
As a result, we will not have coverage from today’s festival — save for these set-up pics — and will reassess our coverage in future years.
That's a shame, you've covered it for years. Very disappointing.
ReplyDeleteHmm, they DO realize that Grieve is the eyes & ears of the EV and that Stacie Joy is its most outstanding journalist, don't they? Is there possibly something else going on here? Did they object to any past coverage?
ReplyDeleteEven i didn't realize that, thanks for the intel!
DeleteThat's a shame, you've covered it for years.
ReplyDeleteThe bastards!! Bird cannot be happy with this.
ReplyDeleteBird was happy with the heroin supply in the park
DeleteNot likely where he scored heroin in 1955 but, since I sense a note of puritanical judgement, your talent, whatever it may be, doesn’t begin to compare to the talent of an even strung out Charlie Parker
DeleteWell, that’s rather shocking. Are credentials given first come, first serve? Should you simply apply earlier next year?
ReplyDeleteThis probably isn't a big conspiracy by Big Jazz but a mistake by one person.
ReplyDeleteBig jazz, awesome!
DeleteMaybe if you had your jorts on.
ReplyDeleteThis is now the anit-Streisand effect: if my local team can't cover it, I'm not interested.
ReplyDeleteWell Fooey! I'd say try again next year, but don't make it an A1 priority or anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hey?? You ARE East Village journalism. I'm with VH -- now that I know they denied you access, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival is dead to me.
ReplyDeleteHell no! EV Grieve front row.
ReplyDeleteWeird
ReplyDeleteThey’re in the East Village but they didn’t allow the voice of our local neighborhood to participate?! This isn’t soulless midtown, respect our neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Well, la-di-dah!
ReplyDeleteWhat nerve! Don't they know who you are?? The eyes and ears of the East Village!
ReplyDeleteBooooooo
ReplyDeleteTOTAL IGNORANCE
ReplyDeleteWe should all call WGBO and complain about this!
ReplyDeleteThis neighborhood has been a gracious host to this festival for many years and Charlie Parker House is across from the Park!
Something is very wrong here !
This neighborhood was one of the first contributors to get this festival off the ground and running!
I remember that Sam Turvey (when he was a resident of Avenue B) was a major force in bringing the Charley Parker Jazz Festival to Tompkins Square Park to help the East Village and the park. It was a labor of love by our neighbor Sam. He would be sad that an event that began by the community and for the community has this year excluded a beloved bedrock of the East Village which is EVGrieve. WTF?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate as this is the ONLY place a lot of people are likely to see any coverage.
ReplyDeleteOrganizers should be ashamed - Lame
ReplyDeleteThank you for your efforts and commitment to the neighborhood!
ReplyDelete2 questions: did evgrieve insult/slight somebody... or are the promoters getting too big for their britches? Just asking. Really insulting considering all the positive coverage over the years.
ReplyDeleteNo slights or insults... made the usual request as in past years... and the coverage has always been straightforward... will always do a post or two about it as a previews then a recap with photos of the performers, crowd shots, etc.
DeleteDang. I specifically came looking to see if you would mention what might have been going on among the folks breaking the stage down afterward. There was what sounded like a long, very intense argument among a bunch of people as they were working last night, and I was curious
ReplyDeleteCharitably, perhaps some new intern or someone's dim nephew was in charge of issuing press access and they got the anxiety and did a dumb. Maybe this can be corrected next year.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 1960’s, Charlie Watts published a book about Charlie Parker called Ode To A High Flying Bird. It was a tiny book of captioned drawings. A gem.
ReplyDeleteThe Charlie Parker Festival that the city of NY took over years ago makes up its own rules, allowing them to do what other event organizers are not allowed to. Your photos are EVIDENCE of that.
ReplyDeleteAnd just whatthefuck does "reached capacity" even mean??
Those who know the REAL history of that festival KNOW it was never about honoring a dead addicted Black jazz musician living poorly on the LES when it was very cheap to live here - it was always about a group of gentrifiers (including real estate lawyer Sam Turvey and politically-connected "developer" Donald Capoccia and their shill, city councilmember Antonio Pagan) creating a new thing to attract monied transients willing to pay outrageous rents and to pay too much for co-op and condo apts so that they could enjoy the "edge" and "flavor" of OUR community as they displaced the people, local businesses and venues that have made it special.
Thanks for exposing them, Stacie.
Shame on the festival organizers. They clearly don't know what time it is. To deny the foremost independent news blog in the neighborhood which hosts them, year after year, is just plain ignorant.
ReplyDeleteJust another reason why I'm glad I got out of The Music Business!
ReplyDeleteVery tone-deaf of the event organizers to “reach capacity” for EV Grieve. I enjoy the post and neighbor memories/chat in the comments though. I have not yet seen coverage of this event elsewhere so I assume whoever received these rare and exclusive press passes is underachieving. Appreciate you, Stacie!
ReplyDelete