Tompall Glaser, 1933-2013

My dad wore out the grooves of Wanted!: The Outlaws.  The album resounded hundreds of times in our home in the years following its release in 1976.  I relished the repetition, although I was a little creeped out by the lusty way my dad sang along to the songs about women.  Tompall Glaser, one of the four artists featured on the compilation, died Tuesday.  Glaser's rendition of "T For Texas" was my introduction to Jimmie Rodgers.  Put another log on the fire.


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Eydie Gormé has died.  (Video selection via BGO.)

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Jody Payne, Willie Nelson's guitarist, has died.

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Akkilles' Something You'd Say is streaming at Bandcamp.  RIYL: Sea Change, America (the band), Toro y Moi.

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Bowinero's Asterism is recommended if you like Antennas Up, Modest Mouse, Young the Giant. 

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The Floozies' new single ""Love, Sex and Fancy Things"" is RIYL: "Blurred Lines," "More Bounce To the Ounce" and "Suit & Tie."

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Antennas Up has a new video for The Awkward Phase".

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Red Kate's When the Trouble Comes is RIYL: the Big Boys, the Wipers, Naked Raygun.

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The video for Tech N9ne's "Party the Pain Away" is what you thought it was. 

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Dolls on Fire created a video for "Fem vs the Volcano".

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Tim Finn checks in with Matt Pryor of the Get Up Kids.

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I'm glad hundreds of thousands of people are excited about Kendrick Lamar's explosive verse on Big Sean's "Control."  I dig it too.  A similar reaction supposedly greeted Coleman Hawkins' famous solo on "Body and Soul" in 1939.  My ongoing fantasy is that a similar number of active music lovers will lose their collective minds over a new solo by someone like Rudresh Mahanthappa. 

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Thanks in large part to the contributions of Julian Lage, Gary Burton's Guided Tour is one of my favorite jazz albums of 2013.  Here's the EPK.

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The critical acclaim that's greeted Grant Hart's unlistenable new album The Argument strikes me as insane.

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Music critics occasionally know what they're talking about.  Ka's The Night's Gambit is every bit as good as the scores of breathless reviews suggest.  RIYL: Ghostface Killah, Rakim, Cut Chemist.

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The National's set at last weekend's Outside Lands festival featured the Kronos Quartet and Bob Weir. My interest in the mopey band is renewed.

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Myron & E's retro soul album Broadway sounds incredible.  Unfortunately, it's done in by extremely awkward lyrics.

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José James' new Come To My Door EP compliments his stunning full-length 2013 album.

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I recommend No Age's An Object to fans of the harsh post-punk sound of 1983. 

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Trillwave 3 is the deliriously fun new mixtape by mashup masters the Hood Internet. 

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I'll eventually get around to listening to this week's new releases by Glen Campbell, Bela Fleck, Valerie June, K. Michelle, Stevie Stone, Washed Out and Barrence Whitfield and the Savages.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review- Dalla In Jazz

Allow me to share an anecdote from my last trip to Rome.

The simple continental breakfast provided by a budget hostel was offered in a windowless room near the laundry facility.  The lights were automatically extinguished every time someone exited the room, requiring a guest to get up and manually flip a switch.  The Japanese and African travelers pretended to ignore the inconvenience.  The German and English tourists muttered amongst themselves.  A Californian couldn't restrain herself after the tenth blackout in about twenty minutes.

"F**king Italians," she screamed. 

The Italian experience can prove maddening to outsiders.  It's enchanting and annoying, beautiful and grating, lovely and obnoxious, sublime and confrontational.  That's how I feel when I listen to Dalla In Jazz.

The collection contains smooth jazz, smarmy lounge jazz, adventurous improvisational sounds worthy of Soul Note and ECM, Serge Gainsbourg-style sleaze (that's a good thing) and a couple selections with a Tunisian twist.  It's fair to say that I have no idea what's going on.  I had no prior awareness of Lucio Dalla when I began listening to the tribute album.  I'm only vaguely familiar with a couple of the musicians, but among the interesting aritsts now on my radar are Vinicio Capossela, Gegé Telesforo and the adventurous trumpet/accordion duo of Fabrizio Bosso and Luciano Biondini.

I love Italy.


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I reviewed Rockfest.

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Antennas Up made an amusing video for "Coming On".

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Footage of Reach and an excellent band opening for Talib Kweli features drummer Ryan Lee on keyboards.

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Helker may represent the future of rock and roll.  RIYL: Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.

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I'm pleased to introduce you to LeCroix Winget.  RIYL: Michelle Shocked, Lightinin' Hopkins, Kimya Dawson.  (Via Beau Bledsoe.)

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Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to hearing Joshua Redman's new album Walking Shadows.  Well, I loathe it.  The strings don't bother me.  The extreme conservatism, however, grates on me.

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The lineup for the 27th annual JazzReggae Fest doesn't include a single jazz artist.  Even so, I approve of any festival that presents both Barrington Levy and Common.

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After I listen to the new album by Red Line Chemistry, I'm going to check out this week's new releases by Anamanaguchi, Jason Boland, Will Calhoun, the Del-Lords, Dillinger Escape Plan, Eve, Juan Luis Guerra, Immolation, Jaga Jazzist, Glenn Jones, Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood, Christian McBride, Laura Mvula and George Strait.

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Kansas City Click: Hansel und Gretyl appear at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

Scribbling Idiots are part of Wednesday's bill at the RecordBar.

Alan Ferber and Matt Otto perform Thursday at the Westport Coffee House.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)