Toyokana!

Here's yet another confession that reflects poorly on my character.  During Vusi Mahlasela's performance at Yardley Hall a couple months ago, I kept wishing that the South African would focus on showcasing his rapturous singing rather than talking at length about Nelson Mandela. 

My companion didn't share my frustration.  She's since repeatedly reminded me of the Mandela-inspired ideal of forgiveness that Mahlasela spoke of that night.  Furthermore, it was apparent that Mahlasela viewed art and politics as inseparable parts of the same entity.

Much of my anxiousness derived from the fact that so few performers from the African continent appear in the Kansas City area.  The only African musicians I saw in 2013 were Mahlasela and the Malian kora master Yacouba Sissoko.  It wasn't always this way.

There was a glorious, twerk-filled era- I'll estimate that it spanned the years between 1985 and 1995- when African musicians regularly toured the midwest.  I frequently caught acts like Congo's Kanda Bongo Man and Nigeria's Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey in clubs.  These types of shows were so common that I can't recall if I ever saw Congo's Tabu Ley Rochereau.  I do remember that the pictured CD was in heavy rotation in my apartment in 1994-95.  Such joy!  Tabu Ley, one of the originators of soukous, died on November 30.  (Initial tip via Big Steve.)

"Toyokana," Tabu Ley sings on "Requistoire".  We must understand. 


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My review of Tuesday's under-attended concert by Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar became a meme.  Reddit (over 4,000 comments), the Drudge Report, Radar, the Huffington Post and Gawker are among the outlets that picked it up.  As the most read story at The Kansas City Star's site for several hours, it's racked up over 800 comments.  The general consensus: 80% hate West, 15% defend West, 5% think the reviewer is an idiot. 

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The Kansas City Star published a few year-end top ten lists, including my own.  Fear not, There Stands the Glass readers- an expanded list will appear at this site soon.

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I reviewed Bobby Watson's Check Cashing Day at Plastic Sax.

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Here's Tim Finn's wrap-up of the "best local music of 2013.

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Billboard published a breathless profile of the Strange Music empire.

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Akkilles' video for "Your Only One" works for me. RIYL: Sea Change, stock footage, Wilco.

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"Blind Tiger", the latest video from L'Orange and Stik Figa's collaboration, is excellent. RIYL: J Dilla, backpacks, Gang Starr.

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Radkey's video for "Start Freaking Out" is representative of the band's shows.  RIYL: The Misfits, teen angst, Danzig.

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DJ and producer Wrillez Basics is profiled in a five-minute video. RIYL: awkward dudes, basements, EDM. (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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"Wanna Go" is the latest video from Chase Compton.  RIYL: Tyga, marijuana, Mac Miller.

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Junior Murvin has died.

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Dick Dodd of the Standells has died.

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Uh...

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Last week's Soul Train Awards may have been a crass vehicle to promote programs on BET and Centric, but the music was excellent.  I loved performances by Big Daddy Kane, Ron Isley, Bobby Caldwell, Slick Rick and Tamar Braxton.

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Phox may become huge.  The band recently appeared at Lawrence High School's Classroom Sessions.

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Doomtree is "Team the Best Team".

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Albums discovered via 2013 year-end album lists:
#1-Charlie Parr's Barnswallow, RIYL: Split Lip Rayfield, the real deal, Dave Van Ronk.
#2 Oblivians' Desperation, RIYL: The New York Dolls, body odor, Fidlar.
#3 Dawn of Midi's Dysnomia, RIYL: headaches, Philip Glass, metronomes.
#4 Karnivool's Asymmetry, RIYL: Tool's first album, Tool's second album, Tool's third album.
#5 Suun's Images du Futur, RIYL: Deerhoof, motion sickness, Spiritualized.
#6 Violent Soho's Hungry Ghost, RIYL: Wavves, nostalgia for 1993, Silverchair.
#7 Tim Easton's Not Cool, RIYL: Wayne Hancock, new sounds from artists you'd pigeonholed, Nick Lowe.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

They Wasn't Satisfied Unless I Picked the Cotton Myself

The ire directed at Kanye West following his loopy BBC interview annoys me.  West's eccentricities fuel his musical brilliance.  I've grown even more enamored of Yeezus since I raved about the album in June.  Besides, West's outlandish persona is nothing new.  I recently watched Soul Power, the fascinating documentary about the concert in Zaire that coincided with the so-called Rumble in the Jungle.  The film includes many provocative statements by Don King, Muhammad Ali and James Brown.  West is clearly in the same linage of great Americans.  "New Slaves" indeed.

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My favorite bands at Buzz Beach Ball were Kitten, Daughter and Hanni El Khatib.  Here's my review.

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The money line from Forbes' profile of the Strange Music empire- "merchandise, which totals roughly $6.1 million annually; music, which brings in about $6.5 million; and touring, which adds closer to $7 million."  (Link via Tony's Kansas City.)

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A promotional video for the lowercase kansas hip hop showcase is interesting.

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Here's the video for Ces Cru's "Seven Chakras"

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"Romance Dawn" is Radkey's latest video.

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Henry Gray and Barbara Carr are the artists I'd most like to see at the 16th Blues Masters at the Crossroads concerts in Salina.  (Link via BGO.)

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One-woman band Coldbeat one-ups bands like Best Coast in the dream/garage/pop sweepstakes.  I'm smitten by "Worms".

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Vijay Iyer was awarded a MacArthur genius grant.

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Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi's Tiny Desk Concert is extraordinary. RIYL: Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, grace, John Lee Hooker.

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I'm infatuated with Las Kellies. The Argentine trio may be a glorious mess live, but the new album Total Exposure recalls Fine Young Cannibals, the Human League and Culture Club.

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Moby openly confesses his love of Yes in his "What's In My Bag?" segment.  I appreciate his candor.

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This week's new releases of particular interest to There Stands the Glass include John Abercrombie, Blind Boys of Alabama, Blitzen Trapper, Anna Calvi, Deltron 3030, Jeremy Denk, Dr. Dog, Elf Power, Johnny Flynn, Haim, Hank 3, K-Ci & Jojo, Lorde, Moby, Nelly, Quasi, Charlie Robison, Justin Timberlake and Randy Travis.

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Christmas is coming. The goose is getting fat.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.  And here's a promising late booking- Krystle Warren will perform Sunday at the KC Live stage in the Power & Light district.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Dreams I'll Never See

The disorienting sense that my recent reality is actually an extended waking dream was heightened by my experiences in an odd little town at Lake Erie last week.

Soon after I checked into a 1950s-style motel, I heard a band performing nearby.  A stellar version of "The Weight" sounded as if it was being played by the Avett Brothers.  I quickly made the one-block walk to the biker bar that was hosting the band.  

The musicians- a motley crew of middle-aged rockers in sequins and blue jeans- wasn't much to look at.  And they didn't sound good in close proximity either.  The band launched into a bevy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers Band and Molly Hatchet covers when I grabbed a seat.  Several bikers played air guitar to "Dreams I'll Never See".  I washed down a sandwich prepared by Chef Mic with a couple beers as I observed the surreal scene.

As I tried to collect myself back at the motel, the band transformed again as it launched into a series of excellent covers of frat-rock songs like "Expressway to Your Heart."  Wake me up when it's over.


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I wrote a fall jazz preview for The Kansas City Star.

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Yet another piano trio!  I reviewed the Paul Shinn Trio's Reason Pure at Plastic Sax.

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Billboard cites the success of Strange Music.

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Reach's Loosies is available as a free download.  RIYL: KRS-One, Gang Starr, Rakim.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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D/Will's Lamb & Lion is also available at Bandcamp.  RIYL: Kanye West, Gil Scott-Heron, A Tribe Called Quest.

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The Numero Group published the track listing of its new Eccentric Soul: The Forte Label compilation.

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Yeah, I watched MTV's VMA show on Sunday.  Pontificating on drummed-up controversies isn't my thing.  The fact that not a single rock or EDM act performed at the event is far more interesting to me than the calculated shenanigans of pop stars.

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Buika shines in a Tiny Desk Concert.

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Dent May's Warm Blanket is RIYL: Destroyer, George Harrison, Randy Newman.

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The Akku Quartet's Stages of Sleep album is RIYL: Tortoise, Pink Floyd, Charles Lloyd.

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The new releases of the most interest to me this week include titles by Avenged Sevenfold, Belle & Sebastian, Big Sean, Black Joe Lewis, Devil Driver, Franz Ferdinand, Robbie Fulks, Goodie Mob, Juicy J, Lorde, Maps for Travelers, Dent May (see above), Pieces of a Dream and Quiet Corral.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here every Wednesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ces Cru- Constant Energy Struggles

I've been tracking Ces Cru's gradual ascendence on Kansas City's hip hop scene at There Stands the Glass for over five years.  I was happy for the duo when they signed to Strange Music.  It's the big break they deserve.  So what does Ces Cru rap about about on the new album Constant Energy Struggles?  They rap about about the big break they deserve.  The dominant subject matter of the album is disappointing.  I have limited tolerance for self-absorbed careerist raps.  The first five songs on Constant Energy Struggles are about Ces Cru's status in the hip hop community.  What a waste.  The superlative production and dazzling flows of Godemis and Ubiquitous are markedly superior to most of the competition.  I don't need Ces Cru to overstate the obvious.  "When Worlds Collide" is representative of the album's best and worst qualities.


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Bobby Rush's outing at the Living Room in Knuckleheads might be my favorite performance of 2013.  Here's my review.

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UMKC created a fine tribute to Aaron Markarian, the Conservatory of Music and Dance student who was recently murdered in his off-campus apartment.

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"If You Say So", a song from the Grisly Hand's forthcoming Country Singles album, is RIYL Lone Justice, X, Gram and Emmylou. 

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A friend insists that Wavves' Afraid of Heights is "the most important album in fifteen years."  Nope.  It sounds like a really good album by the Get Up Kids, Green Day or Weezer.  And that's good enough for me.

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Fred Eaglesmith chides Johnny (Cash)-come-latelys. 

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"So you guys are into jazz?"  Wolf continues Tyler, the Creator's ongoing troll.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)