Una Copita de Ron

I’m beginning to suspect that I’m on the wrong continent.  The joy I felt on a recent trip to Chile and at a concert by a cumbia band on Friday has me rethinking my place on the planet.

My Spanish may be atrocious, but most everything else feels right about a potential move to the south. 

I didn’t understand what a member of the dynamic show band Tropicalísimo Apache said when he pointed me out during Friday’s free concert at Barney Allis Plaza.  If he was encouraging a brave woman to dance with me, his request went unheeded.

No matter.  I was so enthralled with the expertise with which the Mexican band played the music of Columbia that I’m ”Una Copita de Ron” away from buying a one-way ticket to Bogotá or Santiago. 


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Here are my most recent weekly music picks for The Kansas City Star and Ink.

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I previewed the Crossroads Music Fest for Ink and contributed to a review of the event for The Kansas City Star.

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An item about Second Hand King is among my recent contributions to KCUR.

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I caught a portion of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival at Plastic Sax.  Here are my notes.

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A vibrant mix of Afrobeat, soukous, rock and electronica, Mbongwana Star’s From Kinshasa is stunning.  Here’s ”Malukayi” (Tip via Big Steve.)

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I’m unable to resist the Go! Team’s charms.  Listening to The Scene Between gives me the same feeling I had when I was seven years old and watching a new episode of my favorite Saturday morning cartoon.  RIYL: the Magnetic Fields, Sid and Marty Krofft, the Crystals.  Here’s the title track.

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I didn’t catch last year’s Chick Corea/Bela Fleck tour.  The concert document Two indicates that you had to be there.

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Live in Cuba, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s new 137-minute album, alternately thrilled and bored me.  RIYL: certain Grammy winners, Wynton, big bands.

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Anne-Sophie Mutter gets it.  The Club Album is everything it’s meant to be.  RIYL: populism (of a sort), Vivaldi, marketing genius.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Funky Céilí

I planned on spending all day at the KC Irish Fest when I forked over $18 to gain admission to the popular event on Saturday.  Succumbing to crankiness rooted in heat and sobriety, I left after just a few hours.

A solo set by Larry Kirwan of Black 47 was the highlight of my experience.  His strident political songs were balanced by old favorites like “40 Shades of Blue” and the minor 1991 hit "Funky Céilí (Bridie's Song)".

Only one of the five additional performances I witnessed is worth mentioning.   Kiana Weber, the fiddler of Gaelic Storm, led a session titled Transatlantic Unplugged with Kiana.  The largely acoustic jam included guests from the festival’s top acts such as Socks in the Frying Pan, We Banjos 3, the Elders and Flashpoint. 

The lively collaborations provided a nice survey of everything I wasn’t willing to stick around to hear.


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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star.

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I previewed Lee “Scratch” Perry’s show at the Riot Room for Ink.

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I reviewed Michael Pagán’s The Ottawa Sesions album at Plastic Sax.

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Rico Rodriguez has died.

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Ruby Amanfu’s Standing Still is the best Chris Isaak album I’ve heard in years.  I’m down with anyone who covers both Bob Dylan and Kanye West.  Her interpretation of the Wilco/Bragg/Guthrie gem “One By One” is magnificent.  Here’s a nice interview/performance video.

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I purchased a batch of Bryan Ferry solo albums as cutouts in the early ‘80s.  The posh atmosphere of those elegant recordings was foreign to me.  I still can’t relate more than 30 years later.  Although Dan Bejar doesn’t have much of a voice, Destroyer’s Poison Season reminds me of those Ferry albums.  RIYL: Belle and Sebastian, ennui, Gerry Rafferty.

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Skullduggery, a 2014 collaboration between Joe McPhee and Universal Indian, is a treat.  RIYL: Albert Ayler, skronk, Archie Shepp.

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Myrkur’s M has a lot of great moments.  RIYL: Trio Mediaeval, angels and demons, Celtic Frost.

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Much of Ghost B.C.’s Meloria sounds more like the Moody Blues than Black Sabbath.  Not my thing.

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Fidlar’s Too is just as engaging as the skeezy punk band’s first album.  RIYL: Blink-182, intoxicants, Dead Milkmen.  Here’s ”West Coast”.

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I have only one thing to say about Motörhead’s Bad Magic album.

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Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey’s The Battle For Earth is RIYL: Augustus Pablo, freaky jamz, Galactic.  Here’s ”Appropriation Song”.

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George Clinton and affiliates like Bootsy Collins sounded cool when they rambled about the cosmic virtues of funk in the 1970s.  When Dâm-Funk and his cohorts do the same on his new album Invite the Light, they comes across as dorks.  Invite the Light is really good when no one’s talking or singing. RIYL: 1975, Junie Morrison, funkateers.

(Original image of the Dublin band Tupelo at the KC Irish Fest by There Stands the Glass.)

Land Speed Records

I’m in the process of culling rather than expanding my music collection.  Yet I couldn’t resist checking out an estate sale a few miles from my house last week.  Targeted online advertisements promised that thousands of vinyl albums, compact discs and books would be available.  I almost became physically aroused by what I encountered.  A man- presumably departed, RIP- had amassed a comprehensive collection centered on mainstream jazz.  My initial haul from the mother lode included the Mosaic box sets pictured here at $8 a pop.  I truthfully told my life partner that we could resell the limited edition titles on the Rolls Royce of jazz reissue labels for over $80 each, but I don’t think I can part with these gems.  I returned twice to scoop up several dozen obscurities by the likes of Morton Feldman, Lee Konitz and Steve Swallow.


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I wrote an extended concert preview about Little Big Town for Ink and brief music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink.

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I contributed to a Local Listen segment about Shooting Star to KCUR.  (For the record, my text was altered.  I wouldn’t frame the band’s history in those terms.)

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I document a pilgrimage I made while in New York at Plastic Sax.

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Samuel Ramey may have been the primary draw at the Wichita Grand Opera’s production of Turandot at Yardley Hall yesterday, but it was Yunnie Park’s performance that floored me.

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Delbert McClinton’s cover of Ray Sharpe’s “Linda Lu” filled me with joy at the Paola Roots Fest on Saturday.  Shemekia Copeland also delivered.

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I had a good time at Hmph’s instore at Mills Record Company last week.

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Sie Lieben Maschinen created a video for ”Clever Work”.

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I’m all about Charles Gayle’s Christ Everlasting.  RIYL: Cecil Taylor, transcendence, Anthony Braxton.

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The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness sounds like a Michael Jackson impersonator singing over watered-down Kanye West beats.  While it’s better than the output of most pop stars, the album is hardly the important work of art many pontificators would have you believe.

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Joell Ortiz’s Human is shockingly good.  I suppose I should have gone to his show at the Riot Room earlier this month.  Here’s "Lil’ Piggies".

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The corny elements of Revive Music Presents Supreme Sonacy undermine the exciting aspects of the survey of young jazz artists.

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Just as I was beginning to wonder if Myra Melford’s appearance at Take Five Coffee + Bar really deserved to top my June listing of My Favorite Performances of 2015 (So Far), I stumbled across her free (in both senses of thew word) Live at The Stone EP.  It’s wonderful.

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Folktronica (ugh) ensemble Haiku Salut manages to encapsulate much of what I intensely dislike in contemporary music.  While I’m hating, I’ll add that Charlie Puth’s “Marvin Gaye” makes me want to throw myself under my lawnmower.

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The good stuff on Eligh’s 80 HRTZ is really good.  RIYL: Aesop Rock, words, Busdriver.  Here’s ”808”.

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I’ve dismissed Aaron Diehl as a young fogey in this space, but Space, Time, Continuum is undeniably nice.  RIYL: Benny Golson, expensive suits, Joe Temperley.

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Contrary to a headline I recently spotted, Maddie & Tae aren’t “Nashville rebels.”  Start Here is RIYL: Hunter Hayes, radio hits, Florida Georgia Line.

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Wild Dance, the latest effort of the Enrico Rava Quartet, is thrilling.  RIYL: Terje Rypdal,ECM , Steve Turre.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Silent Movies Make More Money

I bought a $15 ticket to be a part of the in-crowd at Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear’s joyous concert at the Midland theater last week.  The audience of 1,500 was the biggest I’ve seen for any single locally based artist in the past three years aside from Tech N9ne, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Joyce DiDonato or the Kansas City Symphony.  Here’s Tim Finn’s review.


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I reviewed last night’s Incubus, Deftones, Death From Above 1979 and the Bots concert.

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I reviewed Radkey’s Dark Black Makeup for KCUR.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Samantha Fish to KCUR.

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I play the role of Debbie Downer at the Charlie Parker Celebration.

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Even with the lousy sound on some of the later stuff, Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 serves as a spectacular survey of jazz history.

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Nicholas Payton plays a lot of keyboards on the engaging Letters.  RIYL: Kamasi Washington, grooving, Stanley Cowell.

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I can’t decide if Tunde Olaniran’s Transgressor sounds more like an indie-rock version of Beyoncé or a pop version of TV On the Radio.  I also can’t decide if I like it.

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Omar Souleyman’s Bahdeni Nami is my kind of party.

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The Foreign Exchange’s Tales From the Land of Milk and Honey is RIYL: Soul II Soul, grown-and-sexy music, Bobbi Humphrey.  Here’s the video for the somewhat unrepresentative “Asking For a Friend.” 

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Oleta Adams, Chaka Khan and Nancy Wilson are among the guest vocalists on Terri Lyne Carrington’s The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul.   Here’s the EPK.

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I listened to Luke Bryan’s new album.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Troyka- Ornithophobia

My defenses were down when I happened upon Troyka last week.  The British trio combines the prog-rock wankery of King Crimson, the geeky jazz fusion of Billy Cobham and the fluid modern jazz of Flying Lotus.  I melted within minutes.  To quote an irritating meme: “shut up and take my money.”  The trailer for the new album Ornithophobia and the snippets streaming at Amazon reveal the source of my latest guilty pleasure. 


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I reviewed Chris Brown’s concert at the Sprint Center.

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Miguel's outing at the Midland theater last night is likely to be favorite concert of 2015. Here's my review.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Lonnie McFadden to KCUR.

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I laud Hmph and the Jorge Arana Trio at Plastic Sax.

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I’ve never seen the Colombian star Carlos Vives perform.  His new live album indicates that I’m really missing out.  Here’s an exciting version of the irresistible “Como Le Gusta a Tu Cuerpo”.

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Tokyo Adagio, a duet featuring Charlie Haden and Gonzalo Rubalcaba recorded in 2005, is predictably enchanting.

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The Internet’s Ego Death sounds incredible.  Too bad Syd tha Kid can’t write a decent song.  Or am I wrong?  Here’s ”Girl”.  RIYL: Frank Ocean, headphones, Teena Marie. 

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Pictures and Paintings, Charlie RIch’s last recorded statement, is one of my favorite albums.  Boz Scaggs’ A Fool to Care is a similarly sentimental work.  RIYL: James Booker, fond farewells, Curtis Mayfield.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Ghost Stories

Partly because I’m not a 17-year-old Twitter fiend, the most recent spat between Ghostface Killah and Action Bronson doesn’t excite me.  Yet as someone who purchased the first Wu-Tang Clan album as a new release in 1993, I’m extremely interested in Ghost’s ongoing vitality.  The longtime favorite of There Stands the Glass has released two of the best albums of 2015.  The jazz-based Sour Soul and the R&B-oriented Twelve Reasons to Die II feature Ghost’s masterful flow and hilariously imaginative lyrics set to riveting music. 


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I reviewed Phish’s concert at Starlight Theatre.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about A.J. Gaither to KCUR.

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I write about my final visit to Take Five Coffee + Bar in Overland Park at Plastic Sax.  The August 15 closure leaves the Kansas City area with a single jazz venue that charges cover on weekends.

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Billy Sherrill has died.

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Sean Price has died.

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Black Cat, the new album from Joplin's Never Shout Never, sounds like the year's best Taylor Swift album.

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The high quality of Wilco’s Star Wars caught me by surprise.  RIYL: Lou Reed, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Guided By Voices.

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I listened to the Chemical Brothers’ Born in the Echoes the morning after spending the previous evening at a Phish concert.  Both ensembles make whimsical psychedelic party music.  The distinctions between the British duo and the Vermont noodlers are marginal.

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Lamb of God’s Sturm Und Drang is a by-the-numbers metal album.  Works for me: I like counting.  RIYL: amazing back stories, Pantera, graying metal bands.

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Wayne Horvitz’s Some Places Are Forever Afternoon is RIYL: Gil Evans, third stream, Anthony Davis.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Charlie Hunter- Let the Bells Ring On

The elusive audience for jazz is hiding in plain view in 2015.  Millions are appreciating Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.  Hundreds of thousands more are dancing at concerts by the likes of Umphrey’s McGee.  Charlie Hunter must wonder what he has to do to get a single percentage of those people to pay attention to his funky new album Let the Bells Ring On.  It’s a jam album for jazz fans and jazz album for jam band aficionados.  It’s also begging for a hip-hop remix.  The populist sound of guitarist Hunter, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes and drummer Bobby Previte on ”These People?” is indicative of the album’s generous vibe.


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I reviewed Dwight Yoakam’s concert in the Power & Light District.

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I reviewed Samantha Fish’s Wild Heart for KCUR.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about the Philistines to KCUR.

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Buddy Emmons has died.

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Lynn Anderson has died.

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Vic Firth has died.

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Wayne Carson has died.

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I listened to the reissue of In Through the Out Door over the weekend.  I didn’t comprehend until now that the Led Zeppelin album is an extended goof on Elvis.

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I like the sound and feel of Ashes & Dust, Warren Haynes’ collaboration with Railroad Earth.  Too bad about the dodgy songs.

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I just discovered Mathias Eick.  Here’s a live performanc of ”Hem”.  RIYL: European jazz, ECM, fiddle plucking.

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Until I listened to the compilation Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records a few days ago, I’d never heard Brute Force’s ”King of Fuh”.  I wish I’d known about the novelty song when I was young enough to appreciate it.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Jill Scott- Woman

My world changed when I picked up a Japanese compilation of Stax singles that introduced me to the likes of William Bell, the Bar-Kays, the Dramatics and Frederick Knight in the early 1980s. I don’t know how or when Jill Scott came to love those same songs, but it’s clear that she also knows them inside and out.  Woman is a vibrant tribute to the classic sound of Stax Records.  The video for “You Don’t Know” will persuade skeptics.


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I didn’t expect my  review of Van Halen’s concert last week to instigate a classic rock rebellion.  The show struck me as unequivocally terrible.  It ranks among performances by Guy, Rick Ross and Soundgarden as one of the worst efforts by a major act I’ve witnessed in recent years.  The outraged reactions to my observations compelled The Kansas City Star to issue a disclaimer.

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I also reviewed a concert by Graham Nash.

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An item about Be/Non is my latest contribution to KCUR’s Local Listen series.

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The Popper’s ”I’m KC” may be cheesy, but it’s my song of the summer.

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Kutt Calhoun’s EP Kuttin Loose doesn’t contain any surprises.  RIYL: early Tech N9ne, rap beefs, gangsta sh*t.

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Howard Rumsey has died.  Here’s Marc Myers’ remembrance.

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David Banner’s “My Uzi” might be the best song of 2015.  It’s not about what you think it’s about.

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Torche’s Restarter is likely to be my favorite rock album of 2015.  RIYL: Nothing, sludge, Electric Wizard.

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Blue Dialect, a collaboration between bassist Mario Pavone, pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, is astounding.  RIYL: Anthony Braxton, out, Myra Melford.

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Ashley Monroe’s The Blade is a mess.  Only three or four of the tracks on the scattershot album are on point.  RIYL: uncertainty, Sturgill Simpson, indecision.

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There’s nothing wrong with Richard Thompson’s Still, but I don’t intend to give the relatively unremarkable new album a second hearing.  I’ll count on There Stands the Glass readers to point out any hidden gems beyond the novelty goof “Guitar Heroes.”

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Way Down Yonder On the Chattahoochee

One of the most common transgressions made by music fans is judging a genre by the people it supposedly attracts.

I encounter it daily:  Country fans are drunken homophobes.  Only elitists listen to jazz.  Hip-hop heads are illiterate. 

I’m also guilty of making rash generalizations.  Thankfully, I caught myself before I responded to a friend's direct provocation regarding Sturgill Simpson (a musician I appreciate).  I was going to suggest that most members of the audience at Simpson's concert in Kansas City last week were status-conscious bandwagoners who wouldn’t be caught dead at an Alan Jackson show.

That wouldn't have been nice.

Jackson's music may not be worthy of consideration by Pitchfork obsessives, but it will always have a place in my life.  In the parlance of 2015, plenty of the songs on his new album Angels and Alcohol are “basic.”  I'm not bothered that the album demonstrates no musical or ideological progression.

“Mexico, Tequila and Me” may be just as tired as its title suggests, but I genuinely appreciate the cliches of “Jim and Jack and Hank.”  I also think that the spiritual cheese of “God Paints” is delicious.  And the title track- easily the album’s best song- hits close to home.

Now, for the rest of the story: I wore a pink shirt to an Alan Jackson concert in 2007.  Harassed for hours by drunken homophobes, I thought I’d be killed in Bonner Springs, Kansas.


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I reviewed Tech N9ne’s Special Effects for KCUR.

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I reviewed a concert by Keith Sweat and Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley and Dave Hollister.

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I reviewed a concert by the Dave Matthews Band.

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A segment about Jeff Black is among the recent Local Listen items I've contributed to KCUR.

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Shades of Jade’s new single ”That One” is RIYL: Brian McKnight, Kansas City neo-soul, Bilal.

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Bummer’s punishing Spank EP is shockingly great.  The Olathe band’s new EP is RIYL: Paw, blind rage, Tad.

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The Kansas City Star recalls the infamous Ozark Music Festival of 1974.

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Joan Sebastian has died.  I reviewed his concert at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater last year.

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Max Richter’s Sleep is “an eight-hour lullaby.”

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Man Plans God Laughs is the title track of Public Enemy’s new album.

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Heads of State’s Search For Peace is a standard-issue post-Coltrane jazz date.  RIYL: Gary Bartz, old school jazz, Larry Willis.

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”God bless Rod Stewart.”

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Bilal- In Another Life

As an aficionado of the most strung out work of Sly Stone, Erykah Badu and Prince, I immediately took to Bilal’s In Another Life.  The R&B veteran can’t be bothered with the coherent concept of songs on his new album, but producer Adrian Younge maintains a powerful groove.  I love it.  The disturbing video for ”Money Over Love”, a track that features Kendrick Lamar, offers a fair representation of the contents of In Another Life.


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I reviewed a concert by Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional.

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I’ve been negligent in linking to my work for Ink.  Last week’s extended concert preview examined the work of Krystle Warren. 

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Vince Bell recently uploaded an informal new performance of his ”Kansas City Song”.

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Miguel isn’t as good as Frank Ocean, Prince or Marvin Gaye.  Yet he’s better than Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke and Daft Punk on the new album Wildheart.

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The video for Vince Staples’ ”Señorita is devastating.  I also admire Staples’ new album Summertime ‘06.

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Paolo Bordogna’s Tutto Buffo is a hoot.  RIYL: Rossini, high drama, Italy.

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A few of the poorly recorded Southern funk jams on Loose The Funk: Rarities From The Jewel/Paula Vault make life worth living.  Most of the tracks are second-rate B.B. King imitations, Albert King ripoffs or stale boogaloo workouts.  RIYL: Isley Brothers, sweat, Joe Simon.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Downtown Boys- Full Communism

The Clash was my favorite band from 1979 to 1983.  Hip-hop and Cut the Crap made the Clash a far less important part of my life in the mid-’80s.

Full Communism, the new album by Downtown Boys, provides me with the same sort of jolt I once received from a new album by the Clash.

I don’t necessarily concur with the Providence band’s politics, but exposure to tear gas in South America last month has made me more receptive to radicalism.  Strident Full Communism songs such as "Wave of History" are balanced by amusing tirades like “Tall Boys.”

Punx not dead.


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I reviewed Failure’s concert at Liberty Hall.

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I featured the AM Trio on KCUR’s weekly Local Listen segment.

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Justus West, a Kansas City, Kansas, teen, remade “Alone Again (Naturally).”

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I listen to a lot of Red Dirt country acts.  Most are interchangeable.  Jered Deck, formerly of Green Corn Revival, has tapped into something both vital and traditional with ”17 Miles”.  The hearty song is RIYL: Will Hoge, Gaslight Anthem, Joe Ely.

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Mark Guiliana’s Family First doesn’t do much for me.  RIYL: drummer-led jazz albums, Kamasi Washington, solos for the sake of solos.

(Original image of a mural in New York City by There Stands the Glass.)

Synapse Swing

A coworker at a record store gave me a copy of Jack DeJohnette’s Zebra in 1989.  I mistakenly considered the electronica project featuring trumpeter Lester Bowie a forgettable oddity at the time.  Twenty-six years later, DeJohnette’s experimentation seems remarkably prescient. 

I revisited the recording after enjoying High Risk, Dave Douglas’ exciting new album, and Starfire, the latest release from Jaga Jazzist.

Don’t tell my readers over at Plastic Sax, but mainstream acoustic jazz isn’t really doing it for me these days.  I either need to hear at least a hint of skronk or some sonic tinkering to get excited about the form in 2015. This pair of new releases does the trick.

Jaga Jazzist has a rabid following among the cool kids, but Starfire strikes me as an homage to the interstellar grooves of the Pat Metheny Group, a comparison that would surely upset status-conscious vinyl collectors. 

Dave Douglas expands on DeJohnette’s innovations on the outstanding High Risk.  The project’s luminous trumpet work and intriguing electronica thrill me.


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I reviewed a concert by the Smashing Pumpkins.

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I reviewed a concert by the Old 97’s.

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I wrote a detailed review of Dominique Sanders’ A True Story Based On… for public radio station KCUR.

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Kansas City’s Jooby Truth created a video for ”Rap Money”.

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Teddy Dibble examines jazz in 1964.

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Mel Waiters has died.  I reviewed a concert featuring the soul-blues artist in 2008.

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Chris Squire of Yes has died.  Here are my notes on a 2013 concert at the Midland theater.

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Gunther Schuller has died.

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Jamison Ross’ debut album gives me whiplash.  It sounds as if it was compiled from several different sessions.  It includes Robert Randolph-style rock, Ramsey Lewis-ish soul-jazz and sophisticated balladry in the vein of John Legend.

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Thundercat’s Beyond/Where the Giants Roam is RIYL: Flying Lotus, relaxed jams, George Duke.

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Here’s an inspiring story about recent events at St. Louis’ Vintage Vinyl.

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Kathryn Joseph doesn't make the sort of music I ordinarily appreciate. She sings like Joanna Newsom, a cloying affectation that usually drives me up a wall. Yet I’m enchanted by the Scot’s debut album Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled.

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My favorite selections on Ben Williams’ Coming of Age evoke Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters and prime Lonnie Liston Smith. 

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After all these years, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s gimmick still work for me.  Freedom Tower: No Wave Dance Party 2015 is RIYL: 1965-era Rolling Stones, sleaze, Eric Burdon.

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”Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart”

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I don't have much to add to Tim Finn’s review of the Rollings Stones’ concert at Arrowhead Stadium.  I enjoyed Saturday’s outing even more than the Stones shows I saw in 1981.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Chee-Chee-Chee, Lay-Lay-Lay

A familiar refrain greeted me at a subway station on my first day in Chile two weeks ago.  Greg Kihn’s "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" blasted from the in-house sound system.

Por que?

I often felt as if I had returned to 1983 during my ten-day trip to Chile.  Here’s a representative sampling of English-language hits I heard in public places: Van Halen’s “Jump,” the Police’s “Message In a Bottle,” Kenny Loggins’ “Meet Me Half Way,” Blind Melon’s “No Rain” and the Eagles’ “Hotel California” (three times).

Por que?

I encountered street performer earning tips by recreating the repertoire of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Por que?

Pitbull seems to be the most popular contemporary artist in Chile.  I also heard current pop hits by the likes of Daddy Yankee and Enrique Iglesias.  I heard salsa on a bus for a few glorious minutes.  I never encountered the music of famous Chilean folk artists like Inti-Illimani and Victor Jara.

Por que?

I knew that metal was big throughout Latin America.  Sure enough, I saw plenty of men wearing Pantera, Iron Maiden and Metallica t-shirts.  Even so, the first television commercial to air at the conclusion of an important soccer game promoted a concert by the British rock band Blur at a 15,000-seat arena.

Por que?

It’s obviously not my place to tell Chileans that they should be listening to Ana Tijoux or Violeta Parra.  Instead, I’ll merely regret missing a performance by Kumbia Queers.

(Original images by There Stands the Glass.)

Misusing Your Influence: Music Midway in 2015

I’m embarking on a blogging break.  I’ll return in two or three weeks. Here are listings of my favorite things from the first half of 2015.  See ya, suckers!

Favorite Songs of 2015 (So Far)
Call it the To Pimp a Butterfly stipulation- I elected not to duplicate any artists on my songs and albums lists.  (Spotify playlist)

1. Tyler, the Creator- “Smuckers”
2. Venom- “Long Haired Punks”
3. Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear- “Silent Movies”
4. Sleater-Kinney- “Bury Your Friends”
5. Kenny Lattimore- “Nothing Like You”

6. Butch Walker- “21+”
7. Future- “F*ck Up Some Commas”
8. Courtney Barnett- “Dead Fox”
9. John Moreland- “Cherokee”
10. Charlie Wilson- “Touched By an Angel”

11. Maroon 5- “Sugar”
12. Ryan Bingham- “Fear and Saturday Night”
13. Big Sean featuring Dr*ke and Kanye West- “Blessings”
14. Father John Misty- “The Ideal Husband”
15. Joywave- “Nice House”

16. Chedda Da Connect- “Flicka Da Wrist”
17. Chris Stapleton- “Whiskey and You”
18. Lila Downs- “Balas y Chocolate”
19. José James- “Lover Man”
20. Little Big Town- “Girl Crush”

21. Maysa- “Last Chance For Love”
22. Kanye West- “All Day”
23. Doomtree- “Cabin Killer”
24. Mat Shoare- “Murder”
25. Pops Staples- “Better Home”


Favorite Albums of 2015 (So Far)
Call it the To Pimp a Butterfly stipulation- I elected not to duplicate any artists on my songs and albums lists.(Spotify playlist)

1. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly
2. Rudresh Mahanthappa- Bird Calls
3. Mark Ronson- Uptown Special
4. Ghostface Killah and Badbadnotgood- Sour Soul
5. Marc Cary- Rhodes Ahead, Vol. 2

6. Dominique Sanders- A True Story Based On…
7. Jodeci- The Past, The Present, The Future
8. Tech N9ne- Special Effects
9. Action Bronson- Mr. Wonderful
10. Alabama Shakes- Sound & Vision

11. Young Fathers- White Men Are Black Men Too
12. Jazmine Sullivan- Reality Show
13. J.D. McPherson- Let the Good Times Roll
14. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment- Surf
15. Yelawolf- Love Story

16. Dead Sara- Pleasure to Meet You
17. Bob Dylan- Shadows In the Night
18. Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld- Never Were the Way She Was
19. Liturgy- The Ark Work
20. Valentina Lisitsa- Plays Philip Glass

21. Donny McCaslin- Fast Future
22. Viet Cong- Viet Cong
23. Terence Blanchard- Breathless
24. Matt Kane & the Kansas City Generations Sextet- Acknowledgement
25. Earl Sweatshirt- I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside


Favorite Reissues of 2015 (So Far)
1. The Supreme Jubilees- It’ll All Be Over
2. Next Stop Soweto: Zulu Rock, Afro-Disco and Mbaqanga 1975-1985
3. Thomas Mapfumo- Lion Songs: Essential Tracks in the Making of Zimbabwe
4. Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
5. Michael Angelo- Michael Angelo


Favorite Performances of 2015 (So Far)
A brief romp in New York City made a big impression on me.  Aside from items 3, 6 and 24, all shows took place in the Kansas City area.

1. Mark Dresser, Myra Melford and Matt Wilson- Take Five Coffee + Bar
2. Charlie Wilson- Sprint Center
3. Lee Konitz with the Dave Douglas Quintet- Jazz Standard
4. Four Fists- Riot Room
5. Helmet- RecordBar

6. Joyce DiDonato with the Philadelphia Orchestra- Carnegie Hall
7. Sufjan Stevens- Midland theater
8. Lauren Krum with the Project H- Westport Coffee House
9. Merle Haggard- Uptown Theater
10. Avishai Cohen, Tal Mashiach and Nasheet Waits- Take Five Coffee + Bar

11. Sleater-Kinney- Uptown Theater
12. Max Raabe and Palast Orchester- Helzberg Hall
13. Crobots- Penn Valley Park
14. Luke Bell- Riot Room patio
15. Hellyeah- Midland theater

16. Bill Frisell- White Theatre
17. Peter Schlamb’s Electric Tinks- RecordBar
18. John Doe- Knuckleheads
19. Ebony Tusks- Riot Room patio
20. Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7- Green Lady Lounge

21. Robert Randolph & the Family Band- Town Center Plaza
22. Duncan Burnett and the Ministry- Riot Room patio
23. Various Blonde- Pizza Bar
24. Noah Preminger Quartet- 55 Club
25. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Take Five Coffee + Bar


Favorite Opening Acts of 2015 (So Far)
1. Doug E. Fresh- Municipal Auditorium, for Guy
2. Ben Miller Band- Uptown Theater, for Blackberry Smoke
3. Joe- Sprint Center, for Charlie Wilson
4. Apocalyptica- Midland theater, for Sixx:A.M.
5. Joywave- Midland theater, for Vance Joy

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Rock Bottom

I heard a woman loudly complain that “these people are the dregs of society” at Rockfest on Saturday.  I stopped in my tracks as I waited for someone to deck her.  Had staying upright in the muck not been my top priority, I might have confronted her myself.

I’ve had it with incessant attacks on the annual music festival.  An alarming percentage of my acquaintances feel entirely comfortable mocking the music and patrons of Rockfest.

At best, their criticism is harmless bullying.  Most of the time, however, it’s unadulterated cultural elitism.

There’s a lot about Rockfest that I don’t like either.  It’s no secret that I loathe drug culture.  And I’m not amused by the festival’s unofficial mantra of “show me your titties." 

But I like hearing tens of thousands of proud people chant “USA” during the event’s displays of patriotism.  As for the music, I listen to several of the bands featured at this year’s festival for pleasure. 

Even though four people in the embedded photo are clearly displeased with me, I feel no less at home at Rockfest than at any other public gathering.

Here’s my Rockfest review.


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I consider the concept of jazz standards in an album review at Plastic Sax.

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Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear were featured in a Tiny Desk Concert.

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I’m embarrassed to admit that the visuals of a Kamasi Washington performance helped me finally appreciate The Epic.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Westport Roots Festival

An acquaintance was appalled to learn that I paid the $25 admission charge to Westport Roots Festival on Saturday.  I suppose I could have weaseled my way in, but that’s not my style. 

I feel like I got my money’s worth even though I was impressed by only two of the nine acts I heard during the four hours I spent at the one-day event. 

Luke Bell played in the rain on the patio of the Riot Room.  The young honkytonk traditionalist from Wyoming appears to be the genuine article.

Kansas City’s Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys performed on the same stage before the rain hit.  I hadn’t seen the country band in years.  I hope to catch the sturdy ensemble again in the next couple weeks.


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I reviewed a production of “Million Dollar Quartet.”

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I reviewed Big Sean’s concert at the Midland theater.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Cadillac Flambé to KCUR.

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Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear’s Skeleton Crew sounds like a 1965 album on Vanguard Records.  RIYL: Richard and Mimi Farina, the Greenwich Village folk scare, Ian & Sylvia.

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Bruce Lundvall has died.

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Marcus Belgrave has died.

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Bob Belden has died.

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Murs throws his backpack under the bus on Have a Nice Life.  The new approach doesn’t always work for me.  The pop-tinged ”No More Control” is one of the album’s best songs.

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Big Steve, one of There Stands the Glass’ most dedicated readers, asked for my opinion of Shamir’s Ratchet.  He came to the right guy.  I’m more excited about an upcoming show by The First Ladies of Disco than any other oldies concert this summer.  Rather than representing anything new, Ratchet is a loving tribute to the ‘80s sounds of Mantronix, the Weather Girls and Newcleus.  So Steve, you’ll appreciate Ratchet if you share the fetish for creaky electronic funk and campy disco that Shamir and I harbor.

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Graham Parker and the Rumour’s Mystery Glue isn’t all that great but at this late date I can’t resist its pub rock charms.

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The Robert Glasper Trio's cover of Jhene Aiko's "The Worst" (my #20 song of 2014) combines two of my favorite things.

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Los Cardencheros de Sapioriz is billed as “the last performing group of an a capella Mexican slave song tradition.”  A few modern flourishes at the end of the recording break the magical spell of the group’s Un Amor Pendiente.

(Original image of pedal steel guitarist Nate Hofer’s boots by There Stands the Glass.)

B.B. King, 1925-2015

The first B.B. King concert I attended altered the way I perceive culture and society.

My date and I were among the only white people in the balcony of the Uptown Theater in 1979 (people under the age of 18 weren’t allowed on the floor at the time). 

The demonstrative audience- they preferred co-headliner Bobby Bland to King- showed me how to become completely immersed in the music.  Nothing was the same for me after that night.

I noticed the changing complexion of King’s audience each time I saw him perform.  The transition seemed to have been fully realized at the final King show I attended.  The great man served as an opening act for Peter Frampton at a sad 2013 concert at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.

The giant of American music died last week.


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I reviewed a concert by Samantha Fish and Katy Guillen and the Girls.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Behzod Abduraimov to KCUR.

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The Numero Group has issued a 1969 recording by the Kansas City band White Eyes. RIYL: Crosby Stills & Nash, psychedelics, Richie Furay.  Here’s an 81-second video promoting the find.

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Heidi Lynne Gluck’s The Only Girl in the Room is impressive.  RIYL: Jenny Lewis, winsomeness, M. Ward.

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Teddy Dibble shares a handful of avant-garde jazz albums from his collection.

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Bernard Sollman of ESP-Disk has died.

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I’m not ready to proclaim as Chris Stapleton as the best thing since Dolly Parton’s wig, but Traveller is pretty great.  RIYL: Waylon, the Sturgill Simpson of 2015, Willie.

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I’ve been born again.  The Supreme Jubilees’ recently reissued album “It’ll All Be Over” is that powerful.  Here’s the title track.

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A version of  ”True Trans Soul Rebel” featuring Laura Jane Grace and Miley Cyrus is kind of weak, but it makes me smile anyway.

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John Patitucci’s Brooklyn is surprisingly hip.  RIYL: Lionel Loueke, international cocktail jazz for 2015, Steve Cardenas.

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The world didn’t need Stone Sour’s Meanwhile In Burbank… but I’m glad the covers EP exists.  

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As far as I can tell, I’m the only person on the planet who’s heard Juneteenth, Stanley Cowell’s excellent new solo piano album.

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I listened to media sensation Joey Alexander’s debut album.  It’s fine.  The problem with the cycle of hype associated with jazz prodigies, of course, is that most are discarded when they hit their mid-twenties.  There’s no denying that the visual element is very compelling.

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Portions of Pops Staples’ posthumous Don’t Lose This are magnificent.

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I’d rather think about Zac Brown Band’s dabblings in EDM and heavy metal than listen to  Jeckyll + Hyde a second time.  ”Heavy Is the Head” is my favorite track.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

I'm One

The PA system at the United Center in Chicago blared “Baba O’Riley” at a crucial juncture of the fourth quarter of the Bulls-Cavaliers game yesterday.

The moment was reason #3,129 I can no longer listen to the Who for pleasure.  That’s why I was relieved when The Who's appearance at the Sprint Center was canceled last week a day before the concert.

I knew I wouldn’t be working the show, but I felt obligated to show up and buy a ticket.  As a self-centered 17-year-old twit, I completed internalized Quadrophenia.

A lot’s happened since then.


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I reviewed Primus’ return to the Uptown Theater.

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I reviewed Mary Chapin Carpenter’s collaboration with the Kansas City Symphony.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Julian Vaughn to KCUR.

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Johnny Gimble has died.  I saw the fiddler accompany country stars a few times and I took in a few sets he led in Winfield, Kansas.

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Guy Carawan has died.

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Jerome Cooper, the drummer of the Revolutionary Ensemble, has died.

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Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate has died.

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Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear were featured on CBS Sunday Morning.

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Only when forced at proverbial gunpoint did I reluctantly listen to the Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color.  Holy smokes!  RIYL: Some Girls, career artists, My Morning Jacket.  Here’s the title track. 

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Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.  Much of Kamasi Washington’s The Epic struck me as merely “good” during my first pass at the three-hour album.  From the choirs to the running time, it’s just too much.  RIYL: Pharoah Sanders, hype, Joshua Redman.

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Never Were the Way She Was is the first Colin Stetson album that completely resonates with me.  RIYL: chamber music, Hauschka, not a trace of jazz.

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Reason #3,130 I can’t listen to the Who for pleasure- Quadrophenia has become an actual opera.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Yelawolf- Love Story

Blame it on David Allan Coe.  I was raised on outlaw country songs like “Longhaired Redneck” and the infamous “If That Ain’t Country.”

I suppose that’s why I remain partial to decidedly uncouth music by Southern and Midwestern outsiders ranging from Kid Rock to Tech N9ne. 

Yelawolf, the controversial Alabaman who has been repeatedly excoriated by critics, speaks directly to me, partly because I relate to his intense relationships with God and alcohol. 

Yelawolf airs his dirty laundry on the deliberately offensive “Whiskey in a Bottle”, one of Love Story’s many strong tracks.  ”Best Friend”, a collaboration with Eminem, is also pretty great. 

I don't condone the hateful slurs Yelawolf employs, nor will you ever hear me utter those words.  But that doesn’t mean that I haven't been barraged by similar trash talk for much of my life. 

I may not look or sound like Yelawolf, but I know precisely where he's coming from.


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I reviewed a concert by Vance Joy, the Kooks, Joywave and Hembree.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Mat Shoare to KCUR.

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“Hood Crazy” is probably Tech N9ne’s most mainstream song to date.  Here’s the video.  Tech N9ne’s Special Effects drops this week.

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I saw Joseph Kern conduct the Midwest Chamber Orchestra in a performance of his dissonant but romantic new Chamber Symphony at the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection last night.  Sarah Tannehill-Anderson’s singing of a Walt Whitman text was beauteous.

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Ben E. King has died.  I suppose “Spanish Harlem” is my favorite King hit.

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Jack Ely of the Kingsmen has died.

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Reach places flowers at the graves of jazz, rock and hip-hop in the ”Pay Respects” video.

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His provocative image aside, Young Thug is kind of boring.  Barter 6 is  RIYL: Birdman, drugs, Weezy.  Here’s ”Constantly Hating”.

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Earl Sweatshirt is so sad.  "Solace" is his extremely loose new project.

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Just a Mortal Man is the debut album of 71-year-old Jerry Lawson.  RIYL: Brook Benton, classic soul, Solomon Burke.  Here’s the title track.

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I appreciate Marc Myers’ reevaluation of the collaboration between Tony Bennett and Bill Evans.

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Angry jazz is good jazz.  Terence Blanchard’s goes hard on the EPK for his new album.

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Need a lift?  I recommend "Gyae Su" by Pat Thomas the Kwashibu Area Band.

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Portions of Raekwon’s Fly International Luxurious Art are almost as good as Ghostface Killah’s recent string of outstanding albums.  RIYL: Wu-Tang Clan, the kitchen sink, Busta Rhymes.  Here’s ”All About You”.

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Bell Witch’s acclaimed metal album Four Phantoms is RIYL: vertigo, High On Fire, fashionable black metal.

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I’m disappointed by Charles Lloyd’s Wild Man Dance.  RIYL: hype, Gerald Clayton, third stream.  The EPK, however, is amazing.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Be Good Or Be Gone

Since the previous There Stands the Glass post seven days ago, I’ve taken in 30 sets of live music.  My ten favorites:

• Four Fists
• Sufjan Stevens
• Ebony Tusks
• Duncan Burnett and the Ministry
• Jorge Arana Trio
• Sleater-Kinney
• The Phantastics
• Sie Lieben Maschinen
• Anna Cole and the Other Lovers
• Peter Hook and the Light

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I reviewed a concert by Sleater-Kinney and Theesatisfaction on Sunday.

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I reviewed Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest on Friday and Saturday.

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I reviewed Death Cab For Cutie’s concert at the Midland theater on Thursday.

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I reviewed Sufjan Stevens’ concert at the Midland theater on Tuesday.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about La Guerre to KCUR.

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Here’s a ten-minute documentary about the obscure Kansas City musician Michael Angelo.  His 1977 debut album will be reissued on April 28.

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“Yoga” indicates that Janelle Monáe is intent on expanding her audience.

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Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, the debut release of a band co-led by Dave Douglas and Joe Lovano, is every bit as impressive as you’d think.  RIYL: Dave Holland, present-day Wayne Shorter, Tim Berne.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Percy Sledge, 1940-2015

Tears come easily for me.  Music often acts as the trigger, and classic R&B voices get me almost every time.  I just cued up Percy Sledge’s out-of-print 1994 album Blue Night and was immediately overcome by emotion.  Listen for yourself.  Damn.  Sledge died last week.


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I reviewed Lil Boosie’s wack concert at the Midland.

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I reviewed a solid concert by Sixx:A.M. and Apocalyptica.

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I reviewed Matt Kane & the Kansas City Generations Sextet’s Acknowledgement at Plastic Sax.

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I didn’t know about Tony Bennett’s secret weapon until I first saw Ralph Sharon perform with the vocalist in the 1990s.  Sharon died on March 31.

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Johnny Kemp has died.

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After years of conjecture, a collaboration between Tech N9ne and Eminem has been released.

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Todd Clouser’s Chant is RIYL: Allen Ginsberg, beatniks, John Trudell.  Clouser created a video for “You the Brave.”

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Lila Downs’ Balas y Chocolate is a lot of fun.  RIYL: Vicente Fernández, parties, Kinky. 

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Tyler, the Creator’’s Cherry Bomb is much better than I anticipated.  And yes, “Smuckers” is the hip-hop event of the year.

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Kenny Lattimore’s Anatomy of a Love Song is RIYL: Luther Vandross, classic R&B, Marvin Gaye.  Here’s the video for “Love Me Back.”

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The-Dream’s silky Crown is RIYL: Michael Jackson, radio playlists, Future.

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Beethoven, Period, a collaboration between Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley, is my default work soundtrack.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Max Raabe und Palast Orchester at Helzberg Hall

Curious to discover what qualities allow a German big band to attain enough popularity to justify a tour of American concert halls, I bought a half-price ticket to see last week’s Kansas City debut of Max Raabe und Palast Orchester at Helzberg Hall.

I was entertained.

The audience of about 1,000 was more varied than the typical big band crowd.  A prominent young burlesque dancer was seated next to me while the oldtimers behind me reminisced about Glenn Miller prior to the concert.

The broad appeal of Raabe’s ensemble was immediately apparent.  The vocalist and the members of his 12-piece band are terrific showmen.  Raabe is a droll comedian with an extraordinary voice. 

Almost every selection included at least one subtle gag while other numbers were played entirely for laughs.  Dramatic lighting aside, however, the band didn’t rely on any special effects.

With a repertoire of songs popular during the Weimar Republic, the band revived compositions by the likes of Harry James and Kurt Weill. 

Formerly a skeptic, I’m a believer.


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If forced to enter a talent contest, I'll revive Stan Freberg’s ”John and Marsha.” .  Freberg died last week.

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I reviewed a Dr. Dog concert last week.

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Sunday’s outing by Mark Dresser, Myra Melford and Matt Wilson astounded me.  My notes are posted at Plastic Sax.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Kangaroo Knife Fight to KCUR.

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Young Fathers’ White Men Are Black Men Too is a grower.  After almost writing the album off as an assortment of unfinished demos, it finally connected with me.  Here’s the video for ”Shame”.

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About a third of Brian Wilson’s No Pier Pressure is solid. 

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Eliane Elias’ Made In Brazil is just as glossy, slick and overblown as its cover art suggests.  I like it in spite of myself.  RIYL: Dionne Warwick, MPB, Elis Regina.

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While all is not forgiven, David Sanborn continues to redeem himself.  Quartette Humaine. his 2013 collaboration with Bob James, was excellent.  And the new Time and the River is a fine funk/R&B/smooth jazz project. 

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Lage Lund’s guitar trio album Idlewild is deceptively deep.  RIYL: Emily Remler, subtle rebellion, Bill Frisell.

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I don’t understand why the cool kids are fascinated with Royal Thunder.  The band isn’t much different than the Pretty Reckless, a rock act that’s shunned by tastemakers.  That said, I also admire Crooked Doors.  RIYL: Buckcherry, “active rock”, Halestorm.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Jodeci- The Past, The Present, The Future

Several weeks after attending an embarrassingly inept concert featuring Guy, K-Ci & JoJo, El DeBarge and Doug E. Fresh at Municipal Auditorium, I cued up Jodeci’s comeback album with great trepidation. 

Against all odds, The Past, The Present, The Future is amazing.  The sex songs are sexy and the love songs are dreamy.  The new effort is clearly superior to the band’s 1991 debut album.

Instead of jeering when K-Ci and JoJo spoke about a forthcoming Jodeci reunion during their outing at Municipal Auditorium, I should have applauded.

Here’s a video for ”Every Moment”.


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Hearing David Lindley in a concert hall setting was a nice change of pace.  I reviewed his concert at Johnson County Community College.

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I contributed a Local Listen segment about Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys to KCUR’s Up To Date.

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GlassField’s The Answer’s In the Pit of Your Stomach is RIYL: Fleet Foxes, Missouri indie-folk, Iron & Wine.

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Stik Figa and Leonard Dstroy have a video for ”More Or Less”.

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Loyal readers of There Stands the Glass will recall that I fell head over heels for José James’ No Beginning No End.  The smooth, innovative project was my fifth favorite album of 2013.  James’ followup album was a funky mess.  Aside from the rendition of “Strange Fruit” that closes the recording, the new Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie is as straightforward as a Tony Bennett album.  I can’t imagine anyone not liking it.  Yet I doubt I’ll ever love it.

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I’m worried for myself.  I was repeatedly moved to the brink of tears as I listened to Valentina Lisitsa’s solo piano album Plays Philip Glass. 

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Donny McCaslin’s fascinating electro-jazz album Fast Future is RIYL: the Pat Metheny Group, 2015, Nile Rodgers.

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Hilary Hahn’s new Mozart set is nice.

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After viewing their ”What’s In my Bag” segment, I want to hang out with the Decemberists.

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Danya Stephens’ Reminiscent is uneventful.  RIYL: Walter Smith III, Blue Note blowing sessions, Ravi Coltrane.

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I can’t stand Ben Goldberg’s Orphic Machine, but I suspect a few There Stands the Glass readers will adore the hybrid of jazz and art-rock.  RIYL: Bjork, intellectuals, Becca Stevens.  Here’s an EPK.

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Pending the availability of cheap flights, I might attend the Free Press Summer Festival in Houston.  The lineup that includes R. Kelly, Slim Thug, Pentagram, Yung Lean, Mastodon, Z-Ro, Chance the Rapper, Sturgill Simpson, Lecrae, Charles Bradley, Bun-B, Diarrhea Planet, Ilovemakonnen and Paul Wall is calling my name.

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I didn’t have high expectations for Kaleo’s set at the Tank Room last Thursday but I didn’t expect generic blues-rock from the Icelandic band.  It’s not the worst show I’ve seen in 2015, but it’s certainly among the most disappointing.

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As I was appreciating the Norwegian tubist Daniel Herskedal’s excellent Slow Eastbound Train, a resident jazz-hater suggested that he admired the sound and asked “what kind of music is this?”  I didn’t have a good answer.  I suppose it’s contemporary Nordic classical music.

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I freely admit that Sufjan Stevens’s Carrie & Lowell is quite good.  RIYL: Iron & Wine, hushed indie folk, Alexi Murdoch.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)