Terri Lyne Carrington- Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue

When you get into popularity then you're talking about money, not music. -Duke Ellington

Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue is the sort of high-concept album that music geeks adore.  In a nutshell: three of today's most accomplished jazz musicians reinterpret a classic jazz album with bold political perspectives and contemporary sounds.  I applaud the audaciousness of the project.

A core group of drummer and bandleader Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist Christian McBride and pianist Gerald Clayton employ a few additional likeminded musicians and a slew of provocative spoken word samples about economics.  The original Money Jungle- a 1963 collaboration between Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach- merely implied what Carrington and her cohorts make explicit. 

The risk of a project of this nature is that the wealth of ideas could easily outshine the music.  That's not the case here.  The album is consistently entertaining.  Its sole fault is that two or three of the piano trio tracks more closely resemble the Ray Brown Trio than the legendary original Money Jungle assemblage.  There are worse things, of course, than hearing McBride emulate his Ray Brown.

Clark Terry's slurry scat on "Fleurette Africain” is just as articulate as the sampled monetary quotes from figures including Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Ron Paul and Condoleezza Rice that are sprinkled throughout the album.   The neo-soul of "Backward Country Boy Blues," featuring vocalist Lizz Wright, is superior to most of Esperanza Spalding's disappointing Radio Music Society.  Mainstream jazz fans may object to these updates, but Carrington's versatility is in line with the progressive inclinations of Ellington, Mingus and Roach.

It's difficult not to interpret Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue as a commentary on today's dismal jazz economy.  This is an essential album made by some of the biggest names in jazz.  Yet it only stands an outside chance at breaking into sales of five figures.  Only a handful of critics have yet to even acknowledge the album's existence.  Amazon's current sales ranking of the February 5 release is #1,178. 

The album closes with Herbie Hancock reading the Ellington quote posted above.  Was Ellington right?  Or was he making a self-serving excuse for the diminished role jazz plays in American culture? 


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I reviewed performances by Willy Moon, Shiny Toy Guns, the Beautiful Bodies and IAmDynamite at the Midland last Friday.

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The KC Cypher Series just got real.  The latest episode features Stik Figa, Riv Locc and Young Fate. Ron Ron (at the 7:37 mark) makes the most interesting appearance. 

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Flatlands Country Music Festival anyone?

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Here he goes again- Mac Lethal's "I Gotta Pee But I'm Too Comfortable To Get Up".

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RCA is pawning off 29 Van Cliburn discs for $80.  EMI is selling 11 Boris Christoff discs for $35. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

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I don't care what anyone says- I think Frank Ocean's weird Grammy performance was brilliant.

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The very existence of a hopelessly esoteric new release from Arhoolie Records fills me with joy.  The Wall Street Journal offers perspective.

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Last night I dreamed that I was married to the daughter of Irma Thomas.

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Kansas City Click: Ex-Cult are Tuesday's headliners at the RecordBar.

Lonnie McFadden performs at WestChase Grille on Wednesday.

Carrie Rodriguez returns to Knuckleheads on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Phil Neal & the Wornalls- Lonely Tonight

Every eighteen months or so I find myself digging through my music vault in search of albums by the Records, Bram Tchaikovsky and Brinsley Schwartz.  There's a certain nostalgic itch that can only be scratched by the power pop and pub rock of another era.  Given everything that's transpired in the past three decades, it's impossible for today's musicians to match that gloriously naive sound.

Or is it?  Lonely Tonight, the latest release by Kansas City's Phil Neal & the Wornalls, is a pitch-perfect throwback to that era.  Its eight songs are untouched by time. 

Neal comes by the sound honestly.  He led the power pop movement in Kansas City thirty years ago.  The videos for his minor hit "Standard Question" and "2 Time Loser" are essential artifacts of Kansas City music history.    

While dealing with more mature themes, Neal remains true to those roots.  Sure, Lonely Tonight has a few pitch problems, but that's precisely why it works.   The complete lack of affectation and a steadfast commitment to old-school production values are charming.  Lonely Tonight doesn't contain an ounce of pretension.

The next time I get a hankering to binge on power pop and pub rock I may just reach for the delightfully anachronistic Lonely Tonight.  Better still, I may head to a live performance.  The band plays an unplugged show at Nica's 320 on February 16. 


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My previews for ten of the acts at the Middle of the Map festival are published here.

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The advance word on Richard Thompson's new album was that he was taking a different musical approach.  Lies!  Electric sounds exactly like at least a half dozen other Thompson albums.  And that's great news for his cult dedicated fans.  I'm not really feeling this sound right now, but "Another Small Thing In Her Favor" hits me where it hurts.

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Mod revival, anyone?  Check out Paradise's "Humans and Stars".

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Lightning Swords of Death!

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May the jazz gods strike me down- Danilo Perez's contributions are my favorite component of Wayne Shorter's fine new Without a Net album.

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I'm a little late to the Sinkane party.  RIYL: Diplo, Ali Farka Toure, the future.

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I'm not feeling the lead electric guitarist on this otherwise exquisite video of Fatoumata Diawara's performance at Globalfest. 

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Cult of Luna's Vertikal is my favorite metal album of 2013 so far.  Here's the representative "Mute Departure".

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I honestly don't know if I'm man enough to book passage on the Kid Rock Cruise.

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Prediction #1- The new album The Electric Word will make 2013 a breakout year for the Relatives. RIYL: the Holmes Brothers, Lee Fields, Jesus.

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Meaningless prediction #2- The dude behind Night Beds is going to be a star.  RIYL: Fleet Foxes, wimp-folk, beauty.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Cecil Womack, 1947-2013

When I was footloose and fancy free, music played a significant role in facilitating my romantic life.  Their brilliant music wasn't the only reason I spent a lot of time listening to Michael Jackson and Prince.  But even geniuses can get played out.  The appeal of the Gap Band and Rick James diminished away from the dance floor.  And there's only so much Lionel Richie and Luther Vandross a guy can take.  I was on the prowl for new music that could set the mood even as it stimulated my brain.  Enter Womack and Womack.  Love Wars, Radio M.U.S.C. Man and Conscious were my extremely helpful jams.  Cecil Womack died February 1.  An obituary in The Telegraph offers further evidence that truth is stranger than fiction.  (Tip via BGO.)


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Womack and Linda (Cooke) also cowrote one of the best songs of the 20th century. 


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I reviewed Kid Rock's concert at the Sprint Center.

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Reg Presley of the Troggs has died.

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I discovered the Diablos Del Ritmo: Colombian Melting Pot compilation via There Stands the Glass reader Big Steve.  I hadn't even realized that my life had been incomplete until I heard Myrian Makenwa's essential "Amampondo" for the first time this week.

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Lenny Kaye likes Rory Gallagher?  That's just one of the many surprises of his new "What's In My Bag" segment.

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I'm constantly reminded of my limitations.

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Sometimes I just have to let myself go.  I recently listened to every second of Trinidad James' Don't Be S.A.F.E.  And I enjoyed it for what it is.  The new remix of the project's big hit features the brain trust of T.J, T.I., 2 Chainz and Young Jeezy. 

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Deerhoof makes me smile.

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Kasey Anderson, a musician who's received positive attention at There Stands the Glass, is in a heap of trouble.

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Merzbow continues to confuse me.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  Have you seen Genesis P-Orridge lately?

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Here's a video for Solas' "Lay Your Money Down."  RIYL: Flogging Molly, alcohol, Philadelphia.

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I can't locate an EPK at YoutTube, so you'll have to watch the essential footage of Chick Corea talking about the latest Miles Davis official boot of 1969 recordings at the retail link.  Spotify has also made the album difficult to find.  Here you go.

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Kansas City Click: Cam'ron appears at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

The Steepwater Band play Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

The Brick hosts Mike Dillon on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: La Busta Gialla- Il Sogno del Marinaio

Like thousands of dudes in my generation, I love Mike Watt.  Not everything he's done since he played a role in forever altering my perception of the possibilities of rock music has been to my taste, but I've always been eager to keep tabs on him.

I get the impression that not many people still share my enthusiasm.  A cursory search turns up only two reviews of La Busta Gialla, Watt's new album with Il Sogno Del Marinaio.  The trio of Watt and an Italian guitarist and drummer create the sort of jazz-punk-world hybrid that I'm predisposed to like.

One of the two reviews was published at an influential site.  The criticism in Pitchfork's thoughtful analysis is valid.  The album is a bit "rickety" and it does contain "loosely formed grooves."  The site slapped a 5.7 on the project.  I find Il Sogno Del Marinaio's slapdash approach endearing.  That's why There Stands the Glass hails La Busta Gialla as a scientist rock worthy of a rating of 8.3.


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I reviewed Sweet Honey In the Rock's concert at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

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Guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, who performed in Esperanza Spalding's band at Kansas City's Helzberg Hall last October, has died.

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Blues woman Ann Rabson has died.

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Butch Morris has died.

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Joplin rocks.  Check out "Exteriors" by Missouri metal band Remnants.

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You have to check out the 2:03 mark of this fan footage of the Darkness at the Uptown Theater.

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I don't condone a single sentiment contained on Fidlar's self-titled album. But I have to admit that I concur with the critical consensus.  Fidlar is very good.  RIYL: The Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Intervention.

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There's something about Violeta Vil.  The Venezuelan band's Lápidas y Cocoteros streams here.  RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, Oz Mutantes, life.

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Salina's Chad Kassem always kills me. (Don't miss the inane banter by the talking heads at the conclusion of the segment.)

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Maybe the frigid temperatures have addled my mind, but I think the initial Warped Tour band list for 2013 looks great.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Toro Y Moi- Anything In Return

Although I've only published a handful of posts at There Stands the Glass since New Year's Day, I've already offered abundant praise of hip hop, EDM, opera, gospel, R&B, reggae, folk, jazz, blues, punk and indie rock artists.  Is there anything I don't like? 

I have, in fact, encountered a new album that encapsulates many of the things I abhor in popular music.   The fashionable aural wallpaper of Toro Y Moi's Anything In Return serves as a case study of my dislikes.  The frothy album is emotionally vacant and deliberately devoid of grit and soul.  By my standards, Toro Y Moi makes music for people who don't like music.

Incredibly, many of my friends love Anything In Return.  That's fine.  The pleasure they take in the music of Toro Y Moi doesn't bother me.  To each his own.


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James Carter plays a lot of notes.  And I like it.  I reviewed last weekend's concert by the James Carter Organ Trio at the Folly Theater.

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I reviewed Passport's self-titled debut album at Plastic Sax.

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Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonnner of the Ohio Players has died.  He last performed in Kansas City at the 2010 Rhythm & Ribs Jazz and Blues Festival.

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Gour Khyapa has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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Foxygen's "San Francisco" fills me with joy.  RIYL: Ray Davies, Eric Burdon, fops.

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Miss the White Stripes?  Pony Time has you covered with the excellent "Geordie".

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Whenever I find myself bedridden with an injury or an illness, I attempt to make the best of a bad situation by using my impaired state to explore new forms of music.  Armed with painkillers after I broke my ankle a few years ago, I came to appreciate EDM on a new level.  When the flu knocked me out last week, I discovered the compositions of Henri Dutilleux.  This stuff is sick.

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Chris Morris wrote a great analysis of Amoeba's digital efforts.

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I adore Broadcast's original soundtrack for Berberian Sound Studio.  RIYL: Ennio Morricone, John Zorn, found sound.

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Free Energy's Love Sign is an excellent windows-down summer cruising album. RIYL: The Cars, Cheap Trick, Peter Wolf.

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The demos at the end of some versions of Camper Van Beethoven's new reunion album La Costa Perdida are markedly more interesting than the official tracks.  RIYL: the Grateful Dead, California, patchouli.

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I'm looking forward to digging into Gamak, Rudresh Mahanthappa's skronky new album.

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Vinyl eroticism from Salina, Kansas: "The Doors Infinite Unboxing".

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Kansas City Click: Max Groove plays Jazz on 39th Street on Tuesday.

Stone Sour is Wednesday's headliner at the Midland.

La Guerre performs Thursday at the RecordBar.

Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle hit the Blue Room on Friday.

The Folly Theater hosts Danielle de Niese on Saturday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: José James- No Beginning No End

The members of the sales and marketing departments of Blue Note Records almost certainly celebrated when they first heard No Beginning No End, the new album by José James.  The project is probably the most commercially viable release on the label since Norah Jones' Feels Like Home.  Sales in the hundreds of thousands and multiple Grammy nominations seem inevitable. 

While No Beginning No End contains many of the bourgeois components of hits by Jones, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (not necessarily a liability for an album of make-out music), it's really based on D'Angelo's seminal 2000 album Voodoo.  The loose jazz-funk hybrid- itself inspired by Prince, Roy Ayers, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis and the O'Jays- is the sound of now. 

A few of the live performances I've watched online aren't particularly impressive.  And yesterday's NPR feature about James is incredibly irritating.  But none of that matters when I hit play.  Unless I burn out on it, No Beginning No End should figure prominently on my year-end album list.


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I recall being told to get out of the way by cameramen during Hammerween at the Beaumont Club last October.  Based on this compelling footage of Hammerlord, I'm glad that I opted to comply with their irritating requests.

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The Great Vehicle is a Federation of Horsepower side project.  The People's Cathedral of Wavelengths should appeal to fans of Joe Satriani, Brand X and Steve Morse.  (Tip via There Stands the Glass reader Gary.)

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Destination Out's interaction with Barry Altschul is vital.

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Lawrence's Klyph Scurlock "auditioned" for adorable Oklahoma kiddie punks Skating Polly.

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Red Kross talks trash about REO Speedwagon in their "What's In My Bag" segment. 

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Watching Nardwuar vs. Riff Raff gives me the strength to carry on.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Teena Marie- Beautiful

Two years after her premature passing in 2010, I continue to mourn Teena Marie.  The posthumous album Beautiful was released last week.  Rolling Stone provides the project's backstory. 

Beautiful is about what longtime fans might expect.  Late in her career, Marie wasn't attempting to replicate the upbeat funk of big hits like "Square Biz".  Instead, Beautiful contains mostly ruminative love songs.  Innocuous and unobtrusive but consistently pleasant, Beautiful would provide ideal background music at an upscale salon.

The two best tracks- "Rare Breed" and "Definition of Down"- don't match any of her career highlights, while the limpid "Carte Blanche" and "Wild Horses" should have been left in the can.  An embarrassing production choice spoils "Maria Bonita."

Completists won't regret the need to acquire Beautiful, but casual fans who already own a Marie compilation or a couple of her prime albums aren't missing out.


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Last weekend's performance by Julian Lage and Jorge Roeder at Yardley Hall is my concert to beat in 2013.  Here's my review.

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I reviewed Bloc Party's concert at Liberty Hall on Sunday.

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UMKC's Kerwin Young will be on hand when Public Enemy is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.

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My new favorite time-suck is the archive of a defunct Midwestern music publication called The Note.  Check out the amateurish  advertisement for the 1988 Monsters of Rock tour.

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I'll stop listening to the "melo-death" of Aether Realm only after you pry the flanged mace from my cold, dead fingers.

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Pantha du Prince's new Elements of Light album is like a groovy Tubular Bells.  Here's a taste.

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Larry Rosen, co-founder GRP Records, explains how the promising concept of smooth jazz became a "sad joke".

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Mixed Blood Majority's new album is released today.  Watch Lazerbeak perform his magic here.

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When (my) worlds collide: Bargain Bin Blasphemy is hilarious.

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Kansas City Click: Gravity A headlines at the RecordBar on Tuesday.

The Kill Devil Club features Steve Lambert on Wednesday.

Inspectah Deck appears at the Riot Room on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Bentcousin- Everybody's Got One

Everybody's Got One, the new six-song EP by Bentcousin, is a mess.  And I love it.  The bum notes and questionable production values make the British duo's ramshackle project all the more charming.

On the opening track "Bentpaperboy," Amelia Innit gently croons lines like "I never met a Catholic that I didn't like."  The ingratiating acoustic piece recalls the dry wit of Belle and Sebastian.  Amelia's twin brother Pat admires a girl named "Susan" and "my favorite LP" on the chaotic rocker "Slade."  "I Quit You" is a feisty duet in which a modern-day Eliza Doolittle asserts her independence.  "You went out drinking when she had the flu!" Amelia sneers on the delightful "I Think I Like Your Girlfriend More Than You".

The modest Everybody's Got One is precisely the type of hidden gem that replenishes my faith in the giddy power of popular music.  I recommend it to aficionados of Billy Bragg's love songs, the lighthearted side of the Mekons and the enthusiasm of Frank Turner.  Everybody's Got One will be released in February.


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Cowboy Indian Bear's new four-song single is very impressive.

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"I'm Hustin'" is the latest video from Rich the Factor.  (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

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B-Sides And Confessions Vol. 2, the new album by former Kansas Citian Jeff Black, was released on January 15.

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Here's a tease from Kanrocksas.

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My friend K.S. turned me on to Wichita's The Travel Guide.  RIYL: Indie kids bashing away in a basement.

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Jimi in Salina.

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Steve Pick's insightful review of Jimbo Mathus' White Buffalo suggests that the album resembles an inferior version of Exile On Main Street.  It reminds me of a Joe Grushecky album.  That's a good thing.

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I first heard the Eddie Fisher Quintet's The Third Cup this week.  RIYL: Wes, Grant and George.  (Via Euclid Records.)

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ASAP Rocky's LoveLiveA$AP is the most immediately sonically rewarding album I've heard in a while.  It's a fun listen but I'm not convinced that I'll still be enamored of it come December.

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I've been riding shotgun on the Emily Armstrong bandwagon for about a year.  Hear what she does with "Gone Away".

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Big Jay McNeely is alive!

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Yes, I'm a hypocrite.  I'm offended by this promotional video for Jazz Fest.  It seems wrong to use a brass band's music to pitch the likes of Billy Joel, Fleetood Mac, DMB and Maroon 5.

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Forget Dirty Projectors- Bahamas is where it's at.  This stunning live performance is RIYL Alan Jackson, Dirty Projectors, Bruce Springsteen.

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Here's the sonic representation of my Facebook news feed.  (Not that I didn't sign up for it…)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Tamela Mann at the Folly Theater

For a sanctified second on Saturday, the Holy Spirit seemed to roll through the Folly Theater.  A member of Isaac Cates & Ordained stepped to the front of the stage and began to roar with a voice that belied her small frame.

The sound issues that plagued the concert momentarily dissipated.  Taken aback by the ferocious power of their colleague's conviction, several members of the choir doubled over in celebratory shock.  A significant portion of the audience of approximately 700 jumped to their feet.  I was similarly overcome. Tears flowed down my cheeks.

It was the highlight of a night of rapturous peaks and scandalously disappointing lows.  The concert was part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City's annual celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Tickets were $16.

The evening got off to a rough start as the opening remarks of Mia Ramsey- a woman who proved to be an excellent master of ceremonies- were inaudible.   Patrons of events at the Folly Theater can usually count on the opportunity to bask in the venue's pristine acoustics.  The sound was disastrous Saturday.  If the sonic technicians were attempting to recreate the crackly and distorted sound of a 1950's field recording of a tent revival, well, they succeeded.

A brief opening appearance by Shanice and Maurice Hayes was a fiasco.  Their prerecorded backing tracks were a muddle.  The father and daughter had one semi-functional microphone between them.  What a shame.  Isaac Cates & Ordained overcame the sonic debacle through sheer talent (and a possible act of God). 

David Mann, the husband of the celebrated actress and gospel star Tamela Mann, wasn't about to leave the fate of his wife's headlining performance in God's hands.

"I want to make sure you get the real Tamela Mann," David Mann told the audience as the sound was tested.

The precautionary work didn't pay off.  Mann may have opened with "Best Days."  I'm not sure.   I couldn't hear her over the wildly distorted music.  A solid band was game, but Mann inexplicably insisted on a karaoke approach for selections including the Grammy-nominated and current chart-topping gospel hit "Take Me To the King".

Mann is an amazingly dynamic performer.  Yet she was on stage for just 45 minutes.  She spent part of that time indicating that she and her husband David were eager to sell "product" (her word) in the lobby.   This essential fan footage shot at the concert reveals the best and worst aspects of Mann's performance.  Mann dances as the house band fires on all cylinders.  Then she sneaks a peak at her watch at the 1:08 mark.

Clock-watching- even in a trying situation- is a bad look.


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Claire and the Crowded Stage made a video for "Technicolor".

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"Slidecam duet."  (Via Hey Cameraman.)

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Kansas City Click: Hermon Mehari and Mark Lowrey open the week by trading their regular nights at the Majestic.  The switch allows Mehari to play on Sunday while Lowrey will appear on Monday.

John Fullbright returns to Knuckleheads on Tuesday.

The RecordBar hosts Ryan Lee Toms on Wednesday.

Wayland plays the Riot Room on Thursday.

(Original image of Isaac Cates & Ordained by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Buddy Guy- Live at Legends

I love the Rolling Stones.  The sentiment is all but mandatory for red-blooded Midwestern white guys born the 1960s.  I treasure my vinyl copies of Exile On Main Street, Sticky Fingers, Some Girls and Between the Buttons.  The boys were great all three times I've seen 'em. 

Listening to Buddy Guy's new Live At Legends, however, made me realize that I don't need to experience the Stones' current tour.  I'd be better served by catching Guy again.  His histrionics and showboating have annoyed me in the past but I'm now willing to accept those excesses.  Besides, Guy's antics are certainly no less overwrought than those of Jagger and Richards.

It may seem difficult to muster much enthusiasm for yet another new live album by Buddy Guy, but I'll be damned if the 2010 material documented on Live at Legends doesn't demonstrate that he continues to pack a powerful punch.  The fiercest guitar solos on the album sound like a bushel of rusty barbed wire being dumped into a trash bin.  The unusual mix on the live tracks places the listener on stage with the band.  It's weird, but I like it.  The set concludes with a few worthwhile studio tracks.

Guy, it's safe to say, is a more vital artistic presence in 2013 than the Stones.  In a hypothetical battle of the bands, only the Stones' superior material would allow them to remain competitive with Guy. 

I'll see you soon, Buddy.


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"900 Racks", Stik Figa's new collaboration with JL of BHood, is available as a free download.  (Tip via Demencha.)

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Tech N9ne and Rittz collaborate on "Bloody Murdah".

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Heartfelt Anarchy's "Killemwiththeflow" is streaming at Bandcamp.

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I remain convinced that Donta Slusha's "Check My Posture" is the definitive song of contemporary Kansas City.  "KC's the town, mayne!"

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Hitt Records sells vinyl in Columbia, Missouri.

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Bobby Womack speaks candidly about his life.

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Avant brass band Billy Martin covers the White Stripes' "The Hardest Button To Button" here.

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I'm looking forward to hearing Antonio Sanchez's new album.

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When (my) worlds collide: On the Dance Floor features Enrico Rava's interpretations of MJ's catalog.

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Lil B says "it's ok to cry".  Bless his based heart.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: DJ Muggs- Bass For Your Face

What if dubstep was… you know, good?  The stylistic upgrade might require a producer with an institutional memory of music history that didn't begin with the inception of SoundCloud.  A person with a deep appreciation of U-Roy, Esther Phillips, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and grime might be capable of making the basic components of dubstep sound interesting.  DJ Muggs to the rescue.  His mind-bending new album Bass For Your Face makes a case for dubstep as an artistically fertile genre.

Muggs, of course, is one of the primary architects of hip hop.  As an integral creative force in Cypress Hill and as a groundbreaking producer for a multitude of additional acts, Muggs is a walking sonic encyclopedia.  Bass For Your Face is a multifarious set of songs held together by a fat bottom end. 

Several hip hop stars join Muggs in bridging the divide between hip hop and dubstep.  Freddie Gibbs adds an ominous voicing to the opening track "Trapp Assassin."  "Snap Ya Neck Back" features Dizzee Rascal.  A heavily processed Danny Brown appears on "Headfirst."  Perhaps most significantly, Public Enemy's Chuck D and the dude from (hed) p.e. rap over a dubstep beat on "Wikid."  (I could be one of the few people on earth who's truly excited by this unlikely combination.)

The haunted dub of "Deep Purple" leads into "Shotta," a track that incorporates dancehall, jazz and EDM.  "Come On London" sounds like a joyful Brixton riot.  "Safe" could be mistaken for a remixed Rihanna track.  It's a bumpy ride.  Yet thanks to Muggs, 2013 marks the year in which I learned to stop worrying and love dubstep.

DJ Muggs discusses the project here.  Bass For Your Face will be released on January 15.


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I reviewed Mark Lowrey's new album at Plastic Sax.

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The Kansas City Symphony's Enigma Variations: The Wasps / Greensleeves was released today.

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Watch a metal dude work himself into a lather while splitting hairs.  I'm pretty sure that I sound just like this guy most of the time.

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As I suggested in 2012, the future looks bright for Kirby Kaiser.  Her "Every Time" is RIYL Darlene Love, Amy Winehouse, Phil Spector.

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I didn't attend Father John Misty's show in Lawrence last night.  This excellent fan footage indicates that I made a big mistake.

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John Coltrane and Miles Davis are in Chan Marshall's bag.

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Here's the obligatory mention of David Bowie.  For the record, I love his new "Where Are We Now?".

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Kansas City Click: Rex Hobart performs every Tuesday at the RecordBar.

Rich Hill appears at the Majestic on Wednesday.

Tony Ladesich plays his songs Thursday at Coda.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Bill Goffrier at the RecordBar

I usually enjoy listening to Robert Moore's Sonic Spectrum broadcast as I head to shows on Saturday nights.  That wasn't the case last weekend.  Hearing a 1986-themed mix featuring Husker Dü, Concrete Blonde and Peter Murphy just made me feel even more sheepish about my insistence on attending a performance by Bill Goffrier.

Doubling down on the '80s is against my nature.  I don't judge other people's nostalgia but I loathe it in myself.  I've always been more interested in today and tomorrow than in yesterday.  I'm not ashamed of my thirty-year admiration of Goffrier's band The Embarrassment.  Yet I sensed that I would be dissatisfied by Goffrier's matinee show.  I was right.

I paid $10 to join about three dozen Goffrier fans- mostly people in their forties and their children- for the 7 p.m. set.  I was ten minutes late and Goffrier was playing a solo rendition of the classic Embarrassment song "Patio Set" as I found a seat.  It was followed by the equally important "Elizabeth Montgomery's Face".  I was transported to new wave heaven.

I first read about the Wichita-based band in regional fanzines and in national publications while I was in high school and was thrilled to discover that the music was every bit as good as the prominent reviews suggested.  Goffrier subsequently formed Big Dipper.  "Faith Healer" was the band's biggest college radio hit.

Crashes On the Platinum Planet, Big Dipper's 2012 album, is loaded with great songs.  I love the bittersweet tribute to "Robert Pollard".  My favorite, not surprisingly, is "Hurricane Bill".  Its internal gags caused me to laugh at loud on Saturday.

Goffrier was joined by current collaborator Karlee Deen on songs that offered additional evidence that Goffrier hasn't lost his knack for crafting impeccably nerdy material.  I'm not enamored of this unfortunate arrangement of "Wandering Eye", but there's a great song underneath the clutter.  ("You've got some optic nerve!")  The same goes for "Electricity Man". 

Even so, I was rudely reminded that the Embarrassment is known among its fans as "the best band you never heard of."   The RecordBar grew increasingly crowded with people pre-gaming for the 10 p.m. show headlined by Kansas City up-and-comers Antennas Up during Goffrier's performance.  Most newcomers seemed mystified by the fifty-something guy in an argyle sweater vest on the stage.  "I don't get it," one young musician told his bandmates.

Only my reluctance to contribute to the shockingly inconsiderate noise prevented me from asking the kid if he'd ever perform anything a tenth as revolutionary or influential as "I'm a Don Juan" and "Sex Drive".  I left when Goffrier's set became completely overwhelmed by barroom chatter.


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Eddie Saunders has died.

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KCUR compiled a remembrance of Marva Whitney.  My notes about her passing are here.

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Patti Page has died.

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To be fair to the guy who cut DJ Shadow's set short for being "too future," the brilliant turntablist certainly wasn't about to spin the latest Ellie Goulding single.  Here's the mix in question.  For the record, the future sounds pretty great.

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Here's a video of Brandon Draper performing "Dangerous".

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There Stands the Glass reader Gary recently shared a version of "Linus and Lucy" that's ostensibly "600% slower."  It's amazing. 

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globalFEST is one-night affair?

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Kansas City Click: At the Left Hand of God headlines the Riot Room on Friday.

Linda Shell & the Blues Thang appear at BB's Lawnside BBQ on Saturday.

The monthly gig at the RecordBar by the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City is Sunday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Beaumont Bows Out

The word on the street is that the Beaumont Club is no more.  Here's Tim Finn's report.  The Westport venue's low-slung stage and restrictive in-and-out policy kept it from being one of my favorite rooms.  Even so, I attended about 150 shows at the Beaumont Club.  The staff was always gracious.  (I knew not to mess around with the bouncers.)  Here's a list of the artists responsible for twenty of my favorite performances at the venue.

1. Nas with Damian Marley
2. Lee "Scratch" Perry
3. Nikka Costa
4. Daniel Johnston with Capybara
5. Making Movies
6. Hammerlord
7. Aterciopelados
8. Accept
9. Katy Perry
10. Luciano
11. Opeth
12. The Architects
13. P.O.S
14. Cafe Tacuba
15. Tech N9ne
16. Musiq Soulchild
17. Unearth
18. Social Distortion
19. Brandi Carlile
20. Mutemath

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Jon Caramanica wrote an extensive obituary of Marva Whitney for The New York Times.   My remembrance is here.

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Ray Collins, best known as the vocalist for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, has died.

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The 2013 edition of the Middle of the Map festival is April 4-6.

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Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the annual Blues Masters at the Crossroads concerts in Salina, Kansas.

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Tony's Kansas City was nice enough to link to this site's Top Ten Kansas City Music Videos of 2012 post.   Get a load of this (edited) comment he received: From afar, it looks like Kansas City is nothing but N******, mayhem, drinking and murders. Yeah, I think enough said too.

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The Kansas City Symphony drops the Mahler hammer.

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Plastic Sax revealed the recipients of the site's 2013 people of the year.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Top Music Videos of 2012

1. Bonnie "Prince" Billy- "I See a Darkness"
How can something so disturbing fill me with so much joy? (Old song, new video.)


2. Doomtree- "Bangarang"
"In the style of Doomtree."


3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- "Same Love"
It's about time.


4. Pig Destroyer- "The Diplomat"
Gore.


5. Willis Earl Beal- "Evening's Kiss" video
"Fading away."


6. Brother Ali- "Only Life I Know"
Don't look away.


7. The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band- "Devils Look Like Angels"
The devil is real.


8. Die Antwoord- "I Fink U Freeky"
Speaking of the devil...


9. Flying Lotus- "Until the Quiet Comes"
A dream supreme.


10. Psy- "Gangnam Style"
Keepin' it real.

I conducted a similar exercise in 2011.

The Top Ten Kansas City Music Videos of 2012

1. SSION- "Earthquake"
Mac Lethal and Strange Music aren't the only Kansas City-affiliated entities making worthwhile music videos.  One of several brilliant Cody Critcheloe efforts tops the list of my ten favorite entries of 2012.    


2. Krizz Kaliko- "Hello Walls"
The sensitive side of Strange Music.


3. thePhantom*- "Say You Love Me"
Big time.


4. Diverse- "Ni**as in Paris"
Small budget humor. 


5. Ces Cru- "Colosseum"
Big budget humor.


6. Making Movies- "Hangover Blues"
Spot your favorite musician.


7. Steddy P- "Local Heroes"
"Love in the hometown."


8. Conflicts- "Nuketown"
Conflicts may be KC's best rock band.


9. AJ Young- "How Do You Deal"
Why isn't this guy a star?


10. Mac Lethal- "You're vs. Your"
Mac Lethal has mastered the medium.

Worthy videos by Ebony Tusks, Empty Spaces and Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Company were disqualified from consideration for being too cool for YouTube.  XV (316), Stik Figa (785) and Krystle Warren (+33) were disqualified because of their area codes. (I made an exception for SSION.)

I conducted similar exercises in 2011 and 2010.

Jimmy McCracklin, 1921-2012

At the advent of the CD era I decided to build a comprehensive collection of classic soul and R&B.   I began the process by acquiring material by giants like James Brown, Ray Charles, Solomon Burke and Aretha Franklin.  I was amazed to discover that the rewards didn't diminish as I worked my way down to the less heralded artists.  Bobby Byrd's funk, for instance, continues to enrich my life.  The quality of Don Covay's music is similarly astounding. 

I bought the pictured Jimmy McCracklin compilation for $8.99 at a CD Warehouse on September 18, 1997.  (The receipt is tucked into the booklet.)  Its contents blew my mind.  McCracklin could be as raw as Bobby Bland, as raunchy as Joe Turner and as soulful as Otis Redding.  The revelations didn't end there.

I discovered that the Beatles' "Get Back" is an, ahem, "tribute" to a McCracklin song of the same name.  "The Walk," recorded in 1957, obviously inspired countless songs.  And perhaps most notably, McCracklin wasn't really a bluesman.  McCracklin was a rock artist in the tradition of Ike Turner and Chuck Berry.  That McCracklin's music languishes in relative obscurity is a "Shame, Shame, Shame."  (A YouTube or Spotify upload of the classic song doesn't even exist!)

McCracklin died on December 20.


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Fontella Bass has died.

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I bet you didn't know that one of the best-selling classical albums of 2012 is by an ensemble based in rural Missouri.  Here's the EPK for Advent at Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

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Year-end listening: I finally listened to Scott Walker's Bish Bosch.  In a parallel universe- perhaps one in which I'm a disgraced Hungarian prince- it's my favorite album of 2012…  I don't know how I overlooked Anaal Nathrakh's Vanitas while I compiled my year-end album list.  Songs like "Of Fire, and F***ing Pigs" are really working for me right now.  I'm not kidding…  And how in the world did I miss out on the Menzingers' "Good Things"?  It's even better than the Japandroids. 

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Why haven't any of you jerks told me about nouveau honky tonker Jason Eady?  RIYL: The Hag.

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I'm not surprised that Rhymes-with-snake is threatening to sue retailers for their use of a certain motto.  This blog receives cease-and-desist notifications for merely mentioning him by name. 

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My discovery of the week: Oklahoma's Parker Millsap.  Kid has a voice.  RIYL: the otherwise annoying foot-stomping folk fad.

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A lot of my pals are excited about forthcoming shows by Bloc Pary and Jeff Mangum,  I'm most looking forward to catching Danielle de Niese at the Folly Theater on February 1.

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Kansas City Click: Parallax returns to Take Five Coffee + Bar on Friday.

Feel free to join me Saturday at the RecordBar for Bill Goffrier's show.  Alas, it probably won't sound anything like this.

Samantha Fish plays Knuckleheads on Sunday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Marva Whitney, 1944-2012

After learning that Marva Whitney had passed, I attempted to explain her career to a teenager.  "She's the original Janelle Monae," I suggested.  "Like Monae, Whitney was a beautiful musician from Kansas City, Kansas, who rose to fame through her association with another artist."  Monae, of course, collaborated with Fun on one of the biggest hits of the new millennium.  Whitney worked with James Brown.  Tim Finn's 2006 interview with Brown includes fascinating insights into his relationship with Whitney.  Her death also serves as a bitter reminder of my limited influence.  Knowing that Whitney regularly performed in New York and Japan up until two or three years ago, I lobbied club owners, event programmers and Whitney's manager to book Whitney in Kansas City.  It never happened.


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I discussed the year in music on KCUR's Up To Date last week.  Details are here.

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Oh, Mac Lethal!

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KCUR offers a multi-media profile of Amy Farrand.

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Year-end listening: Bruno Mars' Unorthodox Jukebox is  a really good pop album…  Patti Smith's Banga would have made my year-end album list if I'd given it a proper airing prior to last week…  What I've heard of Willie Buck's Cell Phone Man is excellent.  RIYL: Delmark Records…  Algiers' "Blood" needs to be heard by people who appreciate mashups of Sun Ra, Eazy E, Sonic Youth and B.B. King… I've spent a lot of time listening to authorized bootlegs of Nicholas Payton concerts in 2012.  This one seems particularly good.

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The Melvins'  animated tour diary is hilarious.

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Matador Records chatted with Tom Ray of Vintage Vinyl.

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Is it wrong to laugh at Danny Brown?

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A guy from reggae legends The Meditations (!) recorded an excellent in-studio session for KJHK.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

We Out Here Tryna Function: The Top Albums and Songs of 2012

The Best Song Wasn't the Single: The Top 25 Albums of 2012
Listen to the There Stands the Glass playlist at Spotify.

1. Frank Ocean- Channel Orange
My initial attempts to resist this album were pure folly.

2. Christian Scott- Christian aTunde Adjuah
A sonic wormhole that connects 1965 to 2045.

3. Meshuggah- Koloss
I required colossal sounds to ameliorate the challenges of 2012.

4. Killer Mike- R.A.P. Music
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Fear of a Black Planet and Stankonia rolled into one.

5. Hilary Hahn & Hauschka- Silfra
To paraphrase Stevie Wonder, this is the music of my mind.

6. Pat Metheny- Unity Band
Everything that's good about Pat Metheny in one place.

7. Iris DeMent- Sing the Delta
The word "authenticity" was thrown around a lot in 2012.  DeMent is as real as it gets.

8. Kendrick Lamar- Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
Smart and compelling, this great album raises the bar.

9. Lionel Loueke- Heritage
The Native Dancer of 2012 was produced by Robert Glasper.

10. Krizz Kaliko- Kickin' & Screamin'
Kaliko subverts the Strange Music assembly line to create a personal album about life as an outcast.

11. Lee Fields & The Expressions- Faithful Man

12. Gojira- L’Enfant Sauvage

13. Brody Buster Band- Will Die Young

14. Bob Dylan- Tempest

15. Esbjorn Svensson Trio- 301

16. Jack White- Blunderbuss

17. Robert Glasper- Black Radio

18. Making Movies- A La Deriva

19. Sly & Robbie- Blackwood Dub

20. High On Fire- De Vermis Mysteriis

21. Flying Lotus- Until the Quiet Comes

22. Slash- Apocalyptic Love

23. T.J. Martley- Meditations Vol. 1

24. XV- Popular Culture

24. Neneh Cherry & the Thing- The Cherry Thing

25. Steddy P.- Better Make Room


I'ma Show You How To Turn It Up a Notch- The Top 25 Singles of 2012
Listen to the There Stands the Glass playlist at Spotify.

1. Lil Debbie & Riff Raff- "Michelle Obama"
They're trolling.  (At least I think they are.)  I'm not.  (Or am I?)

2. Beach House- "Myth"
Helping me to make it.

3. Kix Brooks- "New To This Town"
Sometimes I get so very tired.

4. E-40- "Function"
It's harder than it looks.

5. Tracey Thorn- "Joy"
"Joy" is the best new holiday song in years.

6. Alabama Shakes- "Hold On"
"Come on girl- you got to get back up!"

7. Carly Rae Jepsen- "Call Me Maybe"
What's not to love about this slice of pop perfection?

8. Kasey Musgraves- "Merry Go 'Round"
A classic pain song.

9. Esperanza Spalding- "Black Gold"
The theme of self-respect is universal.

10. Eric Church- "Springsteen"
This one's personal.

11. Usher- "Dive"

12. Nicki Minaj- "Beez in the Trap"

13. The Weeknd- "Wicked Games"

14. Christina Perri- "Distance"

15. Twin Shadow- "Five Seconds"

16. Nas- "Daughters"'

17. Japandroids- "The House That Heaven Built"

18. Kellie Pickler- "100 Proof"

19. The xx- "Angels"

20. Stone Sour- "Absolute Zero"

21. Brandy- "Put It Down"

22. Carlos Vives- "Volvi a Nacer"

23. Elle Varner- "Refill"

24. Dierks Bentley- "Tip It On Back"

25. Scissor Sisters- "Only the Horses"

I conducted similar year-end surveys in 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.  My favorite concerts of 2012 are listed here.  The picks of many of my Kansas City-based colleagues are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The 33 Best Live Performances of 2012

I realized a lifelong dream in March when I experienced a concert at Royal Albert Hall.  It's no surprise, consequently, that the fulfillment of my ambition is my favorite show of the year.  The death of Barney McKenna- the last original "flounder" of the Dubliners- three weeks later adds to a sad sense of additional significance to the show.

Mind-bending performances by Vijay Iyer, Enrico Rava and Tord Gustavsen assured me of jazz's ongoing artistic vitality.  CS Luxem's unhinged gig allowed me to relive of my roots in punk rock house concerts.  Primus appears at #7 not because I'm a big fan (I'm not), but because the 3D and Quadrophonic experience it offered permanently raised the bar.  I heard Philip Glass amplified and a sublime acoustic outing by Europa Galante.

Why 33?  I've witnessed 330 individual performances so far in 2012.  My streak of taking in at least 365 individual performances per year has come to an end.


The 33 Best Shows of 2012
1. The Dubliners- Royal Albert Hall

2. The Vijay Iyer Trio- Folly Theater

3. The People's Liberation Big Band- RecordBar

4. Enrico Rava's Tribe- Winningstad Theatre

5. Vivica Genaux and Europa Galante- Folly Theater

6. CS Luxem- FOKL Center

7. Primus- Uptown Theater

8. Pat Metheny- Folly Theater

9. The Tord Gustavsen Quartet- Queen Elizabeth Hall

10. Philip Glass and Tim Fain- Helzberg Hall

11. Slipknot- Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

12. The Matt Otto Quartet- Westport Coffee House

13. Dead Sara- Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

14. Kelly Clarkson- Independence Events Center

15. Trivium- Liberty Memorial Park

16. James Taylor- Starlight Theatre

17. The Anat Cohen Quartet- Folly Theater

18. Tech N9ne- The Midland

19. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra- Folly Theater

20. Lamb of God- Uptown Theater

21. Mission of Burma- RecordBar

22. Hammerlord- Beaumont

23. The Gipsy Kings- The Midland

24. Bob Asher's tribute to Fela- RecordBar

25. Parallax- Take Five Coffee

26. Danzig- Uptown Theater

27. Mutemath- Beaumont

28. Alaturka- Kansas City Academy

29. Eddie Money- Old Shawnee Days

30. Delfeayo Marsalis- Blue Room

31. Bobby Watson with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- Unity Temple on the Plaza

32. Slash- The Midland

33. The McFadden Brothers- Gem Theater



The Ten Best Opening Acts of 2012
1. American Head Charge- Beaumont, for Mushroomhead

2. Foxy Shazam- The Midland, for Slash

3. Testament- The Midland, for Anthrax

4. Darius Rucker- Sprint Center, for Lady Antebellum

5. Christina Perri- Starlight Theatre, for Jason Mraz

6. Making Movies- Knuckleheads, for Los Lobos

7. Sylosis- Uptown Theater, for Lamb of God

8. Orgone- Crossroads KC, for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

9. King's X- Uptown Theater, for Kansas

10. Uncle Lucius- Crossroads KC, for Shooter Jennings

I conducted similar exercises in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Ravi Shankar, 1920-2012

I'd be lying if I suggested that the music of Ravi Shankar provided me with a spiritual awakening.  Yet his very existence played a vital role in my development as a listener.  Learning about the classical music of India via Shankar's celebrity was a genuine revelation.   Through Shankar I first became aware of a musical universe beyond the radio and Soul Train.   Or as Sun Ra put it, "There Are Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)".  Shankar died earlier this week.


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Here's the latest- and possibly the last- recording by the Natural State.  RIYL: Mumford & Sons, Emmylou Harris, First Aid Kit.

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Man Bear's free new Infinity Cat EP is RIYL Big Star, Teenage Fanclub.

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Bittersweet- listen to "Kevin Walsh working at Hitt Records on Christmas Eve".

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I'd held off finalizing my year-end album list until I heard The Game's Jesus Piece.  I needn't have waited.  It's a bitter disappointment.

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2 Chainz has arrived.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)