After playing a rendition of Frederic Rzewiski's thorny "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" that lasted for exactly one hour, Brendan Kinsella returned for an encore at Grant Hall on Monday.
"One more time," he joked.
I laughed along with the rest of the audience of about 50. Funny thing, though- I would have stuck around for another 60 minutes to hear it again. Kinsella's piano recital was a test of endurance. And I won.
Kinsella sold me on Rzewiski's political statement, a work I'd never heard. He also played an additional set of variations by Bach and Justin Writer.
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I reviewed Wednesday's Kings of Leon and Gary Clark, Jr. concert.
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My thoughts on the first volume of Stanley Crouch's biography of Charlie Parker are published at Plastic Sax.
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Charles Love of the Kansas City band Bloodstone has died. Our paths crossed several times. He was an old-school gentleman. Here's a video montage that focuses on his final years. And I'm still astounded that Bloodstone starred in the film Train Ride To Hollywood.
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Korn is the headliner of the 2014 edition of Rockfest.
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The latest episode of the KC Cypher series gets off to a rough start. It doesn't get much better. KD is the best of a sorry bunch.
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Shy Boys released a video for "And I Am Nervous".
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Former Kansas City resident Steve Cardenas is doing really interesting things as a member of Ben Allison's band. RIYL: Jim Hall, the new thing, John Abercrombie.
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Teddy Dibble has a lot going on online. Start here, here or here. (Tip via There Stands the Glass reader Phil.)
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Phil also turned me on to Harold Ousley's obviously seminal "Uncle Funky" from the 1972 album Sweet Double Hipness.
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Well, this is embarrassing. I'm smitten by Rick Ross' patently offensive new album Mastermind. The fact that his relentless boasting, sexism and homophobia don't become tiresome makes me question my self esteem. "Sanctified" features Big Sean, Kanye West and Betty Wright.
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I feel as if I'm the only fan of contemporary hip-hop who's not down with Schoolboy Q. At its best, the new album Oxymoron resembles a poor man's version of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city. At its worst, it sounds like an anemic Odd Future spinoff. Here's "Break the Bank".
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Kris Bowers' Heroes + Misfits is the kind of album I dream about. RIYL: Esperanza Spalding, the ideal balance of jazz and R&B, José James.
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"You wanna see a dead body?" I championed Pusha T's "Numbers On the Boards" last year. I still love the song, but "Nosetalgia", Pusha T's collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, may be the single best track released in 2013.
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Here's a bracing new rendition of Cursive's "A Gentleman Caller".
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Regina Carter's impeccable Southern Comfort is RIYL: Mark O'Connor, NPR bumper music, Bela Fleck.
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Ume realizes its potential on Monuments. RIYL: Deafheaven, metallic shards, Joy Formidable.
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The way the lineup of the Big Blues Bender festival is listed reveals just how far the fortunes of a few former stars of the genre have fallen.
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I've publicly denounced modern blues in this space, so my endorsement of Damon Fowler's Sounds of Home may send shock waves through the There Stands the Glass community. RIYL: Dickey Betts, alcohol, Little Feat.
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Shirazette Tinnin's Humility: Purity of My Soul is a mixed bag for fans of adventurous R&B-inflected jazz. Her drumming is great, but the occasionally wacky vocals are a deal-breaker. RIYL: Tia Fuller, the new freshness, Stevie Wonder.
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Holy Out to Lunch! Matt Bauder's Nightshades is very nice. RIYL: Eric Dolphy, 1966 rebooted, Joe Henderson.
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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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