Anyone who has listened to Future more than me in recent months probably has a nasty codeine habit. The Atlanta artist has overwhelmed his admirers with an avalanche of high-quality, opiate-laced music in 2017. My addiction is problematic. As a guy who recently reminded readers of his affinity for overtly Christian rappers, it’s a blessing that I don’t always comprehend Future’s lyrics. Even so, mesmerizing tracks like ”Feed Me Dope” from Future’s new collaboration with Young Thug match my current mindset. The audaciously synthetic sound will almost certainly sound hopelessly dated in a year or two, but at this moment, I’m a hopeless fiend for Future.
---
I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star.
---
I named the MGDs the KCUR Band of the Week.
---
I put Changing the Tune: The Kansas City Women’s Jazz Festival, 1978-1985 into context at Plastic Sax.
---
Muhal Richard Abrams has died. I’m horrified that I never heard the jazz giant perform. I need to get serious about checking the likes of Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill and James “Blood” Ulmer off my bucket list.
---
L’Orange’s The Ordinary Man packs 16 tracks into 39 minutes. The ratio doesn’t make for a fluid listening experience. Each track ends just as the groove begins to sink in. RIYL: spoken word samples, 9th Wonder, short attention spans.
---
I’m predictably elated by Kanye West’s verse on CyHi’s “Dat Side”.
---
I overlooked Move Upstairs, the wondrous new album by the Como Mamas, when it was released several months ago. RIYL: Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens, salvation, the Staple Sisters. Here’s “Count Your Blessings”.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
1 comment:
In response to: "Muhal Richard Abrams has died. I’m horrified that I never heard the jazz giant perform. I need to get serious about checking the likes of Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill and James “Blood” Ulmer off my bucket list."
Awesome that you mention Mr. Abrams, not to mention this list in general, because I am a big fan of them all, but when I mentioned Mr. Abrams passing to several people last week, everyone responded with "who...?" Quite unfortunate for a man of his caliber and accomplishments.
Not to rub salt in the wound, but I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Abrams just a few months ago when he performed with George Lewis & Roscoe Mitchell in Ojai CA. The entire performance can be found online. Having seen hundreds of jazz performances in my time, the show immediately leaped into my top three of all time.
I think your list is an important one (I've also seen Braxton and it was great), and as none of us get any younger, I'd also add Wadada Leo Smith to that list if you haven't already experienced him. That cat is strong on every performance and always has something nice to offer on every show.
Post a Comment