Metal Deficiency

Something was wrong with me.  I’d become unusually disaffected in recent days.  I was relieved when I happened upon the proper diagnosis of the mysterious ache: I hadn’t attended a metal show in six weeks.

I paid $28 at the door of the Truman to allow the fearsome package tour of Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Aversions Crown and Shadow of Intent to relieve me of my metal deficiency.  The extreme dose of bone-rattling blast beats mended my soul.  Getting kicked in the head by crowd-surfers and elbowed in the gut by crazed men in the mosh pit enhanced the healing process.

Fleshgod Apocalypse, a theatrical Italian band with an operatic vocalist and a pianist, amused me.  I felt the musical medicine fully kick in when the group insisted that the audience of about 700 participate in the traditional wall of death ritual.


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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star.

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I reviewed Stephen Martin’s debut album Vision at Plastic Sax.

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Henry Butler has died.  My kids were so enamored with a performance by the Louisiana pianist at an outdoor festival about 15 years ago that they had Butler sign their comic books.

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Richard Swift, an indie-rock Zelig, has died.

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Jazz trombonist Bill Watrous has died.

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Vince Martin of “Cindy, Oh Cindy” fame has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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The Kansas City rapper Hoggy D collaborates with locally based heavyweights Rich the Factor and Rush Borda on the old-school street rap album Heavy Starch.  Here’s “New Method”.

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Cyrille Aimée's new live album affirms my enthusiasm for her concert at the Folly Theater in February.  Far more than a gypsy jazz revivalist, Aimée and her band get delightfully weird on Thelonious Monk and Michael Jackson covers.

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I’m not going to pretend that I love it, but the ways in which Yuno blends Blink-182, Lil Peep, No Doubt, the Cure and Sade on Moodie is the default sound of 2018.  Here’s “Why For”.

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Philthy’s Party Crashers is a decent funk album.  I wouldn’t ordinarily bother mentioning it, but I came upon the release by the New York ensemble immediately after suffering through two like-minded but vastly inferior efforts by locally based artists.  Here’s the title track.

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The spate of protracted albums is wearing me out.  I'm diligently working my way through all three hours and 15 minutes of William Parker’s stupendous Voices Fall From The Sky.  RIYL: Anthony Davis, art songs, Wadada Leo Smith.

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Gorillaz’s The Now Now strikes me as the sequel to Arctic Monkey’s Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.  That’s a good thing.  Here’s “Humility”.

(Original image of Aversions Crown at the Truman by There Stands the Glass.)

Continental Drift

Jazz fans are familiar with the concept of big band battles.  I’m intrigued by the unofficial jazz clash between Europe and North America.  Based on my listening habits in recent months, my money’s on Europe.

Three new releases by European pianists illustrative the point.  Each is more imaginative and engaging than the efforts of most of their American counterparts.  Tigran Hamasyan is one of the most exciting musicians of the moment.  The Armenian pianist’s 29-minute For Gyumri possesses improvisational daring, melodic charm and a vast sonic range.

The septuagenarian Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson demonstrates that it’s still possible to make the conventional jazz trio format seem fresh on Contra la Indecisión.   Elliot Galvin, an impudent British talent, conveys funny jazz jokes on the deeply amusing The Influencing Machine.  I’m eager for Americans to rise to the challenge.


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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.

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I’ll feature David George on my weekly KCUR segment tomorrow.

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I reviewed Cyrille Aimée’s concert at the Folly Theater for Plastic Sax.

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The Kansas City rock musician Billy Johnson has died.

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I barely survived Mary Chapin Carpenter’s morose headlining set at the Kansas City Folk Festival.  To paraphrase the eminent philosopher Chief Keef, that’s that stuff I don’t like.  To be fair, following the jubilant set of Los Texmaniacs and Flaco Jiménez’s party music would have been a challenge for anyone.  Kalyn Fay, an Oklahoman Cherokee singer-songwriter, was my find of the day.

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An in-store performance by the soul revivalist and roots-rock newcomer Liz Brasher thrilled me last week.  Here’s “Cold Baby”.

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Sa-Roc’s self-empowerment anthem “Forever” is persuasive.  RIYL: Lizzo, appreciating “exactly who you are,” Brother Ali.

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I realize it makes me little different than an awful 13-year-old boy, but the novelty of countertenor vocalists still amuses me.  Even so, I’m awed by Franco Fagioli’s Handel Arias.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)