Review: The Owen/Cox Dance Company's "A Body of Work"

As the rest of an audience of about 100 watched five athletic dancers at La Esquina on Sunday, October 5, I studied Brad Cox as he manipulated sound at the back of the room.  I have nothing against ballet, but Cox's stunning score for The Owen/Cox Dance Group's production "A Body of Work" demanded my full attention.  Using a combination of prerecorded backing tracks, ambient beats derived from the dancers' movements, a drum machine and the live vocals of Victoria Botero, Cox crafted a compelling soundscape.  Additional percussion emanating from four hanging columns and a quadrophonic mix made the experience even more dizzying.  Cox's exceptional performance was a civilized version of the futuristic work of groundbreaking acts like Marijuana Deathsquads.


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I reviewed Tuesday's concert by Gaslight Anthem, Against Me! and Cory Branan.

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The Kronos Quartet's performance at Helzberg Hall floored me on Saturday. 

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Ikey Owens of Mars Volta has died.  Owens recently produced Various Blonde's Summer High album.

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John Holt of the Paragons has died.

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Here's a video tour of the Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven.

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Local Customs: Cavern Sound, a compilation of forgotten bands from Independence, will be released this week.  The only name that rings a bell is Morningstar, a band I hadn't thought about in at least 25 years.

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Iceage's Plowing Into the Field of Love is shockingly raw.  RIYL: The Fall, drunken stupors, the Birthday Party.  Here's "How Many".

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The video for Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "Quail and Dumplings" is almost as good as the song.

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It's not fair to Vince Staples, but almost all I could think about as I listened to Hell Can Wait was how much I still love Earl Sweatshirt's Doris.  RIYL: OFWGKTA, Los Angeles, the Cool Kids.

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On Worker, the latest studio album by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, the Oklahoma band veers into electronic territory.  RIYL: Soulive, acting on impulses, Galactic.

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SZA's fine new album Z is RIYL: Sade, slow motion, Frank Ocean.  "Babylon" is the best track.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review- Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil

Brazil Classics 1: Beleza Tropical changed my life 23 years ago.  I had been only vaguely aware of Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso prior to purchasing the David Byrne-curated CD.  Hearing a handful of their most accessible songs on a single set opened my ears to a universe of sounds.  I feel much the same way about the new compilation Daora: Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil.  The lengthy album contains contemporary hip-hop, funk, post-MPB, indie rock, Afrobeat and reggae of Brasil.  About a third of it is astoundingly great.  Having only been aware of a handful of the featured artists, I've embarked on a delightful new journey of discovery.

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I reviewed Tuesday's concert by the Postal Service and Mates of State.

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Kerry Strayer, a major player on Kansas City's jazz scene, has died.

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Serj Tankian sings the hook on Tech N9ne's "Straight Out the Gate".

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Numero Group is reissuing material recorded for Kansas City's Forte label.

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Minden's video for "What's More Than Appropriate?" transfixed me.  The Way Back's video for "Terrified" is less ambitious.

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I tried to get into F**k Buttons, but all I hear is a stylish version of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

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Homebodies will be able to watch live streams of this weekend's Lollapalooza, Pickathon and Newport Jazz festivals.

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"I'm up against brass cleaning!"  Footage of Action Bronson's appearance at an old folk's home makes me smile.

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Ole Smokey's remixes of classic rock, funk, jazz and pop tracks are a hoot. 

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Kairy Koshoeva and the Owen/Cox Dance Group- Polsky Theatre

I used to think about love, mortality and God as I listened to the Goldberg Variations.  Not anymore.  A concert at Polsky Theatre on Monday may have forever altered the associations I'll make when I hear Bach's famous work.  A performance by the Owen/Cox Dance Group accompanied Kairy Koshoeva as she played the variations in its entirety.  Jennifer Owen's creative choreography managed to make the composition seem like a natural modern dance soundtrack.  The sole flaw occurred at the conclusion of a few segments as Koshoeva's otherwise stellar playing was sullied by the necessity of monitoring the readiness of the dancers.  The free performance served as a preview of a June 8 concert at White Recital Hall.


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I did not expect much of Scotty McCreery at the Uptown Theater on Saturday.  The kid impressed me.  Here's my review.

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Strange Music continues to crank out videos.  Here are the moving pictures for Ces Cru's "When Worlds Collide".

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I've long suggested that Mac Lethal could be a successful television or radio personality.  Here's proof.

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Eccentric Soul: The Dynamic Label is the latest reissue from the Numero Group.

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Coming to the Stiefel Theatre in Salina, Kansas: the Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, Joan Baez, Ian Anderson and Boz Scaggs.

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Here's the latest dispatch from Earl Sweatshirt.

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Kansas City Click: Freedy Johnston plays the Czar Bar on Tuesday.  I'm not sure if he's willing to play "Trying To Tell You I Don't Know" anymore.

DJ Abilities appears at the Czar Bar on Wednesday.  (R.I.P. Eyedea.)

Sam Baker performs at a house concert on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)