October Recap

Top Five Performances
1. Nadia Larcher and Ensemble Ibérica- MTH Theater
My review.
2. Max Richter, Grace Davidson and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble- Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (Austin)
My review.
3. Rodney Crowell- 04 Center (Austin)
Ain’t living long like that.
4. Tatsuya Nakatani- The Ship
My review.
5. Orville Peck- RecordBar
Who was that masked man?

Top Five Albums
1. Kris Davis- Diatom Ribbons
Unit structures.
2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Ghosteen
My review.
3. Robert Glasper- Fuck Yo Feelings
My review.
4. Danny Brown- Uknowhatimsayin?
Don't know nothing but I do know this.
5. Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise
Jazz musicians with punk attitudes are inestimable.

Top Five Songs
1. Summer Walker and PartyNextDoor- “Just Might”
Self-awareness can be excruciating.
2. City Girls- “JT First Day Out”
Sprung.
3. Miranda Lambert- “Tequila Does”
Shots.
4. Bill Frisell- “Everywhere”
Sweet dreams are made of this.
5. Kanye West featuring Clipse and Kenny G- “Use This Gospel”
Kenny G takes a solo on Jesus Is King's best track.

I conducted the same exercise in September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

(Original image of Tatsuya Nakatani by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Robert Glasper- Fuck Yo Feelings

A rapper accosted me in a bar a few years ago.  He told me that while he appreciated my detailed analysis of his latest work, my review mistakenly referred to the recording as an album.  “It’s a mixtape!” he hollered.  Even though the project was sold on Bandcamp and iTunes and wasn’t available at mixtape sites like DatPiff, I let it go.

The distinction between albums and mixtapes is even more meaningless today.  That’s why I think Robert Glasper’s insistence that Fuck Yo Feelings is a mixtape is merely a defensive posture intended to deflect accusations of sloppiness.  And sure enough, the 71-minute recording is a self-indulgent mess, a tone he cops to in the album trailer.

Almost every time a groove catches a towering wave, the vibe is unceremoniously interrupted by a social message or a grimy verse.  But when the list of contributors reads like a Who’s Who of my favorite jazz, funk and hip-hop musicians- Bilal, YBN Cordae, Chris Dave, Denzel Curry, Herbie Hancock, Derrick Hodge, etc.- even the disruptions are nice.

On the DJ Screw-inspired “Daf Ftf,” Glasper slurs “anybody can just be a killing musician… it takes courage to step out and be a fucking artist…”  Glasper continues to prove that has plenty of guts.  I’d rather hear him goof around than listen to the most polished work of ninety percent of the artists listed on the JazzWeek radio chart.  Fuck their feelings.


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I contribute weekly concert recommendations to The Kansas City Star.

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I reviewed Rabbit’s Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges at Plastic Sax.

(Original image of a light switch at the Folly Theater by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: August Greene

I love everything about August Greene’s self-titled debut album.  Well, almost everything.  Common’s lyrics are occasionally too corny even by my sentimental standards.  And a background vocalist’s pitch seems slightly off.  My instantaneous embrace of the project is hardly a surprise.  I’ve long adored the veteran rapper, the genre-busting keyboardist Robert Glasper and the imaginative drummer Karriem Riggins.  Working as August Greene, they create a sublime blend of jazz, soul and hip-hop that’s situated at the exact center of my wheelhouse.  The group’s Tiny Desk Concert is divine.


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My recent weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star are here and here.

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I named Brewer & Shipley the KCUR Band of the Week.

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Russ Solomon has died.  I reported directly to the retail titan during a particularly perilous segment of my career in the music distribution industry.  Solomon’s fearlessness was inspiring, his guile was masterful and his frequent displays of kindness never failed to motivate me.

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Tracey Thorn’s Record is wonderful.  RIYL: Everything But the Girl, Brit-pop circa 1986, Pet Shop Boys.  Here’s “Sister”.

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Lucy Dacus’ breathlessly hyped Historian merits much of the acclaim.  RIYL: Eliza Carthy, the flavor of the week, Fairport Convention.  Here’s “Addictions”.

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A bygone Moroccan band’s deranged interpretation of “Für Elise” makes me proud to be an Earthling.

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Dayramir González attempts to condense the entire history of Cuban jazz into the 72-minute The Grand Concourse.  The manic release is recommended if you like Cachao, Benny Moré and Irakere.

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Alfredo Rodríguez’s The Little Dream is completely over the top.  RIYL: Lionel Loueke, Cuba, Pat Metheny at his most excessive.

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Seun Kuti does right by his father on Black Times.  Femi Kuti’s One People One World is slightly less formidable.

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The Andy Sheppard Quartet’s wispy Romaria is elegant sonic wallpaper.  RIYL: music for hangovers, John Surman, clouds.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Hale Mary

Either I’m suffering from a severe case of Stockholm syndrome or a band I once loathed has dramatically improved.  Halestorm’s 2009 breakout hit “I Get Off” turned my stomach at the time.  The first few of the six or seven times I worked their concerts were dismal experiences.  Things have changed.  Not only would I now gladly purchase a ticket to a Halestorm concert with my own money, I’ve been listening to the group’s new covers EP for pleasure.  Whitesnake never sounded so good.  (Send help.)


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I touted Lincoln Marshall on KCUR this week.

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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I documented my visit to a cocktail lounge on the Plaza at Plastic Sax.

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Nat Hentoff has died.

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I’m glad No Plan exists, but most of the new David Bowie EP isn’t nearly as good as Blackstar.

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Renée Fleming's Distant Light is a lovely adventure.

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Dale Watson and Ray Benson’s new duet album is charming.  RIYL: Willie Nelson’s countless duet albums, old coots, Texas.

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Spotify’s bots earned their keep when they tipped me to Courtney Marie Andrews’ Honest Life.  RIYL: Iris Dement, The Last Waltz, Mimi Fariña.

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Robert Glasper is featured in what may be the  best episode of “What’s In My Bag?”

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: The Robert Glasper Experiment- ArtScience

I’m baffled by fans who buy t-shirts and other merchandise before a concert begins.  Won’t they regret purchasing the souvenirs if the performer disappoints them?  Friends who proclaim that a forthcoming event will be “the concert of the year” are no less silly.  So much for the Show Me state.

If symbolism mattered more than content, the Robert Glasper Experiment’s ArtScience, a project on which one of my favorite jazz musicians leads an excellent band in an exploration of R&B, would be my top album of 2016.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of actually listening to ArtScience.  I share the inclinations of Glasper and the members of his all-star band, but their update of classic Stevie Wonder, George Duke’s funk-fusion and current neo-soul by the likes of Erykah Badu falls well short of the mark.  A handful of impressive moments only make me long for what might have been.


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I reviewed John Mayall’s concert at Knuckleheads.

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I reviewed James Bay’s return to the Midland theater.

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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I discussed Brody Buster’s One Man Band on KCUR last week.

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A forthcoming Sigur Rós concert is my Big Show of the Week for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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Rod Temperton has died.

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Joan Marie Johnson Faust of the Dixie Cups has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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My new catchphrase: ”I got a new name in the streets. They call me Billy.”.

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The Duo- Live!, a jam session featuring Mulgrew Miller and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, is an old-school treat.

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The end is nigh.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Speaking to God in Public

My two favorite albums of 2016 are by Chicago rappers.  Here’s the kicker: Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo and Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book are gospel albums.  West insists that “this is a God dream.”  Chance avers that “I speak to God in public.”  Their testimonials aren’t negated by the inclusion of raps about inebriation, pride, lust and avarice.  The name of this site indicates that I’m sympathetic to their imperfections.  As a person of faith, I neither seek nor require categorical spiritual validation from artists.  Nevertheless, the praise songs on The Life of Pablo and Coloring Book inspire me.


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I reviewed a Florence + The Machine concert.

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KCUR published my review of Go, the new album by the underappreciated Kansas City musician Krizz Kaliko.

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I reviewed Andrew W.K.’s concert on Saturday.

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I logged eight hours at the Westport Roots Festival.  Here are my notes for The Kansas City Star.  I also wrote a preview of the annual event.

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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I admire Logan Richardson’s momentous homecoming concert at Plastic Sax.

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The Kansas City rapper Gee Watts created a video for ”Hallelujah”.

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The eponymous album by the young Tuareg band Imarhan is exciting.  Here’s a video for the title track.

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I’ve long appreciated David Bazan.  Blanco is RIYL: despair, the Magnetic Fields, lo-fi synths.

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Black Mountain might be trolling on IV.  RIYL: Dio, ‘80s nostalgia, the Tubes.  Here’s ”Mothers of the Sun”.

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I don’t enjoy playing the role of a fussbudget, but Robert Glasper's revision of Miles Davis’ music on Everything’s Beautiful is a bummer.  RIYL: Erykah Badu, jokers who like to shout “remix!”, Marcus Miller.

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A Love Electric’s exciting Psychmonde is RIYL Chris Whitley, drugs, Ziggy Stardust.

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I’ll cop to liking Otep’s dystopian pop-metal.  Generation Doom is RIYL: Nine Inch Nails, Hot Topic apparel, Korn.   Here’s ”Down”.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Phil Neal & the Wornalls at the RecordBar

I should have been drinking Guinness and wearing an Eddie & the Hot Rods t-shirt rather than enjoying Boulevard Pale Ale while bundled in a sweater.  Attending Phil Neal & the Wornalls' recent matinee performance at the RecordBar was akin to stepping into a London pub in 1976.  The earnest band banged out pub rock with casual grace. 

Ever since I reviewed the delightful album Lonely Tonight in February, I'd been meaning to catch the band.  Better late than never. 

Neal comes by the no-frills sound honestly.  Check out his 1983 video for "2 Time Loser".  Thirty years later, Neal's pop aspirations have been replaced with gritty defiance.

Aside from the shaky vocals I referenced in my album review, the band- particularly lead guitarist Gary Paredes- played with admirable fortitude.  While callow audiences might be put off by the multi-generational composition of his band, Neal's perseverance inspires me.


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Josh Berwanger's Strange Stains is RIYL: Dwight Twilley, Lindsey Buckingham, the Shoes.  (Tip via Tim Finn.)

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A favorite parlor game in the There Stands the Glass compound is determining which version of a popular song is best.  The winner of the "Both Sides Now" entry is Dave Van Ronk. 

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Care to watch grainy footage of Don Ho and Tom Jones singing Willie Nelson's "Night Life"?  Of course you do.

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Disappointed!  Robert Glasper's Black Radio 2 is a self-indulgent mess.  Most of the raps are corny while the melismatic vocalists sound way too blessed out. 

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Boy George's album is remarkably solid.  Check out "King of Everything".  RIYL: Culture Club, Culture, Club Med. 

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I enjoyed Arcade Fire's new Reflektor album far more than the band's 2010 breakthrough album The Suburbs. RIYL: Let's Dance-era David Bowie, NPR, Chic.

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I really wanted to like Alan Jackson's Bluegrass Album album, but it just brought me down.  RIYL: The Grand Ole Opry, moonshine, poor execution. 

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Skeletonwitch's Serpents Unleashed is excellent.  RIYL: dirt, Torche, beer.

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I'm glad to have listened to Allen Tousssaint's Songbook once, but the live recording accentuates the brilliant man's weaknesses.  RIYL: Bobby Short, cabaret, Elvis Costello. 

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Malaco re-upped a fine promotional video for a 1999 Little Milton album. 

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This week's new releases of special interest to There Stands the Glass include titles by Trace Adkins, Arcade Fire, Bad Religion (Christmas Songs!), Bardo Pond, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Forsyth, Robert Glasper, Roy Harper, Toby Keith, Los Lobos, Nick Lowe, Johnny Mathis, Minor Alps, Juana Molina, Warbringer and White Denim.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)