Blow by Blow

I was transported back to my suburban youth as Jeff Beck played the 1975 jazz fusion classics “Freeway Jam” and “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” at Starlight Theatre last week.

On the cusp of the punk revolution, the garage bands in my subdivision near Kansas City International Airport were still in thrall of jazz fusion and progressive rock.  Selections from Beck’s Blow by Blow, Kansas’ Masque and Rush’s Fly By Night were studiously covered by the musically-inclined big brothers of my hoodrat friends.

In other words, I come by my abiding affection for unfashionable jams like “School Days” and ”You Know, You Know” honestly.


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I reviewed a concert by Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck.

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I talked about Steddy P on KCUR last week.

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

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I previewed Corinne Bailey Rae’s concert at the Uptown Theater for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I paid $35.50 to hear David Sanborn perform at Muriel Kauffman Theatre last week.  My thoughts on the show are posted at Plastic Sax.

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The Kansas City musician Dan Doran has died.

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Pete Fountain has died.

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Einojuhani Rautavaara has died.

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Charlie Hunter’s Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched In the Mouth is insanely fun.   RIYL: Lester Bowie, parties, Medeski Martin & Wood.

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Sarah Borges’ “Tendency to Riot” is one of my favorite songs of 2016.  Her Good and Dirty EP was produced by Eric Ambel.  RIYL: The Bottle Rockets, alcohol, Tim Easton.

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I’m not ashamed to admit that I enjoy DJ Khaled’s summer blockbuster Major Key.  RIYL: radio, Jay-Z, Instagram selfies.

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The 1970s redux!  Nels Cline’s Lovers is a wondrous evocation of the adventurous side of CTI Records.  Admirers of third stream albums by Jim Hall and Paul Desmond are likely to adore Lovers. 

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Janelle Monáe- The Electric Lady

I'm among the dozens of people in my circle of acquaintances who are actively cheering for Janelle Monáe.  Professional music critics, hometown boosters and multi-generational members of the There Stands the Glass compound are among the people hoping that the Wyandotte County native becomes the Prince of the new millennium.   

Her potential is tantalizing.  Monáe was riveting both times I've seen her perform.  But her recordings haven't matched her ambition.  To be blunt, Metropolis: Suite One (The Chase) and The ArchAndroid are kind of whack.  I had hoped that with The Electric Lady, released today, Monáe would finally realize her obvious greatness.  Alas, it's not the one. 

The project seems like three different albums.  There's solid funk and R&B, trifling pop and a few eccentric oddities that advance the album's science fiction theme.

The good stuff is really good.  Prince passes the torch to Monáe on the solid "Give 'em What They Love."  And to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite music critics, the single "Q.U.E.E.N." bumps in my whip.  Monáe resembles a true funkateer on title track. The ballad "Primetime" is what I've always wanted to hear from Alicia Keys.

Several songs exude a heavy 1970s vibe.  Monáe goes hard on the old-school R&B of "Ghetto Woman."  The excellent "Victory" sounds so much like Teena Marie that I have to assume it's a deliberate tribute to the late star.  "Can't Live Without Your Love" is a delectable love song.  "Sally Ride" is the only one of three or four James Bond-inspired songs that click with me.

Then there's the failed pop experiments.  The post-Chic disco of "We Were Rock & Roll" could be a Bruno Mars outtake.  Transforming Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance" into a song of empowerment is a cool idea, but the oppressively cheery jangle of "Dance Apocalyptic" is annoying.  It's one of several tracks that seem tailored to the Fueled By Ramen audience.   The album closer "What An Experience" reminds me of a Sean Kingston ditty.

While it has plenty of convincing moments, The Electric Lady simply isn't the new Dirty Mind, Controversy or 1999.  I reserve the right to revise my opinion after I witness people reacting to the album in a public setting and after I catch Monáe's concert at the Uptown Theater in November.  Until then, I'll be the guy with "Q.U.E.E.N." on repeat.


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I reviewed Johnny Mathis' appearance at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Friday and Iron Maiden's show at the Sprint Center on Saturday.

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Lisa Henry's performance Thursday at Kansas City Kansas Community College impressed me.

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John "Juke" Logan has died.

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The Grisly Hand made a music video for "That's Not Affection".

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Approach's Vanilla Brass was posted to Bandcamp on September 5.  RIYL: Mac Lethal, Doomtree, AWOL One.

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Lennon Bone's new EP is titled Call It a Custom.  RIYL: Ha Ha Tonka, the Whigs, Blitzen Trapper.

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Breakfast With Doctor Gonzo, the latest release by Steddy P and DJ Mahf, was released on Tuesday.

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Here's a vlog by the Mills Record Co.

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You can't un-hear Lizzo's "Batches & Cookies".  RIYL: Lazerbeak, Lil Mama, Sister Carol. 

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Gummy Soul remixed Souls of Mischief's album 93 'til Infinity.

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Paul McCartney's "New" put a spell on me.

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ECM provides a sample of Trios, the new album from Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard and Steve Swallow.

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It took me two days to fight my way through Hesitation Marks, the new album from Nine Inch Nails.  I thought it'd never end.  The horns are cool, though.

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Sketches of Ethiopia isn't my favorite Mulatu Astatke album.  Even so, it's wonderful. RIYL: Duke Ellington, life, James Brown.

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"Hi! My name is…"

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The video for Oddarrang's "Self Portrait" makes me wonder if Explosions In the Sky-style impressionism represents the commercial salvation of jazz.

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Roberto Fonseca's Yo was released in Europe last year but wasn't issued here until August 28.  RIYL: Irakere, Gonalo Rubalcaba, Edmar Castaneda.

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Bombino's Tiny Desk Concert doesn't really work for me.

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I'm living for Fito Olivares' return to Kansas City on Sunday, September 15.

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After giving Janelle Monáe a few more tries, I'll listen to the latest releases by Ralph Alessi, Arctic Monkeys, Carla Bley, Body/Head, Ry Cooder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Samantha Fish, Steep Canyon Rangers, Bryn Terfel, Trombone Shorty, 2 Chainz, J Roddy Walston & the Business, Jimmy Webb, The Weeknd and- heaven help me- the Prog Collective.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Going Grippy Grappa

Jay-Z kept me out of a San Diego jail this week.

My otherwise perfect vacation rental is periodically sullied by a moronic gaggle of hard-partying teens across the alley.  They break out the beer bongs at 11 a.m.  (Fine by me.)  They start doing shots at 7 p.m.  (Whatever.)  The ear-piercing screaming resumes at 11 p.m.  (That's my bedtime after a sun-soaked day.)  The kids rally for a final bout of debauchery around 3 a.m.  (Not cool.) 

Their excellent taste in music is the only reason those kids are still alive.  Although they look and act as if they'd listen to Wiz Khalifa or Mac Miller, the oblivious knuckleheads bump nothing but Magna Carta... Holy Grail.  I'm more inclined to ask them to stop shouting over Jay-Z than to impale them with beach umbrellas.

Once or twice, when I know they're in recovery mode, I've hit 'em with Grippy Grappa, the excellently-titled new album by the Cypriot band Monsieur Doumani.  Imagine Gogol Bordello and the ghost of Herbie Mann on an ouzo bender.  Check out "The System" and "Young Upwardly-Mobile Professional".  I've never been to Greece, let alone Cypress, but Grippy Grappa allows me to better relate to the people of the financially distressed region.

Here's a proper review of Grippy Grappy in Sing Out! magazine.


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Faye Hunter of Let's Active has died.

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The remix of "Bender" features Tech N9ne, Mac Lethal, Irv Da Phenom, JL, Joey Cool, Dutch Newman and Godemis.  

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Radkey is the subject of a solid feature from Noisey.

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Jordan Geiger of Hospital Ships shares a few of his favorite recordings.

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"Sauce Remix" by One is RIYL: Landmark Entertainment, The Popper, James Christos.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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"Sophisticated Ignorance" is the latest offering from Steddy P and DJ Mahf.  RIYL: Cypress Hill, Kottonmouth Kings, Afroman.

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Corky Carrel wrote a beautiful review of Guy Clark's new album.  (Tip via BGO.)

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Care to know what's not cool or played-out in hip-hop?  Here's a "Banned Artists/Track List for a room at turntable.fm.  I like over a third of the banned items on the elitists' list.

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The collaboration between Elvis Costello and the Roots sounds exactly like you'd think it would sound.

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George Duke's Dream Weaver has sublime moments mixed among the cheese.  (And I kind of like the cheese.)  RIYL: George Duke, Al Kooper, George Clinton.

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The music video for Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" flies over my head.

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Willie Sugarcapps is a new semi-supergroup of Americana artists including Will Kimbrough and Grayson Capps.  "Gypsy Train" is pretty.  RIYL: Mary Gauthier, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt.

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Jim Pepper Fest will include a "reunion of the Free Spirits," the "world's first jazz-rock fusion band (1965-1967)" featuring Larry Coryell and Rakalam Bob Moses.

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Swimm's excellent Feel EP is available as a free download at Bandcamp.  RIYL: U2, INXS, T. Rex.

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As soon as I summon enough courage, I'll listen to Van Dyke Park's new album Songs Cycled.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die

I watched Safe House, a solid action flick starring Denzel Washington (and featuring Rubén Blades) on cable earlier this week.   It was little different than dozens of organized crime, complex caper and government conspiracy movies I've enjoyed.  I could see how it was going to play out within the first fifteen minutes.  I didn't mind.  Familiar formulas can provide solace. 

I feel much the same way about Twelve Reasons To Die, the new collaboration between Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge.  With amusingly self-referential lyrics and a sound that deliberately evokes Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, it's at least as good as Ghost's 1996 2006 classic Fishscale. 

The narrative is… Oh, who am I kidding?  This album has my name written all over it- of course I love it.  Anyone who shares my affection for the Wu-Tang Clan and early '70s blaxploitation soundtracks will adore Twelve Reasons To Die.


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Scott Miller of Game Theory and the Loud Family has died.

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Jeneé Osterheldt wrote a fine profile of Kerwin Young.

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Steddy P. already knows that I don't like his video for "Vacay".

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My former coworker Glenn Jones sure can play guitar with emotional authority.

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The Haxan Cloak's Excavation is every bit as as good as critics have suggested.  RIYL: Tangerine Dream, narcotics, seances.

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Curses!  Just when I thought my feelings for the Three O'Clock had been permanently suppressed, a new compilation has revived those undesirable pangs of nostalgia. 

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Iggy Pop has jokes.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)