Yesterday's Wine

To paraphrase Waylon Jennings’ 1977 hit, I was raised on Hank Williams' pain songs, Mickey Newberry's train songs and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”  Willie Nelson has been a more integral part of my life than any other musician.  He and I have both changed considerably through the decades.  During renditions of “Nuages” and “Funny How Time Slips Away” on Wednesday, the icon and I might have been the only people at Starlight Theatre who believed they were at a jazz concert.  Nelson’s vocal phrasing and guitar technique were squarely in the tradition of Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt and Billie Holiday.  I realize it sounds odd, but Nelson is one of my favorite jazz artists.


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I named the Sextet KCUR’s Band of the Week.

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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.

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El Factor, Rich the Factor’s third album of 2017, further confirms what I tell anyone willing to listen to my ranting- the rapper is Kansas City’s most consequential musician.

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Blues man CeDell Davis has died.

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If I were to host a formal cocktail party, I’d make Dee Dee Bridgewater’s covers collection Memphis… Yes, I’m Ready a central part of the playlist.  RIYL: Otis Redding, sophisticated soul, Ann Peebles.

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Our Point of View, a new release by an ensemble appropriately billed as the Blue Note Records All-Stars, is much more than a generic jam session.  RIYL: Ambrose Akinmusire, up-to-the-minute jazz, Robert Glasper.  Here’s ”Second Light”.

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Considering he’s imprisoned, Kevin Gates’ By Any Means 2 is more than adequate.  Here’s “Why I”.

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Sweet Pea Atkinson’s Get What You Deserve is at the center of my wheelhouse.  RIYL: Bobby “Blue Bland, self-aware soul, Bobby Womack.

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Ladilikan, a collaboration between the Kronos Quartet and Trio Da Kali, is a few notches too delicate for me.

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The chitlin-circuit soul of Ms. Jody’s Thunder Under Yonder brings me so much joy that I forgive her for conflating Spanglish and Jamaican patois on a goofy interpretation of “Stir It Up.”

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Jonas Kaufmann is transcendent on L’Opéra.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Soft and Warm

I hit the quiet storm trifecta on Sunday.  While watching Will Downing deliver the classic 1998 ballad “Stop, Look, Listen to Your Heart” at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival, I was rocked by a bolt of adult R&B inspiration.  I hustled to the nearby Celebration at the Station to hear Patti Austin perform with the Kansas City Symphony.  At the conclusion of her portion of the massive event, I raced back to the Jazz District in time to catch Oleta Adams revive her 1991 smash “Get Here”.  Rarely has my unironic embrace of slow jams been more rewarding.


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I reviewed the first and second days of the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival for The Kansas City Star.  I pontificate on the inaugural edition of the festival at Plastic Sax.

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Samantha Fish’s two-night stand at Crossroads KC was my show of the week for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I gave Oleta Adams the KCUR Band of the Week designation.

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Gregg Allman has died.  He seemed frail at a 2015 casino gig I reviewed for The Kansas City Star.

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

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Mickey Roker has died.

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The new reissue of Mulatu of Africa is unassailably groovy.  The many imperfections of Mulatu Astatke’s 1972 album somehow makes the music even more perfect.  RIYL: Roy Ayers, qi, Sun Ra.

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Robert Johnson has nothing on Willie Nelson.  God’s Problem Child is yet another improbably strong album from the 84-year-old icon.

(Original image of the Celebration at the Station by There Stands the Glass.)

Zydeco Boogaloo

Black Top 1024.  That’s how my customers and I identified Buckwheat Zydeco’s 100% Fortified Zydeco when they reordered the album.  The title was one of several releases by the exceptional ambassador of Louisiana music that were in my catalog during my tenure as a music industry sales rep.  No strain of indigenous American music is more discordant or just plain weird than zydeco.  Stanley Dural, the bandleader behind Buckwheat Zydeco who died last week, made the music accessible.  Without his genial refinements, the language barrier, scratch of washboards and cacophonous accordions associated with zydeco might have continued to keep the form a safe distance from the mainstream. 


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I reviewed Chance the Rapper’s concert.

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

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I praised Heidi Lynne Gluck on KCUR last week.

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I address a pet peeve at the Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax.

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I highlighted the music offerings at the Plaza Art Fair for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I reviewed a concert by Steve Martin, Martin Short and the Steep Canyon Rangers.

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Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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Shawty Lo has died.

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Jean Shepherd has died.

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Pádraig Duggan of Clannad has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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John D. Loudermilk has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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The music video for Shirley Collins’ ”Death and the Lady” is almost more than I can bear.

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The heir to John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix may be hiding in plain sight.  His name is John Scofield. On his excellently titled Country For Old Men, Scofield interprets classics like “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

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I loved the 2000 album dwightyoakamacoustic.net.  The country artist’s Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars… may be just as good.

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Willie Nelson is on a roll.  For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price is perfect.

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Rose Out the Concrete, Rich the Factor’s third album in as many months, isn’t as good as Smile or Whale Mafi.  Here’s the Kansas City legend’s ”In the Kitchen”.

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I won't pretend to understand Yermande, an astounding recording by Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force.  But it's wonderful.  (Tip via Big Steve.)

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review- Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin

It’s discouraging to see one of the greatest figures in American music reduced to a punchline.  The Willie-and-weed narrative was played out 20 years ago but I still encounter many more Willie-related marijuana jokes than serious discussions of his music. 

The ongoing artistic vitality of Nelson, 82, is one of the most remarkable achievements in popular music.  While his performances are ramshackle affairs, several of his recent albums are exceptional.

The gentle swing and the unabashed sentimentality of the new Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin brings tears to my eyes.  My emotional reaction is partly based in nostalgia.

My old man bought every Nelson album in the 1970s.  Willie's greatness was about the only thing he and I agreed upon.  The 1978 album Stardust introduced me to standards like “September Song” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”  Summertime may be even better.


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I reviewed Logan Richardson’s magnificent new album Shift for KCUR.

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I reviewed Lee Fields’ impressive concert at the Granada.

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I previewed Kacey Musgraves’ concert for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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

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I’m the gray blip that moves from the left to the right side of the stage at the 4:49 mark of the transfixing time lapse video of the Be/Non album release show at the Scottish Rite Temple.

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Some of the tracks on Kendrick Lamar’s new collection of outtakes and demos are merely footnotes to Good Kid M.A.A.D. City and To Pimp a Butterfly.  Other selections- particularly the jazz and funk selections- are stunning.

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Aki Rissanen’s Amorandom is an up-to-date acoustic piano trio album.  RIYL: Esbjörn Svensson, Finland, Brad Mehldau.

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Birds of Chicago’s Real Midnight is RIYL: Sonia Dada, nouveau hippies, Poi Dog Pondering.

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Esperanza Spalding’s wretched new album is a half-baked tribute to the collaborations between Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius.

(Original image of a stagehand vacuuming the set of a Vance Joy concert by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Chelsea Light Moving

Chelsea Light Moving is a flawed album.  The self-titled release by Thurston's Moore's new band is loaded with cringeworthy moments.  Then why do I keep listening?  It's not because of Moore's lyrics.  Seemingly intended as an homage to Patti Smith and Lou Reed, Moore's good intentions frequently go awry without the editorial guidance he must have received in Sonic Youth.

But those guitars… 

In the same way classic rock and technical metal fans adore the exhibitions of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, I relish hearing Moore's scuzzy post-punk constructs.  More than nostalgia is at play.  Sure, I bought Evol as a new release in 1986 and saw Sonic Youth a few months later at the Outhouse.  Moore's riffs may be recycled, but they're timeless.

An 18-minute performance for KEXP captures the Chelsea Light Moving aesthetic.


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I didn't know that George Jackson co-wrote "Old Time Rock and Roll" until I read his obituary yesterday.   So "Down Home Blues" is an answer song to the Bob Seger hit?  Mind blown. 

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Chi Cheng of Deftones has died.

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Farout, the bearded dude in Brett Gretzky, may be Missouri's next hip hop star.  The duo's "Crows" is available as a free download.

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I'll listen to the new albums by Kid Cudi, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, Ghost B., Ghostface Killah, Volbeat and Mel Waiters, as soon as I get my fill of the latest dispatch from Willie Nelson.

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Kansas City Click: The RecordBar hosts The Mowgli's on Tuesday.

Fear Factory is at the Riot Room on Wednesday.

Spooner Oldham (!) supports Pegi Young at the Riot Room Czar Bar on Thursday.

Flux Pavilion will light up the Midland on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Fat Loser Problems

Going to Coachella? You’re a Loser and Part of the Problem and Probably Fat, an essay currently making the usual social media rounds, amused me.

Still a bit punch-drunk from the 24 hours I logged at the three-day Middle of the Map festival, I'm sympathetic to the sentiment expressed in the cynical screed.  The truth, however, is that I relish excess.  I embrace the novel opportunity to take in performances by honky tonk, punk and hip hop acts within a single hour.

Putting up with chatty Cathys and drunk Daves who would otherwise rarely set foot in a live music venue is a small price to pay for the experience.  (I even grew fond of the wasted Wendy who followed me around on Saturday.)

Besides, the relatively small scale of Middle of the Map meant that the furthest I ever stood from any performer was when I retreated to the balcony of the Uptown Theater during Grizzly Bear's stellar set to take this crummy shot.  The irrepressible Dutch Newman even collided with me during his performance.


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My notes on the final day of the Middle of the Map festival are part of this report.

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Regarding the "Accidental Racist" brouhaha: The controversy shouldn't center on the well-intentioned Brad Paisley or the deeply regrettable contribution of LL Cool J.  The real issue is that the milquetoast star is considered a "visionary" (Brian Mansfield in today's USA Today) by the Nashville establishment.  As a wise man once said, "It's been the same way for years- we need to change."

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God bless Willie Nelson.  The EPK for his forthcoming album showcases the "good" Willie.  (Tip via BGO.)

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The "season finale" of the KC Cypher Series is an important document of Kansas City's hip hop scene, but I can't sign off on most of the contributions.  The three best participants are Nesto the Owner, Riv Locc and Paul Mussan.

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I'm going to listen to the latest releases from James Blake, Stone Sour, the Knife, Device, the Dave Douglas Quintet, Jake Bugg, Paramore, John Medeski, Eric Church, Steve Kuhn and Kurt Vile only after I tire of Julieta Venegas' new Los Momentos album.

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Kansas City Click: The Slide Brothers perform at Knuckleheads on Tuesday.

Garbage plays the VooDoo Lounge on Wednesday.

Rob Scheps and Jerry Dodgion appear at Take Five Coffee + Bar on Thursday.

Alaturka returns to Kansas City Academy on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)