Rough Shop- Just Because It Was Christmas

Boxing Day.

Had the MP3 of "Just Because It Was Christmas" not been emailed to me directly by a member of the band, I would have sworn that the new seasonal song was created by the celebrated likes of Ian McLagan, Amy Rigby, The dB's or The Rumour. It's rooted in precisely the type of British pub rock that hits me like a mug of spiked eggnog.

The instant classic served as my introduction to the Rough Shop collective but the St. Louis band is a known commodity in their hometown. They performed at the Riverfront Times's awards showcase earlier this year. And my friend Steve Pick wrote the liner notes for their new release. Here's an excerpt:

On Just Because It Was Christmas there's no hint of ironic distance from the act of celebrating Christmas. Nor is it a leaden, overly-reverent, uncritical recitation of what everybody has heard before. It is a collection of beautiful, emotionally truthful, sometimes funny, sometimes sad songs, and it deserves to be added to the list of exceptional Christmas albums.

The eleven-song Just Because It Was Christmas album is available here.

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If I end up compiling a "video of the year" list, Young Dro's "I Don't Know Y'All might be my top pick.

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Kansas City Click: Jimmy Wayne and Chris Young are among the country stars crooning Wednesday at the Midland.

Ampichino appears at America's Pub on Thursday.

Liam Clancy, 1935-2009

Farewell.

I'm crying again.

It's not as if I knew Liam Clancy. I never even saw him perform. But listening to his exquisite 1965 solo album is almost too much to bear. The disaster depicted in "Anach Cuain" is devastating. Clancy's rendition of "Dirty Old Town" is reserved while "Home Boys Home," ostensibly a jaunty sailor's song, emphasizes the damage done by wayfaring strangers. "The Water Is Wide" reduces me to a puddle of tears. It's all great.

So is this more recent live performance of "Red Is the Rose."

It's not for the parting with my sister Kate/ It's not for the grief of my mother/It's all for the loss of my bonny Irish lass/That my heart is breaking forever.

Clancy died last week.

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I truly enjoyed Darius Rucker's concert a couple days ago. Here's my review.

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Kansas City Click: Brian Martin headlines a hootenanny Tuesday at the Record Bar.

Thunder Eagle- Classical Decomposer

Decomposed.

Heavy metal is hilarious.

It can be the most liberating and cathartic of musical forms. It's also inherently ludicrous. The head-banging? Hysterical! The guitar solos? Absurd! The song titles? Laughable! The band logos? Preposterous!

Thunder Eagle understands this. Their implicit acknowledgment of metal's contextual silliness allows them to rock even more convincingly. Songs like "Classical Decomposer" and "Alcoholocaust" (grab the MP3 at PureVolume) demonstrate that humor and head-banging go together like vodka and tonic.

As displayed in this year-old video, Thunder Eagle masterfully fuse post-AC/DC blues with Southern rock and contemporary thrash. They've since released the five-song Ride The Timberwolf (another local gag) and are working on their first full-length album.

They hit the Riot Room on Monday.

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I happily downloaded two free mixtapes by regional artists this week. There Stands the Glass-favorite Stik Figa has a new project with D/Will. It's here. And the download from Mouth, a jazz-funk-reggae-hip hop jam band, is a shockingly diverse project.

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Kansas City Click: Spoon, The Bravery, Metric and Hockey play for fans of a radio station Thursday at the Midland Theater.

Angela Hagenbach croons Friday at Jardine's.

Megadeth touches down at the Beaumont Club on Saturday.

I wouldn't mind hearing Darius Rucker sing "Alright" at the Midland Theater on Sunday.

Thunder Eagle rocks the Riot Room on Monday.

(Image of Thunder Eagle pilfered from Pure Volume.)

Review: Sugarland's Gold and Green

If ever a pop act was suited to the unique sensibility of Christmas, it's Sugarland. The folksy and sincere voice of Jennifer Nettles is tailor-made for the season. Not only is her voice more expansive than Santa's belly, she and her partner Kristian Bush demonstrated that they're masters at interpreting familiar material on this year's impressive Live On the Inside album. (Here's my review.)

Besides, the unapologetically cornpone component of the band's sound gave Gold and Green, the band's first Christmas album, the potential to be a fully realized holiday classic.

Alas, they don't quite get there. Split between original and classic material as well as the sacred and the secular, the album is too disjointed to become a holiday staple. Still, a handful of individual tracks are excellent. The Leon Russell-style gospel-blues of "Comin' Home" works, as does "Maybe Baby (New Year's Day)." And I don't know why Nettles breaks into Spanish on "Silent Night" but I like it a lot.

It's not perfect. "Nuttin' For Christmas" is the sort of condescending hillbilly tripe that represents Sugarland at their worst. I'm not suggesting that Sugarland forsake its country roots, but the song doesn't ring true to my ears. Their ill-advised satirical advertisement for the project isn't funny either.

I remain convinced that Sugarland has a classic Christmas album in them. It'd be just fine with me if Sugarland put out a Christmas album every year until they get it right.

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I compile a list of The Ten Most Important Jazz-Related Events and Stories of 2009 at Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax.

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Jazz musician Jason Parker blogs about his experiment with "free." (Tip via AZ.)

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I had occasion to interact with Bob Keane of Del-Fi Records a few times. He died November 28. (Tip via BGO.)

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Folk music historian Bess Hawes has died. (Tip via BGO.)

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Kansas City Click: Rex Hobart plays an early show at The Record Bar on Tuesday.

Jerry Hahn plays Jardine's on Wednesday.

Eddie Henderson- Ceora

No more.

I watched HBO's airing of The Jazz Baroness this week. As this trailer of sorts indicates, it's an odd little documentary. Trumpeter Eddie Henderson, the owner of a Doctors Degree in psychiatry, is one of the film's talking heads. I didn't know what to make of his explanation of the electroshock therapy administered to Thelonious Monk. Henderson's excellent mid-70s funk-fusion efforts like this are far less ambiguous. "Ceora" is from the much tamer Think On Me album from 1990.

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I have no idea how many thousands of CDs, DVDs and albums I acquired during the last ten years. I imagine that the majority of the music I accumulate in the forthcoming decade will be MP3s or just borrowed and rented streams. The only way to make physical product appealing today is by offering something unique. The Old Canes and Saddle Creek have the right idea for Feral Harmonic. This video shows the Kansas band's new release being assembled by hand.

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I reviewed recent shows headlined by Hatebreed and Tech N9ne.

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Kansas City Click: Lenny Williams sings "Cause I Love You" Friday at the Uptown Theater.

Baroness gets loud in the Riot Room on Saturday.

Erin McKeown and Jill Sobule provide a fine double bill Sunday at the Record Bar.

It'll be date night Monday at the Uptown for The Swell Season.

Maria Marquez- No Lo Digas Tu

Gone.

An old friend called me yesterday. He was beginning to crack under the pressure imposed on him from family and work. I told him to ignore all the needy people. Had he paid me a visit, I'd hook him up with a beverage and an album by Maria Marquez. She could help him slow down. Just listen. Some have compared the Venezuelan's voice to Nina Simone's. That's fair. She manages, however, to create an entirely unique sensibility on the quiet 2001 release Eleven Love Stories.

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Johnny Almond of the Mark-Almond band died November 18. My friend BGO noted that Almond lived in the Kansas City area for a while. It's a little before my time, so I'm only now hearing "The City". I can't believe commercial radio once played this sort of folk-jazz fusion.

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I heard four high school bands play at a basketball tournament last night. As heard here, Schlagle was best. It was a suburban band's arrangement of "Enter Sandman", however, that blew my mind.

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While I love pop music, I was embarrassed for myself as I watched the American Music Awards. What an unmitigated disaster!

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The new video for Mac Lethal's "Speak Low" is outstanding.

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When I first saw the video for "Body Language", I thought it was an "I'm On a Boat"-style parody. It's not.

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Kansas City Click: Hidden Pictures are at the Bulldog tonight.

As noted in the previous post, Willie Clayton appears at Bodyworks Phase II on Thanksgiving.

Howard Tate- She's a Burglar

Arrested.

As I recently noted, the traditional Thanksgiving blues dance in Kansas City, Kansas, isn't happening this year. I learned this week, however, that an excellent alternative is going down on the other side of the state line. Willie Clayton is playing Bodyworks Phase II on Thanksgiving.

Since I featured Clayton at There Stands the Glass in 2006, I'm casting the spotlight today on the great soul singer Howard Tate. He hit the big time with "Ain't Noboby Home" in 1966 but subsequently experienced a couple decades of personal and professional turmoil before being "rediscovered" in recent years. "She's a Burglar" is from the astoundingly powerful Live album. The document captures an excellent 2004 gig in Denmark.

Because I've been living right, I associate Thanksgiving less with turkey and football than with Courvoisier and lewd dancing. I'll need a ride home Thursday afternoon.

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I caught the fourth and final set of the Jeff Hamilton Trio's two-night stand in Kansas City. Here's my review.

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The fact that Miley Cyrus' "Party In the U.S.A." is in rotation on KPRS makes me proud to be an American. Seriously.

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I'm a reluctant self-promoter. Even so, I have to say that I'm absolutely killing it over at my jazz blog Plastic Sax.

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Kansas City Click: The Get Up Kids return to the Record Bar on Friday and Saturday. Here's footage of the band's 2008 reunion show at the club.

Here's the promotional video for Tech N9ne's Saturday show at the Independence Events Center.

Bassist Gerald Spaits is featured at the Record Bar's monthly alternative jazz series on Sunday.

Review: PacSun PacTour

I think PacSun is brand of clothing. I'm not entirely sure. Lookin' Bros, however, are obviously all about it. A significant percentage of the 300 people at the Beaumont Club on Sunday for the PacSun PacTour were scarf-toting, guyliner-sporting, designer jeans-wearing dudes.

A schlubby music nerd, I was on hand to see P.O.S. The lookin' bros were not.

Sandwiched between four rock acts, the rap-based artist faced a hostile crowd. Underground hits like "Optimist" failed to convince much of the rockist audience. And even though his set looked and sounded much like this, many refused to be won over. They didn't even laugh when P.O.S. dedicated "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life" to a couple of particularly venomous haters.

It's their loss. P.O.S.' Never Better is one of the best albums of 2009 regardless of genre.

Industrial dance-rock act Innerparty System went over far better. They were solid, as was A.M.I.M., the Kansas City winners of the tour's battle of the bands component. They'd do very well in an opening slot for One Republic or Maroon 5.

I wasn't nearly as tolerant of Eye Alaska. Of the 300-plus acts I've seen in 2009, I enjoyed their excruciating set the least. Plenty of footage of Saosin's performance has already been uploaded. I didn't stick around for it. I felt obliged to immediately begin shopping for hats.

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Kansas City Click: DJ Logic spins Tuesday at Crosstown Station.

(Original image of Innerparty System by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: The Lionel Loueke Trio at The Bllue Room

A few of the songs Lionel Loueke performed Thursday at the Blue Room clearly evoked the musician's roots in Benin. Yet they weren't exactly exercises in traditional African roots music. Loueke applied an Auto-Tune-style effect to his vocals. It was funny, surprising and entirely delightful. That's Lionel Loueke in a nutshell.

About fifty people- at least a third of whom were area jazz musicians- witnessed an extraordinary musical dialogue between Loueke, bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth.

I told someone at intermission that the intense way Loueke and Nemeth locked eyes for minutes at a time made me slightly uncomfortable. This intimacy, however, allowed the men to interact at an incredibly high level. While their music was serious, the musicians played with a rare sense of humor. Thursday's show was one of the funniest I'd seen all year. Nemeth, in particular, is quite a comedian. He'd occasionally raise his stick as if to bash a drum only to pull back at the last moment.

A trumpet player shot some footage of the show. Suggesting that it's not representative of the trio's performance is misleading. No two selections were alike. General references points in the trio's vast stylistic range included Pat Metheny-style gracefulness, John Scofield-ish funk and a bit of James "Blood" Ulmer-style skronk in addition to the African explorations.

The trio's next gig is in Martinique on December 3. I can't imagine a place I'd rather be that day.

(Cross-posted from Plastic Sax, my Kansas City jazz site.)

Barclay Martin- Miracle

A new day.

You don't want to sit or stand next to me at a concert. I'm an emotional guy and music often brings tears to my eyes. These embarrassing incidents occurred several times in 2009.

I cried when Emanuel Ax played Chopin. Tony Bennett giving it his all made me mist up. I broke down as Shane MacGowan slurred his way through "The Old Man Drag." I wept watching Kris Kristofferson struggle to sing. Lots of people, myself included, were reduced to tears by Leonard Cohen's brilliance the other night. And I always get sentimental at the annual grave site salute to Charlie Parker.

The audience at Sunday's performance of music from the documentary film Zamboango: Poverty, War, Music was offered a particularly emotional experience. Most already knew the back story documented in the exceptional movie trailer embedded above. So when the choir entered at the 3:01 mark of "The Wheel," as documented in this footage of the concert, my tears weren't the only ones being shed.

I happen to completely agree with this review of the concert. Go figure. Tim Finn provides additional insights into how Barclay Martin, a Kansas City folk-based artist, became involved in the Zamboanga project.

Although Martin's songs are inspired by the struggles of the Filipino people, the emotions they convey are universal. The lovely and heart-wrenching "Miracle" is typical. I happily paid $15 for the soundtrack at the concert. Proceeds go toward the education of Filipino youth. Copies are available here.

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I just noticed that The Elders, Kansas City's second most popular act, have a song on the intriguing soundtrack to Red Roses and Petrol.

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Credentials Hip Hop interviews Sleep Close Death.

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My deep affection for the Knowles sisters is further justified by Solange's new cover of the Dirty Projector's "Stillness Is the Move." Pitchfork has the download. (Found via Gorilla Vs. Bear's Twitter account.)

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That's right, There Stands the Glass trainspotters. Barclay Martin is now the fourth artist who's been featured twice at this site.

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Kansas City Click: Lionel Loueke makes his Kansas City debut Thursday at the Blue Room.

Steddy P and Stik Figa are on Friday's bill at the Record Bar.

Chuck Prophet returns to Davey's on Saturday.

P.O.S. opens for Saosin Sunday at the Beaumont.















(Image of Sunday's Zamboanga concert taken from the project's Flickr account.)

Review: Leonard Cohen at The Midland Theater

I didn't care for the ostentatious demeanor of the saxophonist. That concludes my negative criticism of last night's Leonard Cohen concert.

Prior to the show I'd told friends that I was only going so that I could "cross Cohen off my list" of artists I'd never seen perform. While his new Live In London album indicates that Cohen is still vital, I had my doubts. Cohen shattered my suspicions just a few minutes into his three-hour show.

Cohen was spectacular. His voice was so much stronger and more resonant than I had expected. And seeing his full band in person suddenly made the odd "European blues" setting of his albums seem more sophisticated than schmaltzy.

For a proper review and telling photos, check Tim Finn's analysis.

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Kansas City Click: Danny Embrey plays solo guitar Tuesday at Jardine's.

A Halestorm hits the Uptown Theater on Wednesday when the band opens for Chevelle.

(Orginal image by There Stands the Glass.)

Artie "Blues Boy" White- Nite Before Pay Day

Back to the working week.

I lost much of my enthusiasm for Kansas City's annual Thanksgiving blues breakfast after I sustained an injury in 2007. The unfortunate combination of Stoli and Millie Jackson caught up with me a couple hours after the event. Still, I was saddened that the tradition has come to an end. As much as I'd like to think the organizers decided my absence last year was reason enough to give up the entire endeavor, I'm sure that other factors contributed to the end of an era. One of them, of course, is that many of the premier soul-blues artists have left this mortal coil. Johnny Adams, Clarence Carter, Tyrone Davis, Z.Z. Hill, Little Milton, Wilson Pickett and Johnnie Taylor are gone. At least Artie "Blues Boy" White, 72, is still among us. "The Night Before Payday" is from an album that isn't in Amazon's system. They do offer a few alternatives. It's too bad I won't be dancing to White this Thanksgiving. Missing the Stoli shots, however, is probably a blessing.

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My friend Joel interviewed Paul Shirley.

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In the same way I appreciated Donald Fagen's The Nightfly, I'm feeling the Norah Jones's new album.

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Kansas City Click: Snoop Dogg brings Method Man, Redman and Devin the Dude to the VooDoo on Friday.

This year's Apocalypse Meow benefit takes place Saturday at Crosstown Station.

Ken Aldcroft joins the People's Liberation Big Band at the Record Bar on Sunday.

Van Dyke Parks- City On the Hill

Abandoned city.

I bought a stack of Van Dyke Parks vinyl cutouts in the '80s. I vividly recall the sense of bewilderment that overcame me when I first played them. I knew of the man primarily through his association with the Byrds and the Beach Boys. But his meticulously produced oddball art songs struck me as unlistenable. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I bought a handful of Parks cutouts on CD in the '90s. Yep- still weird. Tastes change. I now kind of like the way he subverted calypso on 1975's Clang of the Yankee Reaper.

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I created two Twitter lists- Kansas City Hip Hop and Kansas City Jazz.

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It seems as if I'm constantly expressing disappointment with Mac Lethal. I'm pleased, consequently, that he's back on track. Check out his new songs at MySpace.

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The design for NPR's 50 Great Voices feature is outstanding.

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I reviewed a spectacular performance by Afinidad.

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Kansas City Click: McCoy tops Tuesday's bill at the Record Bar.

I've never been a huge Bouncing Souls fan, but I'm tempted by the opportunity to catch the band at the intimate Riot Room on Wednesday.

Review: The Buzz Halloweenie Roast

The first indication that Wednesday night would be a drag came as I queued up at the gate for the Buzz's Halloweenie Roast. I found myself amid a crush of A Flock of Seagulls fans who were loudly complaining about the music of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.

"That's the worst band I've ever heard," one birdbrain remarked.

Judge for yourself. Here's fan footage.

While I adore the throwback soul act, I have to admit that their halfhearted effort disappointed me. The Raveonettes were even less enthusiastic. While I'm fairly certain that Black Joe Lewis was just having an off night, I suspect that the Raveonettes work best as a studio project.

As unlikely as it seems, Nuthatch 47, a local Gogol Bordello-style band, offered my favorite performance of the night. They were funny and they seemed genuinely happy to be there. So did Thunder Eagle. "Alcoholocaust," their best song, sounded as if Pat Travers was sitting in with his kid's screamo band.

I had intended to stick around for both Jet and the mighty Architects, but the sadsacks in A Flock of Seagulls bummed me out so badly that I took flight midway through their set.

Read Jason Harper's amusing account of the event for further details. I don't feel guilty knowing that my antisocial behavior directly contributed to his sense of despair. Ink provides additional party pictures.

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I've neglected to note the passing of Vic Mizzy.

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My friends are busting my chops for writing a relatively favorable review of last night's Rob Thomas show.

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Kansas City Click: George Freaking Winston appears at Unity on the Plaza on Friday.

The Hearts of Darkness perform at Davey's on Halloween night.

Fast Johnny Ricker plays Sunday at Pilgrim Chapel.






















(Original images of costumed creepiness and Thunder Eagle by There Stands the Glass.)

Sachal Vasandani- Royal Eyes

Eyes closed.

Did you know that Norah Jones has dozens, if not hundreds, of children?

They're not her biological kids. But Jones' unlikely commercial success has been so astounding that jazz-informed vocalists now have a shot at commercial acclaim in the post-Jones landscape.

One of the best of the new breed is Sachal Vasandani.

Don't mistake him for a smarmy new-school crooner. Where Michael Buble covers the Eagles, Vasandani covers Iron and Wine. And don't think he's a stuffy jazz formalist. Vasandani credits Bon Iver as an influence. It's precisely that progressive attitude that makes Vasandani so refreshing.

We Move, his excellent new album, contains a few songs that would please blue-haired fans of Frank Sinatra but still more manage to be entirely contemporary without ever resorting to smooth jazz cliches or failed stabs at pop.

Vasandani is also a gifted sonwriter. He explains the heart-wrenching story behind "Royal Eyes" in this video.

Vasandani was featured alongside Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jason Lindner yesterday at WBGO's The Checkout. Download the October 27 podcast here. You won't want to miss Rosenwinkel's appearance, but Vasandani's absolutely breathtaking rendition of "We Move" begins at the 17:51 mark.

Momma Norah would be proud.


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I'm struggling with the new Tech N9ne album. K.O.D. is really dirty. Fortunately for me, the video version of "Leave Me Alone" edits out the most obscene lines. Tech gets bonus points for featuring Kansas City's skyline as a backdrop.

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I didn't learn that Bruce Springsteen had canceled Monday's concert until I was a few hundred years from the arena.

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The highlight of last night's BET Hip Hop Awards was the inspired performance by Goodie Mobb. In fact, "old" guys like Cee-lo, Missy Elliott, Eminem, Ice Cube, KRS-One, Mos Def and Snoop Dogg clearly outclassed the newer artists.

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I'm encouraging my friends who think they don't like jazz to check out the Portico Quartet.

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Kansas City Click: The unlikely bill of Jet, the Raveonettes, A Flock of Seagulls, Black Joe Lewis and White Rabbits has been assembled for a radio station event Wednesday at the Beaumont's Backyard. The Architects serve as headliners inside the club.

The wonderful Tommy Womack hits Knuckleheads on Thursday.

(Image borrowed from the Flickr account of ptcentrum.)

Review: The Pogues at The Midland Theater

It's a good thing I wasn't drinking at last night's concert by the Pogues.

Even without the assistance of streams of whiskey, I misted up as the bleak "Old Main Drag" concluded. I allowed a tear to slide down my cheek during the tender "A Rainy Night In Soho." Had I bellied up to the bar I might now be blogging behind bars.

It was bittersweet. Part of me felt like a guilty enabler as I watched Shane MacGowan literally fall down drunk. But mostly I was just thrilled to finally see one of my favorite bands. They were far better than I had any right to expect. And when watching Shane became too painful, I concentrated on Jem Finer's incredible banjo work.

Tim Finn's sterling review is spot-on. I didn't enjoy the experience quite as much as Jason Harper.

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Kansas City Click: Bruce tonight.

(Original tear-stained blur by There Stands the Glass.)

Blind Lemon Jefferson- Long Lonesome Blues

Long gone.

As I watched a rerun of the Sanford and Son episode in which Fred fails to cash in on his collection of "Blind Mellow Jelly" vinyl, I realized that I've never featured Blind Lemon Jefferson at There Stands the Glass. Once you're able to listen past the surface noise of this 1926 recording, you'll hear a vibrant vocalist and guitarist who sounds completely contemporary. I don't know if that says more about Jefferson's genius, the timelessness of the blues or the stagnancy of today's blues artists. Over a dozen Jefferson collections are available. Take your pick here.

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Kansas City Click: The Pogues play Kansas City for the first time Sunday at the Midland Theater.

Bruce Springsteen returns to the Sprint Center on Monday. Unfortunately, Kansas City is slated to get the Born In the USA treatment. Here's the Bruce I love most.

Anne Winter

Everyone loved Anne Winter. She was smart, kind, generous, funny and infectiously positive.

Here's one of the many things Anne did for me. In the mid-80s, when I decided that I actually wanted to make a living doing something I enjoyed, I determined that I should work for a man named Hal. I didn't know him, and it took a couple weeks to convince Hal to hire me at a starting wage of $3.50 an hour. In the interim, Anne allowed me to help out at her record store. I assisted her with tasks like receiving, stocking, pricing and scheduling for a couple weeks until I landed my dream job.

Anne made me a better person. She made Kansas City a better place.

(Anne Winter, a fixture on Kansas City's music scene for 25 years, has reportedly passed away. Cross-posted from my personal blog.)

Larry Willis- The Meaning of the Blues

No more blues.

I gave the Kind of Blue tribute concert a lukewarm review last weekend. The only member of Jimmy Cobb's band not walking on eggshells was pianist Larry Willis. I didn't like everything he did, but I appreciated Willis' attempts to snap his comrades out of their tentative reveries. Although 1992's Steal Away contains outstanding contributions from Gary Bartz and Cecil McBee, this solo work best exemplifies Willis' emotional playing.

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I bought Lyle Lovett's new album because it has a cover of my favorite Vince Bell song.

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Ron Ron's Skitzo-Frinik has dominated my personal playlist this month.

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More than one reader of There Stands the Glass will want to know that Bob Koester contributed to Devil At the Confluence, a new book about the history of St. Louis blues.

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Kansas City Click: The Rich Boys top Tuesday's bill at the Riot Room.

Eisley join Say Anything at the Beaumont Club on Wednesday.

Review: Black House Improvisors' Collective at City Center Square

That's more like it.

The obtuse but playful sounds that reverberated through the gutted fifth floor of an office building Friday night represented precisely what's been lacking on the Kansas City jazz scene. Inspired amateurs and seasoned professionals came together under the auspices of the Black House Improvisors' Collective to make glorious, jazz-based noise.

A hipster-heavy audience of about 75 attended the ensemble's free debut public performance. Everything they heard was anchored by the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Ben Leifer and drummer Sam Wisman. The presence of trumpeter Stan Kessler added artistic gravitas to the proceedings.

The lighthearted fun wasn't always brilliant but even the failed experiments were delightfully refreshing.

More, please.

Additional details about the ensemble are available in a KCUR feature and at Plastic Sax posts from August 19 and October 6.

Pelican headlines the Riot Room on Monday.

(Crossposted from Plastic Sax.)