Album Review: Hasaan Ibn Ali- Retrospect In Retirement Of Delay: The Solo Recordings

I like Adele as much as the next romance-minded person.  I’m also a day-one Snoop Dogg fan.  And the latest batch of songs from the sublime collaboration of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss thrills me.  But of all the music released on November 19, the artistic standout is Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings.

Where are the throngs of music lovers around the world singing the praises of Hasaan Ibn Ali’s excavated recordings from the rooftops?  I’m doing my part by hailing one of the most profound sonic discoveries of 2021 in this humble forum.  

Hasaan Ibn Ali sounds like Thelonious Monk’s evil twin on the 151 minutes of solo piano recorded from 1962 through 1965.  The Philadelphian vigorously advances the avant-garde implications of Monk’s innovations.  Some listeners will find the sketchy sound quality and an occasionally poorly tuned piano problematic.  The off-kilter murk and incidental chatter actually compliment the heedless gusto of Ibn Ali’s approach.  

Prior to this year, the 1965 album The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan was the pianist’s only official recording.  His violent muscularity is heard to good effect on "Almost Like Me" on that date. Yet Retrospect in Retirement of Delay, along with the similarly astounding April release Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album, necessitates a dramatic revision to the annals of American music.

Album Review: William Parker and Patricia Nicholson- No Joke!

The pleasures provided by year-end music lists are manifold.  I relish the opportunity to display my (obviously superior) taste and disparage the (clearly inferior) selections of others.  Yet the most rewarding aspect of combing through entries is encountering undiscovered sounds.  Even though I listen to about two dozen new albums in their entirety every week, I only learned of No Joke! when I peeked at a rough draft of a colleague’s best-of 2021 list.  Released three weeks ago by the illustrious ESP-Disk record label, the date led by the prolific bassist William Parker and his wife, the poet, choreographer and activist Patricia Nicholson, is a spiritual and musical companion to Irresistible Entanglements’ free jazz tour de force Open the Gates.  Indignant and cacophonous, No Joke! is a dead serious call to action. 

Album Review: Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates

Driving to Columbia, Missouri, to catch Irreversible Entanglements in June was my first meaningful post-quarantine pleasure trip.  In spite of the brevity of the avant-garde ensemble’s appearance, the experience was my first brush with normality in more than a year.  At 73 minutes, Irreversible Entanglements’ new album Open the Gates is twice the length of the concert at Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre.  Open the Gates solidifies Moor Mother’s status near the top of the jazz poet pantheon and the group’s expression of rage is more cogent than the output of any contemporary punk band.  "It's energy time!"

Escape Plan

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I grieve with the families and friends of the people killed at the Astroworld Festival.  But no, I don’t have a hot take based on my attendance at concerts like Travis Scott’s 2019 show at the Sprint Center.  Events with thousands of giddy teens tend to be a little dicey.  Experience allows me to know where to position myself to avoid danger.  Only two live music environments continue to frighten me.  I’ve long been afraid an incapacitated person will unintentionally take out my fragile knees at a rock festival.  And at outdoor country shows, I have to be on guard for the angry drunk men who are invariably offended by my ostensibly unmasculine presence.

Opera Review: George Frideric Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” at White Recital Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

“Oh, the pleasure of the plains!”  The exuberance of the opening line of George Frideric Handel’s “Acis and Galatea” possessed special resonance for me at White Recital Hall on Thursday, November 4.  The UMKC Conservatory presentation was my first in-person post-Covid opera experience.  I loved every minute of the amusingly frisky and refreshingly irreverent production.

Two unfortunate elements failed to derail the integrity of the performance.  Rather than the sumptuous orchestral accompaniment that helps make “Acis and Galatea” delightful, the vocalists were supported solely by piano.  The performers also wore masks.  While commendable, the hindrance obscured their voices.  The same couldn’t be said for the dullards in the audience of about 100 who pulled down their masks when the house lights were dimmed. 

Forgiving the inappropriate applause that followed several energetic arias was easier.  In spite of the minimalist set, the outstanding stage direction of Mo Zhou resembled a series of Spike Jonze pop music videos more than the conventional operatic stagings associated with Franco Zeffirelli.  The cast’s vocals were good; their acting was even better.  Single-camera footage of the pleasure of the plains has already been uploaded to YouTube.

Book Review: Richard Thompson's Beeswing

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I’ve met far more famous people, but a meet-and-greet with Joe Boyd is among my most meaningful music-related celebrity encounters.  A significant swathe of the raconteur’s expansive discography impacted the way I experience music. Gaining insights about Boyd from the perspective of one of his most notable artists was among the reasons I picked up Richard Thompson’s Beeswing.

The cult artist spills a lot of beans in his new autobiography.  An account of being heckled for having long hair by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in the Detroit airport and an admission of hiring a prostitute in Hamburg are among the titillating anecdotes. I wasn’t surprised by Thompson’s detailed acknowledgement of his obsession with all forms of music.  He raves about artists as disparate as Claude Debussy, Jimi Hendrix and Barney Kessel and offers firsthand portraits of associates including Sandy Denny, Nick Drake and Dave Pegg.  

Lavish praise of Boyd verified my admiration of the renaissance man, but Thompson’s thorough exploration of his conversion to Sufism and subsequent pilgrimage to Mecca contains several unanticipated elements. In spite of his uncommon path, Thompson still considers himself a traditional folk artist of Britain.  I’m looking forward to experiencing Thompson’s forthcoming concert at the Folly Theater through this newly acquired perspective.

October 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of The Fugitive Kind by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in October)

1. Fire-Toolz- Eternal Home

A noise supreme.

2. Lana Del Rey- Blue Banisters

Now That’s What I Call Adult Contemporary!

3. Craig Taborn- Shadow Plays

Standing on the shoulders of Keith Jarrett.

4. Daniil Trifonov- Bach: The Art of Life

Living large.

5. Maxo Kream- Weight of the World

“Record deal off a pill!”

6. Charlotte Greve- Sediments We Move

My review.

7. Artifacts Trio- ...And Then There's This

Chicago’s finest.

8. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Searching for the Disappeared Hour

The pianist and guitarist clear the room.

9. Jpegmafia- LP!

A firehose of mutinous ideas.

10. Steddy P- SOS: Toxic

KC’s rapper’s convincing comeback.

Top Ten Songs (released in October)

1. Céu- “Chega Mais”

Come closer.

2. Tainy, Bad Bunny and Julieta Venegas- "Lo Siento"

Dream collaboration.

3. Orquesta Akokán- “Guajira Del Mar”

Havana.

4. Badbadnotgood- "City of Mirrors"

Deep reflections.

5. Adele- "Easy On Me"

Drowning.

6. Harriet Krijgh and Magda Amara- “Les chemins de l'amour”

The paths of love.

7. Emily D’Angelo- "A Thousand Tongues"

“Nine and ninety-nine lie.”

8. Angel Du$t with Tim Armstrong- "Dancing on the Radio"

“Like there’s no tomorrow.”

9. Conway the Machine- "Piano Love"

Tuned.

10. Remi Wolf- "wyd"

Preposterous pop.

Top Ten Concerts of October

1. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)

My review.

2. St. Vincent- Grinders KC

My review.

3. Erykah Badu- Midland theater

My review.

4. Marc Anthony- T-Mobile Arena

My review.

5. Asleep at the Wheel- Muriel Kauffman Theatre

My review.

6. Joshua Bell and Alessio Bax- Helzberg Hall

My review.

7. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge

The guitarist’s weekly matinee is among my favorite things in Kansas City.

8. Flooding- Vinyl Underground

My review.

9. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation

My review.

10. Everyday Strangers- Gem Theater

My Instagram clip.

Top Ten Films (viewed for the first time in October)

1. The Fugitive Kind (1960)

My new favorite movie.

2. Höstsonaten/Autumn Sonata (1978)

Excruciating generational trauma.

3. The Emperor Jones (1933)

Paul Robeson in an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play.

4. Where East is East (1929)

Lon Chaney, Estelle Taylor and Lupe Vélez don't need sound.

5. Mamma Roma (1962)

The continuation of the decline and fall.

6. Flesh and the Devil (1927)

Greta Garbo as femme fatale.

7. Hollywood Barn Dance (1947)

Walkin’ the floor with Ernest Tubb.

8. SAS: Red Notice (2021)

Precisely what I want from a big, dumb action flick.

9. The Seventh Victim (1943)

Kim Hunter confronts a satanic cult in Greenwich Village.

10. The 100-Foot Journey (2004)

Amuse-bouche.

September’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.

Concert Review: Asleep at the Wheel at Muriel Kauffman Theatre

An elated man hailed me on Broadway Boulevard following Asleep at the Wheel’s sensational performance at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Saturday, October 30.  “What a concert!” he exclaimed. “Country music!”  While I shared his enthusiasm, I questioned the categorization.

Asleep at the Wheel is a country band like the Alamo is a stone building.  The inadequate characterization doesn’t recognize the band’s historical importance, cultural significance or stylistic breadth.

Formed in West Virginia in 1970 and relocated to Texas in 1974, the band is belatedly marking its fiftieth anniversary with a two-leg reunion tour in support of the star-studded Half a Hundred Years album.  Asleep at the Wheel alumni Floyd Domino, Chris O’Connell and LeRoy Preston joined the current eight-piece group at the shockingly vital two-hour Kansas City show.

Although the audience of about 1,000 heard a generous batch of songs associated with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel is far more than a tribute band dedicated to Western swing.  

The setlist included selections by the Kansas City icon Count Basie, the proto-rocker Louis Jordan, the Texas troubadour Guy Clark and the R&B artist Toussaint McCall.  Renderings of Preston compositions including the 1975 novelty hit “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” the wry “Dead Man” and the rip-roaring “My Baby Thinks She’s a Train” were also highlights.

Dual fiddlers and the impeccably impressionistic steel guitar of Cindy Cashdollar were anchored by a hard-swinging rhythm section bound to mainstream jazz.  Floyd Domino channeled Kansas City pianist Pete Johnson while bandleader Ray Benson played Chuck Berry-esque guitar.  

The stylistic range made the reconvened ensemble seem absolutely essential.  In fact, Asleep at the Wheel possesses almost all the attributes aficionados of the Grateful Dead erroneously claim for their favorite group.  Persuasive interpretations of vintage songs and original material made a convincing case for Asleep at the Wheel as the quintessential American roots band.

Original images by There Stands the Glass.

Concert Review: Kansas Virtuosi at Polsky Theatre

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I was a teenage knucklehead. So it’s with utmost hypocrisy that I malign the people enrolled at Johnson County Community College. How is it on a bustling campus with a student body of 18,000 that not one person under the age of 50 attended a free lunch hour concert in the institution’s long-standing classical recital series on Monday, October 25? For that matter, how is it that no one born after 1970 in the greater Kansas City metropolis of more than two million showed up? I was the youngest member of the audience of four dozen in Polsky Theatre to hear six faculty members of the University of Kansas perform a pair of challenging suites by Luis Humberto Salgado. The compositions filtered the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg through an Ecuadorian sensibility. The invigorating sounds refuted the mistruth that classical music is irrelevant. The audience, myself included, may have been stuffy, stale and snobbish, but the sextet’s energetic rendering of challenging music was altogether vital.

Album Review: Charlotte Greve- Sediments We Move

My failure to catch up with King Crimson on the band’s tour of North America is one of my biggest regrets of 2021.  I’ve never seen the venerable prog-rock act.  The prospect of eventually attending a concert by the relatively young Charlotte Greve now seems far more likely.  The German artist adds Wagnerian excess to the most grandiose elements of prog-rock on Sediments We Move.  The extravagant concept album is complex, daring and over-the-top in the best possible ways.