The Cave of Winds is mean and ugly. The confrontational chaos overseen by saxophonist Tony Malaby suits the intractable moment. Malaby, guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tom Rainey convey legitimate fury on the new release. The aggressively angry “Scratch the Horse” sounds like Charles Mingus by way of Sonic Youth. The ebb and flow of the 18-minute title track evokes a middle aged riot. The quartet doesn’t merely disregard the established rules of improvised music; they deface every signpost of swing propriety.
EP Review: Earl Sweatshirt- Sick!
The fear, doubt and anguish expressed by Earl Sweatshirt on Doris mirrored my state of mind at the time of its release. The harrowing masterpiece was my top album of 2013. I’m in a much better place now. Unfortunately, Earl’s new EP Sick! indicates he continues to struggle. Seemingly short of breath and resigned to hopelessness, the grimy aesthetics of Sick! are matched by correspondingly anguished lyrics. Emotionally invested in the well being of the prodigiously talented rapper, I’m torn by my admiration of art inspired by unrelenting pain. I still care about how he feels.
Album Review: Lise Davidsen and Leif Ove Andsnes- Edvard Grieg
I often wonder if the ongoing pandemic is making my world bigger or smaller. The new album by the magnificent soprano Lise Davidsen compels me to reexamine the question. While I haven’t touched my passport during the past 24 months, I’ve become increasingly dedicated to reading literature, studying history and furthering my musical literacy.
Scouting potential day trips from Kansas City about a year ago, I considered driving to the site of Willa Cather’s family homestead in Nebraska. I reckoned I should first familiarize myself with her work. What began as a casual investigation quickly became an obsession. I’ve since read almost everything she published.
Opera, another of my nascent infatuations, figures heavily in Cather’s 1915 novel The Song of the Lark. Although she rose to fame after the novel’s publication and was of Norwegian rather than Swedish descent, the opera star Kristen Flagstad served as my proxy for Cather’s protagonist Thea Kronberg. A few of Flagstad’s vintage recordings of Grieg are astonishingly vibrant.
So while I’m still little more than an enthusiastic greenhorn, "Møte" and "En Svane" are among the repertoire on Davidsen and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes’ exquisite Edvard Grieg that were previously familiar to me. I’m having an unreasonably good time comparing Flagstad’s approach to Grieg to Davidsen’s. My soundtrack for the Red Cloud road trip is set.
Album Review: Samo Salamon- Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar
Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done. The Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon claims his new album Dolphyology: Complete Eric Dolphy for Solo Guitar is “the first time the complete Eric Dolphy songbook has been recorded on a single solo instrument.”
The audacious endeavor is as intellectually admirable as it is artistically precarious. Yet partly because it arrives in the wake of guitarist Miles Okazaki’s acclaimed arrangements of Thelonious Monk compositions, a surprisingly wonderful parallel pandemic project by John Pizzarelli and the like-minded initiatives of guitarist Pasquale Grasso, Dolphyology doesn’t seem like a novelty.
Salamon’s irreverent approach and sympathetic technique allow his risky gamble to pay off. The interpretations range from the pastoral optimism associated with Pat Metheny to the sort of jagged freakouts played by the likes of Marc Ribot. Even better, Dolphyology rekindles the admiration of this foolishly delinquent Dolphyphile.
The Pleasures of Love
Screenshot of The Royal College of Music’s production of “Die Zauberflöte” by There Stands the Glass.
New year, same old virtual Mozart. The Royal College of Music’s recent production of “Die Zauberflöte” is the eighth version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera I’ve watched from home since the onset of the pandemic. I share a few of the reservations expressed by an Opera Today critic about the unconventional interpretation set at a prep school, but like her, I welcome the emphasis on the sexism imposed on Pamina and the Queen of the Night. The Royal College’s relatively modest presentation features strong performances and includes pop culture totems like cell phones and marijuana. My response to Mozart’s music becomes more rapturous with each viewing. An inaugural in-person encounter with “Die Zauberflöte” can’t come soon enough.
Album Review: Bill Callahan and Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Blind Date Party
Freak-folk landed between opera and trap-latino in the personalized annual “top genres” notification Spotify sent me four weeks ago. I certainly listened to gobs of Richard Wagner and Bad Bunny, but I don’t recall spending much time singing along with folk outsiders like Bill Callahan and Bonnie “Prince” Billy during the first 11 months of 2021.
Things have changed. Released December 10, Blind Date Party, a 90-minute compilation of covers overseen by the two Bills, is in heavy rotation at There Stands the Glass headquarters. Abetted by an impressive slate of like-minded peers, the freak-folk luminaries reinterpret compositions by artists ranging from Billie Eilish (a loopy dressing-down of “Wish You Were Gay”) to Jerry Jeff Walker (an elegiac version of “I Love You”).
I miss my father, but I’m relieved he’s not around to hear the hilarious desecration of “O.D.’d in Denver,” one of his favorite Bocephus bangers. Alastair Roberts’ contributions make an interpretation of Dave Rich’s gospel song "I've Made Up My Mind" my favorite track. The bots at Spotify got it right after all.
We’ve Wandered Many a Weary Foot
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Even though this site has evolved into a personal music diary in recent years, I’m pleased people continue to monitor my musings. Thanks for reading. An audit of recent activity follows.
New episodes of the In My Headache podcast continue to appear intermittently. My collaborator Aaron Rhodes and I discuss Tyler, The Creator, Willie Nelson and Harry Nilsson in the latest installment.
My friends at 90.9 The Bridge recently gave me a forum to share highlights from my many year-end music lists. The episode should show up here soon.
There Stands the Glass may be an automonous endeavor but my Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax is a public service. The journeyman guitarist Rod Fleeman is The Plastic Sax Person of the Year.
I participated in the The 2021 Jazz Critics Poll. The complete tally and my ballot are here. The sheer volume of titles- 510 of the approximately 6,000 jazz albums released this year received votes- is staggering.
Concert Review: Anthony Roth Constanzo at the Folly Theater
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Anthony Roth Costanzo censured himself at the Folly Theater on Saturday, December 18, after explaining that he and pianist Bryan Wagorn “met when we were nobodies.” After surveying the largely empty house, the countertenor exclaimed “we’re still nobodies!”
In truth, Constanzo is one of the world’s biggest opera stars. His celebrated turn in the title role of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten is among his prominent achievements. Yet he attracted what appeared to be less than 300 people in his Kansas City debut.
I took advantage of Midwestern indifference by purchasing a discounted front row seat to the concert on Cyber Monday. Positioned just 20 feet from the unamplified countertenor, I considered reaching for the earplugs I always carry with me.
The diminutive Costanzo applied startling heft to his piercing instrument. He and Wagorn repeatedly paused during a gorgeous reading of a Hector Berlioz song cycle to permit echoes of Costanzo’s powerful voice in the piano’s soundboard to reverberate.
A revealing interpretation of George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” allowed me to hear the standard in an entirely new way. A pair of compositions he recently commissioned in his position as the current Artist-In-Residence of The New York Philharmonic were no less engaging.
Costanzo admitted his feelings are hurt when he’s asked if he’d prefer to have a “real voice.” He demonstrated his facility with voices of all types during a fascinating master class at Grant Recital Hall the next day. Even in the unglamorous setting, Costanzo shone like a certifiable celebrity.
The Top Fifty Performances of 2021
Original image of J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits at the Blue Room by There Stands the Glass.
The pandemic nixed my annual resolution to attend 365 gigs per year. I began making up for lost time after receiving my second vaccination shot on April 27. I’m extremely pleased to have once again caught up with road warriors like Pat Metheny and Richard Thompson and to have finally made it to shows by notable artists including Marc Anthony and Renée Fleming. Aside from a delusional period of post-vaccination euphoria in May and June, I wore a mask throughout every performance.
1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room
2. Mary Lattimore- Lied Center
3. Pat Metheny- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)
4. Anthony Roth Constanzo- Folly Theater
5. St. Vincent- Grinder’s KC
6. Erykah Badu- Midland theater
7. Irreversible Entanglements- Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre (Columbia, Missouri)
8. Marc Anthony- T-Mobile Arena
9. Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum”- Dunbar Park
10. Rod Fleeman Trio- Green Lady Lounge (multiple shows)
Fleeman is Plastic Sax's 2021 Person of the Year.
11. José James at Old Church Concert Hall (Portland)
12. Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained- Old Mission United Methodist Church
13. Te Deum- St. Mary's Episcopal Church
14. Asleep at the Wheel- Muriel Kauffman Theatre
15. Eddie Moore, Ryan J. Lee and Zach Morrow- Charlotte Street Foundation
16. The Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box- The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City
17. Thollem McDonas- 9th and State
18. UMKC Opera’s George Frideric Handel’s “Acis and Galatea”- White Recital Hall
19. Johnny Rawls- Gladstone Summertime Bluesfest
20. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation
21. Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie- 1900 Building
22. Brentano Quartet- Lincoln Recital Hall (Portland)
23. Flooding- 7th Heaven
24. En Vogue- Hy-Vee Arena
25. Mary Gauthier- Knuckleheads
26. Joshua Bell and Alessio Bax- Helzberg Hall
27. Pistol Pete- recordBar
28. Second Nature Ensemble- Westport Coffee House
29. Dare- 7th Heaven
30. The Kansas City Symphony’s “Coming to America”- Helzberg Hall
31. Renée Fleming- Helzberg Hall
32. Kyle Hutchins, Aaron Osborne, Seth Davis and Evan Verploegh- Charlotte Street Foundation
33. Guitar Elation- Green Lady Lounge (several shows)
34. Kansas Virtuosi- Yardley Hall
35. UMKC Conservatory’s “Jazz at the Playhouse”- University Playhouse
36. Granger Smith- KC Live
37. Sentenced 2 Die- 7th Heaven
38. Jackie Myers, Matt Hopper and Ben Tervort- Market at Meadowbrook
39. Summerfest Chamber Music Festival- Atonement Lutheran Church
40. Trinity Jazz Ensemble- Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church
41. Mike Stover- Campground
42. Richard Thompson- Folly Theater
43. Ben Tervort Quartet- Westport Coffeehouse
44. Roman Alexander- KC Live
45. Béla Fleck- Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Portland)
46. The Kansas City Chorale- Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church
47. Kian Byrne- Second Presbyterian Church
48. Everyday Strangers- Gem Theater
49. Lyric Opera of Kansas City- Meadowbrook Park
50. Paris Williams- Lemonade Park
There Stands the Glass also ranked the The Top 50 Songs of 2021 and The Top 50 Albums of 2021. Pat Metheny is this site’s Artist of the Year. Rod Fleeman is Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year. A list of There Stands the Glass’ top performances of 2020 is here.
Pat Metheny: There Stands the Glass’ Artist of the Year
I ranked Pat Metheny’s albums as one of my final pre-vaccination pandemic projects ten months ago. Time-consuming and intensely rewarding, the process enhanced my appreciation of the iconic musician’s career and has informed everything I’ve listened to since.
Metheny added two albums to his voluminous discography in 2021. The vital live recording Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) documents a collaboration with the young innovator James Francies. The elegant Road to the Sun dovetails with my burgeoning interest in classical music.
I’d never given the crowd-pleasing guitarist John Pizzarelli much consideration. A quarantine-inspired solo guitar set of Metheny covers released in April changed my opinion. The insightful Better Days Ahead is among the year’s most pleasant surprises.
Viewers of the new Listening to Kenny G documentary were reminded of Metheny’s disarming candor. In a 2021 interview with In Kansas City magazine, he acknowledged an unpalatable truth about the limited scope of Kansas City’s jazz audience.
Asked why he hasn’t performed in Kansas City in nine years, the Lee’s Summit native said “Kansas City’s a really great sports town… the kind of, let’s say, intense listening that is found all over Europe, New York, LA, those kinds of places, for this kind of music has always been elusive for Kansas City musicians.”
The challenge is documented in Carolyn Glenn Brewer’s new book Beneath Missouri Skies. The illuminating account of Metheny’s teen years maintains that the current scarcity of support for jazz in the Kansas City area also bedeviled musicians in the 1960s and 1970s.
That’s why I timed a trip to Detroit to catch a date on Metheny’s tour with Francies and drummer Joe Dyson. There may not be 1,000 people in Kansas City willing to pay $50 to hear Metheny, but I purchased a $75 ticket to join 1,500 appreciative fans at a concert hall on Woodward Avenue.
A rare combination of critical acclaim and commercial success makes Metheny a jazz unicorn. And his particularly auspicious 2021 makes him There Stands the Glass’ Person of the Year. Bad Bunny was the recipient of this site’s 2020 Person of the Year designation.