Every generation needs a torch singer to call its own. I’m happy for the teens who’ve latched on to Laufey. I’ve attended multiple performances by the all-time greats Tony Bennett and Marilyn Maye, but the premiere chanteuse of my generation is k.d. lang. I’ll always love Ingénue. In merging the elegant chilliness of Julie London with the delicious sadness of Lana Del Rey, Laufey is an unlikely star among people born in this millennium. Bewitched is an entirely convincing genre exercise. Nice job, kids!
Concert Review: Mahani Teave at the Folly Theater
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
The front row seat I claimed for Mahani Teave’s appearance at the Folly Theater on Saturday, September 9, allowed me to closely observe the pianist’s dramatic facial expressions and involuntary body contortions. She often seemed overcome by the staggering beauty she rendered in her North American recital debut.
I too was profoundly moved during the free, general admission concert that opened the 2023-24 season of the Harriman-Jewell Series. Like Teave, I’m regularly staggered by the momentous profundities conveyed by sound.
The Easter Island resident with a name so musical it could serve as a yoga mantra (muh-HAN-ee tee-AH-vay) interpreted compositions by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Franz Schubert with such insightful tenderness that I feared both of us might faint.
Not even the pandemonium instigated by four people in the row behind me resembling an extended game of hopscotch could spoil the experience. Hear for yourself, but before doing so, make sure you’re seated in a safe place should you swoon to the same Chopin piece she played in Kansas City.
Concert Review: Thee Sinseers, the Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
Original image of Joey Quiñones and Thee Sinseers by There Stands the Glass.
The Music Explosion’s version of “Little Bit O’ Soul” was my mantra on the sweltering evening of Sunday, September 3. Paraphrasing the lyrics to the inspirational 1967 hit, I was in a mess and I felt like crying. A little bit of soul put me right, at least for a couple hours.
Forking over $25 at Lemonade Park temporarily deepened my despair. The tepid response Alanna Royale received from the approximately 300 people inside the venue and about 150 looky-loos outside the gates didn’t help matters.
The salty patter of the Nashville based artist and the finesse of her four piece backing band distracted me, but I didn’t feel much better at the conclusion of her 50-minute set. Shazaming a couple rare 45s selected by Boss Hooligan Sound System at the break brightened my mood.
The undiluted joy on the faces of about three dozen women who huddled at the front of the stage during The Altons’ 50-minute performance raised my spirits further. The Los Angeles band adds hints of psychedelic garage rock to its pleasing blend of vintage soul and Latin oldies.
Contributions from Joey Quiñones of Los Angeles’ Thee Sinseers compensated for the absence of vocalist Adriana Flores. Bryan Ponce of the Altons returned the favor by augmenting the Sinseers’ hour-long headlining set featuring nine musicians.
Assessing Quiñones for the first time was the primary purpose of dragging myself to the West Bottoms. Putting my money where my mouth is also factored into the outing.
Quiñones’ voice put me in mind of Sugar Pie DeSanto. He’s just as charismatic as the soul legend. Quiñones’ singular talent transcended my general indifference to soul revivalists. He possesses a whole lot of curative soul.
Concert Review: RP Boo at the Encore Room
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I’ve attended performances by Bill Monroe, Little Richard, James Brown and Lee “Scratch” Perry. On Friday, September 1, I heard RP Boo at the Encore Room.
Footwork, the dance music established in large part by RP Boo, may not be a central component of popular culture like bluegrass, rock and roll, funk and dub, but paying $25 to see an artist who expanded the possibilities of contemporary music thrilled me.
RP Boo’s 110-minute set ranged from calypso to classic rock, soul to salsa and pop to symphonic music. The dizzying sonic tangle was delivered with a knowing smile by the Chicago man born Kavain Wayne Space in 1972.
A teeming dance floor was the only missing element. Less than 50 people were on hand to hear the titanic figure. I made the most of the elbow room by indulging in a one-man geriatric dance party.
Concert Review: Kassa Overall at Mississippi Studios
Original image of Stas Thee Boss, Bendji Allonce and Kassa Overall by There Stands the Glass.
A modified stage dive during Kassa Overall’s appearance at Mississippi Studios on Saturday, August 26, affirmed jazz’s historic mutability. The euphoric 75-minute performance also clarified the ambitious artist’s intent.
Once a drummer for elite artists like the late Geri Allen, Overall is committed to expanding the sound associated with Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. Overall’s current tour focuses on material from his latest release Animals.
Joined by soprano saxophonist Tomoki Sanders, pianist Ian Finkelstein, bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto and percussionist Bendji Allonce, Overall drummed and rapped with wild abandon. An expansion of the interpolation of “This Train (Is Bound for Glory)” heard on “I Know You See Me” was among the selections in which the quintet breathed new life into old forms.
Stas THEE Boss, a musician best known as a member of the Seattle group ThEESatisfaction, joined the band for a hypnotic rendition of "Tried It". Yet even the pieces that presented as hip-hop possessed unmistakable jazz foundations. Finkelstein’s playing in particular rendered genre distinctions meaningless.
As for that stage dive: after indicating the audience of about 250 should part, Sanders leapt from the stage and ran through the club. Scrambling back, bounced off the lip of the stage and exited again. As a percussion workout climaxed, Sanders hurled himself onto the stage. Punk rockers- as well as everyone who embraces the ongoing evolution of jazz- should be impressed.
August 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer for a recent production of Il Signor Bruschino at Rossini at Wildbad by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of August
1. Karol G- Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Pop perfection.
2. Jaimie Branch- Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die (world war)
This ain’t no picnic.
3. Jonathan Blake- Passage
4. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You
Spill the beans.
5. Grupo Frontera- El Comienzo
A celebratory debut.
6. Arnold Dreyblatt- Resolve
Classical grit.
7. Evan Parker- Etching the Ether
8. Miguel Zenón y Luis Perdomo- El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2
Transcendent duo.
9. Bobby Rush- All My Love for You
He’s the one.
10. Ratboys- The Window
Heartland rock.
Top Ten Songs of August
1. L’Rain- “Pet Rock”
Heavy.
2. Turnstile and Badbadnotgood- “Underwater Boi”
Aqualung.
3. Noname with $ilkmoney, Billy Woods and Stout- “gospel?”
Fight song.
4. Kirk Franklin- “Try Love”
The gospel truth.
5. Armand Hammer with Elucid, Billy Woods and Pink Siifu- “Trauma Mic”
Crisis of faith.
6. Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist and Mike- “Sentry”
Drowsy.
7. Snoh Aalegra- “Wait a Little Longer”
Patience.
8. Doja Cat- "Paint the Town Red"
Walk on by.
9. Miguel and Lil Yachty- “Number 9”
Pet sounds.
10. EST Gee with Yo Gotti- “A Moment with Gotti”
Time stands still.
Top Ten Performances of August
1. Kassa Overall and Omari Jazz at Mississippi Studios
2. Parker Quartet at Polsky Theatre
3. Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at the 1905
4. Truth Cult, Young Mvchetes and Burning Bush at Howdy
5. The Clientele and Papercuts at Mississippi Studios
6. Culture Club, Howard Jones and Berlin at Starlight Theatre
7. The Phil Collins Experience at Barkley Square
8. Jass at Second Presbyterian Church
9. Claes Almroth Trio at Starday Tavern
10. Rich Hill Trio and True Lions at Volker Park
The previous monthly survey is here.
Concert Review: The Clientele and the Papercuts at Mississippi Studios
Original image of the Clientele by There Stands the Glass.
I didn’t make any friends in the line to the bathroom at the conclusion of performances by The Clientele and Papercuts at Mississippi Studios on Tuesday, August 22.
My assessments- “those songs weren’t bangers, they were bummers!” and “instead of party-starters, we heard party-enders!”- didn’t go over with fans of the morose bands.
As with the other 300 people in the Portland venue, I bought a $20 ticket because I’m partial to British sad boy bops like "Bonfires on the Heath". Unlike the humorless devotees, I think it’s funny that all of us chose to wallow in misery.
The lavish production of the Clientele’s gorgeous new album I Am Not There Anymore led me to believe the core members of the British band would be supplemented by additional musicians. I was wrong.
Rough and lean, the Clientele sounded little like its refined recordings. And never having previously seen the band, Alasdair MacLean’s guitar shredding came as a shock.
Papercuts was an ideal opening act. The group’s downcast jangle-pop reminded me of my affinity for the style 40 years ago. A rendition of “John Brown” felt like a faded postcard from my Kansas home.
Blame It On My (Sonic) Youth
After being buffeted by frigid winds and crisp sunlight while traipsing on the soft sand of an Oregon beach for several hours last Sunday, I recovered by sinking into a couch with Evan Parker’s latest release for Intakt Records.
Mentally settled and bodily exhausted, I experienced all 50 minutes of Etching the Ether without a single distraction or chemical enhancement. Completely immersed in sound, I was transported to an elevated dimension.
How did I get there? Most people never acquire a taste for improvised new music, but I consume the often harsh form as if it were candy. A moment on Live in Brooklyn 2011, a new release documenting Sonic Youth’s final concert in the United States, supplies a clue.
Thurston Moore, the loudest member of one of the most transformative bands of my youth, informs the audience that Weasel Walter is slated to perform at the concert’s afterparty at The Stone. The name-check affirms the connection between Sonic Youth’s art-punk free jazz.
The aside also brought me full circle. Since performing with a group including local standout Seth Davis in Kansas City last year, Weasel Walter is featured on the exhilarating March release Branches Choke. Etching the Ether is even better.
The quartet of Parker (soprano saxophone), Peter Evans (trumpets), Matthew Wright (electronics) and Mark Nauseef (percussion) draw on the most refined developments from Tokyo, Philadelphia and the International Space Station. As Sonic Youth might put it, it’s a late-life riot.
Concert Review: Truth Cult, Young Mvchetes and Burning Bush at Howdy
Original image of Burning Bush at Howdy by There Stands the Glass.
A rainbow appeared to end at Howdy on Sunday, August 14. The grimy noise featured at the all-ages venue in Kansas City’s Leeds District was at odds with the heavenly apparition on the drizzly evening.
The debut performance of Burning Bush opened the show. The wrathful Old Testament-inspired punk band is fronted by my friend, colleague and podcast partner Aaron Rhodes. The brief burst of rage validated the $15 door charge.
Truth Cult was the primary attraction. Paris Roberts, the front person of the Baltimore quartet, unironically wore a Pearl Jam t-shirt. Even though only 50 people crowded into the small room, Truth Cult showed it’s arena-ready.
I encountered plenty of detailed hardcore-centric analysis of Truth Cult’s sound on the sidewalk. Echoes of my comparatively antiquated reference points including F*cked Up enthralled me.
The industrial noise favored by Young Mvchetes is right up my alley. Yet the literal wall of amplifiers it employed Sunday emitted such extreme volume that I was forced to forfeit the pot of gold with an early exit.
Album Review: Jonathan Blake- Passage
Mainstream jazz still seemed like a commercially viable proposition less than 40 years ago. I didn’t think twice about acquiring John Blake’s Twinkling of an Eye alongside hit albums by the likes of LL Cool J, R.E.M. and Sade in 1985.
The melodies and rhythms employed by the violinist struck me as every bit as catchy as Madonna’s current single. Passage, the new album by drummer Johnathan Blake, is also loaded with musical hooks.
Yesterday, I belatedly learned that Blake is the violinist’s son. The relationship makes perfect sense. Blake and a band of prominent ringers revitalize mainstream jazz on Passage. Bad Bunny, Travis Scott and Taylor Swift need to watch their backs.