Original image by There Stands the Glass.
The cheesy 1999 hit "Smooth" almost ruined my beach vacation. An open air bar fifty steps from the room I rented in Southern California blared Santana’s hit around midnight each night of my trip. After exhausting myself on the beach, I was subjected to played-out rock songs as I tried to sleep. The torture wasn’t cheap. I couldn’t afford pricey tickets to the concerts by Beyoncé and Bob Dylan that open my October concert recommendations for KCUR.
Screenshot of Opéra de Lille’s production of Verdi’s Falstaff by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of September (through 9/22)
1. Angelika Niescier- Beyond Dragons
Monstrous fire.
2. Yeule- softscars
Are friends electric?
3. Escher Quartet- Terra Incognita
Unexplored territory.
4. Tomas Fujiwara- Pith
With Patricia Brennan and Tomeka Reid.
5. Willie Nelson- Bluegrass
Pleasing redundancy.
6. James Brandon Lewis- For Mahalia, With Love
Wade in the water.
7. Mireya Ramos & the Poor Choices- Sin Fronteras
Possibly the year’s best non-jazz album out of Kansas City.
8. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
My least favorite album by my favorite band.
9. Laufey- Bewitched
10. The Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Top Ten Songs of September
1. Yahritza y su Esencia- "Rositas"
Cool kids.
2. Cultura Profética- "Para Mi"
My kind of Margaritaville.
3. Camilo and Diljit Dosanjh- "Palpita"
Culture clash.
4. James Blake- "Fall Back"
Tripping.
5. Tirzah- "Stars"
Outer space.
6. Tinashe- "Uh Huh"
Validated.
7. Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist featuring Vince Staples- "The Caliphate"
Haram.
8. DOE- "Holy Hands"
Sanctified.
9. Bad Bunny- "Un Preview"
Unstoppable.
10. Carrie Underwood- "Drunk and Hungover"
Formulaic fun.
Top Ten Performances of September
1. RP Boo at the Encore Room
2. Thee Sinseers, The Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
3. Mahani Teave at the Folly Theater
4. Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth at Starlight Theatre
5. Alan Voss Quartet at Swope Park Pavilion
6. Dan Clucas at World Culture
7. OJT at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival
8. Electric Blue Yonder at Tin Roof
9. The Jazz Disciples at the Blue Room
10. Hudspeth & Taylor at Ward Parkway Shopping Center
The previous monthly survey is here.
Original image of Queens of the Stone Age by There Stands the Glass.
Ushers and security personnel had a rough night at Starlight Theatre on Wednesday, September 20. About thirty minutes into Queens of the Stone Age’s headlining set, frontman Josh Homme encouraged the approximately 5,000 members of the audience to crowd toward the stage.
Homme’s insistence that Starlight’s employees were “working for me” didn’t go well. Scofflaws aren’t welcome at the regimented outdoor venue. I monitored testy skirmishes between belligerent fans and determined staff from my vantage point in a (comped) seat up front for the next 45 minutes.
I eventually retreated to uncontested territory as Queens of the Stone Age revamped the riff-based, swing-inflected classic rock of Cream amid the chaos. Groovy!
I hadn’t understood the appeal of Viagra Boys. Now that I’ve taken in the band’s cheeky visual component, I finally get it. The concert began with Jehnny Beth’s tormented take on industrial rock. My skepticism of the very concept of Big Rock in 2023 was- for the moment, anyway- vanquished.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
