I’m attempting to maintain a modicum of sanity amid the onslaught of unthinkable global events. Unsurprisingly, much of my treatment plan involves music therapy. I turn to instrumental skronk when visceral release is essential but the shouts of punks and the growls of metalheads are likely to miss the mark. Yikes Too has proven to be especially efficacious medication in recent days. The trio of saxophonist Tim Berne, guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi and drummer Tom Rainey rage on appropriately titled tracks like “Trauma” and “Sludge”. At 136 minutes, the live and studio recordings from 2024 act as potent dosage capable of temporarily counteracting discouraging reality.
Album Review: Horsegirl- Phonetics On and On
Succumbing to nostalgia is just as dangerous as playing Russian roulette. I’ve always known that allowing myself to wonder if things were better “back then” would automatically hasten my demise.
I was gratified, consequently, at my revulsion upon revisiting R.E.M.’s debut album for the first time in more than a decade last month. I once savored Murmur. Having fully absorbed it in the 1980s, the album annoys me in 2025.
Imagine my surprise at my instant adoration of Horsegirl’s evocation of Reagan-era indie-rock on its new album Phonetics On and On. My long-suppressed affection for slightly twee bands like Camper van Beethoven, the dBs, the Feelies, Let’s Active, the Windbreakers came rushing back to me.
Now I’ve done it. This post serves as an inadvertent invitation for death to come a-knockin’. And when he arrives, I suspect he’ll be wearing a Horsegirls t-shirt.
Concert Review: Cesar Rosas and the Chi-Town Playboys at the Folly Theater
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I adored Los Lobos thirty-five years ago. Los Lobos was arguably the world’s best rock band as it toured in support of spectacular albums ranging from How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984) to Kiko (1992).
Things went south in the mid-’90s. After spending years on the same circuit as other Los Angeles bands like X and the Blasters, Los Lobos inexplicably declared allegiance with jam bands. I gave up after a couple dismal experiences attending hippie festivals at which Los Lobos did Grateful Dead-inspired versions of their repertoire.
Adding insult to injury, Los Lobos’ music wasn’t available on streaming services for several crucial years. Even though I owned all their albums on vinyl and CD, not having instant access to their music was annoying.
The obscurity caused by the boycott probably contributed to dismal advance sales for a concert by Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas at the Folly Theater on Saturday, February 1. I bought a seat in the front row originally priced at $75 for $15. About 150 people were in the 1,050-seat hall.
Rosas was backed by six musicians billed as the Chi-Town Playboys. The first set was anchored by garage-rock staples associated with Jimmy Reed (“Baby What You Want Me to Do”), Don & Dewey (“Farmer John”) and Tito Puente/Santana (“Oye Como Va”).
Each selection included four guitar solos, two by Rosas and one apiece by two additional guitarists. Although it was performed at a very high level, the guitar-centric bar band routine doesn’t do much for me these days. With a few of my misgivings confirmed, I left at the break.
January 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer of Houston Opera’s production of Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème by There Stands the Glass.
The Top Ten Albums of January 2025
1. Bad Bunny- Debí Tirar Más Fotos
My review.
2. Ambrose Akinmusire- honey from a winter stone
Bittersweet.
3. Carl Allen- Tippin'
My review.
4. Mike- Showbiz!
Like no business I know.
5. Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad- JID022
Highlife.
6. James McVinnie- Dreamcatcher
My review.
7. François Couturier and Dominique Pifarély- Preludes & Songs
Duo français.
8. Ethel Cain- Perverts
Pop star drones.
9. William Basinsky and Richard Charter- Aurora Terminalis
Drone star drones.
10. The Weeknd- Hurry Up Tomorrow
Thriller.
The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of January 2025
1. Mary Halvorson Quartet- The Bagatelles, Vol. 1
Zorn-y.
2. Mac Miller- Balloonerism
Wavy highs and lows.
3. Iggy Pop- Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2023
Still your dog.
The Top Ten Songs of January 2025
1. Marshall Allen featuring Neneh Cherry- “New Dawn”
Sunshine.
2. Damon Locks- "Holding the Dawn in Place (Beyond pt. 2)"
Ra.
3. Khadija Al Hanafi- "Let It Bump"
Right here.
4. Larry June featuring 2 Chainz and the Alchemist- “Bad Choices”
Decisions, decisions.
5. Celeste- "Everyday"
All day.
6. Ledisi- "Love You Too"
Always.
7. Skiifall featuring Jorja Smith- "Her World"
Gregory Isaacs lives.
8. TheBabeGabe and the Human- "PSA"
My review.
9. Zach Bryan- “Blue Jean Baby”
Out in the street.
10. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- “Turned to Dust (Rolling On)”
This too shall pass.
The Top Ten Performances of January2025
1. Traxman and Dewey at miniBar
My review.
2. Garibaldi Quartet at the 1900 Building
My review.
3. Carl Phillips at Arrupe Hall
My Instagram snapshot.
4. Kristina Reiko Cooper with the Kinnor Philharmonic at White Theatre
My review.
5. Emmanuel Pahud’s masterclass at Helzberg Hall
My review.
6. Made in France at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.
7. Matt Hopper and Gerald Spaits at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.
8. Rich Wheeler, Jackie Myers and Sebastian Arias at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.
9. Marvin Gruenbaum Quartet at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.
10. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.
The previous monthly recap is here.
Concert Review: Garibaldi Trio at the 1900 Building
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Dmitri Atapine encouraged an audience of 200 to renounce the term “new music” during his introduction of Garibaldi Trio’s recital at the 1900 Building on Thursday, January 30. The co-Artistic Director of The Friends of Chamber Music noted that all music was once new. Besides, he said, what’s new today inevitably grows old.
Musical semantics don’t interest me as much as experiencing fresh sounds. The evening reminded me that institutional suppression of progressive music is just as pervasive in the classical realm as it is in jazz.
I was both ashamed and angry as I experienced works by Stephen Chatman, Lowell Liebermann and Dobrinka Tabakove for the first time. Thanks to my fixation with ECM Records, I’d previously encountered Jörg Widmann’s outlandish Fünf Bruchstücke for clarinet and piano.
Rendered by the charismatic trio of clarinetist José Franch-Ballester, pianist David Fung and violist Marina Thibeault, all four pieces resounded like indispensable components of the classical repertoire. The discounted ticket I purchased on a whim for $10 two months ago revealed previously concealed universes.
Concert Review: Traxman at miniBar
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Many of my friends and associates in Kansas City are suffused with joy by an annual tribute to David Bowie. Their exaltation gladdens me. I sensed the communal ecstasy while taking in a couple minutes of a livestream of a sold out show at recordBar on Saturday, January 25.
After hitting a jazz gig, I paid $25 to enter recordBar’s small sister venue miniBar that night to catch Chicago footwork pioneer Traxman’s final North American show prior to his European tour.
About three dozen people danced to the innovator’s electronic beats. Mesmerized, I doubled my daily step count without realizing I’d been moving. I knew Bowie- an artist famously loath to repeat himself- was with me in spirit.
Album Review: James McVinnie- Dreamcatcher
I occasionally use archival Sviatoslav Richter recordings as references to evaluate the interpretations of the classical pianists of today. In addition to admiring Richter’s no-nonsense approach, I’m morbidly intrigued by the ill-timed coughing and squeaking of chairs of sickly and uncomfortable Russians through the muffled audio of the Soviet-era documents. Dreamcatcher, the new solo album by keyboardist James McVinnie, comes from a universe Richter almost certainly couldn’t have imagined. In addition to the transgressive piano and organ works of living composers including Meredith Monk and Nico Muhly, Dreamcatcher is notable for excruciatingly intense sound fields that are damaging to both my playback mechanisms and my mind. When I wrote about my recent fixation on the sounds of organs last month, I had no idea I’d soon find it necessary to wrap my head around landscapes like this. It’s entirely possible I’ll come to reject these inside-the-instrument recordings, but until then, I can’t stop listening.
Flute Faction
Original image of Emmanual Pahud, Ellen Sommer and Grace Farney by There Stands the Glass.
I learn more at musicians’ master classes than I do from conventional performances of classical music. Emmanuel Pahud’s tutoring at Helzberg Hall on Saturday, January 18, was no exception. The preeminent classical flutist’s commentary about sheet music discrepancies, composers’ intentions and musical interactions provided new insights. The Swiss star’s critiques of four locally based flutists sounded surprisingly undiplomatic to members of the audience of several hundred who hadn’t taken in his clinics online. Acknowledging that his words were occasionally “harsh,” Pahud respected the intrepid flutists by treating them as peers. Unsurprisingly, occasional demonstrations of Pahud’s golden flute were breathtaking.
All My Children
My life partner jokes that I have dozens of children besides our biological offspring. I maintain paternal associations with dozens of people born decades after me. Three such youths are the members of Blackstarkids. My status as a day-one advocate of the Kansas City band led to our ongoing association.
Ty Faizon issued Mango Marai & The Saturn Star four weeks ago. The mixtape has three primary themes: drugs (I don’t approve), self-defensive justifications (Ty shouldn’t worry about what other people think) and music obsessiveness (my favorite element). It’s my kind of mess.
I love Ty’s flow, emo-esque sincerity and production. He and I esteem the sonic worlds created by Q-Tip, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The distinctive presence of TheBabeGabe is also welcome. Gabe’s new single "PSA" lives at the intersection of jazz, punk and hip-hop. It sounds like home.
Album Review: Bad Bunny- Debí Tirar Más Fotos
A winter storm deposited a foot of snow on the Kansas City area over the weekend. Trapped inside their homes with little better to do, neighbors monitored my progress as I shoveled on Monday, January 6. My driveway never seemed so long.
Between the debilitating cold and a thin layer of ice, success didn’t seem probable. What doubters couldn’t know is that I was powered by the album Bad Bunny released a few hours earlier.
Debí Tirar Más Fotos is a 62-minute survey of the past fifty years of Puerto Rican music. While it’s still loaded with the gaudy decadence associated with Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is the most sophisticated album yet from my 2020 Artist of the Year. For every allusion to contemporary pop there’s a reference to vintage Fania Records.
I managed to clear a thirty-foot path from my garage to the street during the first two plays of Debí Tirar Más Fotos. An impressed neighbor sent a congratulatory text as I thawed out during the third of what’s certain to be dozens of rotations of Debí Tirar Más Fotos in 2025.