December 13, 2024

The Top Fifty Performances of 2024

December 13, 2024

(Original image of Vasily Petrenko and Isata Kanneh-Mason at Helzberg Hall by There Stands the Glass.)

Just because I’m no longer paid to review concerts doesn’t mean I stopped going out. The 157 music performances I’ve attended so far in 2024 represent an unprecedented financial outlay. The out-of-pocket figure would have been even more breathtaking had I been able to bring myself to acquire exorbitantly priced tickets to sold-out appearances in the Kansas City area by Bad Bunny, J. Cole and Grupo Frontera. Visiting the bucket list venues Wigmore Hall, Wiener Hofmusikkapelle and Wiener Staatsoper and catching the Jesus and Mary Chain, Makaya McCraven, Negativland and Jah Wobble for the first time was worth the expense. Unless I live longer than anticipated, the investment will have been worth it.

1. Militarie Gun, Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp and Spacing at recordBar
My review.

2. Peter Schlamb, Matt Otto, Matt Villinger, Sebastian Arias and Zach Morrow at the Ship
My review.

3. Véronique Gens and Susan Manoff at Wigmore Hall (London)
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Jeffrey Osborne at Ameristar Casino
My Instagram clip.

5. Nick Shoulders at Third Place Lounge
My review.

6. Mike, 454, Niontay and El Cousteau at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

7. Wiener Staatsoper’s “Carmen” (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Flatland Cavalry at Grinders KC
My Instagram clip.

9. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
My review.

10. Peter Schipka, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle, Wiener Sängerknaben and Wiener Staatsoper at Wiener Hofmusikkapelle (Vienna)
My Instagram clip.

11. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

12. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

13. Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater
My review.

14. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

15. Lawrence Brownlee at the Lied Center
My review.

16. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi at Wigmore Hall (London)
My review.

17. Sandbox Percussion, Soowin Kim and Gloria Chen at Lincoln Performance Hall (Portland)
My review.

18. Isata Kanneh-Mason with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Helzberg Hall
My review.

19. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

20. UMKC Opera’s “Marriage of Figaro” at White Theater
My review.

21. Yo-Yo Ma and the Harmony Project at Parade Park
My Instagram clip.

22. David Lord, V. Vecker and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Farewell
My review.

23. Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart at Mississippi Studios
My review.

24. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram clip.

25. Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

26. Khatia Buniatishvili at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

27. Willi Carlisle at the Folk Alliance Conference
My Instagram clip.

28. UMKC Opera’s Puccini’ Suor Angelica at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center
My Instagram snapshot.

29. Negativland at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

30. Isidore String Quartet at Zhou B Art Center
My Instagram snapshot.

31. Joyce DiDonato with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My review.

32. Adam Larson Quartet at the Blue Room
My review.

33. Kansas City Symphony’s “Matthias Pintscher conducts Symphony Dances: West Side Story and Rachmaninoff” at Helzberg Hall
My review.

34. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

35. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

36. Rick Bartlett at Ricky B’s (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

37. Drug Church at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

38. Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

39. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My review.

40. Alber’s “By the Sea” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram snaphot.

41. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

42. Dunedin Consort’s “St. John Passion” at Atonement Lutheran Church
My Instagram snapshot.

43. Jeremy Denk at the Folly Theater
My review.

44. Bachathon XLV at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

45. The Psychedelic Furs, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Frankie Rose at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

46. Beppe Gambetta at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

47. Seth A Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
My Instagram clip.

48. Danielle Nicole at Records with Merritt
My Instagram snapshot.

49. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
My review.

50. Sleater-Kinney and Palehound at the Truman
My Instagram clip.

Last year’s concert ranking is here.

William Brownlee

November 24, 2024

The Top Kansas City Albums, EPs and Reissues of 2024

William Brownlee

November 24, 2024

I’m looking forward to returning to Mark Manning’s Wednesday MidDay Medley program on community radio station KKFI on Wednesday, November 27. Preparing to share music on the year-end best-of show compelled me to complete the following annual exercise. The agonizing process invariably means snubbing a few friends and elevating the art of talented antagonists in Kansas City’s various music communities. The songs I’ll feature on Wednesday MidDay Medley were selected partly for concise track lengths, clean edits and in deference to the predilections of my fellow guests.

The Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2024

1. Blackstarkids- Saturn Dayz /Heaven on Urf
High concept.

2. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin’
Plastic Sax review.

3. Willi Carlisle- Critterland
Feral folk.

4. SleazyWorld Go- More Than a Shooter
Shots fired.

5. Logan Richardson- The Science of Superstition
Plastic Sax review.

6. Charles McPherson- Reverence
Plastic Sax review.

7. Behzod Abduraimov- Shadows of My Ancestors
Prokofiev, Ravel and Saidaminova.

8. Danielle Nicole- The Love You Bleed
Medic!

9. Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas and Ted Nash- Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols
Plastic Sax review.

10. Tech N9ne- C OSM
Collabos.

11. Matt Otto, Xose Miguélez and Abe Rábade- The Landscape Listens
Plastic Sax review.

12. Waxahatchee- Tigers Blood
Comfort food.

13. Rod Fleeman- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3
Plastic Sax review.

14. Pat Metheny- MoonDial
Plastic Sax review.

15. Loidis- One Day
Electro-propulsion.

16. Scott Dean Taylor and Seth Andrew Davis- Infidels
Plastic Sax review.

17. Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Kansas City Symphony and The Lyric Opera of Kansas City Chorus- Moravec: The Shining
Redrum.

18. Sandbox Percussion- Bloom
Banging on cans.

19. Narrative Quartet featuring Adam Larson- Trust Fund Tinder Goblins Howling at the Moon
Plastic Sax review.

20. Karrin Allyson- A Kiss for Brazil
Plastic Sax review.

21. Joey Cool- Roller Coaster
Tech mime.

22. Michael Pagán- Paganova
Plastic Sax review.

23. Zachary Barthelman and Evan Verploegh- Sound/Color
Plastic Sax review.

24. Stan Kessler- Two’s Company
Plastic Sax review.

25. Alber- Born at Sea
Plastic Sax review.

The Top Ten Kansas City EPs of 2024

1. Peter Schlamb- Pliable Consciousness
Plastic Sax review.

2. Krystle Warren & The Academy- Extended Play
There Stands the Glass review.

3. Boldy James and Conductor Williams- Across the Tracks
Crazy train.

4. Midwestern- Reflections
There Stands the Glass review.

5. Conductor Williams- Conductor We Have a Problem, Pt. 3
Off the rails.

6. Burning Bush- Demo 2024
Flames of fire.

7. Jorge Arana Trio- Merciélago
Dark shadows.

8. Drew Williams- Wobble
Plastic Sax review.

9. Rich the Factor- Souped Up Sofa
KC’s the town.

10. Treanne- 20/20
Focused.

The Top Five Kansas City Reissues of 2024

1. Charlie Parker- Bird in Kansas City
Plastic Sax review.

2. Coalesce- Live at BBC’s Maida Vale Studios
Furious 2009 session.

3. The Get Up Kids- Something to Write Home About: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Red letter days.

4. Jennifer Knapp- Kansas 25
A fresh rendering of the 1998 CCM classic.

5. Kevin Mahogany- Gem Theater Live
Plastic Sax review.

Last year’s list is here.

William Brownlee

October 13, 2024

The Top 25 Kansas City Albums of the Past 25 Years (excluding jazz)

William Brownlee

October 13, 2024

Geographically isolated and persistently ostracized by coastal tastemakers, Kansas City’s various music communities have developed unhealthy underdog postures since 2000. The wrong artists, consequently, are often embraced for erroneous reasons. The following ranking of one observer’s favorite albums by Kansas City artists released in the first 25 years of the new millennium is intended as a benevolent corrective. It’s also a celebration of excellence. Artists are limited to single selections. A corresponding list of jazz albums is here.

1. Fat Tone- Only in Killa City (2002)

2. Tech N9ne- Everready (2006)

3. Joyce DiDonato- Diva, Divo (2011)

4. Blackstarkids- Surf (2020)

5. Making Movies- A La Deriva (2014)

6. Mac Lethal- 11:11 (2007)

7. Ron Ron- Mr. No It All (2007)

8. Janelle Monaé- The ArchAndroid (2010)

9. Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys- The Spectacular Sadness of… (2000)

10. SleazyWorld Go- Where the Shooters Be (2022)

11. Huerco S.- Plonk (2022)

12. The Grisly Hand- Country Singles (2013)

13. Little Hatch- Rock With Me Baby (2003)

14. Rich the Factor- Rose Out the Concrete (2016)

15. Kelly Hunt- Even the Sparrow (2019)

16. Sandbox Percussion- Seven Pillars (2021)

17. Stik Figa- The City Under the City (2013)

18. Samantha Fish- Chills & Fever (2017)

19. Coalesce- Ox (2009)

20. Waxahatchee- Tigers Blood (2024)

21. Ces Cru- Capture Enemy Soldiers (2004)

22. The Get Up Kids- There Are Rules (2011)

23. Ebony Tusks- Heal Thyself (2020)

24. Krystle Warren- Circles (2009)

25. Reggie and the Full Effect- Songs Not to Get Married To (2005)

William Brownlee

August 1, 2024

July 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

August 1, 2024

Screenshot of the trailer for the Royal Opera’s production of Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of July 2024

1. Rakim- G.O.D.’s Network: Reb7rth
Old school freshness.

2. Common and Pete Rock- The Auditorium, Vol. 1
Redemption songs.

3. Sault- Acts of Faith
Expansive gospel.

4. Enrico Rava- Fearless Five
The octogenarian is forever young.

5. Pat Metheny- MoonDial
My review.

6. Jimetta Rose & the Voices of Creation- Things Are Getting Better
Cosmic gospel.

7. Zach Bryan- The Great American Bar Scene
My review.

8. Lava La Rue- Starface
Far out funk.

9. Nathan Bowles Trio- Are Possible
Liege and lief.

10. Childish Gambino- Bando Stone and the New World
Angsty party.

The Top Ten Songs of July 2024

1. Jesse Ware and Romy- “Lift You Up”
Higher.

2. Jorja Smith- "High"
Elevation.

3. Jpegmafia- “Sin Miedo”
Fearless.

4. Caleb Calloway, Cloonee and Alvaro Díaz- "Pe$o"
Undervalued.

5. Charley Crockett- "Visions of Dallas"
Reboot.

6. Miranda Lambert- "Alimony"
Warning shot.

7. Porridge Radio- “Sick of the Blues”
Rebirth.

8. Denzel Curry featuring Armani White- "Wishlist"
Thirsty.

9. Speed- “Caught in a Craze”
Anthrax homage.

10. Wingstop Girl- “I Ate Nothing”
Hangry.

The Top Ten Performances of July 2024

1. Sandbox Percussion, Soowin Kim and Gloria Chien at Lincoln Performance Hall
My review.

2. Jah Wobble at Mississippi Studios
My review.

3. Opus13 at Lincoln Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Aladdin Theater
My Instagram clip.

5. Trap Jazz, Divine Essence and Justus West at the Ameri’kana Festival at Concourse Park
My Instagram clip.

6. Sandbox Percussion’s masterclass at Lincoln Recital Hall
My Instagram clip.

7. Soovin Kim, Gloria Chien and Radovan Vlatković at Kaul Auditorium
My Instagram clip.

8. Old-timey jam at Northwest Portland Hostel
My Instagram clip.

9. Kyle Rivera’s composition masterclass at Lincoln Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Miami String Quartet at Yardley Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

William Brownlee

July 15, 2024

Concert Review: Chamber Music Northwest’s “Incandescence: Blazing Works by Joan Tower, Bartók & the ‘Kreutzer’” at Lincoln Performance Hall

William Brownlee

July 15, 2024

Original image of Joan Tower, Soovin Kim and Sandbox Percussion by There Stands the Glass.

I worked up a lather in a hurried thirty-minute walk to Lincoln Performance Hall in ninety-degree heat on Sunday, July 14. Not having time to rinse myself off in a bathroom, I left a trail of perspiration as I made my way to my $30 seat at the back of the venue on the campus of Portland State University.

Given the fiery theme of the concert presented in Chamber Music Northwest’s 2024 Summer Festival series, my prodigious sweating was apropos. Performances of three works were accurately billed as blazing.

Joan Tower introduced the world premiere of her “Sing or Dance” with a few humble words. Much of the challenging piece rendered by violinist Soovin Kim and Sandbox Percussion resembled free improvisation. I liked it, but many in the audience of approximately 400 squirmed.

The duo of Kim and his wife, pianist Gloria Chien, dueted on the program’s two additional pieces, Béla Bartók’s “Violin Sonata No. 2” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata. Kim Chien- the festival’s artistic directors- tore through the famously difficult pieces. Kim’s astounding feat of endurance kept me sweating in sympathetic allegiance.

William Brownlee

June 21, 2024

Album Review: David Crowell- Point/Cloud

William Brownlee

June 21, 2024

Guitars are bygone relics with no place at the cutting edge of 21st century music. The specious theory draws me like a moth to a flame. It serves me right, consequently, that the sounds of guitars constitute a big chunk of the music I’ve most loved during the past six months.

The jazz guitarists Steve Cardenas and Rod Fleeman released two of my favorite albums by Kansas City artists this year. Performances by regional post-jazz guitarists Shante Clair, Seth Davis and David Lord delighted me in recent months.

I’m still surprised by my decision to catch Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett’s impressive concert in April. And two nights ago I was awed by the skronky shredding of a young guitarist with the Chicago trio Galaxxu at Charlotte Street Foundation.

As rendered by guitarists Daniel Lippel and Mak Grgic, the title suite and “Pacific Coast Highway” on Point/Cloud, the latest album by the New York composer David Crowell, contain elements of each of the styles employed by the musicians mentioned above.

Crowell’s use of jazz intonations, intimations of prog-rock and abrasive repetition verify the pertinence of guitars in 2024. Even so, the guitar-free tracks featuring Sandbox Percussion and Iva Casian-Lakos are even more interesting. On second thought, maybe guitars are, in fact, of no account.